Leadership New Hampshire Begins its 20th Year Journey
By Roxanne Benzel , Class of 2012
Along the shores of Dan Hole Pond, the Class of LNH 2012 embarked on its journey toward building a community of informed and engaged leaders. Traveling to Camp Merrowvista in Tuftonboro, NH was a beautiful ride circling on the edge of Lake Winnipesaukee and into the Ossipee Mountains. Upon arriving at camp, we were warmly greeted and shown to our rooms where we deposited our gear in our chosen bunks and very quickly sprung into our first activity. Introductions were made and we learned about each other in a loud, lively circle activity. From there, we learned about each other by asking the question “Who Are You”, and rounded out the introduction of our fellow classmates with the “Affinity Circle.” The afternoon’s schedule kept us very busy while we blindly built bridges and found the clear path from end to end on the blue tarp.
During the late afternoon free time, many classmates took advantage of the hiking trails around Camp Merrowvista and some discovered the beautiful views from the Ledge. Others made their way to Reception Hill to phone in to family and briefly connect with work.
Each meal was prefaced with a moment of gratitude where one of our classmates shared the things they were thankful for. Each of us also reflected on our own gratitude. The meals were delicious, and we teamed up to do clean-up duty afterwards.
The first day wrapped up with teams exhibiting their artfulness as we drew the profile of our great state. We identified where each team member lives, and drew many, many points of interest including moose and bear sightings! As evening turned into night, classmates sat around the bon fire, hung out in the Lodge, or were found in a spirited game of Euchre.
Bright and early the next day, hikers embarked on the trails around camp. Others enjoyed the early morning time from the relaxation of the rocking chairs and expansive porch where interesting conversations were held. Following a hearty breakfast that included pancakes with New Hampshire maple syrup, Executive Director, Steve Reno, described the mission of Leadership New Hampshire – “Building a community of informed and engaged leaders.” Steve outlined the expectations of each of the LNH Class of 2012 participants, expectations for the presenters throughout the year, and reviewed the scheduled curriculum. He stressed the importance of being engaged and urged us to carry and read the white paper “What is New Hampshire” co-written by fellow classmate, Dan Barrick. The group discussed summer reading topics and several recommendations were made for additional interesting things to read. Assistant Director, Allyson Ryder, reviewed the LNH website and identified that it contains useful information for the session days. Directions, dress code, and homework will be outlined on the website. The group then completed another round of getting to know each other by “Introducing Our Partners” where we learned interesting and unknown facts to share.
Thad Guldbrandsen, 2011 LNH graduate, ended the 20th LNH retreat by presenting “Where in The World is Camp Merrowvista.” Thad provided informative insight about the region surrounding the Camp and shared the history, geography, and economic landscape for the area. Thad’s presentation wrapped up by engaging our group in a role-playing session where we replicated the challenges of many New Hampshire towns and cities. The group was divided into various committees such as the Budget Committee, the Planning Committee, the Capital Improvement Committee, and Concerned Citizens and together we evaluated whether or not to purchase a vibratory roller for road maintenance.
Jamie Batson, graduate from the first LNH class of 1993, facilitated the final activity for the session. Each LNH 2012 participant outlined 2 to 3 stretch goals for the upcoming LNH year projecting out to graduation day on May 24, 2012. Our goals were recorded on 3 x 5 cards, witnessed by a fellow classmate, and turned into Jamie who will return the cards to us at graduation where we can then reflect on our accomplishments.
As we said our goodbyes Wednesday afternoon, the prevailing theme was excitement and anticipation for the year ahead. The Class of 2012 has embarked on its journey to become a community of informed and engaged leaders for the great state of New Hampshire and I, for one, am thoroughly looking forward to this adventure.
