Glenn D’Avanzo

Adult Wellness Coordinator
Holliston, MA

When we visit high schools we see all kinds of facilities. Those differences often are expressions of community wealth, or the lack of it, or they may signify priorities, and priorities can be those of adults or kids.

In Holliston High School a striking feature is a massive climbing wall in “the fieldhouse,” an athletic facility that features a full-size indoor track, among other things. It’s not that anything in the high school looks extravagant, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s an old school, well, a very old school that graduated its first class in 1868, but the current building is over 50-years-old, and large parts seem to have seen only minimal updates. 

But the passions of students seem obvious here. From the hallways in the art areas turned into massive, ever growing murals, to the art gallery itself, to the shop where a tiny house was under construction, to a window lined hallway filled with students gathered at high top tables, teens are trusted to be the just-about-adults that they are.

The rock climbing wall is a symbol of what Holliston High School has tried to do to drive change. It utilizes the passions and life experiences of a teacher - Glenn in this case - to engage and unleash the passions of learners.

Walls of Discovery

“Risk-taking and getting out of your comfort zone are things I highly promote. I would imagine that if I was a parent who knew nothing about climbing I'd be nervous seeing pictures or videos of what the kids do. The reality is that off the ground here is probably the safest place to be. Over the years as a wellness and  phys ed teacher I've seen injuries, all kinds of injuries. In climbing the only place I've seen people get hurt is walking on the path to the rock-climbing arena, tripping and falling down, not that there isn't risk but the message is that it's a calculated risk.” 

“I always make the analysis that as calculated risk if you learn what to do and what not to do you can stay safe. If you follow the protocol and do what is correct then nothing bad should happen. I make that analogy that if you're at a party and you get in a car, if you don't check that the person who's driving hasn’t been drinking, that's a bad risk, and somebody's gonna get hurt. If you go to climb and don't check your safety knots and check the person's belay device and make sure everything you've learned is in place then the door is open for people to take dangerous or uncalculated risks. I try and get them to correlate that it's good and healthy to take risks and get out, but it's got to be calculated and you have to know the consequences so that you can avoid dangerous, risky behaviors.” 

Life on the Rocks

“I take kids to Crow Hill and Quincy and the College Rock and it's something that I've become extremely passionate about because of what it did for me in my personal growth. There have been many students over the years that have not only just had fun while they're here but have gone on to do something with rock climbing in their life after high school. One of the first I actually remember in 2001 was Eddie. He went to college and came back and told me he started a rock climbing club and then an outdoor club in college. Back then there weren't a lot of those but now many colleges have climbing walls. Another student went to work part-time at REI. He discovered climbing when he was here in the class and became so interested he started buying gear from REI and he ended up being a regional manager and taking other people climbing on weekends.”

But it is not really about rock climbing for Glenn, or for the kids he spends so much time with. It’s about finding paths, depending on teams, sharing responsibilities, communicating, and overcoming both fear and failure, all metaphors that the kids carry with them to whatever they’re going to do.

Allowing All to Learn Together

“It was something intriguing about it as an athlete and I brought it back to the class,” Glenn says, speaking of how this program began, and how it continues to grow and adapt. “The kids, many of them loved it, but many didn't like it. But they don't like it because that's where they needed, and need, because this doesn’t change, to grow. They end up getting something out of it even if they never climb again.

“We have three different levels so it's for all climbers. We have beginners, intermediate, and experienced, that’s what we call them. They figure out what level they can climb after probably seven or eight weeks of experience, and that's before we even get to the climbing contests, both in and outdoors. They compete virtually against all the classes and all the previous times, but mostly against themselves, always trying to get better. The contest is something I house online, so they know where they are against where they want to be.” As far as extrinsic motivations, he says, “Sometimes we do give certificates. Sometimes we do grading percentages. Sometimes we do trophies. It all depends on what drives that particular group of students. On what they want.

A Life’s Passions

Glenn is into surfing, paddle surfing, rock climbing, an athlete in looks and lifestyle. It’s evident how much he values working with students on the climbing wall. It’s also evident, as we talk to him while kids climb behind, that the trust he develops between the kids and himself is both mutual and genuine. There are no shouted instructions from this teacher, but plenty of quiet peer-to-peer coaching.

We can hear the excitement as he describes how he became involved in rock climbing himself, and what he’s learned from students about the impact of climbing as a path to learning. He talks about surfing the world in summers with friends and family, another challenge to himself, and ends his story reflecting on surfing alongside an 88-year-old. He wants that to be him. He wants that to be his kids, living a passionate, challenging life.