Geoffrey Wingard

Wingard's winning program, "Life Without a Filter," is an experiential learning platform to engage the emotional and intellectual interests of students at Bangor High School. The program is a yearlong drop out prevention and mentoring project for students identified as at-risk by school faculty and staff. During the school's study hall, students will explore the ways humans existed from millennia prior to the Industrial Revolution. Participants will study and practice the skills that allowed humans to survive and flourish. Through the engagement and mastery of the skills and tasks, they will understand the process of human cultural change and understand that they too can master emotional, social and intellectual challenges. Experienced mentors will guide the students through the exploration of land navigation/orienteering, canoeing and water safety, team-building and trust exercises, martial arts, and other activities. Wingard, who lives in Orono, hopes that the program will allow the students to engage in their own educational process and build relationships within the school setting.