Fort Mill teens go ‘Westward Bound,’ see America
It’s early on a Saturday morning, and the parking lot at Davidson College was rapidly filling with people. Duffle bags, backpacks, and sleeping bags littered the pavement, and in the distance a large motor coach, two vans, and two large trailers waited with their doors open.
Many teens weaved through the crowd to throw their arms around friends, but a few could be seen standing apart, nervously scanning for a familiar face.
Gradually the crowd, summoned by Dennis Deaton, the founder of Teens Westward Bound, moved toward the end of the parking lot. There, Deaton stood in the bed of a pickup truck, microphone in hand. He and his son, Grant Deaton, both from Mooresville N.C., have been guiding groups of teenagers out West for 40 years for a trip they describe as “a twenty-three day discovery of the Great American West and … of oneself.”
Dennis Deaton has a master’s degree in secondary education and counseling from Winthrop University and Grant Deaton is a graduate of Western Carolina University and the technology facilitator for Rowan County Schools in North Carolina. They both refer to themselves as “permanent participants” of TWB, and in conversation, it becomes immediately apparent how much they enjoy helping teens discover themselves and their country.
Earlier this summer, four local teens got the chance to travel West with TWB. Jessica McGill and Emma Heins are both juniors at Nation Ford High and Rachel Allmendinger is a junior at Fort Mill High. Annalisa Randazzo of Fort Mill recently graduated from Charlotte Catholic and is headed to Coastal Carolina in the fall.
The purpose of the program is simple: expose today’s teens to the American Dream – freedom, self-reliance and mobility. Over the course of 23 days, the group of 82 teens gets “close to America” by traveling by bus and van to some of the most spectacular sights in the United States. They camp each night, sometimes in the open air; occasionally in a school gym. Team building starts the moment the buses leave the parking lot, with speed dating-type games (but no actual dating, to be sure), and lots of singing.
Among the team-building games, Heins said one of her favorites was “The Hunger Games,” a pyramid-building contest. The winning team was served dinner first.
There was record interest in TWB this year, Dennis Deaton said, with more than 500 teens applying. Typically, two trips are scheduled for each summer. With so many applicants to choose from this year, a third trip was arranged. To be selected, applicants need to be recommended by a past participant, engage in an in-person interview and and submit an application with three letters of reference. Accepted teens receive an inspiring note from Dennis and Grant, letting them know that the trip will require “every ounce of energy we can muster” and “what you make of this experience rests squarely on your shoulders.”
The destinations are many, but all three local girls said the biggest thrill was hiking the Grand Canyon.
“I surprised myself by learning that I was capable of anything and everything I set my mind to as long as I have friends there to support and encourage me,” McGill said.
The list of other adventures and treats is long, from beignets in New Orleans and the bright lights of Las Vegas and Hollywood to munching Ghirardelli chocolate in San Francisco and hugging sequoias in Yosemite. There’s also Old Faithful in Yellowstone, a rodeo in Cody, Wyo., rafting the Shoshone River and riding to the top of the Arch in St. Louis.
While humor and laughter are integral parts of the program, it’s not all fun and games; the teens are divided into teams that share the responsibilities of sustaining the trip. Named after the Seven Dwarves, the teams shop for and feed the large group of teens and counselors on a budget, clean the bus and vans, check and clean the campgrounds before leaving, and update the blog daily. While not physically challenging, McGill felt that blogging was the hardest job, because “you had to sum up an entire day of amazing activities into a few words.” Since participants are not allowed to bring cell phones on the trip, the blog is essential to those at home, eagerly awaiting news of their son or daughter. Parents and friends check in daily, eager to see pictures of their smiling child and read humorous descriptions of the day’s events, watching the teens grow ever closer to each other as they travel farther and farther away.
“No matter the distance you chose to hike, the view was absolutely beautiful,” Randazzo said.
“The Grand Canyon shows God’s obvious artistry.”
Returning to Davidson College, after more than three weeks on the road, the motor coach and vans pulled into the parking lot to a sea of excited parents holding welcome signs, American flags, balloons, and the occasional packet of tissues. While there were a few tears of anxiety at departure, nothing compared to the overflow of emotions as belongings were gathered and goodbyes were said.
The 82 teens, guided by Dennis, Grant, and theircounselors, had become a family.
The final trip of the summer returned Aug. 10 and Allmendinger climbed down the steps of the bus with a host of new friends and a lifetime of memories, such as meeting Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo at UCLA. The teens may not have known exactly what to expect, but they weren’t disappointed.
“I came into this experience not knowing anyone and being scared of making friends, but after only a day I knew that this would be the most fantastic that ever happened to me, and these friends will last a lifetime,” Heins said.
This return trip was bittersweet for founder Dennis Deaton, whose tagline is, “living, loving, and always laughing (at you).” He’s stepping down and handing the reins to his son Grant, who took his first TWB trip in 1996 and has been a part of 10 excursions since then.
Sarah Heins is the program coordinator for Girls on the Run of the Tri County, a certified Jazzercise instructor, and the mother of three girls, including Emma Heins.
This story was originally published August 12, 2014 at 12:00 AM.