Keep Team Backpacking! - Sydney Milstead

The Team Academy is a one-of-a-kind public school alternative, outdoor education program. It runs out of Archie Williams High School. It is an experiential learning model that combines the following: backpacking, hiking, community service, internships, rock climbing, wilderness medicine, and academic courses in a cohort model environment. It is the ONLY public school program of its kind.

Friends of the Team Program is a non-profit that helps support Team so we can keep backpacking year after year. This year we DOUBLED in size and we need your help to keep Team backpacking for years to come.

My name is Sydney Milstead, and I’m a senior. This is my second year in the Team program. Since the beginning of junior year, I’ve traveled from the peaks of the Sierras to the valleys of Joshua Tree. Through this program, I’ve had the privilege of meeting lifelong friends and mentors who have had a lasting impact on me. The Team program has opened doors to opportunities and connections I never would have had otherwise.

Some of my most memorable moments have been captured on my camcorder, which I’ve learned to take with me everywhere I go. Every bit of support helps provide my peers and me with experiences unlike any other. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey.