By Nausicaa Chu
Jamie Blattman’s son had looked forward to this moment since kindergarten: the annual fifth grade campout. The campout was a legend among the students of Cherokee Bend Elementary, a weekend spent living in tents and conquering action-packed outdoor activities.
But this time, there was an unexpected hitch. “I’ll never forget when my first son went through it, and his campout had the biggest bully in it,” says Blattman.
Only one person appeared to actually appreciate the situation: Rick Hedrick, the founder of the Fair Oaks Elementary Curriculum, a program that taught elementary students teamwork and problem-solving skills through activities in the backwoods of CBS. “I think he loved it when he got groups that where there were conflicts, because he loved to help them see and recognize that their actions have consequences right now and in the future,” says Blattman. At the campout, Hedrick called numerous circle-ups to discuss the bully’s behavior, teaching the group how actions could both help and hurt others.
“I think it changed that boy’s life,” says Blattman. The bully became good friends with Blattman’s son later on.
The campout was typical of Hedrick’s lifelong work transforming the lives of children. Hedrick, who passed away suddenly on Jan. 25, impacted over 3,000 students, faculty and parents during his 28 years as the implementer of the F.O.A.C. program. Alongside his two other jobs working with inpatients at Mountain View Hospital and at-risk youth in Cullman, Hedrick was a beloved educator best known for his big hugs, encouraging advice and immense care for each of his students.
Hedrick focused on teaching children the life skills that they would need to know outside of the classroom. He had three rules for his students: “One, to do their best. Two, to be safe. And three, value yourself and others,” Hedrick said in a tribute video created by the Mountain Brook school system.
The materials with which Hedrick instilled these values were not textbooks and worksheets, but rather heart-racing activities in the woods of CBS, with names like the “flying squirrel,” “pamper pull,” and “catwalk.” The activities often involved jumps from high places. “It’s about showing the kids that you can do hard things. You can be successful. You can conquer your fears,” says Blattman, who worked as Hedrick’s F.O.A.C. liaison for several years.
At an F.O.A.C. event for parents, Elizabeth Edwards recalled peering down 50 feet from the pamper pull, a tall structure that resembled a telephone pole. Hedrick told her to jump. There was just one problem: “I’m super scared of heights,” says Edwards. However, Hedrick helped her overcome this fear. “He taught me through it,” says Edwards.
Hedrick would often tell nervous participants, “If you fall, I will be there to catch you.” Whether it was encouraging wary parents to jump off tall equipment, having third graders arrange themselves by birthday on a narrow log or laughing with gleeful children as they dangled upside-down from a tree, Hedrick instilled self-confidence and courage in children and parents alike.
This self-confidence and courage translated into other aspects of the children’s lives, beyond the physical activities. While some parents occasionally complained that CBS should focus more on academics, Hedrick’s emphasis on life lessons led to noticeable success in middle school for students who went through F.O.A.C. “Fabulous academics don’t make you a great adult, but really great life lessons do,” says Blattman. “We would always hear when our kids would go to the junior high that you could tell which kids had gone through F.O.A.C. and which kids had not. They were team players. There was a lot to be said about them.”
Hedrick extended his work at CBS to Mountain View Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Gadsden, where he designed adventure courses for children with cognitive behavior struggles. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he would drive to Cullman to work with at-risk youth, working with the Cullman Juvenile Court to run a ropes course program. “He loved the ones who no one else loved,” says Blattman.
Though holding three jobs simultaneously was a taxing schedule, Hedrick willingly gave up much of his own time in order to support his students. His dedication to instilling courage, selflessness and confidence in thousands of children continues to have a positive impact on the community.
As for that bully at the campout? “He’s a great guy now,” says Blattman.
