At Alliance City Schools (ACS), a core value is being a caring citizen. This is a value the district strives to instill in every student who passes through the halls and one that’s promoted among the staff.
Ashley Lewis and Sarah Lantz are two ACS staff members who exemplify the ideals of being a caring citizen by volunteering their time at Pegasus Farm and the Military and First Responder Center (MFC).
Lewis, an early childhood intervention specialist at Alliance Preschool, began volunteering at Pegasus in 2016. She started as an instructor in training and through The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International, she became a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. Lantz, a science teacher at Alliance Middle School for the past 21 years, began her volunteer journey with Pegasus after taking riding lessons from Lewis when she turned 40 and decided she wanted to learn something new. Both have a passion for helping people and animals, so when Lantz expressed an interest in taking a trip to Sri Lanka to volunteer with elephants, Lewis asked “Wouldn’t it be easier to volunteer at Pegasus?” Lantz has been a volunteer ever since.
Pegasus is a therapeutic horse farm that works with children and individuals with disabilities. The farm relies heavily on volunteers, like Lewis and Lantz, in order to operate. The volunteers lead the classes, offer support when needed, maintain the horses and barns and interact with the riders in a positive way.
I love the riders I get to work with every week,” Lantz explained. “They are more courageous and braver than I will ever be. The more I’m around people displaying these qualities, the more I become the type of person I really want to be. It’s important that I volunteer at Pegasus so that they can continue to offer quality therapeutic riding programs, but selfishly, it’s important for me so that I can be inspired.”
When working with horses, it’s important to be aware of intuitive skills such as connection, energy, intent and pressure. All four skills are needed to lead a horse in the direction it’s supposed to go. Both Lewis and Lantz said the skills translate well into being an effective teacher. They have to make connections with the students to build trust, they need positive energy to encourage the student, a clear intent of what the students are to be doing and learning and they need to know when to apply and release pressure to ensure students achieve results and stay on task.
“There are many aspects of being in the arena and the barn that are similar to being in a classroom at school,” Lewis said. "Being an instructor in the arena is similar to being a teacher in the classroom, managing students, volunteers/staff, organizing and planning, being flexible and leading in a kind, caring, respectful and intuitive manner. We can not control the outside circumstances for the students, but we can help provide a safe, fun and welcoming learning environment for the students to thrive in while they are there whether on a horse or in the classroom.”
Lewis and Lantz are both making a positive impact in the classroom and in the community through their time at ACS and their volunteer work with Pegasus. They are great examples of how Aviators can be caring citizens!