Not far from Interstates 294 and 57 in a rural part of Markham, Stanley and Betty Robinson operate the Silver Stallion Ranch with horse stables, a petting zoo and a reproduction of a stop on the Underground Railroad.
It is here where students from the Delta and Summit Learning Center — the alternative high school for Community High School District 218 — attend class once a week.
The students participate in its equine therapy program, groom and care for the horses, clean the stables, receive lessons in emergency preparedness and learn to operate power tools and machinery.
It is one of Delta Summit’s most popular classes, and there’s often a waiting list to participate each semester, said Paris Hardamon, the school’s social worker. Many students ask to take the class multiple times, he said.
Hardamon said the program provides an array of benefits to students throughout its eight week sessions. They learn responsibility and teamwork and take pride in their work, he said.
“Through these activities, they are building more confidence,” Hardamon said. “That confidence leads to more self-esteem. Self-esteem leads to more curiosity.”
Delta and Summit Learning Center, in Crestwood, serves students in District 218 who have not found success in a traditional high school environment.
The center helps students set goals and develop their individual strengths and interests. The small-school environment provides individualized academic and social and emotional support. The program provides services for special education students who have not been successful at their home school. It also provides a therapeutic school setting so students are prepared to be successful after graduation.
Hardamon said one student came into the equine program sad, mad and isolated, but appeared more confident by its end.
Participants enjoy learning about job skills and taking care of the horses, he said.
“I’m being seen. I’m being valued. I’m being heard,” Hardamon said are some of the main lessons students take away from the Silver Stallion Ranch. “I’m a part of something.”
Stanley Robinson said he wanted to make sure young people in the south suburbs would know how to act and how to help their community in the event of a flood or tornado.
He wanted to teach students how to use a chain saw and operate a bobcat. Students at his ranch learn woodworking and how to build a crate and then brand it. While many students are used to a dense suburban environment, he wanted them to appreciate a rural lifestyle.
And he wanted them to learn the benefits of caring for the animals that live on the ranch.
“Animals can teach the kids patience, self-control,” Robinson said. “A 1,200 pound horse can knock you down, kill you, hurt you. But the horse learns that although I’m powerful, I have patience and I won’t be a threat to you. If young people can learn patience, they maybe they would respond and not react to different situations.”
Betty Robinson said she enjoys watching the children’s growth over the sessions.
“I think the kids become better human beings,” she said. “They become better citizens in the community because they tend to take their minds off of themselves. They devote their energy into the animals so they know how to take care of something other than themselves and that helps them progress in life.”
Stanley Robinson added, “You see more, you be more.”
Jessika West, a senior at Delta Summit, said she enjoys caring for the horses and she is appreciative of the Robinsons for their guidance.
Describing herself as a “big animal person,” West said the horses also teach her how to cope with emotions.
Destiny Jimenez, a junior, said the horses help her build patience.
“They are like humans,” she said. “If you are patient with them, they learn to love you.”
She said she is learning life skills she will take with her.
“Meeting new people all the time, you always have to be aware of the people you meet,” Jimenez said. “Horses, they open your eyes to being patient and just taking a moment to feel the energy.”
Jennifer Ambrocio, a senior, said the program has helped bring her out of her shell and her comfort zone.
“I just love being around animals, so I knew if I would join the horse therapy program it would bring me so much happiness,” Ambrocio said.
She never thought she would be riding horses or caring for them and believes the program will help her in her future when she pursues a career working in the veterinary field.
“This makes me feel like I can do other things,” she said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
