40 Years of Four Point Celebration

What Gould graduate could ever forget this trip?? I’m so glad Gould is still running the program! There is no better way to discover one’s inner strength and the capacity to work together in a group when circumstances get challenging. Junior Four Point was one of the best lessons of my life.

My Gould Academy Junior Four Point experience literally changed the path of my life - because of my attendance in that program I am now an IFMGA licensed American Mountain Guide.

2005 Trip

2008 Trip

2010

2011

2011

Another photo from the 2023 trip.

Venturing out on the first day of Junior Four Point to get photos each year is a privilege. It snowed two feet the night before the trips went out when I took these photos two years ago. Breaking trail was exhausting, but fun with this incredible group! I can't wait for my own children to experience it for themselves. Thank you to Bill, Lorenzo, Bonnie, Chris, and all of the faculty who have helped shape the remarkable Four Point Program over the last 40 years.

Excerpt from an email from Bill Clough, Head of School 1983-2001 to Lorenzo Baker, Director of the Four Point Program 1985-2013, on the "why" of Junior Point... May 27, 2003

Chris Hayward P '16 '19 and Director of Experiential Learning at Gould shares a favorite Junior Point reflection.

1986 Junior Four Point T Shirt

Keep making memories!!

Junior Four Point 2017

Getting ready for adventure with Mrs. Alford.

Junior Four Point 2019

Shelter From The Storm...

Junior Four Point 2022

2023 Junior Four Point

2020 Junior Four Point

2021 Junior Four Point

Historical Document: Student Survey after the first Junior Point Experience. Despite descriptors like 'unbearable', 'grueling' and 'freezing', not a single student voted to end the program.

Historical Document: Junior Four Point Story by Bonnie Pooley, pg. 2

Historical Document: The Original Proposal for a new program at Gould Academy, Nov. 1984

Class of 1988 - Outward Bound

Wayne Carter '91 is all smiles with relief upon his completion of Junior Four Point.

"Mr. Clough always said take risks." Class of 1985

Historical letter sent in January 1988 to all Gould Alumni from the Director of Student Activities, Lorenzo Baker P'05, Retired Faculty member.

Gould has given my child a winter full of wonder and growth. The teachers care with the warmth of family, and the students radiate kindness and enthusiasm. From dedicated ski training to exciting academic challenges and even a math competition, every moment was meaningful. This Winter Term in 8th grade will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

$40 from each member of our family!

Loved Four Point!

I just saw the 2025 Gould Juniors out the door and into the woods for their trip. Junior Point 1988 still lives in my memory and the hearts and minds of my classmates. We experienced every type of weather one could imagine and cemented life-long friendships in the process. It was challenging but life-changing. I'm so proud of Gould for growing and sustaining this tradition for 40 years!! It's a good day to be a Husky!

A big should out to the Mannings and Mr. Wight who made it possible for me to go on four point. They created a modified food plan that was dairy free yet provided adequate calories for the adventure <3

Keep pushing forward!

Go class of 2015!

Such a memorable time! I’ll never forget overlooking Gorham, NH at night under the stars and full moon. Here’s to another 40 years!

Warming jeff Hatchs nearly frost bit foot in my arm pit for over an hour. You never truly know someone until they try and tickle with their frozen feet

Singing and playing games as we trudged through fresh snow everyday.

Lots of snow Fun and challenging

Amazing program!

Thank you for providing this unique experience to our kids.

Love Gould’s passion for the outdoor life, and the adventurous staff who keep it going!!

Happy trails!

Junior 4 Point was one of the BEST weeks of my three years at Gould, and it inspired many future adventures. If I could only choose one program to support at Gould, it would this one! Congratulations to 40 years of changing lives in the winter woods of Maine! Keep it going!!

Not sure. Wasn’t there.

I went on the first winter backpacking outing, in our very heavy wool pants. We had no idea what to expect. That year we backpacked all of our food, which meant we had heavy packs. I think Phil Tabor’s pack was over 100lbs! We got rained on the night before our 24 hour solo and a few other students’ sleeping bags got wet. For my 24 hour solo I made a nice fire area and shelter, had a nice meal with hot chocolate by the fire. After writing a song about the adventure (which we eventually performed during Morning Assembly) I called it a day. But upon getting into my sleeping bag I first realize that it’s not my size Long bag, but a Medium. And then as I push farther into it I find out why someone had switched sleeping bags, because the bottom 1/3 of this one was wet. Nothing I could do then, so I put my parka back on so I could just use the dry part of the bag for my legs. The entire experience was exceptional. ¡Thanks so much to Gould, and the Cloughs for starting The Four Point Program!

The moment a student starts thinking beyond taking care of themselves and begins to take care of their buddies too: that's the magic of Junior Point! Now, help these soggy leaders out and start this trip in Feburary! It's supposed to be winter backpacking, not mud season backpacking!

This donation is with deep love and gratitude for our dear friends Bill and Ki Clough who launched the Four Point program at Gould and who have inspired generations of Gould students and faculty.

The Junior Four Point Program is great!

Our sons each have wonderful memories of their Four Point experience.

Freshman Four Point. Cody leaving for Tanzania this morning!

2005 Trip

2005 Trip

Class of 96 - Hutch's group.

Jake Dorval-Hall '11

AJ Keith '11

2011

Another photo from my day on Junior Point two years ago...

Lorenzo Baker, Director of the Four Point Program 1985-2013, shares a memorable Junior Four Point Experience.

Bonnie Pooley P'81 Former Faculty and Junior Four Point Trip Leader shares a magical Junior Four Point Experience.

1986 Junior Four Point Tshirt- Back

1993 spring update on Junior Four Point

Junior Four Point 2017

Welcome home. Congratulations, you did it.

Get your hair braided and ready to go...

Junior Four Point 2019

2024 Junior Four Point

2022 Junior Four Point

Climbing Mountains for 40 years...

2020 Junior Four Point

Historical Document: Parent Information Letter for 1987 Junior Four Point trip.

Historical Document: Original Packing List for the First Four Point Trip

Historical Documents: Junior Four Point Story By Bonnie Pooley, pg. 1

Historical letter sent in 1986 to all Gould Alumni from the Director of Student Activities, Lorenzo Baker P'05, Retired Faculty member.

Jeff McCarthy'91, Chris Drake'91, Momoko Sakata'91, Harmon Stinson'91. Happy to complete their Junior Four Point!

Learning Winter Mountaineering. Class of 1985

Class of 1985

Doug Alford took this picture of our son Alec when he was out on Junior Four Point. It was a life-changing trip for Alec, and I think this picture captures that.

Wonderful experience for all involved

Great program

A few vignettes from 1985: on the third day of our outing we were exploring our campsite area when we heard urgent shouts coming from the adult trip leaders. We students rushed toward the voices and discovered someone had fallen into a stream and broken through the ice. The person was clearly hypothermic so we hauled him out of the stream and over to the nearest tent and started removing his drenched clothing. It was only a day or two before that we had been taught by the trip leaders how to deal with such a situation, so we wrestled him into a sleeping bag and then I volunteered to squeeze into the bag to help get him warmed back up. This was a little awkward since I had to strip down to my underwear to allow my warmth to heat his body up as quickly as possible. After a little while he stopped shivering and became coherent, and eventually warmed all the way back up. It wasn't until later that I learned it was all just a fire drill! During the solo, it rained pretty heavily but I was somehow able to kindle a little fire that I eventually turned into a raging conflagration. As night descended, a fellow camper came wandering through the gloom into my campsite and mentioned she was cold and hungry, so we heated up some food and she got warm before reluctantly returning to her chilly, dark shelter somewhere off in the woods. It felt good to be the only camper who was able to build a fire that night. On the last day of our winter walkabout, we were brought back to Bethel but not to campus—instead we were brought into the woods about a mile from school. Why so far, we wondered? Well, it was because we were going to have a snowshoe race back to school! My memory has receded a smidge over the past 40 years, but if memory serves I came in first in the snowshoe race which felt like a huge victory after all the trials and tribulations of our Four Point adventure. I'll never forget the trip and how it helped me become who I am today. Thank you Gould, and Bill & Ki Clough!

Can't wait to hear about the adventure!

Good luck Brandon!

Junior Four Point makes Gould's alum have the ultimate story- I went winter camping in Maine for 8 days. I am so grateful to have had this experience and while winter camping is not my thing, it taught me perseverance and grit.

Os deseamos muchas felicidades en el 40 aniversario y os deseamos que cumpláis otros 49.

The Four Point Program is a Bill & Ki Clough legacy that will continue in perpetuity I believe. I’ve seen it from three perspectives: as a parent who’s experienced it vicariously, as a faculty/staff member and most poignantly as a participant in the winter point. When I was on staff, we came up with the idea that current parents could experience what their kids were experiencing out in the cold winter woods. So we offered (at no cost, I believe) the chance for any current parent to gear up and head into the woods with other current parents for three days that included two nights.) I participated in three such adventures. Lorenzo Baker (Director of the Four Point Program) fortunately came with us along with one or two other adults with winter outdoor experience. He usually brought his huge German Shepherd (Thunder) for comforting company. To be honest and candid, I went three times, hoping I would at some point ‘have fun’….There were certainly parts of the adventure I enjoyed, but ‘had fun?’, not so much,(because of some permanent physical challenges I faced each and everyday.) As I look back on those three trips, I guess it was good to find out I could cope with those issues and was thankful for the understanding and, indeed, compassion of my fellow adventurers. I totally remember arising in the early morning and leaving the relative comfort of my sleeping bag to join my compatriots around a welcoming fire where thick oatmeal was bubbling, bacon sizzling in a huge frying pan from which the fat was normally drained off for ‘health’ reasons…..not here in the winter woods, however! Oh, no….we fried our bagels in the glorious fat and consumed them with great relish! Then it was on to our traipse in the woods on snowshoes to the following evening’s destination, using navigational knowledge imparted to us by Lorenzo Baker & company. I gotta say that a feeling of growing confidence in handling all our challenges permeated our group. Could this be what our kids would discover?….i hoped so. That evening was our ‘solo’ night when we set up camp on our own, if memory serves, building our own fires, cooking our own meals and settling in for the night by our onesies. I kept thinking about how our kids would fare. In the case of my own kids, I needn’t have worried. THIS was the chief benefit of opting to go on this trip! And I was so thankful to Gould Academy for availing my three children this great opportunity! I’ve remained grateful ever since and will always take the opportunity to support Four Points as long as I am able. I really hope others will join me in recognizing the gift made possible by Bill and Ki Clough!

Midnight....Old Speck....almost full moon....ramen....magical! Beth Allen, you were there. What do you remember???

4-point is, and always has been, one of my favorite aspects of Gould. It provides unique experiences for students, and I look forward to seeing the school strengthen and grow it in the years to come. Many thanks to Bill Clough for having the bold vision to launch this signature program 40 years ago!

Great program, great leaders

13" of wet snow on solo night

Good luck and lots of fun you Huskies!

Four Point was a transformative experience for my son, and revealed, to himself and others, his tremendous resilience, generosity and character in ways no classroom setting could.

Well done!! Here’s to forty more

Malted milk balls! Except for when they melted in the pocket of my fleece jacket… oops

One of the best experiences

Wonderful memories never forget

Our son was excited for his Jr. 4 point, but as his parents, we were even more excited ! He came out of the woods a young man with new profound knowledge of what he and others are capable of. He made new friends, honed in on his leadership skills, thoroughly enjoyed his adult companions, simply it was transformative for him and we were beyond grateful to have had this opportunity.

Marty ('85) missed the inaugural Junior Four Point trip by one year! Glad that Hannah ('24) , and now Henry ('26), have been able to have this amazing experience.

4pt is a remarkably impactful 9 days to inspire lifelong adventures and provide real life skills and experience! Keep going!

A Gould Memory: During the training part of the trip, the instructors teach the students skills required- shelter building, wood collection and fire building, cooking over a fire and working within the group. We had just reached camp for the day and tarps were being strung for shelter, a fire had started and wood had been gathered and a fire had been started. Suddenly a twenty minute downpour of rain and wind descended upon us, soaking everything, putting out the fire. Morale was low. The other instructor and I jumped in and started assigning jobs- fixing tarp shelters, gathering more firewood and rearranging the gear that had gotten wet. I directed one of the students, a young man who was popular with his peers, athletic and a top ten student in his class, to rebuild the fire. I selected him because the fire needed to be built quickly for heat, light, cooking, and for the spirits of the group. The other instructor and I continued making our rounds giving help and encouragement. I came back to the fire. No fire. The student was clearly struggling with wet wood. He looked up at me and said “if school was this hard, I wouldn’t do it.” I looked at him for a moment, and then said “that very well might be, but we need a fire and not doing it is not an option, so get that fire going, the group is depending on it.”