North Star Platoon

Darrell Hamlin has spent nearly twenty five years working at schools for juveniles on parole and probation. Some graduated, a few died, and most muddled to uncertain ends. His book is a look at what went right and what went wrong in the lives of these "at risk" children.What instantly set apart Hamlin from his fellow educators was his willingness to step outside the classroom and get personally involved in the lives of his students, exposing them to healthy, outdoor lifestyles far removed from the chaos of the streets. He taught them to hike, snowshoe, mountain bike, and enjoy the outdoors. During their mountain treks, the groups of students began referring to themselves as "The North Star Platoon," after Hamlin showed them how to use the North Star to set their bearings.In a larger sense, Hamlin helped them get their bearings in their own tumultuous personal lives. By placing the teens in a radically different environment, they were exposed to healthy activities that could change thought patterns. As any novice student of behavioral modification knows, bad habits can be changed by changing the thoughts that produce them.Working with these youths, Hamlin has come to understand the very different set of life circumstances these young adults have been dealt. He lives in Tacoma, Washington and hopes this book can be the foundation to change Tacoma Public Schools back to the once successful junior high school system.