September 2016

Celebrations and Appreciation 

Just a week away from Fall Break and all of our students have completed their Fall Voyage! Every year I am so inspired by the stories of struggle, growth and success. These stories keep the 'behind the scenes' folks committed to the tremendous job of organizing and facilitating these learning experiences. So I extend a huge round of applause to all the folks who have played a role in the success of these voyages. Thank you parents, support staff, nurse, health assistant, and Jodie for all the risk management, health, transportation and liason details and support.  Thank you Cody, teachers and chaperones for your overnights, oversight of safety and care, and facilitation of the goals of our Adventure Education experience. It takes every one of us working together to provide this amazing experience for our children.

I'm honored to share the voice of a teacher and a parent. Their stories illuminate, better than I can, the power of our Adventure Education program.  Stories that share the transformation of self.


Teacher Voyage Reflection: 
Mr. Kenny; Sixth Grade

Sixth graders packing in their gear and group gear. 

Mount Guyot in the background:13,376ft.

Part way up Mt. Guyot there is what we refer to as the halfway point, where students ascending the mountain have an option to continue ascending or stop. It’s technically more than halfway; a resting point on the mountain coddled in a saddle where living things almost stop living and the pitch dramatically increases. All students struggle, to varying degrees, to make just this stop.

There’s really no trail up the mountain. We follow the path of least resistance, which is determined by the hiker, and of course the instructors.  

Isaac was hiking a short distance in front me when he nearly collapsed. When I got to him he was down on one knee and one hand, fighting to keep himself from toppling to the ground and mumbling about the impossibilities of continuing on. I bent down, offered him a hand and quietly encouraged Isaac to reach a little deeper into his well of strength, rise up, and walk with me the remaining twenty-five feet. 

He did rise up on his own accord, not taking my hand, and hiked with his head hunched and mouth open to the halfway point. Where he flumped onto the bristly grasses and pumice like lichen and began to cry tears of relief and joy. I monitored him for only a few seconds before I understood that that was Isaac’s moment to experience alone. I walked away and visited with other students.

About 5 minutes had passed since Isaac and I made the halfway point. I was checking in with a few students when Mr. Cody, our adventure ed. coordinator, called out, “Kenny, get your camera, you’re gonna wanna take a picture of this.” I turned and saw Isaac fifty feet back down the mountain, without his backpack, helping bear the weight of a struggling crewmate, Elijah.   

Elijah looked a lot like a retired puppet with loose strings draped over Isaac’s shoulders. Elijah’s muscles had clearly turned to jello, and like Isaac, that last stretch to the halfway point was becoming unimaginably possible. Working together, they made it to our rest stop.

My eyes swelled and teared when I watched Isaac rise beyond his own frustration and discomfort to support his friend, and crewmate, Elijah. What I witnessed were a few of humanities greatest attributes being genuinely expressed by some of the youngest people on the planet: tenacity, compassion and courage. It is the development and practice of these fine human characteristics that demands our honor and celebration. Because, those characteristics are a few of the more exceptional elements that make being human beautiful.

We are lucky to be a part of a school that respects character development as an essential and necessary part of education. Our voyage was only four days. But, I can assure you that in those few days we learned more about ourselves, and one another, than we had in the first five weeks of school.  

There were twenty-one students on our voyage.  Out of those twenty-one, thirteen made the summit of Guyot, nineteen attempted, including both Elijah and Isaac.  

For more fall voyage photos and insightful reads check out Starship Renaissance

Student's aren't the only ones who are challenged and grow based on their Adventure Education experience... 
Following is a letter from a parent, Melissa England:

Parents, voyages are hard. Maybe more so for us than the kids. I think, truly, the hardest work for us as parents comes in the days and weeks and (for some, like my family) months leading up to a voyage. There’s the worry (Sleeping outside? Two nights away from home?) the concern about homesickness, the fear factor of possible uncomfortableness or frustration at the accommodations. But, at the end of it all, Renaissance kids come back feeling one thing: accomplishment. They are proud!

For parents, our hardest days are the ones leading up to departure day. We help with the gear, we worry that they have what they need, maybe some check and re-check the weather for the area (guilty). But, we are doing our part in the logistics, and as long as we are willing to put in the work to talk it through with the kids and prepare them that way, it will be ok. After weeks and weeks of talking with my daughter about voyage, I learned this time to let her feel it all-the anxiety the weekend before she left, the tears the morning she climbed on the bus. It’s all part of it. As parents we are extremely good at second-guessing ourselves, and wondering “Is this really the best experience for my child? It seems so hard!” I actually think it may be harder for us. We aren’t going on voyage-we are just sending them off, letting them go. We made this choice for their learning. What if it isn’t the right one?

This year, as both of my kids went on voyage, I realized I had to trust that her father and I had done everything we could to prepare them. I also put all my trust in our amazing Renaissance Crew: Ms. Deborah, our teachers, who go above and beyond in the classroom and in the woods, Ms. Jodie, our Adventure Ed coordinator, Mr. Cody and his crew, the Educo counselors and the staff at Camp Elim. It takes a village and they know what needs to be done and how to give every child the tools he or she needs to succeed in their voyage environment. They KNOW what they are doing and they are prepared to handle each and every situation. Once I put that thought in my head and heart, I was able to send my kids off with just a few tears this year. I was genuinely excited for both of them.

And today, when my sixth grader came home from three days and nights of backpacking, I let out an impulsive shriek of joy rather than a sigh of relief. She was smiling and happy and felt so strong. Preparation in all regards is all we can do as parents. Then, we let them go. And they will return, a little more confident and standing taller for sure.

We are bus drivers now!

Our two beautiful white buses!
Soon to have the Renaissance logo on all sides!

Remember your joy at the first car you ever owned? Remember how empowering that freedom felt?  That's how we are feeling about our two white buses parked out front of the school!

Having the white buses allowed us to transport our sixth graders on three voyages, come to the rescue of a fifth grade voyage van break down and allow easy access to some day hikes. Having these white buses is a gift! Bus ownership is providing a whole new layer of possibilities! Thank you Renaissance community for your fundraising generosity at Life is Art to purchase these buses. Your fundraising dollars do so much to support what we can do for kids.

I captured these photos when Ms. Lauren's Crew
was headed out for a day hike.

What a great first quarter!

Have a wonderful Fall Break!

Warmly,

Deborah