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Crossing the Bridge: A Senior and Slug Sendoff

Crossing the Bridge: A Senior and Slug Sendoff ABOUT A 2 MINUTE READ –  The other day during Morning Energize, I walked along. the boardwalk with one of our seniors. It was one of those mornings where gratitude swirled through campus because the beauty found here can make you stop in awe, even though you’ve walked the same grounds all year. The fresh air woke up our faces, and the sun poked through the tall hemlocks. As we strolled, we both noticed something along the wooden bridge.  There rested two big slugs, looking like two teens smooching on campus.  We knelt down. They stretched and oozed in all their glory. The slugs’ shadows crept largely behind them. The senior stooped down even closer and zoomed in with the camera on his phone. There he was, the official slug paparazzi, snapping photos. We paused and observed the slugs for a few minutes. I mean, there wasn’t much to observe. They were slugs, after all. But to us, that small moment to stop and breathe felt like a gift.  As we stood up to continue our walk during Morning Energize,...

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Advocating for our Students

Advocating for our Students ABOUT A 2 MINUTE READ –  Until this fall, the oft-asked question “what do you do” was easy for me to answer. “I’m a teacher,” or “I teach second grade.” Once, after a particularly mind-expanding week of teaching, I responded, “I teach kids to question extraterrestrial life!” (But that’s a different story.)  Now, after 20 years, I am struggling to answer that fundamental question. What does it mean to be a Dean of Admission? How do I describe “what I do” to others? During a visit to one of Leelanau’s Learning Skills classrooms, I found an answer I’m trying on for size.  Leelanau’s Learning Skills program helps students organize, advocate, plan, and succeed. I am proud to highlight the cornerstone of our curriculum on school tours and interviews. During a walkthrough, I interacted with sophomores finishing up an assessment of their Myers-Briggs personality tests. “Do you know what you are, Kate?” a student asked.  I had not taken that particular test in years, so I logged on to find an answer for them. It turns out I’m a...

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Camp Daggett: Leadership Uncovered

Camp Daggett: Leadership Uncovered ABOUT A 2 MINUTE READ –  The sun beamed down on our faces, and at night we were warmed by sparkling fires. The snow glistened off the towering maple trees and the frozen surface of Walloon Lake. It was the perfect setting for a peaceful retreat. But peace was only a small part of last week’s mid-winter adventure. Instead, students and faculty spent most of their time stepping through deep conversations, performing acrobatic acts on a 40-foot high ropes course, trusting each other while blindfolded, and practicing some of Leelanau’s core values. We were reminded that self-awareness, resilience, courage, integrity, and leadership are often discovered together – and when we least expect it.  I spent time with the sophomore and freshman cohorts during our Camp Daggett exploratory program. I witnessed these students building outdoor shelters as a team, soaring through the air on ropes to be sure their whole team made it to the other side (because lava bubbled below them, of course), and climbing a 30-foot rock wall....

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The Island School: Where the Obstacle is the Way

The Island School: Where the Obstacle is the Way ABOUT A 3 MINUTE READ –  Even before arriving at their tropical destination, Leelanau’s Winter Term exploratory group found themselves practicing the motto of the host school.  The obstacle is the way. You see, our Leelanau world travelers missed their connecting flight from Nassau to Eleuthera at the very outset of the trip. Instead of panicking, they treated the airport staff with grace and made the best of it.  They arrived the next morning at The Island School, where they would be asked to meet daily deliberate challenges –learning the only way to overcome them was to go through them. Junior Sara House put it beautifully, “You don’t have to have everything figured out beforehand to take that first step in the right direction.  Throughout the whole trip, I kept telling myself that.” Sophomore Mark Porter also realized this during xer first-time scuba diving. Mark said, “Before getting into the water, I was holding my mask to my face. I was wearing all of this heavy equipment, sitting on...

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For the Love of Art

For the Love of Art ABOUT A 2 MINUTE READ –  When you walk into the art building, you’re greeted by an unruly ponytail palm in the doorway. And funky cacti fill the windowsills.  But the art building is anything but prickly.  After you walk in, there’s a set of pottery sitting on a table, inviting you to give them a look, perhaps a touch. You’ll hear students singing and stringing the guitar, all because they love the way it makes them feel. Once you step into the different art rooms, you’ll notice unfinished works of art by students. Maybe it’s a lantern in the metals room, or a ceramic bowl in the pottery space.  The art in this space is living, breathing life into all who walk in it. You see, after serving my first semester here in the Learning Center (or LC as the students call it), I’ve come to call the art building home during the winter term. And home, it quickly became.  As a learning specialist, working with students in the art building has reawakened my creative spirit. Along with the art teacher, Elara Coleman, I get to work with...

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