Picture day brings out the best in everyone!  Do you remember your kindergarten class?  Your kindergarten teacher?  I do!  Her name was Mrs. Spar and she had very fancy hair.  In fact, I am sure it was some sort of beehive très à la mode hairdo.  We had nap time, snacks, and no assistants!  I was never fortunate enough to have such a gentle, smiling, personable, and fun teacher as Ms. Sarah Higgins.  Looks like the children are having a great time with her in kindergarten!

The Little Things

Whether it’s being able to ride my bike to school or seeing friendly faces everywhere I go, it’s the little things that make me so glad to be here.  Beginning my morning with seventeen minutes outside wakes me up better than any cup of coffee.  And yes, when I see that it’s still dark when I wake up and there’s frost on the grass, I have my doubts.  The bus or a car would be so warm, so easy.  But when I’m pedaling with my face in the sun (does it EVER rain here? Ok, there was that one time...), I’m so excited to begin a new day here.  I get to look forward to walking down the hall to class and exchanging greetings with students and teachers, getting a cup of tea in the faculty lounge, talking to a student about her essay, watching a highly competitive game of speed-minton (this is serious stuff), going for a hike, another hilarious dorm dinner...who knows?! I'm psyched to find out! Oh, and can I bring my bike?

SVSA, Represent.

SVSA, Represent.

I think people are getting really tired of hearing me say it, but it feels great to be back home!  Since graduating from Boston College I have been spending my time exploring the myriad worlds and universes of Portland, OR.  Mostly this included coaching basketball and playing music.  The last three summers I have returned to the Valley to teach summer session courses and coach basketball camps at Community School.  When the opportunity arose to return to Cutthroatdom full-time, I jumped at it.  I couldn't be happier.  I am grateful for the chance to give back to a community that has nurtured me since... well... since I was born.

Interns sit atop the World

The homecoming has also opened my eyes to all of the exciting ways in which the school is growing.  The boarding program, in conjunction with the Ski Academy, is a promising step not only for the school but for the entire area.  Other neat additions include the OLA (outdoor leadership academy), and, of course, our very own, the TTA!

Many thanks to Ben, Nancy, Jess, and Chauncy.  They hired an all-star team of interns.  Powerful individuals and personalities who have already been making their mark on the school.


It has been an exciting and fulfilling adventure to this point and I feel fortunate to be a part.

Peace out and rock on.  Or as the kids are saying these days, "YOLO!"

Month 1-almost done!

One of the things I was most excited for was meeting our little group of interns. I have been working closely with the same group of education students for the past four years at The College of Idaho and though I was sad to leave them in Caldwell it was great to come here and find myself in a group of dedicated, fun, and brilliant people. I have learned so much from each of them already and I think we manage to have a ton of fun despite our constant workload. I don't think I've stopped laughing since arriving Aug. 12. Here are a few photos from my experience so far...

 Hannah's beautiful bookshelf. We felt pretty accomplished after building so much dorm furniture. Including WAY too many Ikea bunk beds.

 The BBQ caught on fire...Sarah T has experienced so many life/death situations here in Idaho! But she now knows how to use a fire extinguisher... invaluable life lessons are always happening.

 Doug rescued some burgers....

 Moxie and Sarah T.... it's a constant love-fest. Everyday.

 We went folfing and played in this pretty little river. We also met a boy named Kia- Sarah is working on recruiting him for Community School. He's a 3rd grader =)

 Team Sarah.

Sometimes we get breakfast in bed... dorm life has turned out to be really difficult so far ;)

Growing roots in Idaho

As I've mentioned several times to my fellow TTAs - Idaho is a welcome change from Massachusetts. When commuting in Boston, I ran into daily rush hour traffic. When commuting in Idaho to Community School, the "traffic jams" are caused by moose.

The difference doesn't stop there. Maybe it's an east coast/ west coast dissimilarity but life is slower. It's not just the 25 mph speed limit! People tend to walk at a normal pace and stress levels seem to be lower. This lifestyle directly translates into the workforce in both challenging and positive ways. In the admissions world, families seem to see deadlines more as suggestions. While it may be a struggle to work with grey deadlines it is sure a perk to have a flexible schedule.

We've been very busy, in this past month. We've been given the opportunity to learn our roles at school, in the dorms and in the Sun Valley community. Below I've attached a photos number of photos I believe represent my TTA time here, thus far.

Residents

Rain Dance

Sun Valley Symphony

Home

"Work"

Community members

Well fed interns are happy interns

Work

Idaho history

"Work"

Tornado warning! 

Tornado warning!

Movie night with the girls

New friend

Clarence

18th birthday

Moxy missing her man 

Jasper

Frisbee golf

Evening hike

From left to right:  Connor Wade, Brian Johnson, Sarah Higgins, Hannah Mangham, and Sarah (Shades) Thompson

In August, 2012, Community School welcomed the first cohort of Teacher Training Academy Interns. This group, aptly nicknamed "The Pioneers", enriches our school community.  These talented individuals work in the elementary, middle, and high school as well as in the Admissions Office and CS Ski Academy.  They are also Resident Advisors in our "dorm" at the base of Baldy.

This group has jumped into life at Community School.  They have helped students move into the dorms, taken them for hikes, and even shopping in Twin.  They have already started their dorm duties.  On the CS curricular side, they have met with mentor teachers, co-led Fall Campouts, helped students establish routines, run admission tours, made phone calls to parents, and attended meetings and workshops. These are just a few of the jobs the Fearless Five have undertaken.

As the year races along, it will be neat to follow their integration into CS life.  Hopefully, some of them will choose to blog about their time at CS. Please welcome them to our close school community when you see them.

Yahoo!  To a wonderful year of school with five new interns!  Roll on Pioneers, wagons ho!

Nancy