News From The Rock

Editor’s Note: One of the reasons we’ve chosen to publish a blog is because like many organizations nowadays, we’ve come to the realization that with a blog, we have access to a digital press of our own… one that’s capable of helping us share Eagle Rock’s news in a timely and dynamic format. And you may have noticed, our blog recently underwent a major facelift.

With that in mind, we’re pleased to introduce a new type of blog post and one that we hope you’ll come to enjoy and look forward to reading every month-and-a-half or thereabouts. Here, in our ‘News From The Rock posts, we intend to share some of what’s going on behind the scenes at Eagle Rock, both in our award-winning residential high school and our professional development center. Driven by our head of school, Jeff Liddle, these ‘From The Rock’ posts will replace many of the mass email messages we’d been infrequently sending to parents and other Eagle Rock stakeholders. (Note: If Email’s more your style, you can enter your email address in the ‘Get Blog Posts by Email’ box at the top of the right hand column, and we’ll send you an email message each time we update the blog!)

So now that you’ve arrived at “The Rock,” here’s what’s been happening lately:

Around campus…

To get us started, we’re happy to report that the Eagle Rock board of directors recently approved — and a dedicated group of Eagle Rock School alumni will soon launch — our own Alumni Association. For details, read our recent blog post Orbiting The Rock: The Eagle Rock Alumni Association Takes Flight, and stay tuned for more information on this exciting development.

Next up, we recently graduated eight more Eagle Rock students, comprising ER-60 (Eagle Rock’s 60th group of graduates since our first group in April 1995). Congrats to these new grads, including:

• Axaria Campbell
• Blayke Curtis
• Jonathon Deras
• Valentin Deras
• Derek Gaines
• Marwan Johnstone
• Nyeema Lee
• Valentina Ramirez

Farewell to this year’s Eagle Rock Public Allies Teaching Fellows – they did a fantastic job and we wish them the best as they spread their wings and carry what they experienced and learned at Eagle Rock into their next endeavors:

• Eliza Wicks Arshack – Outdoor Education
• Laura Baumgardner – Health & Wellness
• Clay Chiles – Human Performance
• John Finefrock – Societies & Cultures
• Rebecca Garrison – Literacy & Literature
• Catherine Graham – Visual Arts
• Jeff Holoubek – Service Learning
• Athena Jin – Math
• Jaimie LaPine – Music
• Laura Nolan – Life After Eagle Rock
• Colin Packard – Professional Development Center
• Brighid Scanlon – World Languages

After two full decades, the pool side of the Human Performance Center roof here on property is being replaced.

We recently installed photovoltaic solar panels to reduce our dependence on electricity from the grid, and the School’s solar panel class spent five weeks studying that technology.

Around the country…

• Eagle Rock students Steven “Ray Cat” Legér and Song Candea have been away in Boston studying on a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music’s Five-Week Summer Performance Program, now in its 27th year. Better known as “Five-Week,” the Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program, with its diversity of study options, world-class Berklee faculty, visiting artists, and state-of-the-art facilities, is the premiere contemporary music summer program for young musicians. Each summer, approximately 1,000 participants from across the U.S. and around the world (70 countries) share in this unique summer experience.

• Eagle Rock student Franco Casas just wrapped up a rafting, backpacking and climbing trip in Utah as part of an Outward Bound course. Franco’s participation was made possible thanks to an Outward Bound Pinnacle Scholarship. Outward Bound’s Scholarship Program is guided by a single principle… every person should be given the opportunity to experience adventure and challenge, develop character and compassion, and learn social and environmental responsibility, regardless of financial ability. We’re proud of Franco and can’t wait for his return, and we’re thankful to the good folks at Outward Bound for their continued support of our students.

• Eagle Rock students Grace Huang and Mimi Thu recently participated in National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) courses through the NOLS Gateway Scholarship program. NOLS’ Gateway Program is central to the school’s student inclusion efforts. Organizations like Eagle Rock work with NOLS to provide educational opportunities to underserved populations that are underrepresented in the outdoors. Select students from Eagle Rock and elsewhere are able to access to Program to receive full tuition scholarships to attend NOLS courses.

Around the Professional Development Center (PDC):

• PDC Associate Director Dan Condon was recently in North Carolina facilitating a Project Based Learning Conference for a number of schools hosted by Voyager Academy.

• PDC Director Michael Soguero recently hosted a Partnership for Change event here at Eagle Rock.

• Jon Anderson (Human Performance and Outdoor Education instructional specialist) and Colin Packard (Professional Development Center Fellow) were recently in Detroit working closely with the Big Picture Learning organization.

• Ike Leslie (Music and Performance instructional specialist) recently traveled to the Berklee College of Music to train City Music Network teachers.

• Our Professional Development team – including Director Michael Soguero, Associate Director Dan Condon and our Public Allies Program Director Mark Palmer, continue to work to support the efforts ACE Leadership High School in Albuquerque, N.M., and its professional development center (New Mexico Center for School Leadership)

• The PDC staff recently provided some training at the Colorado Legacy Foundation. PDC staffers Dan Condon, Michael Soguero and Colin Packard delivered the training, along with Berta Guillen (Eagle Rock School Societies & Cultures instructional specialist) and Janet Johnson (Science instructional specialist).

• Holly Takashima, Eagle Rock Literacy & Literature instructional specialist, and Cindy Elkins, Visual Arts instructional specialist, are currently assisting the PDC by supporting a task force that is revamping a high school curriculum for Goodwill.

Other items of note from around the Rock…

• Anastacia Galloway, our Professional Development Center associate, recently had a baby boy.

• Rey Benally – among our students who arrived at Eagle Rock in Trimester 16 and graduated in Trimester 22 (Dec. 2000) – has graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ.

• Desiree (Oscarsson) O’Friel, who was arrived at Eagle Rock in Trimester 23 and graduated in ER 31 (December 2003), recently graduated from Kent State University in Kent, OH.

• Calvin King – who joined us in Trimester 40 and graduated in Trimester 47 in April 2009 – recently graduated from Morehouse College and is returning to Eagle Rock this September as the School’s Societies & Cultures Teaching Fellow.