Bea Salazar Archives - Eagle Rock Blog

Summer Break 2018 at Eagle Rock School

It’s not necessarily a ghost town around campus today as the first week of the summer trimester break gets underway, but with three of our students graduating last Friday and our student body departing for their hometowns the following day, it’s quieter here than normal.

Adding to the lack of frenetic activity is the fact that we recently said goodbye to our 2017/2018 cohort of Public Allies Teaching Fellows, although three of them — Tommy McAree (Literature & Literacy), Felicia Walker (Residence Life) and Micah Saugen (Science) — will be returning as second-year fellows for Eagle Rock School trimesters 76 through 78.

We also bid farewell to a handful of veteran staff members, including Jon Anderson, a Human Performance & Outdoor Education Instructional Specialist and2018 Instructional Coach. John has been named instructional coach at Mapleton Expeditionary Learning School of the Arts (MESA) in Thornton, Colo.

(Jon Anderson — top & left — leading his final piece of national work for Eagle Rock ... helping launc Austin’s newest Innovation Academy. Image credit: Michael Soguero.) — (Jon Anderson — top & left — leading his final piece of national work for Eagle Rock … helping launch Austin’s newest Innovation Academy. Image credit: Michael Soguero.)

Jen Frickey headed back to Canada and will be working with Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. Jen began her Eagle Rock career as an intern in our Human Performance Center back in 2001 and served in several capacities before becoming our Director of Curriculum in 2012. Meanwhile, we recently had the opportunity to welcome Professional Development Associate Sarah Bertucci as our new Director of Curriculum.

Other staffers departing include Continue reading…

Students Represent Eagle Rock at Learner-Centered SparkHouse Event

Editor’s Note: In early November of 2017, three of our Eagle Rock School students attended a Washington, D.C.-based event called “SparkHouse” that saw teens from 13 states share learner-centered experiences from their own schools. The event was produced by Education Reimagined — an initiative of Convergence Center for Policy Resolution that promotes a transformational vision for education in the U.S. Marcus attended SparkHouse with fellow Eagle Rock School students Levi Brooks and Spencer Lanier, along with Bea Salazar, our Life After Eagle Rock instructional specialist.

Marcus’ write-up about the experience appears below (for more information on SparkHouse, please visit the SparkHouse webpage):

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By Marcus Wade-Prince

This past November, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to visit Washington, D.C., along with two other classmates and represent Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center as student ambassadors at SparkHouse.

For anyone who isn’t familiar, Eagle Rock School is an alternate form of high school that is dedicated to providing a student-centered education. The SparkHouse conference was about the movement of Continue reading…

Doing Nothing on Thanksgiving is Not an Option at Eagle Rock School

One thing you can’t say about Thanksgiving at Eagle Rock School is that there’s nothing to do. This is one of those times of the year when students, staff and instructors are in accord that this mountainside campus of ours is indeed a great place to spend late-November holidays.

And, much like the name of the holiday, there’s plenty of gratitude to go around as our community prepares for literally dozens of events and activities over a four-day period. It’s a time when we all gather together to celebrate how fortunate we are to live in the Rocky Mountains surrounded by forests that a lot of us like to call home.

Thanksgiving Day 'Gathering' at Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center — Thanksgiving Day ‘Gathering’ at Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center

Thanksgiving at Eagle Rock is about celebrating the importance of having each other and remembering that we are all here to better ourselves. It’s a time to appreciate what we’ve done to improve ourselves and what we’ve done to help others. It’s a celebration of how we have impacted each other’s lives in a positive way and to celebrate those successes.

Whether we’re indoors creating art or standing outside in the cold playing touch football, the idea is to spend time together.

The highlight of the holiday, of course, is today’s Thanksgiving Day dinner at 3pm, skillfully prepared by Continue reading…

‘Staff Bingo’ Highlights the Life After Eagle Rock Fair

From the Claremont Colleges on the West Coast to Colby College in the East, from South Texas all the way north to Anchorage, Alaska, and even overseas in Uganda and the Philippines, Eagle Rock students recently learned where select Eagle Rock staff members headed off after their own high school experience.

It was a “share and tell” on a grand scale, with staff describing their own experiences immediately following high school and college. This first-ever Life After Eagle Rock Fair featured staff memories, along with photos, anecdotes and adventures, all to enliven presentations from colleges and universities about their offerings for new high school graduates / incoming students.

Participating Eagle Rock staff members provided “fun facts” about their experiences, and at the end of the presentations, students played “Staff Bingo,” tasked with identifying what fun fact belonged to which staff member. Prizes ranged from a kitchen patrol shift cover from an Eagle Rock instructional specialist, to a trip to Safeway with two friends, and first choice to an off-campus movie or play.

Among the fascinating facts uncovered during the “Staff Bingo” portion of the evening: Continue reading…

Meet the Team: Bea Salazar-Nunez, Life After Eagle Rock Instructional Specialist

Bea Salazar-Nunez was born in Los Angeles, Calif., but grew up in Commerce City, Colo. Ever since college, she has felt drawn to assist students — as well as their families — gain an understanding of all the options available to them after they graduate from high school. Bea is also incredibly adept at helping families navigate through what is to many a confusing and complex financial aid process.

Here at Eagle Rock, Bea assists students in exploring their options as they prepare for their journey after Eagle Rock. Besides being excellent at what she does here on campus, this artist and animal lover has other interests and avocations that we asked her about:

Eagle Rock: What year did you graduate from college, what colleges did you attend, and what was your major and minor?

Bea: I graduated from the University of Colorado Denver in 2013 with a BA in psychology, a minor in ethnic studies, and an honors thesis in biochemistry/biophysics. I also attended Marquette University for my first year of college where I was a majoring in biomedical engineering.

ER: What did you do prior to coming to work for Eagle Rock?

Bea: Prior to coming to Eagle Rock I was Continue reading…

Eagle Rock Staffers Reflect on Books Worth Reading Over The Break

For educators — not unlike surgeons, attorneys and others in professional avocations — keeping up with the “tricks of the trade” is a necessity. Physicians must consistently take refresher courses or attend seminars just to keep up with the advances in medicine.

Attorneys require updates on new laws and legal trends. And teachers and educators who are interested in bettering their skills are constantly attending lectures, taking continuing education courses and checking out the latest literature to stay at the top of their field.

So, once again, we’ve checked in with Eagle Rock staffers to discover what they’re reading on the holiday break that’s going to impact their students come January.

Here’s a short list of who’s reading what (note: clicking on any of the book cover images will take you to that book’s page on Amazon.com):

Just Like Us — by Helen Thorpe

This book follows four young women in Denver as they graduate from high school and head off to college. All four of the young women have parents who are undocumented and several are also undocumented. It brings to the forefront what the label “undocumented” does to their identity.

This book provides a great insight to some of the struggles of balancing two cultures — especially for those that are undocumented and really wanting to succeed in this country.

I read this book when I was working with undocumented students and students who had undocumented parents. I had grown up knowing very well what undocumented students and parents go through, and this was something that helped validate some of the identity struggles that I had been surrounded by.

Later I met a researcher who talked about how the Continue reading…

Welcoming a Pair of New Instructional Specialists

We’re excited to welcome two new full-time instructional specialists to the Eagle Rock family, each of whom have been on campus over the past four weeks or so to get the lay of the land and soak up some early orientation.

Our new instructors include Beatriz (Bea) Salazar, who was born in South Central Los Angeles, and grew up in Commerce City, Colo., and Eriq Acosta, a Loveland, Colo., native who finished high school in Johnstown, Colo.

Bea received her education at 11 different schools through her lifetime, and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Denver. Most recently, she earned a Master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Colorado State University (CSU).

Her most recent job was in the Housing and Dining Services department at CSU, where Bea served as an assistant residence director.

Bea first heard about Eagle Rock while chatting with a colleague at CSU about her passion for educating young people of color. Reflecting on that discussion, Bea said, “I loved the determination the students had in making the best future they could, and having adults who believed and encouraged their dreams.”

Bea is our new Life After Eagle Rock (LAER) instructional specialist, and she’s excited to build new relationships and opportunities, and learn all there is to learn about Eagle Rock and our brand of progressive education. A fun random fact about Bea? “I have a love for old cars! My lifelong dream is to rebuild an old Ford truck.”

Eriq Acosta acquired Navajo, Pueblo and Chicano origins from his mother’s side of the family, and Comanche and Mexican from his father’s side. Eriq has a Bachelor’s degree in Continue reading…