Djibril Cayolbah Archives - Eagle Rock Blog

Eagle Rock School Graduates ‘Lucky 7’ This Friday — Onstage and Online

Working on a trimester system, ours is an alternative and non-traditional school that works hard to recognizes the accomplishments of graduating students who have gone through all the requirements needed to earn their high school diplomas.

As our current trimester draws to a close, we are proud to announce that seven students have proved to the Eagle Rock community that they deserve to be up on our Human Performance Center stage — in front of their peers, families, instructors and staff — in order to receive their high school diplomas.

Marking the 72nd trimester since our founding back in the early 1990s, our latest trimester graduation ceremony begins at 4 p.m. Mountain Time this Friday and will be broadcast live on Facebook. If you want to watch this momentous event, visit the following Facebook Page starting at around 3:55pm MT Friday — https://www.facebook.com/EagleRockSchool — and look for the post containing the live video.

Below is a short biography about each of the seven graduates, along with info on what they did while at Eagle Rock, their short and long-term goals, along with advice for current and incoming Eagle Rock School students.

Courtney Coleman (arrived at Eagle Rock in May of 2015) — Courtney hails from Harlem, N.Y., and is a proud member of the Ponderosa House. She has been one of the leaders on campus these past few trimesters as she taken on lead positions in several campus groups and organizations.

Some of her involvements included being a member of Mag 7 (a campus group featuring Eagle Rock’s seven most veteran students that focuses on various leadership roles and opportunities); helping lead our Continue reading…

Princeton Internship in Civic Services Brings Emma Latham to Estes Park

Editor’s Note I: Emma Latham is a Princeton University junior who is interning at Eagle Rock for the summer. Emma is here as part of the Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS), which was established by the Princeton University Class of 1969 in the belief that community service is essential to the welfare of society. More than 800 Princeton University undergraduates have participated in PICS since its inception, with 10 or so interning at Eagle Rock since Eagle Rock’s founding in the early 1990s. Below is Emma’s take on her experiences so far at Eagle Rock — and some advice for those who want to become Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center interns.

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I’m Emma, the summer intern from Jersey City, N.J., and I arrived on the Eagle Rock campus in mid-June. Following this trimester, I’ll be returning to Princeton University for my junior year. I am an ecology major — which means you can often find me on Rick’s Trail, crouched in the shrubs trying to identify a wild flower. Or that’ll be me with my face buried in a pine tree observing a trail of ants.

My family is in the restaurant business, so, naturally, I love cooking — and more important — I love eating. This means that if you can’t find me on the trail, I might be in the Lodge shoveling down the delicious creations of the Eagle Rock chefs (shout out to their buttery, flakey biscuits!)

Eagle Rock School student Djibril Cayolbah with Eagle Rock Summer Intern Emma Latham.

I ended up at Eagle Rock because I wanted to Continue reading…

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Eagle Rock’s Take on ‘The Wiz’

Eagle Rock School students and faculty members are busy rehearsing for a series of performances of the Tony Award-winning 1975 musical, “The Wiz,” which are scheduled in Estes Park at month’s end.

Our production of “The Wiz” (March 31-April 2, 2016) is an urban retelling of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 tale, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” using Motown, Funk and Soul music to rework the story into the context of modern African-American culture. A film adaption of the show was released in 1978, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

Eleven talented Eagle Rock students and four staff members will perform in our staged version, backed by a live four-piece professional pit band. Meghan Tokunaga-Scanlon, Eagle Rock School’s Music Instructional Specialist, directs the show, with co-direction by World Languages Instructional Specialist Brighid Scanlon and musical direction by 2015/2016 Public Allies Teaching Fellow Michael Grant.

Performances will be staged beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 31 as well as Friday and Saturday, April 1 and 2 at the Hempel Auditorium within the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. Admission at the door is “pay what you like” and all proceeds benefit the Eagle Rock Graduate Higher Education Fund.

But we digress. The story of Dorothy and her road trip to Oz has become known worldwide for its themes of home, belonging, belief in oneself and freedom. “The Wiz,” with its original premiere in 1975 with an all-black cast and African-American styles, boldly showed that this classic story belongs to everyone, with audiences of all races flocking to watch productions of “The Wiz” over the past four decades. In addition to be culturally empowering, it is a “joy machine,” gorgeously designed, with quick humor and irresistible melodies.

Preparations for our production began last fall with a Continue reading…