Eagle Rock Virtually Celebrates 7 Graduates

Going virtual has become commonplace in this era of COVID-19, but this — Eagle Rock School’s 80th trimester, saw our staff and administrators organize a Celebration of Graduates for seven of our students unlike any preceding event of its kind.

Normally, such ceremonies take place in our Human Performance Center on campus but, due to the health pandemic, our mountainside campus shut down in early March, with all students returning to their homes in order to prepare for remote learning and ongoing student support.

As a result, we did not have a graduation ceremony last trimester. Instead, we had a Celebration of Graduates.

That meant the 80th trimester Celebration of Graduates, was delivered online via Zoom, on April 10, and featured a prepared video of faculty speeches, shout outs, virtual journals, remembrances, and even advice from the departing grads to their friends and current Eagle Rockers.

Those graduating last trimester include Xavier Hagood-Edmeade, Alizja Serret, Dalan Farris, Burgess “Bea” Cotham, Ay’Niah Rochester, Jacob Israel, and Joyce Page. And while these students missed out on a “regular” high school graduation ceremony, all seven were invited back to “walk” the next time a graduation is held on campus.

What was important for these grads to hear was praise from family members, instructors, and fellow students — all of whom poured themselves into a full-on commitment to earn their high school diploma. For some of these students, graduation did not seem at all like a possibility just a few years ago.

Immediately below is a photo of the seven students who participated in the Celebration of Graduates, followed by a biography of each graduate, which includes information about their major learnings, campus involvement, achievements, and future plans.

Editor’s Note: At the end of today’s post is a video that was presented at the Celebration of Graduates.

Xavier Hagood-Edmeade

Xavier, who arrived at Eagle Rock in the fall of 2016, is from Ormond Beach, Fla., and was a member of Spruce House. He spent much of his time at Eagle Rock committed to leadership and service learning, as well as wilderness education.

Xavier completed his new student wilderness orientation course, a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) horse-packing course in Wyoming, as well as an Eagle Rock veteran-student wilderness course in the fall of 2019. His leadership and service roles included being an intramural captain, a Lead Student Ambassador, mentor, and member of the Mag 7 student leadership team, among many other things.

Xavier recounts the lessons learned at Eagle Rock, many relating to his personal development. He explains learning how to advocate for himself, becoming more patient, and discovering his independence all helped him grow during time with us. All the while, he has held onto a conversation he had with L’Tanya Perkins, our admission associate, during his admission interview. She asked him to “promise me something… No matter how hard this place is, you have to be true to yourself and remember your why.”

And to this day, Xavier says he has committed to discovering and refining what his “why” is in all he does and maintaining his resilience.

Looking ahead, Xavier hopes to spend more time in the wilderness by volunteering for a national conservation organization and completing trail work and maintenance. Following several years of conservation work, Xavier plans to enroll and serve in the military. After all his time at Eagle Rock, he advises new students to “avoid all the drama” and to focus on themselves.

Alizja Serret

Alizja, who arrived here in the fall of 2017, is from Lynn, Mass., and was a member of Spruce House. She says a defining point for her at Eagle Rock was getting involved and taking full advantage of the opportunities presented to her.

Among her major goals and learnings was developing confidence and leadership skills. In line with this, she jumped into numerous leadership roles and classes. She has served as the Continue reading…

10 Students — a Record — Prepare for Friday’s Eagle Rock Graduation

As our latest trimester (ER-78) draws to a close, Eagle Rock School is overjoyed to celebrate the largest class to graduatefrom our nationally-recognized high school since we  first opened our doors some 26 years ago.

This is the first time in our 78 trimesters that we’ve entered double-digit territory, with an impressive total of 10 students set to receive their high school diplomas during a 4 p.m. MST ceremony that will be broadcasted live through our Facebook page from our on-campus Human Performance Center.

Below, in order of the student’s tenure here at Eagle Rock, we’re pleased to present a short biography on each of our latest graduates, along with their favorite memories of Eagle Rock, short- and long-term goals and objectives, and thoughts for current and incoming Eagle Rock School students: Continue reading…

Friday Marks the Graduation of 4 Eagle Rock School Students

Three times each year, we host graduation ceremonies in order to recognize the personal growth and academic learning garnered by our most senior students, each of whom has completed the requirements set forth here at Eagle Rock School in order to earn and receive their high school diploma.

This trimester’s graduation ceremony — which is known as ER-77’s graduation because it is the 77th trimester since our school’s founding in the mid-1990s — features four such graduates participating in an on-campus celebration that’s scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. (Mountain Time) this Friday. April 12.

Below is a short biography of each of the graduates (Alethea Auguste, Mohammad Thabata, Yxcelline Serafin, and Maria Suaste Perez) along with their favorite memories of Eagle Rock, their short-term objectives and long-term goals, and advice for current and incoming Eagle Rock School students.

Up first is Continue reading…

Eagle Rock’s 3 Latest Grads Have Big Plans Following Graduation

If you work at Eagle Rock, there’s always a lot to celebrate and be thankful for, especially at this time of the year. In addition to celebrating Thanksgiving on our mountainside campus in Estes Park, Colo., many of our students, staff, faculty and administrators are making plans for the upcoming Winter Trimester Break (Dec. 18, 2018 – Jan. 6, 2019).

But before parting ways until the New Year, there’s one more major year-end celebration on the calendar. This Friday, Dec. 14, the Eagle Rock community will gather or go online to celebrate the high school graduation of three more Eagle Rock School students.

Eagle Rock School Dec 2018 Graduates

In particular, it’s Spencer Lanier, Hailee Williams, and Itxel Nava-Barron’s turn to take to the stage at our Human Performance Center — beginning at 4 p.m. (Mountain Time) — to accept their high school diplomas. For the folks at home, you can follow along online via the livestream that’ll be made available exclusively through the Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center page on Facebook.

As you’ll learn by reading the entries below, one of our new graduates says his immediately plans call for enrolling in a community college and completing his college prerequisites before taking classes at a four-year college or university in starting in 2020. Our other two grads say they’re going to grab their scissors and combs and take on cosmetology classes in order to learn hairstyling, with one expressing interest in buying an Continue reading…

Eagle Rock School’s Latest Trimester Graduation Features 3 Graduates

A huge event for us this Friday at Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center is the graduation of three members of our student body. This is the latest of what is nearing 100 trimesters of pomp and circumstance, and it will be broadcast live at 4 p.m. Mountain Time on the Eagle Rock Facebook Page.

Eagle Rock is a unique school, in that we put our full focus on teaching youth through an alternative form of education, with an emphasis on supporting students who come here from a diverse and underserved background.

Graduation Photo Eagle Rock School August 2018

Our students arrive from all corners of the country to reengage themselves in their own education via a trimester system that culminates in their biggest achievement — graduation. This Friday, we are proud to support our three latest graduates as they walk onstage in our Human Performance Center to receive their diplomas, in full view of fellow students, families, administrators, teachers and staff.

We recently asked these grads-to-be to sit down and write out a short biography about themselves, including their involvement at Eagle Rock School, their short- and long-term goals, and any advice they might want to leave for those who follow.

Here’s what they had to say: Continue reading…

A Quartet of Eagle Rock School Grads Pick Up Diplomas this Friday

Because Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center operates on a trimester system, we have the opportunity to enjoy three graduation ceremonies each year instead of just one.

And this Friday, April 13, we are proud to announce that four of our students (Cha’Asia Rucker, Brianna Campbell, Jefer Gomes, and Carolina Avalos) will be so honored as they stand atop the Human Performance Center stage in front of their school friends, families, and staff to receive their high school diplomas — signaling a tremendous achievement for students once considered disengaged in their own education and growth.

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Technically speaking, each of this trimester’s grads has worked through all of the requirements necessary to earn a high school diploma from this progressive high school of ours that has been successfully graduating young adults with a promising future for the past quarter of a century.

Friday’s celebration will be broadcast live at 4 p.m. Mountain Time on through our Facebook Page.

As we customarily do, we asked each of our newest graduates to submit a short biography, explaining their involvement at Eagle Rock, their short- and long-term goals, and a bit of advice for current and incoming students. Here’s what they had to say: Continue reading…

Eagle Rock’s Fall Trimester Grads Take to the Stage This Afternoon

For those of us who consider Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center as our extended family, we pride ourselves on our independence, our desire to take control of our own lives, and our insistence on marching to the beat of a progressive drummer.

Take, for example, our well-attended high school graduation ceremonies. Yes, we’re using the plural of ceremony because here at Eagle Rock, we have three of them each year. We honor this rite of passage for graduates of our fall, spring and summer trimesters and in this, our fall trimester, we have three incredible individuals who will be walking on stage this afternoon (Friday, Dec. 15) to receive their well-earned high school diplomas.

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This latest trimester graduation event — the 73rd since our founding back in the early 1990s — is being broadcasted live, beginning at 4 p.m. Mountain Time, this Friday via our Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/eaglerockschool.

Below is a short biography from each of our three newest graduates where we explain their involvement at Eagle Rock, short and long-term goals, and some sage advice for current and incoming students. Continue reading…

Summer Break 2017 at Eagle Rock School

To paraphrase the American nonfiction writer Charles Bowden, summertime at Eagle Rock offers the best of what might be.

For new students who arrived in early-June, it’s the beginning of a new high school experience and the wilderness orientation trip that accompanies it. For our Public Allies fellows, it’s the end of an advanced year-long service and leadership development experience. And of course, summer signals the graduation of another group of Eagle Rock School students.

(Image ©2017 Joven Nichols)
(Image ©2017 Joven Nichols)

The summer months on our mountainside campus never fail to impress upon us some of the values we hold so dear — namely, that we choose to focus on continuous improvement and that we are a small organization with an outsized impact.

Along those lines, summer break at Eagle Rock School offers time for some staff, instructors, and administrators to regroup by focusing on Continue reading…

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.

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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…

5 Eagle Rock School Students Set to Graduate Today

Pomp and circumstance — Eagle Rock style — will abound at 4pm Mountain Time this afternoon (Friday, August 5, 2016) in our Human Performance Center, as focus is directed toward five Eagle Rock School students who are graduating and heading off into the world with a new perspective on what it means to be engaged in their own education.

Among the grads are siblings Ryan and Dillon Powell — arriving on campus back in January of 2012. As you’ll read, the Los Angeles brothers took different directions once on campus, with one focusing on band and a cappella, the other on outdoor education and National Park Service volunteerism.

L-R: Ryan Powell, Zoe "Stormy" Johansen, Jared Moss Osterlund, Dillon Powell and Javonnie Campbell
L-R: Ryan Powell, Zoe “Stormy” Johansen, Jared Moss Osterlund, Dillon Powell and Javonnie Campbell

This latest trimester graduation ceremony will be broadcast live, beginning at 4 p.m. Mountain Time, on our Ustream channel, on Friday, August 5, 2016. To view the event live, please visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/eagle-rock-school-graduation.

Our five grads had a lot to say about the education they received at Eagle Rock, along with plans for their future and some advice for newbies to campus. Here’s a sampling:

Ryan Powell arrived at Eagle Rock at the same time as his older brother, joining Spruce House in January of 2012 (ER 56) and later, Ponderosa House. He counts among his successes being asked to Continue reading…