December 11

12/11/07 

What a week we’ve had here at the RMS. Monday kicked off Spirit Week with Toga Day. Classes have been progressively getting busier and busier. In Science, Cooper had us figure out how much electricity HMI uses and how much it would cost to install solar power. In English class we began “Week O’ Fun,” which started by examining some publications about the Rocky Mountain West. Tuesday was Era Day, where everyone picked a time period and dressed accordingly. In English, we reviewed more periodicals pertaining to outdoor recreation like rock climbing and skiing and questioned what kinds of conflicting values the articles and advertisements promote about gender and environmental issues. Then Chris assigned us our last writing assignment, a fictional interview with a character from the novel we’ve read over the semester. Later that day, Beckett took a group of us sledding in all the snow that has fallen in the last few days! Wednesday was Color Cay and Apprentice-Appreciation Day. Each of the cabins had some sort of skit for their apprentices, and all of the apprentices were very touched. In Science class we presented our Power Point presentations on various topics in sustainability.

On Thursday, our math class built potato rockets and calculated the velocity and acceleration based on the time and distance. It was snowing pretty hard, making the retrieval of the potatoes pretty difficult. The potato rocket was built during activities period, and it was very exciting to see it used to illustrate a mathematical concept in the real world. In Spanish class, we were given a recipe to translate into English so that we could make it for our end-of-the-semester fiesta at Ben’s (the Spanish teacher) house. For activities on Thursday, some of us went to the local animal shelter and took dogs on a walk around the snow-covered Mineral Belt trail. The dogs were running around and playing in the snow. It was gorgeous outside with the snow on the trees and the mountains in the distance. That day, we also had a community meeting in the yurt and discussed ways to bring back home all the things we value the most at the RMS. We discussed relationships with teachers, friends, and family. Throughout the week Molly has been giving us short pieces of advice about the end of the semester and how to transition back into the “real world.” My favorite has been “Don’t go home yet.”

Saturday morning began with classes as usual. In Science, we finished presenting our sustainability Power Point projects. Since everything is covered in snow, we dug pathways around the chopping area instead of chopping wood; Ben figured the 5 ft high piles in front of our cabin would last us for the week. Then, we went to Mountain Laundry and Safeway for the last time of the semester. By the time we got to town, the temperature was dropping and it was getting dark, so we all decided to cut our last town visit short in order to get back to HMI for our “Snowball” semi-formal dance. Rushing to find something to wear, everyone made it to dinner by 6:20 to find Who’s Hall decorated with lights, banners, and the tables covered in tablecloths and candles, complete with icicle centerpieces and a table where we could get soda and Shirley Temples. After a dinner full of carbohydrates to prepare us for the Fun Run on Sunday, all the tables were moved and Sam arrived with all of his DJ equipment to spin music for the dance. Matt, our history teacher, also joined us for the dance. It was a night full of laughter and dancing and was a great way to spend our last Saturday night activity. Sunday morning we sleepily made our way up to the main building in 0 degree weather, wondering if the Fun Run was actually going to happen. We ate a breakfast of bagels and fruit before hearing the announcement that the Fun Run would indeed be. We were required to wear gloves, a hat, and a wind layer because of the intense weather conditions. At 10 am, we set out for the starting line. At 10:25, 38 students and 5 faculty began the run that had been built up for the entire semester. There were 3 aid stations along the way (mile 2, 4, and 7) where Molly, her son Jack, the apprentices, and other faculty cheered on each of us and gave us water and snacks. The roads were completely covered in snow, and it was challenging to run in 10 degree weather, but everyone finished in less than 2.5 hours! For nearly a half-mile before the finish line, people were lined up cheering each other on. It was an incredible feeling to cross the finish line having your friends and teachers being so supportive of you. After eating leftover pasta for lunch, 16 students went with Matt and Beckett to the Lake County pool to hang out in the hot tub for a few hours. After returning to HMI, exhausted after such a challenging day, we had a great dinner and study hall to prepare for our final week of what has been an absolutely incredible semester.

By: Rachel Scott, Adam Lombroso, and Caroline Stephens