About
Colorado Rocky Mountain School student believes in changing the lives of others
I will always remember certain moments, moments when my life was significantly changed by a caring friend or even a stranger. Before some of these events I always thought that to change a person’s life you had to be wearing spandex beneath a flowing cape, and possess some extraordinary super power that could be called on in an instant. What could someone like me, so ordinary, so small do to make a difference in the world? I am not a doctor nor am I a scientist; I have not even graduated from high school, there is little I have to offer. But recently a teacher of mine showed me otherwise. From him I learned a person does not need to donate millions of dollars to charity. I learned that you do not need to conduct medical research to cure illnesses in order change the lives of others.Like many other people I have always struggled with self doubt. I wonder constantly what I will do with my life. Will I make my family proud of me? Am I good enough to make a difference in this world or will I simply slip through it like an unnoticed shadow. These thoughts piled one on top of the other adding to my stack of burdens. One day I broke under their weight. My teacher noticed this and took the time to speak and patiently listen to me unravel my pained thoughts. At the end of the conversation he insisted that no matter what, I have already done great things and that I can continue to do so. Not accepting this I shook my head, “No I can’t.” He looked back at me warmly and simply replied with, “Yes. You can.”
Those simple words will stay with me forever. They are comfortably nestled in the back of my mind, under my cape, and tucked into my spandex, waiting to be called on in a moment’s notice. When I find myself thinking that I am not good enough I remember those words. That person was able to change my life simply by taking the time to talk to me. Just by noticing that I was sad and by being willing to listen to my concerns, this man drastically made my life better. He is not a doctor, he does not have millions of dollars, and he is not the head of some awareness campaign. But now he is a friend and in his own little way a hero. It is because of my experience that I encourage everyone to smile at a stranger on a dark day, maybe pay for the bill of the person standing behind you, or to ask someone who looks down if they’re ok, regardless if they’re friend or foe. No matter how small it is, a simple gesture of kindness could be all that someone needs. It doesn’t matter what you do, but do something, reach out and be that person who lets someone feel cared about, be the person who makes a difference, because I believe you can.
Colorado Rocky Mountain School seniors Cairo bound with Operation Smile
Colorado Rocky Mountain School seniors, Mima Strong and Olivia Mertz, started an Operation Smile Club on the CRMS campus in the fall of 2008. Operation Smile is a global organization that provides free surgeries to cleft -palate children around the world. Since its inception in 1982, Operation Smile has given over 135,000 children a new chance at life by providing them with safe, effective reconstructive surgery to correct their facial deformities. Utilizing all-school meetings as a platform to raise awareness surrounding this organization and bake sales as their key fundraising mechanism, their club enjoys 11 student members, has raised over $2,200, and has funded eight cleft -palate surgeries.
In August of 2009, Mima and Olivia attended an Operation Smile International Leadership conference in Norfolk, Virginia with 500 other students from around the world. This was the pair’s first step towards making an Operation Smile medical mission a reality. Then this past January they traveled to Norfolk one more time for a Mission Training Workshop with 25 other students. At this workshop, they learned what it means to go on an Operation Smile medical mission and that the primary role of a student is to educate the local community. Students on missions will meet hundreds of families and children every day at the hospital or in the local schools and orphanages. And that the students will have opportunities to give presentations on Dental Hygiene, Oral Re-hydration, Burn Care, and Nutrition. Students also spend time with children and families before their surgeries and after, and are even able to sit in on the medical surgeries.
Mima and Olivia just received the exciting news that they have been placed together on an Operation Smile Medical Mission in Cairo, Egypt in late March. They will be traveling with a student sponsor as well as a medical team for their ten-day journey.
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Our generation must confront the problem but not become consumed in the process
We can all choose to look at a situation in whatever way we want to. We can look fixedly at the state of the planet and believe that it is doomed to our own devices and that nothing is going to change. The alternative is to approach the problem and realize that the potential for a solution exists. In order to take a step in the right direction we must first turn around and get our bearings. We must confront the problem but not become consumed in the process.Our generation is faced with a plethora of problems, each worse than the previous one. The melting of the polar ice caps, the energy crunch, and overpopulation are all conspiring to create a tidal wave that threatens to engulf our planet if something is not done. The shadow of the wave is now upon us and is soon to engulf us if we don’t act.
The tidal wave started forming a long time ago, before anyone in generation next had taken their first breath or uttered their first word. The tidal wave has travelled across the generations and has gathered energy exponentially as time marches on. The tidal wave is larger than the eye can see and towers over the clouds.
As imposing and unavoidable as the tidal wave may seem, I believe that our generation has the necessary skills to make it through the crisis. The youth of our world are better equipped, smarter, and more connected than any previous generation. We have the ingenuity to create an unbreakable levee that will be able to withstand the tidal waves blow. Further, I believe that crashing blow that the wave is bringing may not even have to hit us. We have the potential to prevent anything from ever occurring.
I am filled with optimism when I think about my future and I hope that the rest of my generation feels the same way. I beg anyone who is reading this to explore the possibility that a solution is possible. I urge people not to become too discouraged as that is a step in the wrong direction. If we don’t act because we think something is impossible then we will never know what ultimately is possible. Jared Carlson, CRMS Class of 2010.
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Student Green Tip
Here at Colorado Rocky Mountain School we have a long legacy of environmental stewardship and implementing sustainable practices including our recycling and food composting program which removes all viable products from the waste stream. But even at a high school as conscientious as ours, we still have areas that we could improve. One such area was recognized by our students and given out as a “Green Tip” to our entire 150 student-body:The problem:
- The U.S. throws away almost 50% of their food every year. That’s about 51.8 tons of food.
- Just 5% of America’s food leftovers could feed 4 million people for a day
- CRMS throws away about 250 pounds per week. Even though that food doesn’t go to the landfill, it still is being wasted.
- Take only as much food as you can finish. You can always go back for more if you’re still hungry.
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CRMS Alumni Dedicated to Meaningful Work
Simon Isaacs, CRMS class of 1999VICE PRESIDENT, CAUSE-MARKETING AND SUSTAINABILITY, ignition Inc
Simon Isaacs is a leading thinker in sustainability and cause-related marketing. Simon is a Vice President at ignition – Inc where he leads the cause-marketing division, working with corporate and nonprofit brands develop and launch global awareness, fundraising and marketing campaigns around issues such as clean water, malaria, HIV/AIDS and education. Simon’s clients include the Coca-Cola Company, Gucci, Chick-Fil-A, BP, the World Wildlife Fund, the Ubuntu Education Fun, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Foundation among others. Simon also helps lead cause and sustainability work around the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Vancouver Olympics.
Simon previously lived in Rwanda where he worked for the William J. Clinton Foundation, directing safe drinking water and agriculture programs. Prior to Rwanda, Simon served as a Partnerships Officer at the United Nations Foundation where he raised and managed more than $30 million in corporate partnerships in support of the UN's disaster and development efforts. Simon is also responsible for helping to establish the Global Water Challenge.
Simon is an active climber and runner, placing 2nd in the San Francisco Marathon. In 2007, Simon ran on foot around the world as part of the Blue Planet Run to raise awareness and funds for the drinking water cause. In January, 2010, Simon is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with several celebrities and global influencers which is also part of a clean-water focused campaign. Simon is a expert blogger for Fast Company and is currently writing a book on cause-marketing.
Margaret T. Miller Bio, CRMS class of 1990
In just a little over a decade in the production business, Mags Miller has been involved in an impressive number of high-profile human interest and natural history projects for various Discovery Channels including, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, FitTV, as well as National Geographic, and HGTV. In the last six years alone, Mags has Produced “The Point of Three Kings: Point Reyes National Seashore”, “Land of Revolutions: The National Parks of Massachusetts” for Discovery, “Ms. Adventure” for Animal Planet, the “Mega Machines” Series for TLC, and field produced for National Geographic’s “Deadly Dozen II”, “Paranormal” and “Taboo” series.
In the past year alone she has produced a video for the Gede Foundation, a Nigerian HIV/AIDS Non-profit, field produced for three series, and produced a one hour show for National Geographic’s Explorer, where she embedded with the US Marines for 5 weeks in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Mags continues to build an extraordinary resume in international location productions, drawing heavily on her extensive travel experience – including ten years living and schooling in Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, as well as extended stays in Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Vietnam, Fiji and Cape town, South Africa. She has quickly become one of the most trusted producers to book.
She has a desire to use her talents to create meaningful and lasting work not only for TV, but also for the Global community at large. She believes that through visual storytelling, people’s eyes can be opened and minds can be expanded to help encourage positive change.
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Balancing Intellect with a Moral Scope
It is a common theme in independent school education that intellect must be balanced by a moral scope. I have always believed that Colorado Rocky Mountain School does an amazing job of preparing its students for college and later life by giving them a solid foundation in both areas. However, a recent dinner with an alumnus during my travels through Asia helped me to see it even better from a student's perspective.This past fall during my trip to Tokyo, I had the pleasure of meeting Taro Tomisawa, a recent alumnus who currently works for a Japanese foundation. Taro was my guide that evening; not only through an unfamiliar cuisine but also in sharing what he felt was the unique educational gift that Colorado Rocky Mountain School had given him. As we savored our way through an assortment of dishes that required an explanation and an eating strategy, Taro surprised me with an impressive insight about CRMS. He told me that he has come to strongly believe that performing community service is one of the most important values that our school has to share with the world. He came to this conclusion after realizing that during his time here his sense of service became habitual and that since graduating from CRMS five years ago and attending Colorado College, he has found it challenging to find the opportunities to do more to improve the communities in which he has lived and worked.
As the Head of School, I have the unique opportunity of seeing first-hand the impact our program has on people. Alumni often tell me about the difference the CRMS experience has meant in their lives and the importance of the unique opportunities that were available to them. On occasion some alumni will reflect on the depth and breadth of our program and how they wish that they had been more involved and taken advantage of what was offered here. Others have lamented that, in retrospect, four years was simply not enough time. Most alumni ask that we never get rid of the household job and work crew programs, because they taught them skills that they would later need. Few, however, have framed it in the way that Taro did for me that evening in Tokyo. His assessment that CRMS is unique in that it inculcates the value of service through the entire program is something that we probably take for granted, because it is a part of our daily lives and culture.
In our most recent alumni newsletter, we highlight some wonderful programs that are a part of the school community as a result of the passion and interest of student leaders: Operation Smile, FaceAIDS, Soles 4 Souls, and Random Acts of Kindness. All of these student-initiated clubs do a wonderful job of getting us to think beyond ourselves. They hold true to the spirit of progressive education that seeks to create involved, knowledgeable, and skilled citizens.
Preparation for college begins with a strong academic foundation, but knowledge without an applied sense of value and purpose has a limited scope. This combination of knowledge and values is something that as educators we all believe in, but it is what Taro helped me to see in a different light that evening. My conversation with Taro has since had me thinking about this sense of service on a more day-to- day level, the very spirit of service from which these clubs and programs originate. For Taro it was simply a way of life, a habit, and a way of seeing the world. The value of service became so integral to Taro's life that he views it as the most important aspect of his CRMS experience.
Creating students who view service as a key part of their lives, so much so that they must seek it out to feel satisfied and complete, is ultimately what we are striving for. As we move into the second semester, it is important to remind ourselves that some of the mundane aspects of our lives (i.e. household jobs, work crews, cleaning the dormitories and rooms, and random acts of kindness) are really wonderful opportunities that if taken with an open mind will forge a life-long belief. This awareness was recently manifested in a student's noticing and acting upon a need that resulted in a group effort to provide a disabled neighbor with some new winter clothing. It is in the team spirit that was generated from hard-working soccer players and a school that supports them. It was in the way that the school finished the first semester strong with final exams, an exceptional art show, a band concert, and a climbing competition.
We look forward to having your students back on campus next week and to continuing this legacy of education and service.
Have a wonderful, healthy, and happy New Year.
Best wishes,
Jeff Leahy
jleahy@crms.org
Head of School
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Wilderness Workshop Essay Winners
Earlier this December, the Wilderness Workshop sought out the next generation of young environmental leaders by hosting a writing contest for 7th – 12th graders from Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. The Wilderness Workshop asking all participating students to submit essays, stories or poems on why they believe wilderness is important. The 40 recipients were honored at the gala premiere of Forever Wild, the PBS documentary narrated by Robert Redford, at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, CO. In addition, the students met Congressman Salazar and filmmakers Chelsea Congdon and James Brundige and were recognized for their writing submissions. Five Colorado Rocky Mountain School students were chosen and honored. Following please find one of their submissions. For more information, contact Lisa Raleigh (Colorado Rocky Mountain School, Director of Communications)Essay 1: What Wilderness Means to Me
I stand on the frozen ground as frost nips at my nose. The cool mountain breeze touches my face like a mother comforting her child, and relieves my tension. In the distance, a hungry elk rummages under the blanket of fresh fallen snow and a pika stretches out on a rock to bask in the winter sun before it disappears behind the horizon and night takes over the forest. The forest is buzzing with life, yet it is peaceful and harmonious. Apart from my footprints, there is no trace of human life in this vast wilderness area. The busy highway from human civilization has been replaced by a humble trail winding through the trees, the smoke of factories has transformed into a gentle fog, and the ring of cell phones has been substituted by the chirping of birds. This wilderness area is a sanctuary for the human soul, as well as a safeguard for the wildlife that lives here.
Wilderness is important because it is an area of land that is untouched by human development. It is an area where the natural beauty has not been robbed by logging or mining, the pristine air has not been fogged by the smog from automobiles, and nature’s sweet whispers have not been obscured by the humming of technology. The wilderness is a place where animals can thrive in their natural habitat. In wilderness areas, people can enjoy and benefit from nature without harming it.
From the Maroon-Bells in the Roaring Fork Valley, to the Florida Everglades, wilderness is essential to the well being of humans and animals alike. As the human population grows, natural areas are destroyed to provide resources and space for us. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the materials with which we build our shelters, are all tied in to nature. With each tree that is cut down, each wetland that is drained, each river that is dammed, and each grassland that is farmed, wildlife looses its habitat and humans loose the beauty and purity of nature that is absent in modern society. Wilderness is so important because it is land that cannot fall victim to axes, flames, and bulldozers that threaten much of our natural earth.
To me, wilderness is a gesture of hope. The fact that people are dedicated to preserving nature, by establishing wilderness areas, proves that they care about a cause deeper than their own satisfaction. It shows that people care about the beauty, wisdom, and simplicity of the natural world for future generations. Each wilderness area will exist forever to provide an escape from the calamity of modern life - for people as well as wildlife. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get any better, its not,” Dr. Seuss wrote in his book The Lorax. The establishing of wilderness areas proves that people care about the future, and as Dr. Seuss pointed out, caring is the only way that a positive change will occur. Submitted by JJ Worley, junior, Colorado Rocky Mountain School
Essay 2: Forever wild
Imagine you are standing on the top of a mountain. It is just you there. It is so quiet, you can hear your own heart beat. Down below you there is just wildness. You can see a eagle flying around down there over the trees. Everything is covered with a thick layer of snow. It is sunny outside, you can hear some squirrels fighting about something in a tree. When you are looking out over this fantastic view you feel peaceful. All your problems just float away. This is all yours, you can be who ever you want. You don´t have to think about your job, school, or other people. It is just you and the wilderness and you are doing what you love.
This is what wilderness means to me. It is the best thing in the world for me. The feeling when you are looking out over the nature, with no civilization in sight. The thing that makes it better is that I have a pair of skies on me. I am standing, looking down on this majestic landscape and I love it. I am standing there for maybe 10 minutes just looking as this beautiful view and I´m thinking what a beautiful gift life is. I am so lucky to be living right now and I want to share this with all the people I know. I want them to have the chance to see what a great gift nature is to us. I take a deep breath and I jump in. The drop from the cliff is maybe twenty feet high and when I hit the ground I can feel the snow as a soft, cold hand caressing my face. It feels like I am being shaken in a bowl of flour. I can´t see anything but suddenly the snow disappears from my face and I can see the beautiful wildness again.
I am going down the mountain on my way back to the hut. It feels like I´m floating on the snow. It is a feeling that is impossible to describe, you have to try it yourself to understand it, but this is the closest you can get to walking on clouds. I am heading towards the trees. The forest look magical with the snow, on the trees, sparkling like diamonds. I am flying through the trees and I can only hear the snow flying around me. Suddenly I stop, I am looking around, trying to find my way back, but it all looks the same. I can hear my own breathing and feel the adrenaline rushing through my body. I go right hoping that it is the right way. The sun is getting brighter and I can now see an open field with snow on it sparkling like diamonds. But these diamonds mean more to me than real diamonds. These ones are my life and without them and this beautiful wilderness I don't know what I would do. It is my life and it is because of this I live. I am on the right way so I decide to head back to the hut. After an hour of walking I can see it. I get inside, hang up my stuff to dry, light a fire and I lay down on the couch. I look outside and I can see some deer just outside the hut. They look curious, and they are probably looking for food. I stare at the deer for a long time until they walk away.
The wilderness means everything to me. It is my world and it is the thing I love the most. I don't have to be skiing to enjoy it like in this case. Just a few hours in the woods makes me more peaceful. It is a way for me to forget about real life and just live like I want to without any duties or homework. Wilderness makes me love life more and feel gifted for living. I'd like to share wilderness with everyone because I think they all deserve to have the chance to find the same thing that I found... heaven on earth.
Submitted by Ludvig Ragnarsson, junior, Colorado Rocky Mountain School
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Student-initiated Clubs and Efforts are raising Funds and Awareness in our Community and Beyond
Community service is a core value and has been a way of life at CRMS since its inception in 1953. John Holden said, “It is my firm belief that the happiest people in the world are those who serve their fellow man.” Our students have always been compelled and encouraged to go beyond the robust academic and active offerings, and to become productive, engaged members of our society. One such opportunity to contribute in a greater and meaningful way is through our student clubs. On a daily basis, CRMS students, despite their hectic school schedules, are reaching out and helping those less fortunate or simply in need of assistance. From Operation Smile and Face AIDS to Soles 4 Souls and Random Acts of Kindness, CRMS student-initiated clubs and efforts are raising funds and awareness in our community and beyond. Most recently there has been a tremendous amount of student interest in global humanitarian causes, and our clubs reflects this social awareness.OPERATION SMILE
Two years ago, seniors Olivia Mertz and Mima Strong began an Operation Smile fundraising chapter on the CRMS campus. Operation Smile is a global organization that provides free surgeries to cleft-palate children around the world. Since its inception in 1982, Operation Smile has given over 135,000 children a new chance at life by providing them with safe, effective reconstructive surgery to correct their facial deformities.
Utilizing All School Meetings as a platform to raise awareness surrounding this organization and bake sales as their key fundraising mechanism, their club enjoys 11 student members, has raised over $2,200, and has funded eight cleft-palate surgeries.
FACE AIDS
Last year, junior Katie Grant was inspired by a passage she read in her sophomore history class from Mountains Beyond Mountains, which chronicled Dr. Paul Farmer’s decades of service in Haiti and Africa treating patients with tuberculosis and AIDS. After much research and thought over the summer, Katie discovered Face AIDS, a student-based organization dedicated to mobilizing and inspiring students to fight AIDS in Africa, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Dr. Farmers non-profit organization, Partners In Health (PIH). Since 2005, Face AIDS has raised over $1.4 million for PIH to fight AIDS in Africa via their income generating projects with HIV associations in Rwanda.
Katie debuted the new CRMS Face AIDS chapter at the beginning of this school year, and recently gave an inspiring all-school presentation encouraging our community with the following advice, “Sometimes what stirs your passion doesn’t have a pre-existing structure. Sometimes you have to be the one to begin. When you find a cause that touches you, it becomes easy to dedicate yourself to it.” She finished her presentation with the following advice, “With the coming holiday season, and a seemingly endless supply of food and gifts, it can become easy to forget how fortunate we are. This can be a time when we take our good fortune for granted, or we can use the holiday spirit to appreciate what we have, and to share it with others.” To-date the CRMS Face AIDS chapter has raised over $500 and recruited 23 members.
SOULS 4 SOLES
This past summer, juniors Kesley Bohanon and J.J. Worley decided to help needy people around the world by collecting 500 pairs of shoes for the Souls 4 Soles organization, which ships shoes to villages in third-world countries where people cannot afford to shoes. Kelsey and J.J. were drawn to the project because the donations didn’t involve cash, but rather discarded shoes. Thanks to the Aspen Skiing Company, which paid to cover the shipping costs to the distribution center, the project was a big success and involved the CRMS community and beyond.
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS (RAK)
The newest club to debut at CRMS is RAK, a national non-profit created as a resource for people committed to spreading kindness. Senior Grady Lenkin learned about RAK while visiting a college campus. Upon further research he decided it was exactly the type of club he would like to initiate at CRMS. The entire premise is to simply ask “how can I help” and to keep that question at the forefront of your mind as you move through the day. By encouraging members to reach out and make a small difference each day, an entire community can be uplifted. While Grady would like to see the club continue after he graduates, he is grateful for all that CRMS has given him and is excited about an opportunity to give something back. In typical CRMS style, upon introducing his new club at an All School Meeting a few weeks ago, 47 students and 14 faculty/staff members signed up on the spot. With over a third of CRMS spreading Random Acts of Kindness, the groundswell movement is well underway.
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Garden End of the Season Update
While there are around 300 pounds of carrots still in the ground to be dug, the bulk of the CRMS Garden harvest is completed. This season we grew 10,320 pounds of produce--up from 6000 pounds last year. What that means for all of us is that, until the end of the school year, we will be eating potatoes, onions, pumpkins and winter squash, which are stored in the new cold-storage area built by Jeff Schlepp. We have carrots and green beans in the freezer and will continue to grow the sprouts for the salad bar every week.As often happens at CRMS, the garden is productive because of the efforts of many: student work crews and the teachers who supervise them; garden assistants and interns who keep the garden going in the summer; the Development Office staff who raise money for the garden and get the word out about the garden both within and beyond CRMS; students and parents who help out with the plant sale; the Business Office staff who keeps track of the funds needed to run the garden; the folks in the Maintenance Department who are always helping out in ways both large and small; the Kitchen staff who take the raw materials and transform them into wonderful meals; and the Administrators who provide the educational leadership that allows works crews to continue to be a part of the CRMS experience.
Thank you to all and enjoy eating the fruits of all our labor!
Linda
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Colorado Rocky Mountain School junior inspires student body with Face Aids presentation
"The fight for health as a human right, a fight with real promise, has so far been plagued by failures. Failure because we are chronically short of resources. Failure because we are too often at the mercy of those with the power and money to decide the fates of hundreds of millions. Failure because ill health, as we have learned again and again, is more often than not a symptom of poverty and violence and inequality." In a recent "This I believe" archive Dr. Paul Farmer one of the founders of Partners in Health spoke to the notion that, health care should be a human right. Paul is a man that has the potential to make millions of dollars a year, and yet he has chosen, a modest life traveling the world ensuring that people receive health care. He does all of this not for money but, simply because he is passionate about it.This is what really drew me to Partners in Health, and through them, the FACE AIDS cause. Trying to make a positive contribution in the world seems overwhelming, yes the saying "one person can make a difference" is uplifting but how can we as students in Colorado help make that difference? I was talking to teacher Amanda Leahy today expressing how I felt that CRMS represented a world of its own, there is diversity in ethnicity, race, culture, and economic status, each person here has different strengths and weaknesses that they bring everyday. Through our experiences with school trips, work crew, and active we have the opportunity to discover our own strenghths and weaknesses. We learn to trust one another, and most importantly help one another. Wouldn't it be great to take the lessons we learn through helping and apply it to the world at large.
During the past week it has been really amazing to hear all the stories that have evolved from our Cake Walk fundraiser. Operation Smile not only raised money to help those less fortunate but, has also created many memorable moments with family's and friends at CRMS. Teacerh Kayo Ogilby shared his daughter's excitement while making a princess cake, and the Head of School Leahy house was filled with fun and memories as they made a cake together for this charitable cause. Experiences like these are what truly inspire us. I think often times we gain more then we ever imagined by simply giving what we can.
Find what you are passionate about and dedicate yourself to the cause. CRMS offers a wide range of ways to help and give back: Work crews, Face Aids, Operation Smile, Peace Jam, Random Acts of Kindness club. Possibly these organizations are not what inspire you. Sometimes what stirs your passion doesn't have a preexisting structure, sometimes you have to be the one to begin. When you find a cause that touches you it becomes easy to dedicate yourself to it. Dr. Paul Farmer does not do what he does for recognition, he simply does it because it is the right thing to do. By joining something bigger then yourself it gives you a sense of purpose, a sense that you can make a difference.
With the coming holiday season and the holiday spirit in the air, with a seemingly endless supply of food and gifts it can become easy to forget just how fortunate we are. It can be a time when we take our good fortune for granite or.... we can use the holiday spirit to appreciate what we have,..... and share it with others.
A Haitian proverb says "Beyond mountains there are mountains." In other words as you solve one problem another one often presents itself, one of the great things about CRMS is they shine a light on a lot of the world's problems and give us the tools to problem solve. Before we leave tonight I encourage all of us to take a couple of moments to reflect on a problem that you are passionate about, and think of ways that you can help that cause. -- Katie Grant, 11th grade, Colorado Rocky Mountain School presentation to the entire student body at an evening program
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Colorado Rocky Mountain School students start Random Acts of Kindness club.
Colorado Rocky Mountain School is an independent high school in the heart of the Rocky Mountains where student-initiated philanthropic clubs abound. From Operation Smile and Face Aids to Peace Jam and Souls4Souls, CRMS students continually expand their interest in, and fundraising efforts surrounding, global humanitarian causes. And while all these clubs enjoy strong membership, an amazing thing happened the other day when one student proposed starting a Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) chapter. Based on an international foundation that promotes kindness (established in 1995 as a 501c3 nonprofit organization) the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a resource for people committed to spreading kindness.So Grady, a CRMS senior, announces at a weekly all-school meeting that he would like to start a RAK chapter and to simply reply to his email if anyone is interested in being involved. Well, as a small school with only 145 students and 35 faculty/staff, over 55 people immediately responded and joined his effort. So one week into the new RAK club, over one-third of the school is involved in promoting kindness and unexpected gifts of gratitude.
For anyone out there who worries about our next generation of youth and the legacy they will leave for the world, I am constantly inspired and comforted by the intelligence, sensitivity and initiative of our high school students. For more information contact Lisa Raleigh (a proud member of the new CRMS RAK club).
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Quite the feat: CRMS students send 500 pairs of used shoes to needy souls around the world
Post Independent (John Stroud) Glenwood Springs, CO - CARBONDALE, Colorado — Friends and fellow Colorado Rocky Mountain School juniors Kelsey Bohannon and JJ Worley recently found a way to help needy people around the world, and keep what otherwise would be trash out of area landfills.Through the Soles4Souls shoe charity, they collected some 500 pairs of used shoes from throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. The shoes will be sent to a warehouse in Nevada, and eventually shipped to villages around the world where people cannot afford to buy shoes themselves.
“I heard about it and it just interested me as a way for people do something for those in need without sending money,” said Bohannon, 16, who lives in Glenwood Springs.
“Some people don't like giving money, because they're not sure what's really going to happen to it,” she said. “There's not much else you can do with used shoes, though. You know someone is going to be wearing them who needs them.”
Worley, also 16, from Carbondale, looks at it as a “one person's trash is another person's treasure” sort of approach to global charity.
“People really do get tired of donating money. This is a way to get rid of something you'd be throwing away anyway, and for a good cause,” she said.
Bohannon and Worley put up flyers around the valley and set up collection boxes at Summit Canyon Mountaineering in Glenwood Springs and at Dos Gringos Burritos in Carbondale.
“They asked me to come empty the box at Summit because it was overflowing,” Bohannon said. “The shoes filled up my car.”
Once they collected all the shoes they realized it would cost $230 to ship them to Nevada, even after the 80 percent charity discount from UPS. So they approached the Aspen Skiing Company, and it covered the shipping cost.
“We didn't even think about the money part of it,” Worley said. “We really want to thank the Skico for helping us out.”
They received some interesting shoes along the way, including some Go-Go boots, a pair of snowboard boots, and ballet slippers.
“Some of them are pretty fancy shoes, and not very used at all,” Bohannon said.
Miser's Mercantile, a local second-hand store, also donated some of the shoes it had in stock, and the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary collected a box of shoes as well.
The students may do another drive in the future, but their collection efforts are done for now. However, Independence Run and Hike, a local running and outdoor gear store, is also a collection location for Soles4Souls.
The store, located in the Gateway Plaza at Highway 133 and Cowen Drive in Carbondale, is collecting “gently worn” footwear and/or monetary donations to help ship the shoes.
The shoes sometimes go to victims of a natural disaster, or who are subject to living in extreme poverty, according to the organization's website, www.giveshoes.org.
“It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unused shoes lying in their closets,” it notes. “The charity can use each and every one of these pairs to make a tangible difference in someone's life.”
Independence Run and Hike owner Brion After said he is glad to contribute, both in the charitable sense and because of the reduced environmental impact of recycling used shoes.
“We believe in taking care of the land that takes care of us,” he said. “Partnering with Soles4Souls enables the local running and hiking community to be environmental stewards and assist those in need throughout the world.” jstroud@postindependent.com
For more information on Colorado Rocky Mountain School please contact lraleigh@crms.org
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Colorado Rocky Mountain School Work Crews offer meaningful work & create sustainable lifestyles
Colorado Rocky Mountain School Work Crews provide an avenue for students to take leadership roles and initiate change on campus toward creating a more sustainable life.* The Recycling Work Crew maintains recycling stations in all the dorms and major buildings. They collect recycled materials and take them to the local recycling center.
* In the Garden Work Crew, students work to provide the school community with healthy organic food that is grown in a manner that minimizes the toll on the land.
* The Sustainability Work Crew brainstorms and problem-solves ways to improve our school’s efficiency. From educating the campus to adding weather stripping to all the obscure doorways on campus, the Sustainability Work Crew takes a variety of steps to minimize needless electrical, food, or heat waste. This Work Crew program allows passionate students to initiate change. Various student-led ideas have included: creating a sustainability dorm competition, a sustainability newsletter (humorously named The Toilet Paper), and a weekly “Green Tip” announcement to the entire school; changing our cleaning supplies to all-green products, measuring the campus energy usage, insulating the windows and doors, and researching better methods to improve our sustainability. While this work crew’s primary goal is to focus on sustainability, the rest of the work crews on campus (from Ranching to Electricity) also act under the green umbrella of sustainability.
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Colorado Rocky Mountain School Awarded Environmental Grant by Captain Planet Foundation
Captain Planet cartoon, is proud to announce that Colorado Rocky Mountain School has recently been awarded an educational grant of $2,500. These funds will be used towards the Colorado Rocky Mountain School Organic Garden Learning Center project.“We are thrilled to present this award to Colorado Rocky Mountain School,” says Taryn Murphy, Programs Director. “We receive thousands of submissions each year, and therefore have to be very selective to whom we award funding. We feel that this project deserves exploration and attention and wish Colorado Rocky Mountain School the best of luck. It is our hope that our combined efforts will educate, empower, involve and invest today’s youth to cultivate a better tomorrow.”
The Colorado Rocky Mountain School Organic Garden Learning Center is a great asset to not only the school and our students, but the community as well. CRMS is committed to teaching our students and other community members how to grow and harvest organic foods in a sustainable, and energy and water efficient manner. “We are thrilled that a national foundation is partnering with us on this project,“ says Linda Halloran, Director of the CRMS Organic Garden Learning Center.
The CRMS Organic Garden Learning Center expansion project will allow the school to double the amount of food produced to 40% of the produce consumed on campus (30,000 pounds annually), while decreasing the school’s carbon footprint. The project also includes a remodel of the recycling center and the Recycling Program.
About The Captain Planet Foundation
Captain Planet Foundation is located at 133 Luckie Street NW in Atlanta, Ga. They can be reached by phone at 404.522.4270. Founded in 1991, The Captain Planet Foundation (CPF) was created to support hands-on, environmental projects for youth. CPF is committed to making a global impact with projects throughout the United States and around the world. In 2007, CPF funded 138 hands-on, environmental education projects spanning across 38 states and internationally in Canada, England and Costa Rica. We have done projects in all 50 United States. For more information visit www.captainplanetfdn.org.
