Four More Graduates Soar Away
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Volume 11, Number 3 News From Fall Trimester 2003 FOUR MORE GRADUATES community college with ambitions to enter Brown Uni- versity. She wants to work, learn to drive, and become SOAR AWAY the first woman of color to preside over this country. By Mohammed Elgazzar, Fellow Ally first heard of Eagle Rock through her grand- mother, who knew of ERS through a former intern. On A sunny, snowy Colorado day Friday, December New Year’s Eve 1997, she saw the Eagle Rock video 12, 2003, sent four Eagle Rock graduates on the way to and thought that, while the philosophy of school was the rest of their lives, bringing the number of graduates laden with cheesiness, it was a great approach to educa- to 90. Meet our newest graduates, Ally Alexander, tion and would perhaps be her key to future success. Anthony Olivas, Désireé Oscarsson, and Paul Tolbert. This Chicago native arrived during Eagle Rock School’s eighteenth trimester, leaving both her single mother and Ally Alexander welfare. Her lowest point was the twenty-five day wilder- ness trip that each new student takes. We were on one of the Ally advises Eagle Rock students and staff members busettes and it pulled into to “Be here for you and surround yourself with people a gas station to fill up. who will validate your choices and support you in what Everybody on the bus was your ultimate goal is.” If anybody has the determina- allowed to get some snacks tion, attitude, and will to accomplish her goals, it’s Ally. from inside. Some of us jumped off and ran inside. Anthony Olivas Nothing really appealed to me except for the ice cream. I got a couple Gang-affiliation and a of pints to share. When we got back on the small Denver community bus, we realized that we had forgotten to were simply not working for get spoons. I ran back off the bus into the Anthony Olivas, a Latino gas station. Unfortunately, they didn’t have member and graduate of the any spoons or forks or anything else that Eagle Rock School community. we could use. Disappointed, we got back At first, Anthony didn’t quite onto the bus. That’s when everybody took understand why the ERS com- their wallets out and we decided to use our munity would be better, but he gave it a try and now library cards to eat with. knows that coming to Eagle Rock was the best thing that he could’ve done. This was Alicia (Ally) Alexander’s most memorable With plans for entering the Marines and aspira- moment at Eagle Rock and perhaps a sublime example tions of becoming a fire fighter, Anthony has become of the resourcefulness and creativity that she harnessed increasingly excited about beginning his life outside and nurtured over the years. Ally suggests that she is high school. He hopes that someday he will be able to expressing true leadership at Eagle Rock through action: achieve his goals and support a relatively large family of graduation. two girls, four boys and, of course, a wife he loves. She is both scared and excited about graduation, Anthony entered Eagle Rock thinking that gradua- excited about independence but scared about the tion would be a stroll in the park. “It’s more like climb- unknown. She has been forced to consider her options ing Everest, falling down to the bottom, and then climb- and make plans but is dedicated to holding herself ac- ing it again,” he now says. countable for her future. Ally is working hard to enter ...See Graduates - Page 5 Eagle Eyes Page -2- A publication of NEW STAFF MEMBERS with the University of New Mexico devel- Eagle Rock School oping and establishing a service learning and Professional BRING TALENT AND Development Center program there. EXPERIENCE TO ERS John’s depth of thought and discrimi- Editor: nating eye, a dangerous combination, Lois Easton By Mohammed Elgazzar, Fellow made him aware of problems within the P.O. Box 1770 public education system and, more spe- 2750 Notaiah Road Two new staff members joined Eagle cifically, students’ often dehumanized Estes Park, CO Rock at the beginning of the trimester. 80517-1770 treatment and alienated responses to this Here’s your chance to “meet” them. culture. According to John, it is during Phone Numbers: youth that people are most open to new (970) 586-0600 John Guffey ideas. He sought to balance the negative Denver Metro effects of public education by providing (303) 442-7655 A tall, long- this young and highly energetic population haired, gener- with an opportunity to critically examine FAX ally quiet man (970) 586-4805 their realities and change them if neces- moves between sary. An initiative of the the Learning The tenets of life and education at American Honda Resource Cen- Eagle Rock pulled him from New Mexico, Education Corporation ter, the Arts and and he was thrilled to be in the town he Crafts Build- American Honda visited as a youngster and able to apply ing, and the Ponderosa residence. He is the knowledge he had acquired since those Education John Guffey, the Instructional Specialist in Corporation summer escapades. Service Learning. John’s life journey has John, his wife Manuela, and his Hiro Matsumoto brought him full circle, beginning when children Milo and Mya live in Ponderosa Chairman he was a twelve-year-old visiting Rocky House, where John and Manuela are Gary Kessler Mountain National Park and concluding houseparents. Executive Director (at least for now) with his coming to Eagle Rock. Jesse Tovar Sheri Bullock His opportunity to teach at Eagle Secretary Rock reminded John of his youth and the In a dark Llyn King democratic community living that he is so corner of the Treasurer passionate about. John spent nearly every Professional summer from the age of twelve through Development Eagle Rock School his university graduation skipping rocks Center, wedged and Professional and wallowing in the smell of compost in between Development Center RMNP. His father was the first seasonal Philbert Smith, backcountry ranger the park had known Jon Anderson Director of Human Performance and, clearly, this influenced the time John Students, and L’Tanya Perkins, Director of spent in the park, nurturing his taste for Admissions, a dim overhead lamp bright- Burt Bowles environmentalism and service. ens the workspace of a dark, curly-haired Facilities & Maintenance John carried the forest service torch man working diligently on cracking the for several years before becoming a fire Robert Burkhardt code of the human psyche. As the resident Head of School fighter. He later earned his teaching certifi- counselor, philosopher, and a traveling cate in science in 1985. He used his certi- family man, Jesse Tovar works endlessly, Dan Condon fication to teach at the Universal American Public Allies knee-deep in mental and emotional mud School in Kuwait. John furthered his that requires courage, patience, endurance Lois Easton education with a master’s degree in peace and stamina. Director of Professional and justice studies with a minor in Native Jesse takes on his role as Health and Development American studies. After a stint with a Gal- Wellness Instructor with a smile, psycho- lup, New Mexico, non-profit organization logically supporting the mental health of Cynthia Elkins that focused on service learning from a Arts Native American perspective, John worked ...See Staff - Page 3 Eagle Eyes Page -3- Jacques Fournet ...Staff - Cont. from Page 2 with the San Francisco Bay Area; Florence, Wilderness & Outdoors Italy; and the whole of Argentina. His next ERS students and challenging them to Education stop is a toss-up between Canada, New discover their own unique strengths and Mike Glowacki Zealand and Australia, or Brazil. natural self-esteem. He does all this with Head Cook The Bay area was Jesse’s last stop the purpose of pushing students to mental Richard Gordon before coming to Colorado, where he preparedness in order to succeed academi- Learning Resources was working as a clinician. In this role, cally and personally at Eagle Rock and and Information Jesse had sponsored several Eagle Rock beyond. Linda Sand Guest Students and had begun to interact with His passion for this work finds him Director of Curriculum L’Tanya, whose powers of persuasion re- rummaging in the stacks of dusty used John Guffy sulted in his recruitment. bookstores, continuously acquiring the Service Jesse’s background is rich. He is at tools he needs to be most effective with least trilingual (Spanish, French, and Eng- Dick Herb such a lively, intense, fun, and passion- Director of Operations lish); he has an undying taste for travel; ate population as the Eagle Rock student and he possesses an unfettered capacity to Sheri Jackson body. His own passion helped him be- Business Administration connect with people from any culture, any come aware as a seventeen year old that Specialist social stratum, and any economic class. he needed to leave his family, friends, and Jesse is most disheartened when stu- Janet Johnson native home of Venezuela to actualize his Science dents pack up and go home, or when they future. Eventually, he earned a master’s think that Eagle Rock is not giving them Janice Lee degree in clinical psychology from Univer- Registrar what they need. However, his endeavors sity of Geneva in Switzerland. are all worthwhile when he feels that he Jeff Lemon Jesse has traveled the world, collect- has contributed to the students’ discov- Sous Cook ing passport stamps the way others col- ery of what they really want in life, their Jeff Liddle lect foreign stamps or vintage baseball becoming socially aware and active, simply Wilderness & cards.