CRMSColorado Rocky Mountain School Newsletter Issue 3 Spring 2017 IN THIS ISSUE Tick Ridge Update Interim Photos Class Notes Luci Belakova ’17 performs an original song at Senior Recital -2- HEAD OF SCHOOL LETTER LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Jeff Leahy In recent years we have expanded multiple interactions between the had an organic garden, a ranch, and Colorado Rocky Mountain School’s our fiber-optic network throughout student and the faculty members. It is an extensive art program through history with modern technology is the campus from the original three important to our sense of community which our students learn about relatively brief, and is in large part buildings to 17 and have established that we remain connected to people responsibility and the value of hard due to the passions and interests a reliable and stable wireless and not solely through our devices. work. These programs teach us of two individuals – Katherine network. With this substantial Our current student body may have about our inner selves and the world Ross, who began our first computer progress, we decided it was time access to a campus-wide wireless that surrounds us. In short, these programming course, and Eric to engage an outside technology network, but access is managed programs capture the mission of Krimmer, our current Director of consultant with a wide-ranging thoughtfully, is monitored at all the school, and it is why they are so Technology. In addition to these two knowledge of independent schools. times, and the extent of a student’s important to us. tremendous faculty members, we also With his guidance, we established a access is controlled. We also believe relied on small groups of students who clearer internal structure in which that with the pervasiveness of these My first job in education pre-dated were interested in technology and the director of technology is now a devices and social media, we have the ubiquity of copy machines, so used the school’s nascent program as member of the administrative team, begun to value – perhaps in a way that all our work was done on sheets an opportunity to learn and develop and a committee of faculty members that is different from the school’s of blue ditto paper. Prior to coming their own programs. Much has is available to provide strategic early years – the time we spend in to CRMS, I perceived having a cell changed over the last two decades in oversight of new initiatives and to the outdoors, because it provides us a phone to be a luxury for Amanda the way of technology at CRMS, but support student learning. As a result release from the tether of technology. Leahy to possess in case of an the most notable is its prevalence in of our extensive evaluation, we have That said, it would be a mistake to emergency while traveling across the lives of our teenagers, for better and for worse. recently established a new learning- say that technology is not a part of the country. Eric Krimmer, our management system for our faculty our outdoor program; for example, current Director of Technology, When I was growing up, it was considered cutting-edge if parents set limits and students. We have also adopted our satellite phones ensure a capacity recalls that when he started he had and controls on the family television; fast-forward to today, and teenagers a system where prospective students for groups to communicate while out an array of telephone modems are immersed in a culture of technology. There is simply no way around the can apply on-line and enrolled in the field. in the Barn that provided “dial- prevalence of access; I was just at a conference during which I was struck by The CRMS Newsletter is published families can complete all their forms in access” for the Holden House three times a year by Colorado Rocky two statistics: a speaker cited that Clayton Christensen, a Harvard Business (“paperwork”) on-line, rather than None of us charged with the education administration building. This is all Mountain School. School professor and author, believes that in the near future 50% of classes continuing the cumbersome and of our students take lightly the a far cry from where we are now Spring 2017 in school will be taken on-line, and another speaker shared confidently his inefficient paper-mailing process capacity of technology to influence and what our students have access belief that in three years virtual reality will be a mainstream concept. To say that is currently in use. In part, the education, often not in beneficial to daily. It is our task as educators that technology is moving fast and is embedding itself into education is an HEAD OF SCHOOL work we have done ensures that ways; for example, multiple-choice to make sure that we are teaching Jeff Leahy // [email protected] understatement. there are agreed-upon expectations tests were developed to assess a lower them how to responsibly use and and an alignment within the adult order of thinking, and now they have navigate these devices, social media, DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT During my first years at CRMS, our attempts to use technology to enhance our Lisa Raleigh // [email protected] community regarding the use of become prevalent and influential in and information to their benefit, a program often resulted in snafus that became a source of humor within the technology. We wanted to establish assessing students at schools across challenge that became particularly community; we couldn’t seem to get through a meeting in the Barn without DIRECTOR OF ANNUAL GIVING a path in line with the school’s the nation. The trap that we all are real during the latest election season Beth Smith// [email protected] technological difficulties. This was so common that it became expected; it history and culture to address the faced with is that we become very when “fake news” emerged as a wasn’t a true meeting if we didn’t have something go wrong with the audio real technological opportunities that good at what we measure, yet the common phrase. The skills CRMS ALUMNI & PARENT RELATIONS or visual aspects of the program. All of our early challenges with technology Randall Lavelle // [email protected] are available to a relatively remote value of what CRMS has to offer teaches (critical thinking, creativity, masked the fact that some very dedicated individuals have worked tirelessly boarding school. is not easily assessed in multiple- problem-solving, assessing- to establish an infrastructure that we all benefit from today. Despite a COMMUNICATIONS & choice format. The impact CRMS analyzing-synthesizing information, MARKETING MANAGER perception during that time that we were not a “technology school,” we Perhaps now is a good time to reassure has on its students has much to do and communicating effectively) Aimee Yllanes // [email protected] benefited from the help of students who had a strong ability in this area and you that relationships remain the with its culture, sense of community, remain incredibly important tools who have gone on to very successful careers in technology. These students DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS primary vehicle through which all and the strong relationships between for our students to possess as they helped create early versions of the website and student information systems Molly Dorais // [email protected] growth and learning occur at CRMS. students and faculty. It is our goal navigate a lifetime that will certainly that were in use until a very short time ago. Similar to so many programs We remain a school that cares very to allow technology to support these be impacted by rapid changes in at CRMS, our technology program was for the most part homegrown and deeply about engaging students on areas and that It not just be used technology. supported by both classes and work crews. 500 Holden Way a personal level and believe that this for efficient assessments. Colorado Carbondale, CO 81623 is best done in a culture that values Rocky Mountain School has always -4- FEATURE STORY FUSING THE PAST AND FUTURE ways we can interface with the academic parts of the “The maximum amount was about 12,000 pounds in AT TICK RIDGE MEADOWS school. We’re just slowly teasing them out.” one summer, mostly consisting of potatoes and heavier Bob Ward, Freelance Writer things.” While school administrators ponder the academic opportunities presented by the agricultural expansion — In addition to boosting agricultural yields from the think everything from soil chemistry to the geopolitics campus, the additional eight acres of farmland will of sustainable farming — McDermott is contemplating enable McDermott to let some acreage lie fallow each what to grow on the site. Between the existing orchard, growing season, to rotate a cover crop through all of the fields and greenhouse, the Garden Program already fields and thus regenerate the soil. grows a stunning variety of root vegetables, leafy greens, squash, tomatoes, beans, peppers, culinary herbs and To date, the Garden Program has produced roughly 20 fruit. percent of the produce consumed at the school. That percentage will rise with the addition of Tick Ridge One idea getting a fair amount of traction is the notion Meadows, but nobody knows exactly how much yet. of growing pumpkins on a portion of Tick Ridge Meadows, and selling them to the public in October. “We’ll be able to increase our production, but we’ll also It’s not a certainty yet, but a pre-Halloween fundraiser be able to treat the soil better,” McDermott said. “Give could be a plus for the school’s bottom line and would it a rest, put in a cover crop, then till in that cover crop deepen community ties.