Give Thanks

I was thinking about the feelings of the students days before our Thanksgiving break. They were excited and a little nervous about it. I asked Mary-Lawson Cox, one of my Semester 43 Spanish students, her thoughts about the week away from the Outdoor Academy.  This is what she wrote, and I want to share with all of you.

Give Thanks

As students go home to their families, we all will reflect on our time that has been spent at the Outdoor Academy. We will share our experiences and new traditions that we have learned, one of them being the idea of giving thanks. Before every meal, we all hold hands and take time to think of all of the things we are thankful for. One person will say “Give thanks!” with the rest of us following. It is the little moments like these, the gratitude given for your meal, the squeeze of your neighbor’s hand, or the verbal act of saying what you appreciate that makes a community come together. I know I can speak for everyone when I say that this break has given us the time to think about what a true community is. A community is a place where you can come together with one another and grow as both a member and as an individual. It is a place where you feel most loved and you feel you can be your truest self. We are thankful for the time we have spent with our families but are excited to return home to the mountains where we can give thanks for the rest of the time we have on our journey.

Mary-Lawson Cox, a student attending the Outdoor Academy

Thank you Mary-Lawson for these words and let’s Give Thanks always!

Rodrigo Vargas, Spanish Teacher