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  • Swimming with Sharks
  • Alumni Reunion Schedule!
  • For the Love of Art
  • Let the Good Times Roll
  • Board Highlights
  • Leelanau On the Map|Rob Karner
  • The Right Ingredients
     

 
 
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This past January, seven students and three faculty members traveled to The Island School in Eleuthera, Bahamas for a Winter Term class titled "The Leelanau School Meets The Island School: Sharks, Service, and Sustainability." Here are some reflections on that life-changing experience for the entire team!

At The Island School

Angela Repke, Leelanau School Learning Specialist

 

Even before arriving at their tropical destination, Leelanau’s Winter Term exploratory group found themselves practicing the motto of the host school. 

 

The obstacle is the way.

 

You see, our Leelanau world travelers missed their connecting flight from Nassau to Eleuthera at the very outset of the trip. Instead of panicking, they treated the airport staff with grace and made the best of it. 

 

They arrived the next morning at The Island School, where they would be asked to meet deliberate daily challenges – learning the only way to overcome them was to go through them. 

 

Junior Sara House put it beautifully, “You don’t have to have everything figured out beforehand to take that first step in the right direction. Throughout the whole trip, I kept telling myself that.”

 

Sophomore Mark Porter also realized this during xer first-time scuba diving. Mark said, “Before getting into the water, I was holding my mask to my face. I was wearing all of this heavy equipment, sitting on the edge of the boat, and then I just sort of flipped myself backwards. There are no words to describe the feeling when I began to descend into the water. I thought this is it.This is what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

 

And while scuba diving was one of the favorite activities for many of the students, the whole routine of their big adventure was full of daily experiences and challenges. According to junior Sophie Schwartz, the students started their day at 6:00 am, and by 6:45, the group was off catapulting themselves into an energizing activity like bike riding, cliff jumping, snorkeling, and more. She admits, “It felt so nice to wake up and have something accomplished before breakfast.” Sophie and junior Grace Holl liked starting their day off with vigor so much they’ve been waking up early since their return to Michigan.

 

According to Joe Blondia, one of three faculty leaders, “One of the highlights of the trip was on our first day in Eleuthera while snorkeling. We spotted a hawksbill turtle, which used to be on the endangered species list.” The Leelanau crew also got to see Caribbean reef sharks, bull sharks, and lemon sharks. Junior Nathaniel Adams’ favorite part was simply being in the water. He said, “Just looking at all of the reefs and wildlife was my favorite part.”

 

Underwater adventures weren’t the only takeaway from the trip, though.

 

Sophie loved getting into town and seeing how true Bahamians lived. Learning about their rich culture was an unforgettable experience for them all. Sophie said she’ll never forget that everyone smiled at one another in passing. This is another daily habit she’d love to bring back to her life at Leelanau. 

 

One big surprise was how quickly the students grew accustomed to not having their phones with them. Sara said, “Before the trip, I had been looking for an excuse to protect my space, so my time at The Island School gave me that incentive to get that peace. I learned that if you’re doing stimulating things in most aspects of your life, you don’t need your phone. So, when we got back to Leelanau, I decided to leave my phone for the first class when we got back, and I hope to keep doing that.” 


Sara also described a bonfire on the beach on their last night at The Island School. There, they shared their highs, lows (which they found most challenging), and buffaloes ... something that totally surprised them. Sara’s buffalo came while dissecting a lionfish, and the fish’s eye juice squirted right into her eye and mouth!

 

Between boating, cliff jumping, working on a farm, studying crabs from a mangrove creek, community dishes, no phones, and more, Leelanau students met these challenges head-on. They agree that at The Island School, and Leelanau, The obstacle is the way!

 

"100% best experience of my life!" - Sophie, class of '24

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When you walk into Leelanau’s art building, you’re greeted by an unruly ponytail palm in the doorway. And funky cacti fill the windowsills. 

 

But the art building is anything but prickly. 

 

As you walk in, a set of pottery bowls sits on a table, inviting you to give them a look, perhaps a touch. You’ll hear students singing and stringing the guitar, all because they love the way it makes them feel. Once you step into the different art rooms, you’ll notice unfinished works of art by students. Maybe it’s a lantern in the metals room or a ceramic cup in the pottery space. 

 

The art in this space is living, breathing life into all who enter.

 

You see, after serving my first semester here in the Cook Learning Center (or LC as the students call it), I’ve come to call the art building home during Winter Term. And home, it quickly became. 

 

As a learning specialist, working with students in the art building has reawakened my creative spirit. Along with art teacher Elara Coleman, I get to work with students each and every day, encouraging them to share and illustrate their own stories. Here at The Leelanau School, the arts are woven into their daily lives. It’s not just the strange plants that grow here but the students’ creativity, too. 

 

The reason students are able to trust their inner weirdness here is two-fold. First, the arts building itself welcomes anyone who steps into it to simply be - be themselves. The student-painted music notes plastered on the walls shout both individuality and acceptance. Second, the warmth offered by Mrs. Coleman, veteran music teacher Laura Hood, and science/ceramics teacher Bruce Hood creates an immense sense of belonging. This, in turn, gives students the green light to let their creativity ooze out of them...

 

For the rest of the story, visit https://leelanau.org/for-the-love-of-art/

 

“At The Leelanau School, art teaches students to listen to the voice within themselves. It helps them pull their childlike creativity out again. And just like the prickly cacti, anyone, even a teacher, can bloom in the art building.”

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Photos from Winter Term Classes: Illustrated Storytelling & Accent Lighting - A Day in the Life of a Studio Artist

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It is uncommon to find sugar featured in The Leelanau School kitchen, but our talented chefs let the good times roll on Tuesday with this splendid King Cake! Mark, Dax, and Isa each found a plastic baby at lunch. and Jess discovered the last treasure at dinner. Why only one lucky recipient when you can have four!

 
 
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Board of Trustee:

Meeting Highlights

 
 
 
  • The Leelanau School Board of Trustees met Friday, January 20th. Head of School Rob Hansen gave a global report on the strength and health of the school. The Winter Term course is under way with great student enthusiasm. Plans are being finalized for the all-school mid-year exploratory trip at February’s end - just in time to re-vitalize from the winter doldrums. The buildings and grounds are receiving ongoing improvements. Finances are sound. Almost a quarter million dollars went toward debt reduction, again thanks to many generous donors. Discussion of inflation led to discussion and the approval of a 4% tuition increase to help offset expenses.
  • Kudos to the Marketing team of Kate Olson, Kate Caliri, and Angela Repke for their splendid work. The Leelanau School’s presence on social media is stronger than ever. As past parent Bill Roccobono wrote: “you are bringing your outreach to new and wonderful levels of communication, beauty, and genuineness…Inspirational to read!" The Board agrees. 
  • Participation in the Board of Trustees Bonus Challenge was robust. Trustees welcomed many new and returning donors with added bonus dollars. Thank you to everyone who contributed.
  • Lastly, a shout-out to the marvelous Food Service staff at The Leelanau School. Many board members stay after our meeting to eat a Friday leftovers lunch. It never fails to be delicious and we get to sample what has been served during the week. It is the tastiest part of our board meetings!

Submitted by Dr. Mary Beth Hardwicke | Board Chair

 
 
 
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Retired faculty member/Leelanau legend Rob Karner spoke to writer/podcaster/former Leelanau School staffer Gretchen Carr about northern Michigan and The Leelanau School's unique place on the map. Enjoy their conversation here!  https://traversecityist.com/

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"I believe that my being at The Leelanau School is the single most impactful experience I have had, ever. My grades are the best they have ever been, my room is the cleanest it's ever been, but most importantly, I am the happiest I have been in years. School has always been something that took a mental and physical toll on me, but here I think everything is structured in a way that just works better. I've met so many great people and learned so much about myself here." - Riz Peterson | 1-Year Sophomore

Help direct a student to Leelanau learning by speaking to our Dean of Admission, Kate Caliri, at kcaliri@leelanau.org or 231.334.5826.

 
 
 
 

"Courage is found in unlikely places."

- JRR Tolkien

 
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