Robbie canoeing on the Connecticut River with VA Outdoor Challenge students.
allowed me to be thankful for the experience and not be so critical. I was trying to be perfect—like students who are trying to please their parents or their teachers. I tell my students, ‘Forget the grades, just do your best,’ but I never really believed it for myself. I was able to let go of that.” Robbie hopes to integrate a respect for the wilderness back into VA’s culture by encouraging students and others to want to participate. “I would like to give back by creating an awareness of this system that we are a part of, not just an extension of. By spending time in these spaces, whether it’s Bowles Pond, the arboretum, Bancroft, or even walking on the Long Walk in the fall and watching the leaves change, you can begin to feel the power of these places. You can begin to have empathy for all people and all living beings. I believe you can teach social justice through respect for the outdoors.” He is also deeply grateful to VA for his experience. “None of this would have been possible without Sean Brennan and Vermont Academy. To think that the school would allow me to take a semester away from campus was unfathomable. There are no words to describe my gratitude, and I don’t think there should be; it would make giving thanks too easy. All I can do to show my gratitude is do my best to give the students of Vermont Academy an opportunity to learn from the earth, and hopefully through that knowledge develop into mindful citizens and caring neighbors.” As for the outdoor program at VA, Robbie would like to start slowly by incorporating hikes on the weekends, adding some winter elements, and revamping the Outdoor Challenge team to the point where it becomes more. He believes it could culminate in a two-week trip on the Long Trail, where the students involved would develop an understanding of what it is to truly be part of a community.
“I really enjoy the outdoors for the learning and experience it can provide, but more importantly for the people it attracts. It’s a great community.” 14
w i nter 2012
“We have a great community at VA, and our students are beginning to understand that, but they still see themselves as students, faculty as faculty, dining hall staff as dining hall staff, and so on. Wilderness provides an understanding that we are all part of this movement forward. I never felt this until I started at Keewaydin; never felt it in hockey or sports. It took that first summer at Keewaydin to understand that if we’re not all carrying our weight, the trip won’t be a success. It’s enlightening. It’s the message I want to give. If we can understand it, we can change. The world can become a better place. I really enjoy the outdoors for the learning and experience it can provide, but more importantly for the people it attracts. It’s a great community.” va