The Eagle, Fall 2018

EAGLE’S NEST CAMP

THE EAGLE

THE OUTDOOR ACADEMY

HANTE ADVENTURES

The Eagle’s Nest Foundation Newsletter FALL 2018

Journeys

IN THIS ISSUE: Road to Friendship p.2

Transformation The Peace of at OA Nature p.4 p.6

Alumni Events p.12

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, PROMOTING THE NATURAL WORLD AND THE BETTERMENT OF HUMAN CHARACTER

The Road to Friendship

By Finn Lester-Niles and Griffin DeMatteo (OA, Hante, and Camp)

Finn Lester-Niles (OA, Hante, Camp) and Griffin DeMatteo (OA, Hante, Camp) at the start of their bike trek in Bar Harbor, ME, 2018.

“So how did you two meet?” We always share a brief awkward laugh before attempting to answer this one. It is daunting trying to explain to anyone the depths of our 10 year friendship, but especially so to someone we’ve just met.

People who don’t know what we mean when we say, “We’ve done three Added Adventures, three Hantes and gone to The Outdoor Academy together.”

It’s hard to explain. Even we sometimes forget the complexities of our relationship; the things we’ve been through together. The bands we’ve been in, the mountains we have hiked, the closest of mentors we’ve had who always see us as a unit - it can be a lot to keep track of. But we’ll try to lay out how we got to be at a stranger’s dinner table, halfway across the country, touring coast to coast on our bicycles.

The two of us met in Cabin Nine, when we were both eight.

Finn was from North Carolina and Griffin was from New York. We can’t say the dynamic of our friendship has changed much since then. We still find our most profound pleasures in light hearted mischief and adventuring (and still bicker about things that can be solved on Wikipedia in a matter of seconds).

When we were 11, we set out on our biggest adventure to date: floating down the French Broad River on a wooden raft, Huck-Finn style. It was there that we first witnessed the problem-solving skills necessary for a successful expedition.

One morning we awoke to our group gear floating into the middle of the river, and our instructors heroically swimming out to retrieve it. Another night, when we didn’t make it to

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our destination in time, we had to pull over and ask for permission to camp in a tomato field. At the time, we found all of that to be pretty amusing.

The next summer, we went on a week-long mountain biking trip in western North Carolina. It was on that Added Adventure that we were first introduced to the idea of expedition behavior: a series of principles outlining the habits of a responsible group member. The trip was physically, and sometimes emotionally, challenging but it taught us a lot about perseverance and putting the needs of a group over our own; something we still work on to this day. This was also our first big bicycling adventure, and would serve as the catalyst for our future of adventuring on two wheels.

Finn Lester-Niles(OA, Hante, Camp) and Griffin DeMatteo(OA, Hante, Camp) on the Mountain Biking Added Adventure in 2012.

The summer before entering high school we went on our first Hante, Hante Rocks and Rivers, during which we had some hands-on experience with problem solving. We had to figure out how to keep up group morale when we got lost at the base of Black Balsam and we had to act quickly to put out a

small denatured alcohol fire on the night that our camp stove tipped over while we were purifying some water before bed.

We had seen this type of problem solving in action many times before, but only then developed a deeper appreciation for it.

In following summers, on other Hantes, we stepped into greater leadership roles. We helped plan spontaneous excursions to swimming holes and glaciers on Hante Pacific Northwest. Whether it was inciting freestyle rap battles on monotonous stretches of trail, or teaching the group a song to help get through a rainstorm, we learned that group morale was just as essential to leadership as delegating camp chores or navigating the trail. The sense of adventure that compelled us around every trailbend, the satisfaction of crawling into a warm sleeping bag after a long day of hiking, and the feeling of community fostered when you share every meal, laugh, summit and thunderstorm together with your newfound Hante family is what kept us coming back summer after summer. Hantes were exciting, challenging, silly, aweinspiring and rewarding. After four summers adventuring in different corners of the country, we were ready to set out on our own expedition.

riding a penny-farthing through the streets of a rural Vermont town, finding hundreds of unopened pints of ice cream in a gas station dumpster in Ohio, seeing Niagara Falls, gorging on ripe Concord grapes by the shore of Lake Erie, pushing through a heavy rainstorm in Kansas and watching in awe as a double rainbow formed directly next to us.

In addition to these moments of pure joy, there have been some challenging ones: waking up to a flooded tent at 3 AM in rural Kansas, encountering a mid-October snow in the Texas panhandle, scrambling to find a last minute place to pitch a tent when brutal headwinds kept us from reaching our intended destination for the night. Now that we are fully responsible for all of this trip’s decision making, we can truly and deeply appreciate the work of all of the Eagle’s Nest instructors that got us here.

The inspiration for this trip came from one of our mentors at The Outdoor Academy, Brian Quarrier, who biked from Maine to Washington on a bamboo bicycle he built himself. Five weeks ago, we set out in his tire tracks to do a similar cross country trip, pedaling from Bar Harbor, Maine to Santa Monica, California.

Finn Lester-Niles (OA, Hante, Camp) arriving in Flagstaff, AZ after a long day of biking into headwinds.

We’re pretty sure that if it weren’t for Eagle’s Nest Foundation, we wouldn’t be out here under the massive New Mexico sky, well on our way to completing our journey. Eagle’s Nest taught us that this trip wasn’t going to be easy but if we remembered to sing through the thunderstorms, be kind to one another, and seize the adventurous moments that arise, it would be well worth the effort.

Brian Quarrier (OA Outdoor Education Manager) at the end of his 3,800 mile bike trek from Bar Harbor, ME to Anacortes, WA on a bamboo bike he built.

Along the way we’ve met dozens of generous strangers, many of whom have welcomed us into their homes. Over dinner we’ll relay an abridged version of our Eagle’s Nest origin story to our host. “Wow, so you two have known each other for quite some time,” they’ll say, “How have you enjoyed the trip?” The trip has been amazing...challenging, but amazing. We’ve had the chance to watch the countryside slowly transform as we cycle through the states. We’ve seen the mountainous forests of New England turn into Midwestern corn fields and then transition into the wide open Southwestern plains. Along the way we’ve had some unforgettable moments: flying down the backside of New Hampshire’s Kancamagus pass after 2 hours of climbing,

Editor’s note: In June, Finn and Griffin graduated from high school in Vermont, which they attended together for the previous two years. Following their bike trek, Finn will fly to New Zealand for three months before starting school back in Vermont at Middlebury College in February. Griffin will also be traveling abroad in China before starting a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail in the spring. In the fall, Griffin will also start school in Vermont, at the University of Vermont – an easy 35 mile bike ride away from Finn. Griffin and Finn completed their cross country bike trek on the Santa Monica Pier, in California, on October 29, 2018.

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The Transformational Nature of the Semester School Experience: a Study by the University of Utah

By Glenn DeLaney, Director of The Outdoor Academy

Last year, the heads of eleven semester schools decided that endless anecdotes about passions ignited and lives changed as a result of a semester experience was not enough. Those of us who know this part of the educational landscape fully understand the impact that a semester school can have on the lives of young people, but it was time to make that case more effectively to the world.

So, the Semester School Network jointly awarded a grant to the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at the University of Utah to study the transformational nature of the semester school experience. With a background conducting research for The National Outdoor Leadership School and The American Camp Association, Dr. Jim Sibthorp and his team, all of whom are experts in experiential education, are now turning their focus to semester schools.

I recently talked with Lisa Meerts-Brandsma, who is a PhD candidate at the University of Utah studying youth development through experiential education. She has extensive experience working in outdoor education and is interested in how a variety of experiences help young people understand themselves and the conditions they need to thrive. Through this project, Meerts-Brandsma has become fascinated with the world of semester schools, and she filled me in on some of the exciting results that they are seeing.

Lisa Meerts-Brandsma, PhD candidate in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at the University of Utah

GD: What are your goals for this project?

LMB: Our goal is to understand the uniqueness of semester schools and how experiences that occur at a place like OA relate to and interact with a student’s four-year educational arc…what is different and new as a result? We are also interested in the intrinsic motivation that draws students to semester schools.

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What are their motivations, and what do those motivations bring to their experiences?

GD: What have you learned from the alumni survey phase of the study?

LMB: We have landed on six outcomes that stand out for alumni of semester schools…things like appreciating learning, communication, trying new things, valuing diversity, etc. We are also finding that the community nature of semester schools is driving learning. There is time and a separate space – a “liminal space” or bubble – in which students are examining not only the coursework, but also themselves…all while navigating a whole new world. This leads to depth in academic pursuits, and it can also create space that accelerates identity formation and consolidation. It has the potential to be transformational, to give them a one to two-year head start on figuring out who they are, or to focus their academic trajectories.

GD: What are you hoping to learn from phase two, the on-campus survey of students that is currently happening at semester schools around the country?

LMB: We hope that our research will help us identify and categorize the specific mechanisms that are different than students’ sending schools and that contribute to the unique nature of a semester school. We are testing to see how the relational factor of semester school communities, the space created for reflection, and students’ engagement with new content all relate as part of that process of identity formation and consolidation.

GD: How will phase three of the study work?

LMB: Without stories, what good are the data alone? We will identify a handful of students and conduct in-depth interviews to gain a fuller sense of their experiences. We will then use those interviews to write illustrative case studies of semester school students.

GD: Is there anything else that would be useful for us to know about what you are finding?

LMB: What are the costs of a semester school experience? For one, alums report that transitioning back into their sending schools at the end of a semester was challenging. So, hopefully this will help semester schools figure out how to better help them translate and transfer their learning from their semesters to back home.

Glenn DeLaney (OA Director) teaching the four cornerstones of OA (craft, intellect, environment, and community) to Semester 47 students.

The mission of Eagle’s Nest Foundation and The Outdoor Academy is to provide “experiential education, promoting the natural world and the betterment of human character.� I am excited about the potential of the University of Utah study to help us amplify the latter part of that mission. We have an incredible opportunity to take advantage of the unique space created by the very nature of the semester school experience to help our students develop a sense of moral commitment and the skills needed to function as positive, productive community members and leaders.

The timing of this study dovetails nicely with our Betterment of Human Character Survey. We are currently soliciting feedback from all Camp, Hante, and OA alums and parents about the efficacy of our programs in helping students and campers develop a variety of social-emotional competencies and character traits. Our goal is to identify ways that we can be more effective in leveraging our programming and curricula to support this critical component of our mission.

If we continue to refine how we build The Outdoor Academy experience with an eye toward ethics and leadership, then we can capitalize on the unique space that a semester school creates in which young people are rapidly forming and consolidating lifelong elements of their identities. We also have an opportunity to improve the work we do to help students think intentionally about how to transfer their learning back to their home communities.

It is our goal to send forth alums who are appreciative of the natural world, committed to prosocial action, and prepared with the skills they need to navigate an uncertain future with a commitment to character. Helen Waite and the other early semester school pioneers believed all of this from the start, and it is exciting now to see academia confirming what they have understood all along.

Please help us with this work and take the Betterment of Human Character Survey: Survey time: 15 minutes Number of questions: 6

Glenn DeLaney (OA Director) and Brian Quarrier (OA Outdoor Education Manager) leading Semester 47 students during Orientation Trek.

Alumni that complete the survey will receive a gift. www.enf.org/character-education-at-eagles-nest.

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The Peace of Nature

By Paige Lester-Niles, Camp Director

clearly uncomfortable, search for something to sit on or fidget to keep bugs away. Most kids start running their hands through the grass and noticing little things like clover or tiny ants. I give them all a chance to settle into the space and take in our surroundings – the sounds of nature around us, the view of the mountains across the lake, the variations of green on the deciduous and evergreen trees around us. Once we’re all settled and quiet, we take turns introducing ourselves and sharing what we enjoy about nature. The responses vary, but each session at least one camper shares that nature helps them feel peaceful.

We live in a time when it’s becoming increasingly difficult to feel peaceful. Anxiety is on the rise in the United States, and children are not immune. According to data from the National Institute of Mental Health, 32% of adolescents have some kind of anxiety disorder. As mental health practitioners and child development specialists look for solutions to promote wellness for children and combat anxiety among adolescents, it is no surprise that many of them are suggesting children spend more time in nature and away from computers, cell phones, social media, and video games.

Campers interacting with nature at the creek.

Each session, on the first day of Nature Lore class, I circle up with campers on the grass between the Settling Ponds. Some of the campers plop right down on the ground while others,

EAGLE’S NEST CAMP

Many of us intuit that time spent in nature supports physical and emotional health and has a calming effect. We’ve experienced the peace of a sunset or the calmness of time spent around a campfire in the woods. We understand that nature not only helps us to relax, but also inspires and motivates us. Following the success of Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from NatureDeficit Disorder (2005) we have seen over 700 scientific studies that examine the benefit of time spent in nature. A decade after its release, Louv’s concept of “nature-deficit disorder” continues to offer nature as an effective antidote, for the “wired generation,” to obesity, ADD, and depression.

Session One June 8th-June 21st K-9th Grade Added Adventure: Paleo: Primitive Living Experiment 5th-6th Grade Session Two June 23rd- July 12th K-9th Grade Added Adventure: Huck Finn 5th-6th Grade Session Three July 14th- August 2nd K-9th Grade Added Adventure: Sea Islands 6th-7th Grade Session Four August 4th- August 11th K-9th Grade

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@EaglesNestCampNC

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As we become more aware of the powerful effects of nature on our wellbeing, we are developing more ways to benefit from it.

In a recent New York Times article entitled “Writing Prescriptions to Play Outdoors” [Klass, Perri. (2018, July 16) “Writing prescriptions to play outdoors” New York Times] Perri Klass, MD, explains that Park Rx America, an organization whose mission is to “increase health and happiness…by prescribing Nature during routine delivery of Healthcare,” is encouraging physicians to write prescriptions for their patients to spend time in parks. The prescriptions include specific parks, activities and duration of prescribed activities. Similarly, Richard Louv’s 2016 book Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life (2016) is essentially a practical guide to hundreds of ways that children and adults can interact with nature. In this work, Louv prescribes 500 specific activities to reconnect with the natural world as well as an abundance of informational resources.

Scientific studies and research data provide empirical information for what camp folk have known for years: spending time in nature is good for us! At Eagle’s Nest we’ll keep exploring creeks, hiking through woods, waking up early for sunrises and providing children with opportunities to connect with nature and peace.

as of 10/15/18:

2018 GOAL: $253,000 2018 ANNUAL FUND (YTD): $171,396 68% TO GOAL!

2017 GOAL: $243,000 2017 ANNUAL FUND (YE): $305,386 125% TO GOAL! BE SURE TO MAKE YOUR GIFT TO EAGLE’S NEST AND THE OUTDOOR ACADEMY BY DECEMBER 31, 2018.

Campers with Paige Lester-Niles (Camp Director) in Nature Lore.

HANTE ADVENTURES @HanteAdventures

Annual Fund Progress to Goal

Step Out And Learn

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Information about these studies can be found on the Children and Nature Network website (www.childrenandnature.org), of which Louv is a co-founder.

Hante Trails June 8th-June 21st 7th-11th Grade Hante Boundary Waters June 23rd- July 12th 8th-11th Grade Hante Appalachian Trail Trek NC June 23rd- July 12th 7th-11th Grade Hante France July 14th- August 2nd 8th-11th Grade Hante Rocks and Rivers July 14th- August 2nd 7th-11th Grade

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Alumni Gatherings and Events

By Melissa Engimann, Alumni Relations Coordinator

North Carolina

In April, the Triangle-area alumni gathered for a fun evening of rock climbing at Triangle Rock Gym in Morrisville. Special thanks go out to our recent alums for belaying and helping the Future Nesters learn to climb!

In June, the Asheville-area alumni held Float Fest 2018! A small group of alumni, families, and camp staff spent the afternoon paddling the French Broad River, and that evening were welcomed by a larger group to an incredible cookout at the French Broad River Park Gazebo.

Alumni of all ages and their families paddling the French Broad River during the Float Fest 2018 Asheville Regional Alumni Gathering.

Washington, DC

The Capitol Nesters (alumni in the Washington, DC/ Baltimore/NoVA region) tried for two events this year: a happy hour downtown and a pre-summer celebration potluck on the Potomac. Unfortunately, inclement weather postponed both! But never let it be said a little weather stops our alumni; despite not meeting in person, the Capitol Nesters raised funds to provide camperships for their partnering institution, Capital City Charter School, sending one student to a session of Camp this summer on a full scholarship. Now they challenge all alumni to give the gift of Eagle’s Nest Camp, Hante Adventures, and The Outdoor Academy to young people in your region with a contribution to the Annual Fund before the end of the year!

Now accepting applications for Fall 2019.

No outdoor experience necessary.

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@OutdoorAcademy

Maggie Efird (Camp) and Anna Lauria (Camp Program Manager) at Great Cho-Cho Bake Off.

In September, the Triad-area alumni circled up at Joymongers Barrel Hall in Winston-Salem for “The Great Cho-Cho Bake Off”. Eight talented alumni bakers presented their spin on the traditional Cho-Cho recipe for the rest of us to taste and judge.

It was a close vote, with first place going to Finn Blaser (Camp) for his White Chocolate Caramel Cho-Chos, and second place going to Daisy Nichols (Camp, Hante) with her Chocolate Cherry Cho-Chos. Yum!

3:1

750

Student to teacher ratio

Service hours completed

Number students

“Nest of the West” alumni enjoying a brewery tour and tasting in Denver, CO. L-R: Liz Snyder (Camp Staff), Rachel Wood, Diane Ulmer (Camp Staff, Trustee), Cara Varney (Foundation Development Director), Jen Walton (OA, Hante, Camp), Alex Gilligan (OA).

Colorado

In April, an awesome group of alumni and former Camp staff got together for a dinner in Denver, Colorado (see photo). Just a few weeks later in May, more Camp, Hante, and OA alumni circled-up at EPIC Brewery in downtown Denver for a brewery tour, tasting, and casual picnic-style supper with ENF Development Director, Cara Varney. Everyone had so much fun. Thanks “Nest of the West”!

A handful of alumni and former staff met up for in impromptu supper in Denver last April. L-R: Krista White (Camp Staff), Michael DeMarco (Camp Staff), Ellen Fox (Camp, Camp Staff), Liz Snyder (Camp Staff), and Diane Ulmer (Camp Staff, Trustee).

OA Semester Reunions

Semester 45 (Fall 2017) held their annual meet-up in September.

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ber of phones nts can access

54%

32

students receiving financial aid

Days in the field

Alumni Opportunities

Alumni at the great Cho-Cho Bake off. L-R: Julia Toone (Camp and Hante Parent), Andy Lester-Niles (Camp Staff, OA, Hante and Camp Parent), Ellen Fox (Camp, Camp Staff), and Ben LeFevre (Camp).

OA Ambassadors: this dedicated group of OA alumni and friends reach out to prospective students and their schools to help guide them through the application and admissions process. The OA Ambassadors are critical in bringing OA and ENF to areas, educators, and young people we otherwise would not be able to reach. Each Ambassador is provided with an “OA in a Box” set of promotional materials, as well as instructions and guidance from our Admissions team. If you are interested in sharing the value of a semester at OA with a young person in your circle, or reaching out to schools in your region, please contact OA Admissions Director, Julie Holt (admissions@enf.org). For the 2018-19 school year, 16 students learned of us through an OA Ambassador, and the number keeps climbing!

Betterment of Human Character Survey: Last year, we decided to make it a priority to review our Eagle’s Nest Camp, Hante Adventures and Outdoor Academy programming with an eye towards our mission. This year, our focus is on the “betterment of human character” portion. We designed a survey that recently went out to our beta testers—thanks, Semester Leaders!—and with a few tweaks, it should be arriving in your email boxes soon. Please take a moment to open the email, reflect on your involvement with Eagle’s Nest Foundation’s educational programs, and take our survey. Your thoughtful insights will help us identify areas in which we succeed as well as those on which we can improve. You can also access the survey through our website: www.enf.org/foundation/ character-education-at-eagles-nest.

Semester Leaders: In October, the Semester Leaders’ Council (a group of Semester Leaders and other OA alumni) circled up on campus for their second annual meeting. Nine members of the OA Semester Leader’s Council met during the fall trustee weekend to continue developing strategies to keep OA alums engaged in and informed about what is happening at The Outdoor Academy. The group identified recruitment, fundraising, and advising the OA administration as areas in which they could support the school. They are also developing a plan to facilitate communication among themselves and for their semester cohorts. In addition, they began to brainstorm possible events for OA’s upcoming 25th anniversary in 2020.

Elizabeth Koenig (Semester 13) reported on the council’s activities to the full Eagle’s Nest Board of Trustees during Sunday’s meeting.

To participate and volunteer your time/expertise to any of the initiatives being planned, please contact OA Director, Glenn DeLaney (glenn@enf.org).

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Future Nesters

Chandler Dowling Lemon to Meredith Dowling (OA, Camp, Hante Staff) and Michael Lemon, January 16, 2018.

Edward to Lillian Gomez (Camp, Camp Staff) and Daniel Hill (Camp Staff), March 19, 2018 Charlotte Laughton Bilby to Jonathan and Maggie Rogers Bilby (Camp), April 5, 2018

NEST Congratulations and best wishes to all of our wonderful, amazing alumni! It’s so much fun to see where you are in the world and hear about your adventures.

Do you have Nest Chatter to share? Send us a note about your life’s journey to our team: development@enf.org. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Adventures

Clara Boland to Carl (Camp Staff) and Innes Gamble Boland (Camp, Hante, Camp Staff), April 26, 2018 (Trustee, Lyne Gamble and Kathryn Gamble are proud grandparents)

Adalaya Brasington (OA, Hante,) has been traveling in Spain and has plans to attend school in either Peru or San Francisco in the coming year.

Lucia “Lucy” Ember Salomon to Becky (Camp, Camp Staff) and Alison Duncan Salomon (Camp Staff), May 3, 2018

Lou Friedman (OA, Hante, Camp) solo hiked a long portion of the Appalachian Trail this past summer and is currently attending Washington University.

Elodie to Darren Davis (Camp Staff) and Diana Teresita, August 25, 2018

Last spring, Jess Kaufman (OA Faculty) traveled to rural India to study traditional batik methods. Her recent work, which is inspired by her time in India, has been featured in the Mountain Xpress and in exhibitions around Asheville. She continues to teach classes in batik, tie-dye and other decorative arts as owner of Waxon Batik & Dye Studio.

Will McCauley to John (OA, Hante, Camp Staff) and Katie Long McCauley (Hante, Camp, Camp Staff), September 27, 2018 William “Billy” Robert Hesse to Whitney Maiola Hesse (Hante, Camp) and Scott Hesse, October 2, 2018 Pepper Anntoinette “Pepper Ann” Potter to Molly Mae Potter (Hante, Camp) and B. Tate Selby, October 14, 2018 Martha Elaine Phinizy Karls to Sarah Gamble Karls (Hante, Camp, Camp Staff) and Jason Karls, October 14, 2017 (Trustee, Lyne Gamble and Kathryn Gamble are proud grandparents!)

Dylan Edward MacAllister to Joe (Camp Staff) and Katie MacAllister (Camp Staff), October 20, 2018

Jacob Goodling (Hante, Camp, Camp Staff) started as a consultant for Deloitte in the Washington, DC area in July, after his spring graduation from Wake Forest University with a master’s degree in Business Analytics.

Semester 44 was well represented at the Brevard High School 2018 Homecoming. Zeena Abdulkarim (OA) was crowned Homecoming Queen, and Cedar Ann Skeen (OA, Hante, Camp) was on the Homecoming Court.

Anna Lauria (Camp, Camp Program Manager) and Sara Gerall (Camp Program Marketing Manager) traveled to Nepal this fall and climbed to the Mount Everest Base Camp.

Jonathan Capps (OA, Camp) a contemporary glass artist and educator, is currently in Finland researching glass on a Fulbright Award.

Zoë Mihalas (OA) received the National Award for Distinguished Service in Youth Education at the 2018 National Meeting of Trout Unlimited. Zoe is an active leader of the Pisgah Chapter of Trout Unlimited, serves on its board, and helps with its youth programs. Her service demonstrates a deep passion for inspiring young people to become thoughtful, responsible stewards of North America’s coldwater fisheries.

Future Nester, Lucy Salomon.

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The first visit to the park for Future Nester, Chandler Dowling Lemon.

Witt Wisebram (OA) recently completed the backpacking Triple Crown (AT, CDT, and PCT) and is currently going for the FKT (fastest known time) for an unsupported thru-hike of the 800-mile Arizona Trail. He’s using the hike to raise money for refugees.

CHATTER Education

Adriana Baumann (OA, Hante, Camp) - Colorado College Aidan Daly (OA) - Colorado College Audrey Gibbs (OA, Camp) - Sewannee: The University of the South Cecilia Kucera (OA, Hante, Camp, Hante and Camp Staff) received her DVM in May 2018 and is currently a PhD candidate at NC State University Colin Nichols (OA) – Hampden Sydney College Daisy McLeod (OA) – Clemson University Danielle Link (OA, Hante, Camp) - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Finn Lester-Niles (OA, Hante, Camp) – gap semester in New Zealand, Middlebury College Gracie Schneider (OA) – Tulane University Griffin DeMatteo (OA, Hante, Camp,) - University of Vermont Ian Kusher (Camp) - Sewannee: The University of the South Jake Grant (OA) – University of Vermont James Staman (OA) – University of Florida Jeremy Epstein (OA, Hante )- Warren Wilson College Leigh Fox (OA) – Tulane University Luke Belber (OA) – University of Arizona

The wedding of Kyle Young (Foundation Staff) and Robin Barrett, with their best man, Cason.

Weddings

Sarah Mackey (Camp, Hante, OA, Camp Staff) and Brady Sutton (Camp, Hante, OA, Camp Staff), April 29, 2018 Diane Ulmer (Trustee, Camp Staff) and Jess Tillis, May 27, 2018 Brian Quarrier (OA Faculty) and Caroline Lauth (OA Faculty), June 23, 2018 Gina Masi (Camp, Hante, Camp Staff) and Ben Weinstein, August 19, 2018 Laura Kraus (OA Faculty) and Joe Lovenshimer (Camp Staff), September 29, 2018 Camille Wick (Foundation Staff) and Chris Webb, October 14, 2018 Kyle Young (Foundation Staff ) and Robin Barrett, October 27, 2018

Luke Johnson (OA) – Centre College Lydia Comer (OA) – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Markus Pannock (OA) – University of Colorado at Boulder Natalie Valentine (OA, Camp) – Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Noah Van Bramer (Camp, OA) – Warren Wilson College Richard “Tex” Hadley (OA) – Warren Wilson College Ruth Dibble (OA) – Washington & Lee University Sophie Pippin (OA, Camp) - Appalachian State University Stephanie Rinzler (OA) – Tufts University Stine Ornes (OA) - Davidson College Will Betz (OA, Camp) - American University Zoe Parsons (OA, Hante, Camp) - American University

The wedding of Caroline Lauth (OA faculty) and Brian Quarrier (OA faculty) officiated by Ted Wesemann (OA founding director).

Passages

Kady Elkins (Camp Nurse) passed away April 19, 2018. Kady worked in the Health Hut as the Session III Camp Nurse from 2003-2012. She loved being outdoors and participating in camp activities—even donning some outrageous costumes for Final Banquet! We will miss her steady presence in the Health Hut, enthusiasm for adventure, and zest for life. Kady is survived by her husband, Bob, children, Kaynan (Hante, Camp) and Sydney (Hante, Camp).

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Holding the Foundation in Trust

By Cara Varney, Development Director

TRUSTEE SPOTLIGHT: Jonathan (Jon) Romm, (Trustee, Camp, Hante Adventures, Camp Staff) How did you first get involved with Eagle’s Nest?

My dad’s colleagues worked with Mo Waite, and we went to a camp slideshow at a friend’s house; ENF was around our family before we even knew it. At the camp presentation, I saw canoeing, rock climbing and horses and was sold. I wanted to ride horses, but the only time I even rode a horse at Eagle’s Nest was as King Arthur during Final Banquet, and that is a story for another time!

Have you considered adding Eagle’s Nest to your Estate plans?

At Eagle’s Nest, our Sustainers of the Wheel are those who have elected to include Eagle’s Nest Foundation in their estate plans through bequests, gifts of life insurance and retirement plans, and other contributions made through their estate.

These honored friends have found inspiration at Eagle’s Nest Camp, Hante Adventures, and The Outdoor Academy.

The benefits of planned giving are numerous to both you and future generations of campers, students, and adventurers at Eagle’s Nest and The Outdoor Academy.

If you would like to learn more about becoming a Sustainer of the Wheel, Eagle’s Nest Foundation’s development office is ready to assist with:

General information about planned gift vehicles that Eagle’s Nest may accept.

Information about fund and endowment options to suit your philanthropic goals. Additional resources to help you make decisions.

Contact Information: Cara Varney Development Director Pisgah Forest Office (828) 877-4349 cara@enf.org

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Where are you now and what has your life been like since you left Eagle’s Nest?

I don’t know if I really ever left Eagle’s Nest, but when I was working as a camp counselor, I saw friends come and go from the Peace Corps. These people had a way about them; they got “it” and I wanted to have “it” too. After I graduated from college, I went to the Peace Corps and then Dan Behn (Camp, Staff) and I built an orphanage in India. I moved back to North Carolina, married a Wohelo (Eliza Sydnor, Camp and OA) - I’m a Natseeho, [and] the wedding was presided by Helen Waite. Now I live in Chapel Hill with my Wohelo wife and son and daughter, who are Migisi and Winnesquam much to my chagrin.

Alumni Event

Join us at a Regional Alumni Gathering in 2019! Here are some of th Asheville, Nort Atlanta, Ge Brooklyn, Ne Miami, Flo Nashville, Te San Francisco, Washington, DC m

To receive an invitation to a 2019 event near you, be sure to update yo update-contact-info or email our new Alumni Relations Coordinator, C

What was your first impression of or a memorable moment about Eagle’s Nest?

The smell of rhododendron in the forest and getting up early for Sunrise Ultimate League are the best memories for me. Maturing into the role of counselor was the definitive experience at Eagle’s Nest. After playing Ultimate Frisbee on the A-field, several counselors and I would walk up the hill to breakfast and we would all talk about setting the tone for the day and how we could make it better; adding an element of surprise and magic to the day for the campers.

New Faces at the Nest

By Noni Waite-Kucera, Executive Director

Why do you think residential camp/outdoor school is an important experience for young people?

Now it is more important than ever to step away from “the screen,” feel what it is like to get your hands dirty and learn the anatomy of a fish, fall down and scrape your knees, then get back up again. Feeling the smoothness of rhododendron leaves, seeing the tallness of the pines, being in the world around us lets us know we need to protect it. And eat food, real food!

What do you wish other people knew about ENF?

Trying to describe the magic of Eagle’s Nest is so difficult; there is no elevator speech. You need to come here to experience it. At Eagle’s Nest you can test your limits in a very safe environment, be exposed to things that are new that you just cannot get at home. For decades, ENF has provided a space for young people to explore who they are. Hard to share without sounding cliché; it’s about who you are and the world that surrounds you.

You are a new Trustee for the Foundation, what is exciting about taking on a leadership role somewhere you grew up?

In August, we welcomed to OA our new English teacher, Nolan, who is a recent graduate of Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. Nolan has a BA in Philosophy and a minor in English. He brings to us a deep passion for language, finding one’s voice and creating place-based curriculum with his students. Prior to entering college, Nolan spent a year as the Outdoor Education Assistant at a school in Merrijig, Australia.

While at Whitman, Nolan worked as a writing tutor at the Whitman College Center for Writing and Speaking. Nolan is an avid outdoors person and will be on the trails and the rocks with the students in addition to teaching English.

Being a Trustee is really coming full circle for me. I knew as a camper this place was something special. I came home from camp and was setting the table and my mother couldn’t believe it. This sense of “doing things I had never done before” - Eagle’s Nest gave that to me. I don’t want to make any drastic changes, because it is so special at 43 Hart Road, but I want to be a part of watching and supporting this educational place for years to come.

nts Calendar

of the cities where we are planning to meet up: North Carolina a, Georgia n, New York mi, Florida e, Tennessee isco, California DC metro area

ate your contact information with us! Go to www.enf.org/alumni/ tor, Camille Wick, at camille@enf.org.

Camille, our new Donor and Alumni Relations Coordinator, joins Eagle’s Nest from the Loveland Classical Schools in Loveland, Colorado. Camille has a BA in Journalism from UNC Asheville and spent several years in the Asheville area working at the Woolworth Walk Art Gallery before heading to Colorado. She and her husband recently returned to Brevard; a place they have always felt was “home”. Camille is excited to bring her love of community and experiential education, instilled in her through years of Montessori school, to her new position in our community. Alumni, don’t hesitate to reach out to Camille. She’ll help you stay connected to Eagle’s Nest, Hante, and OA!

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