After a global pandemic threw off plans to attend IslandWood in 2020, the fifth-and sixth-grade trip this spring was an especially sweet event. It had been five years since Telluride Mountain School's last excursion to the Seattle area, making the excitement palpable and the class's energy electric.
Upon arrival at the IslandWood campus, known simply as "A School in the Woods," one feels immediately immersed in the temperate oceanic climate of the Pacific Northwest. The two trip leaders were comfortable in this environment, one who had attended IslandWood in years past and the other raised in western Washington's wet and green landscape during her formative years. Both were thrilled to share this amazing ecosystem with TMS students.
Students experienced the scientific method by inquiring, observing, and testing hypotheses around the forested campus. The diverse flora and fauna posed a unique and starkly different world compared to Colorado's high plains and mountainous beauty. As students explored the natural wonders of Bainbridge Island, they remarked that they felt inspired by the use of sustainable architecture and design and the immersive teaching methods of the IslandWood instructors. Games, lodge time, outdoor exploration, and group meals left the everyone feeling more known, supported, and connected than they had all year.
Booked by exciting travel days in Seattle, the class was also treated to a tour of the Seattle Underground, time to eat and shop at Pike Place Market, and an exploration of the Seattle Central Public Library. Sunny and rainy days were filled with smiles and laughter, and no one wanted to go home when the time came.