Colorado Rocky Mountain School Community,
At the end of this year, we will celebrate the retirement of some amazing people who have contributed an incredible amount to our community. Mark Clark (43 years), AO Forbes '69 (36 years), George Weber (26 years), and Lynn Pulford (25 years) have given so much time and energy to making our school a wonderful place for students to live, learn and grow. It is not hyperbole to say that we are a different school as a result of their outstanding work, commitment to John and Anne Holden’s vision, and belief and enthusiasm in the daily work taking place at Colorado Rocky Mountain School. It has been an honor to have been a part of the school during their tenures, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to collaborate with each of them. As a school leader, I could not have asked for a better group of senior faculty: they have a generosity of spirit and an understanding of and commitment to teenagers. They are firmly committed to the value of the entire program and the impact it can have on the students and the adults who welcome fully an immersive experience.
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Mark Clark, a member of the history faculty, arrived at CRMS to develop the Nordic program and teach history and philosophy. He has constantly reminded us that success in one area of the program can be leveraged to support growth and learning in another.
Joseph Campbell, years ago, changed his interpretation of what “we” are all looking for from the “Meaning of Life” to “The Experience of Being Alive.” From my very first moments on the Colorado Rocky Mountain School campus during my interview in the winter of 1979 this understanding, this feeling (though I couldn’t articulate it then), rang through. There was something experiential about this place… something that called out for deeper immersion, and extensive commitment; something in the school that offered - to both faculty and students - an experience of being alive.
This intuitive sense has continued to move and motivate me throughout the time I’ve been at CRMS. I felt it in my classrooms, on the rivers, on the ski tracks, and in the Bar Fork and the dorms. This experience of “aliveness” is what draws us all to the school and energizes us in a way that makes us receptive and open to the queries of our students as they seek to find and experience the same. As teachers we can lose ourselves in our materials in a way that allows our students to see us truly alive and, in turn, we can help our students feel the same sense of “aliveness” in all the school’s curricular areas.
As the school has “changed” during my years here, this core component hasn’t. It remains inspirational and, I believe, will continue to be so in the years to come. I feel grateful to have been moved and inspired by it for so long, and at a time of robust school health; health that comes from the continued love and support of a faculty and administration that believes in “the education of the whole child.” This isn’t just verbiage; it is an “experience” that all of us cultivate and feel each and every day.
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AO Forbes '69, a member of the history faculty, returned to CRMS as an alumnus devoted to the relationships and learning that can take place when students are invited to share their beliefs and opinions and encouraged to develop a clear sense of their core values.
I came to CRMS in 1986 after trying to make a large public school into a CRMS. After 12 years and 175 kids every day, I called and accepted an invitation from Head of School Chris Babbs [current trustee]. 36 years later, I leave with profound love and appreciation for this school. As a geographer, I believe in the magic of place, and know the Barn—standing like a shiny beacon—was a sacred call to me to ignite all things to do with my soul!
I taught a class this morning and at the heart of the discussion were three phrases: “The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature”; “rumble with vulnerability,”; and “dare greatly.” I never thought I’d quote two Republican presidents in my last missive to CRMS, but these quotes live at the heart of CRMS. Relationships are the heartbeat of the school. Relationships here are given life in: class, rivers, playing music, soccer fields, trips to Juarez to play music, and kayaking along the coast of Baja. They are how we offer a part of who we are. Ultimately relationships give back, as they bind us to each other and to ourselves; small pieces and parts from all of us grow exponentially, and when forged together become the conscience, the pulse, the community that animate our school. The sheer physics of these mystic chords of memory call teachers and students to relentlessly put the best angels of our nature into the arena, an arena where serious rumbles of vulnerability take place and where we all learn to dare greatly. When we rumble with vulnerability, we dare to think, to speak, run rivers, climb rock faces, and expose our humanity. We find the courage to live authentically. To be a part of this process with students, colleagues, and my children, can only be described as miraculous. We thrive in liminal moments—it is the process of transformation, the acquired agility and desire to move between mind, body, and spirit. It is the simple magic of CRMS.
On the eve of COVID, Mark and I were yucking it up around the new hand sterilizing station at the entrance to the Bar Fork—at high volume—musing that we were supposed to teach Camus and the plague but certainly not to live it. Yet, we both knew that when times are difficult, CRMS shines bright, and like all things sacred, even more so as the years pass. Where community is a sacred constant, Kurt Hahn says, “compassion is the master of our soul.” Last spring a strand in the profound CRMS dialogue gripped me and took my heart by storm. This school so generously cared for my brain, my heart, and my soul. CRMS speaks to mind, body, spirit, which is a timeless formula for transformation.
Wendell Berry’s sister Mary remembers that growing up she was told by her parents “to look and see": look and see what is beautiful and right, and what is ugly and needs fixing, fix it. The Holden’s were just that brilliantly simple. They knew that hearts filled with beauty could not only fix anything but could create that which is beautiful and right. The barn is still that shiny beacon, sending brave beings out into our world. I will miss being a humble part of this school … A profound thank you to our students for all that you have given to me, my family, and the school.
Take care.
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At CRMS we believe that access to all parts of the program is an essential aspect of student learning. As the leader of our music program, one of George Weber’s gifts has always been for welcoming all types of musicians with various musical abilities, and you can see students transform in their confidence and presentation during their time under his tutelage.
I was playing a gig in Glenwood Springs in 1985-86 and Bobby Cambell, the current music teacher at CRMS, heard my band play and invited me to come and play as an opener for an all-school meeting. I was impressed with the kindness of the students and their willingness to hear me play. They were wonderful and made me feel welcome. I was living, teaching, and gigging in Boulder, and over the next 10 years or so, I would stay with Bobby while en route to gigs in Telluride. We became friends and when he retired, I submitted my resume and my desire to teach music at CRMS. I was hired and came to CRMS to begin a new phase of my life. I had been playing music successfully in several different bands for over 30 years and wanted a change in venue and occupation.
Early on I became a believer in “Socratic Learning”. Because of this, I have always tried to involve the students in every aspect of their learning. Yes, I would share information, history, and stories. However, I wanted the music program to be “student-driven”. With this in mind, I would ask my students what they wanted to learn. What songs they would like to learn and what instruments they would like to play. We would then work collaboratively to accomplish their wishes and goals in preparation for an engaging, entertaining, and professional live performance. My classes resembled a form of experiential learning, where we would all learn together with a common goal in mind. I tried my best to create a safe place to learn, to listen attentively, to be sensitive, caring, and to be as empathetic as possible.
I have been extraordinarily fortunate to have been in the company of great students, scholarly teachers, a caring staff, and supportive administration. I feel like I am leaving CRMS a better person for being part of this amazing culture and community. I feel like I am a better teacher and musician than when I began. I am now comfortable with recording technology, I became a wilderness leader, I am comfortable leading canoe trips and hiking trips in Canyonlands, and I learned how to Tele and Nordic ski. CRMS has been transformative, and I will leave this place with a long, long list of wonderful memories, incredible friends, and colleagues. It is truly bittersweet to depart. You may ask, “what will George miss the most ?'' My answer is - the kids.
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Relationships are at the core of everything we do at CRMS, and no member of our community is more generous and kind, more positive and enthusiastic than Lynn Pulford. As chair of our art department, Lynn has directed our art programming, one of CRMS’ core programs established by John and Anne Holden when they first arrived in the Roaring Fork Valley.
I arrived at CRMS after substituting for one of Meredith Ogilby’s photography classes. The students were engaged, kind and it was impressive to see the images they were creating. I also had friends who were CRMS faculty and the classes, sports, and outdoor trips always sounded like one big adventure.
When I reflect on my time at CRMS my reflections always turn to the students. A multitude of experiences contributes to our community which vibrates with student energy, curiosity, and discovery. The courage students quietly display on their very first day at CRMS to venture out on the ten-day wilderness trip — especially those students who arrive from far away cities or with a backpack larger than the student. Experiences such as learning patience and perseverance after melting a silver piece a few times before it is crafted into a beautiful pendant, learning a new sport such as telemark skiing or kayaking, watching the magic of a photograph appearing in the darkroom, harvesting potatoes, and more potatoes, fall trip hiking to a cozy 10th Mountain Hut, homestays with Navajo elders in Lukachukai, dorm movies and dancing, chasing cows out of the garden, Interim trips to San Francisco to explore photography and volunteer at Glide, spring trip canoeing through sleet and snow, ninth-graders crafting an overlay ring reflecting their values, or the vulnerability of students to perform in front of the greater CRMS community at the Coffee Houses. These experiences along with many others bring out the best in students and a recent example is the three smiling tenth grade students who showed up on their own initiative to help pack food for the interim or student volunteers to help move music equipment into the barn. I am fortunate to have worked with young people and watch them discover their talents, problem-solve and grow into the students that walk across the graduation field. It is the joy of teaching here.
I leave CRMS with an entirely new landscape of new buildings and improved spaces, arts rooted in the history of CRMS, an improved dorm culture, and above all a talented, caring faculty and a supportive administration that is dedicated to the growth of teenagers. A heartfelt thank you to all of the students. And thank you, Colorado Rocky Mountain School, I am grateful to have had this incredible opportunity to work here for the past 25 years.
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When I first arrived at CRMS, before becoming the head of school, one of the features of Colorado Rocky Mountain School that attracted me the most was the possibility of putting my energy into building programs that would serve the students and faculty. All of our retiring senior faculty have taken advantage of the opportunity to improve the school through their work.
As a way of honoring all that they have given our community, we are planning to gather on the quad from 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. on May 7, 2022. If you would like to celebrate in person these four fantastic individuals, please put this date and time on your calendars - we would love to see you there! If you wish to leave Mark, AO, George, and Lynn a message or share a story, please click this link: https://www.crms.org/alumni/retiring-faculty-tributes/
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