What Are You Thankful For?

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, bring peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

-Melody Beattie

 

Within the past year, so much has happened, and I know that the year is not even over and who knows what the last month will hold, but there is already so much that I am incredibly grateful and thankful for!  Thankful for the strength of overcoming so many challenges and upsets, confidence to pursue a dream of going back to school, the courage to adventure to places I am unsure and unfamiliar with, and proud of the loved ones I have in friends and family that are incredibly supportive and just wonderful people to have in my life.  So incredibly thankful and blessed.

Thankful for a wonderful program in a field I love.

Thankful to be currently living in a beautiful and magical place.

Thankful for the adventures we have been able to journey on.

Thankful to have met a wonderful group of people in the Tetons!

Thankful for a wonderful family back home that I cannot wait to see so soon!
And of course, a huge extension of friends that are also called family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.

-Native American Saying

Love,

TheChristyBel

East Coast Countdown Has Begun:

See You in 21 Days.  :)

New Patterned Pants

I would like to take the opportunity to Thank Mandy, a fellow TSS Graduate, on introducing me to BSkinz.com and the wonderful world of their Patterned Pants.

My New Tribal Patterned Pants from BSkinz.com.

Patterned Pants Every Damn Day!

TheChristyBel

A First Time: Skiing

Never would I ever think that TheChristyBel would consider trying to ski.  I mean, through 18+ years of dance, there was never a thought that crossed my mind that I would put on a pair of skis and go down a mountain.  Until November 2013!  So crazy to think!

So for Thanksgiving Break, I did not venture back to the East Coast.  Although I am missing it terribly and so much right now, I think I did the right choice and decided to try and journey somewhere new.

A fellow TSS graduate, Mandy, invited me to visit her boyfriend and friends in Vail, Colorado.  Knowing this place is a huge ski town, I was mentally prepared and ready to at least TRY this winter sport that is such the craze out here in the west! SKIING!  Please, pray for me right now.

On Sunday morning, I grabbed my snow pants and jacket, a hat, gloves, and a discount coupon from Mandy's boyfriend and we went to the slope!  Incredibly thankful for the discount coupon for a lift ticket, borrowing one of her boyfriend's friend's boots and skis, and a generous-free ski lesson from her boyfriend, I was able to dish out 'pennies' compared to what a normal person would pay to get onto the mountain.  So incredibly grateful to try this sport out at a smaller fee than the usual.

Lionshead Vail, CO.
Yes, I skiied down this...not gracefully, but survived!

Not going to lie, I was really nervous...ok, I lied again, I was terrified!  I mean, sure there is a dancer in that body somewhere, but still I am incredibly clumsy, not balanced or coordinated to tackle on huge skis to a tiny ChristyBel.  Holy moly!

TheChristyBel Ready to Ride Up the Gondola and Get a Lesson.

Riding up the 7-minute gondola ride, I prepped my boots, my poles, and said a last-minute prayer!  Haha.

Traveling Up the Mountain!

Very cool way to travel up compared to the lift seats.

Mandy's boyfriend had me learn at first with one ski on, then alternate to the other, then with both to get the feel for the skis on the snow and the slightest slope.  Then it was time to try it on the 'bunny slope,' not to mention, without poles.  It was pretty fun actually!  Although incredibly scary and nerve-wrecking, I learned how to 'wedge, lift, turn, stomp' and of course the 'pizza, french fry' techniques.

Documented: First Time TheChristyBel is on Skis.
Never Would Have Dreamed This Day Would Come.

Going down the beginner, bunny slopes for half the day was perfect...I totally did not want to try anything remotely more challenging.  However, Mandy and Phil did have me go down the mountain on the green circle courses.  And well, it was not at all dancer-like graceful, and I may have toppled and run into the banks a few times, but I survived down the mountain.

Attempting to Use Poles Going Down the Mountain.

Incredibly Thankful for Two Patient Friends Helping Me Down.
Hope They Were Entertained By Me that Day!

My Learning Environment.

So they also let me try to work on what I had learned by myself.  So while they went down a few runs, I remained on the bunny hill trying to just get a hang of having skis on and working on turns.  My left turn is pretty solid....however, my right turn: not so much.  Still working on it!

Going Up the Ski Lift to Try Again!

Lots of People to Watch Out For...Aka, Me Not Run into Them!

Overall, even though I may have toppled, tumbled, twisted, and challenged my body to a new sport, I had a blast learning to ski!  I definitely am contemplating trying to find some used skis and boots to have when I go back to Jackson.  All smiles for the most part too!  Maybe I almost cried when going down the mountain, but overall, all smiles!  I definitely want to try to keep this up!

All Smiles Learning to Ski!

Danny, Robert, and I About to Ski Back to Eagles Nest

Thanks to Mandy and her boyfriend, I had a great time learning to ski and incredibly grateful for the help and connections!

Mandy & I Being Ski Bunnies!

Survived and Conquered...and not going to lie, kinda hooked!
TheChristyBel

Casper 2.0 - Last Week of Fall Teaching Practicum

Believe it or not, our Fall Semester with the Teton Science Schools is slowly coming to a close.  Can you believe that?!  I cannot!  I feel like we practically just started class, like yesterday.  Time has flown!

So, yesterday (at least for the Outreach Team) we completed our Fall classes, ending with our last week of our Fall Teaching Practicum.  The Field Education Teams will finish their practicums on Saturday morning when they send their students home.

For our last week of Fall Teaching Practicum, the Outreach Team went back to Casper to work and teach at a few different schools.  For me, I was team teaching with Hazel in a 4th Grade Sense of Place program for the first part of the week and then concluding my teaching practicum solo teaching 4th and 5th Grade in a Water and Ecosystems Program.

These two classes were phenomenal, awesome to work with, and inspiring on what connection they made on their own: it was a nice way to end on a great teaching high was a great conclusion to my first teaching practicum.

So, I definitely wanted to talk about the 4th graders that Hazel and I worked with - they were awesome: very engaged and determined.  I had never taught Sense of Place before as the main focus, so it was a a great opportunity to try something new, not to mention this whole 'place' concept was still fresh from Place-Based Education.

For our 2-day program, we wanted the class to get a better understanding of the place and space that encompassed their school, build a sense of community and team unity, and conduct a science inquiry field study that focused on and surrounded the area near their school.

4th Grade - Day One Event Path Map

Sense of Place KWL Chart

In order to get their minds wrapped around our project, we created a lesson plan where the class was to tackle the idea of using the scientific process to help them formulate a plan of action - starting with a mock-science investigation of determining which animal created a given plaster cast to each student team.

Together within their small groups, they performed each of the steps in the science circle from forming a question about 'What type of animal track was given to us?' to creating a hypothesis, developing a plan, collecting data about their track, and concluding a answer.

The students did a great job working together as a team, developing plans and steps, using pieces of equipment, and collaborating together to decipher which animal made the track.

The next step was to tie this idea of using the science circle and connect it with their place around their school.  We wanted to know what the students already knew about wanted to know about their neighborhood.  Having each student write down in a KWL (Know, Want to Know, and Learn) Chart, they were able to write down ideas or things they already knew about their neighborhood around their school and questions they wanted to learn more about.

Hypotheses for 4th Grade Sense of Place Science Inquiry
How much trash can be found in North Casper's Schoolyard or in the neighborhood park?

Based on the popular topics they students came up with after sharing as a class about what they wanted to know, we decided to let the students lead on this part of the project.  The topics of question were: animals, trash, and trees.  To narrow down the topics to one, we had a closed, private vote, where each student private voted on one of the topics.

After choosing the topic of trash, Hazel and I had the class have a silent conversation as a class on a huge piece of poster paper.  Each student wrote on this poster about ideas and questions that they had about trash in their community.

After a group consensus, the class chose to work together on determining whether there was more trash found at their school or if there was more trash at their public park.

The Design Plan

We wanted the class to feel like they had full ownership of this project, so we asked them to come up with some ideas on how they would be able to collect data on which area had more trash.  The students worked together as a team to create a plan on performing a trash collection and count at each location.  They devised what materials they would need, specific individual jobs and roles, where we would go, safety precautions, and how data would be collected.

4th Grade - Day Two Event Path Map

The next day, we went to both locations and performed the design plan and collection of data.  The students were incredibly enthusiastic about picking up trash (which was an awesome and surprising thing to see for fourth graders and a form of community service).

Caterpillar Walk in the Park

Cannot Use Your Sight...What Do You Notice?

Going back to the class, we analyzed the data and determined there was more pieces of trash and school, but there were much bigger pieces of trash found at the park.

We asked the students what they thought about this new discovery based on the data and they concluded that there were more, little pieces at school because people may not pick up the trash and will step on them, creating more smaller pieces of trash.


We then asked the students to create a skit about what they learned and what we could do after their time with TSS was done.  The students were incredibly creative and dedicated to these skits.  Some talked about how it is important to keep their neighborhood clean and respect it to others talking about how we have these public places that we all share and if they are destroyed (by trash), no one can enjoy them.  As a result the students stated there could be weekly trash pick-ups in their neighborhood around their school to help keep their school and park clean so everyone can enjoy them.


As a result, the their school teacher informed us that she is planning on continuing this project of a weekly trash pick-up around their school to help keep the idea of community and environmental respect in her student's minds.

We thought the 2-day lesson went really well.  This was a really inspiring teaching moment for Hazel and I.  Not only did we help connect our student's minds on a much deeper sense of place of their school and neighborhood, but also we tied in a sense of working together as team can help accomplish a goal with an environmental respect in mind.

Wonder Bar in Wyoming?
Pssshhhhht.  You Got Nothing on Asbury Park's Wonder Bar!

On a side note, that evening, we went to the Wonder Bar in Casper...totally made me chuckle and think of home.  Very skeptical on how the Wonder Bar in WY would or could compare to the Wonder Bar in NJ...definitely could not compare.  NJ all the way. ;)

Great End to my Fall TSS Semester.
Only 28 more days til I step foot on the East Coast! Boom!
TheChristyBel

A Visit with Some Little Human Beings

Here is the back story: for our last week of Place-Based Education class, one of our assignments was to interview a TSS Alumni and write about how they got to TSS, what they are doing after TSS, how they relate to their place, and how they incorporate place in whatever they are doing now.

I was able to interview a woman who graduated from TSS ten years ago and is not a high school biology teacher at the Jackson Hole Community independent School in Jackson Hole.  She was really inspiring and I enjoyed hearing about how she got to and from TSS and what she is doing with her life post-TSS.  Not to mention, she is not only the school's biology teacher, but a photography/art teacher! Boom!  She's my hero - incorporating art and science into her job!

But anyways, this morning, we did not have class (since we finished Place-Based Education the day before), and a fellow graduate student, Mary Beth, invited me to visit her TSS Alumni over the pass in Idaho.  Her alumni is a pre-kindergarten teacher at the Teton Valley Community School.  Of course, I agreed to visit with Mary Beth when I found out I was going to be able to work with and observe little ones!

We headed over the pass around 7AM MST and spoke with her almuni about what a normal day was for her class.  Erin, the TSS alumni, gave us the path map (so TSS typical) and what the day would look like and invited us to participate and play with the children in whatever activity they were doing.

The little ones were so cute and incredibly creative.  Previously in the week, they had been learning about cooking and what it takes to make food.  So during their morning activities, which consisted on playing with everything in the room: arts & crafts, reading books, playing with the overhead projector and shapes, to working in the pretend kitchen.  One small group of children were playing with the overhead projector, making shapes and patterns on the screen while another group of children were 'making and baking' food dishes in the kitchen.

They (all on their own) decided to combine the two by creating a show for everyone to watch on the overhead projector and to provide food for the show viewers.  It was so cute and clever!

Our day was so jam-packed with cuteness and fun.  Not to mention, we were both able to float around to the other grades and observe what the older students were up to in their classes.  The campus for this school was also really cool.  The buildings were constructed from an old house and garage and each class had their room; even one class was stationed in a YURT!  So cool!

I definitely learned a lot from Erin and what she did post-TSS and where she was at TVCS.  She also gave us great insight about how she works with students, especially the little ones, and how she incorporates place into her teaching.

She is a phenomenal teacher and I really admired how personable she is with her students: giving them a lot of individual attention, care, support, and of course, love.  So remarkable and interesting because I feel you rarely see that love in a lot of schools.

Not only did she give love to her students and welcomed Mary Beth and I into her classroom, but her students definitely made us feel welcomed and loved.  They drew us pictures, asked us to sit with them, read to them, they gave us hugs, and definitely told us they loved us!  So cute feeling love from little ones that did not know you at all.  During nap time, I had one little one sit in my lap and ask me to read her a bunch of books!  Mary Beth had the same happen, but also had the little one fall asleep in her arms!  So adorable!

It was great to visit with Erin and work with the Pre-K little human beings.  They were incredibly intelligent, fun, and awesome to work with and play with!  I really appreciated Mary Beth for allowing to tag along and meet Erin and the TVCS students.  It's really awesome that TSS has such great connections and bonds with their alumni and how willing and supportive they are to let two current graduates come and observe.  Such a wonderful and awesome opportunity for experience and exposure!

Until next time (with older students),

TheChristyBel

She fell asleep in Mary Beth's arms during Nap time! Precious!

A Typical ChristyBel

Well, if you know TheChristyBel....

When It's Cold Out...Where Patterned Pants.

Duh.

Love,

TheChristyBel

Visiting Mormon Row

During our last week of Place-Based Education, the graduates were able to gain a more in-depth understanding of the place we live in.  On Wednesday, we visited Mormon Row, right up the street from the Kelly Campus.  Even though it was very chilly, rainy weather to walk in, it was a great opportunity to learn more about the culture and history that roamed the sageflats years ago.

For those of you who do not know where Mormon Row is, if you drive north from Jackson on highway 191 past Moose Junction and turn right onto Antelope Flats Road, you can follow the road about 1 ½ miles until you see a north-south running dirt road marked by a distinctive pink stucco house on the left with a small dirt parking area.

Mormon Row may be one the most picturesque areas of Grand Teton National Park.  The groups of old farm buildings have rustic, wooden buildings surrounded by open fields, grass and sage standing out against the stunning backdrop of the Tetons.  This historic place is a great way for seeing into the lives of the West’s early settlers and can be commonly seen with grazing wildlife right up to the walls of the original structures.  A great place to find bison, antelope, moose, coyotes, ground squirrels, northern harriers, kestrels and sage grouse.

Here is the back story: The leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, sent parties from the Salt Lake Valley to establish new communities and support their expanding population. Arriving in the 1890s from Idaho, these old farm buildings have withstood the elements for more than a century, since the farmland here was first homesteaded by the predominantly Mormon settlers in the early 1900s. The Mormon homesteaders, settled east of Blacktail Butte and clustered their farms to share labor and community, a stark contrast with the isolation typical of many western homesteads.

These settlers established 27 homesteads in the Grovont area because of relatively fertile soil, shelter from winds by Blacktail Butte and access to the Gros Ventre River. Despite the harsh conditions of Jackson Hole, Mormon settlers grew crops by using irrigation. These hardy settlers dug ditches by hand and with teams of horses, building an intricate network of levees and dikes to funnel water from central ditches to their fields between 1896 and 1937. Water still flows in some of these ditches.

After the Rockefellers Snake River Land Company bought the majority of the land and transferred it to the Park Service, the buildings were allowed to decay until the 1990s, when their cultural value was recognized and steps were taken to preserve them. Today, six homesteads and a single ruin provide visitors a glimpse into the past of Jackson Hole Valley.

Aerial photo of Blacktail Butte and Mormon Row
Courtesy of Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, 1991.3991.001
http://www.nps.gov/grte/historyculture/mormon.htm

John Moulton Barn
Courtesy of Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, 1991.3991.001
http://www.nps.gov/grte/historyculture/mormon.htm

Today, two picturesque barns highlight Mormon Row. Settlers John and Thomas Alma (T.A.) Moulton built these barns on adjacent homesteads. After nearly 30 years of working the land, John replaced his log home and barn with a new carpenter-constructed, pink stucco frame house and impressive, two-story gambrel barn north of Antelope Flats Road. South of John’s homestead, T. A. took over 30 years to build his gable-with-shed style barn. Photographers from around the world stop by T. A. Moulton’s barn to capture this iconic historic structure with the Teton Range in the background.

Andy Chamber's Residence

The most extensive historic complex remaining on Mormon Row is the Andy Chambers homestead. Andy Chambers claimed land in 1912 and secured the title under the Homestead Act by building a log cabin and stable and clearing ground to grow grain, a backbreaking chore in the rocky soil. The family lacked running water until 1927 and harnessed electricity with a windmill in 1946. The Rural Electric Administration did not provide power to Mormon Row until the 1950s. By this time, many families had sold their homesteads to become part of the park. The windmill still stands on the homestead.

Of course, it would not be complete without seeing some wildlife tracks!  I suspect we have coyote wandering the area!  However, we did not see any, the tracks looked pretty fresh and were probably there earlier that morning before we arrived to Mormon Row.

 

Coyote Tracks

Almost the Size of My Palm

Historically Fulfilling!
TheChristyBel

A Chilly Day in the Tetons

First, Shout Out to My Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!!!

Wish I was there. :(

Love You!

This week, the entire cohort has been stationed on the Kelly Campus for our second and final week of Place-Based Education.  The best part about this, besides learning different place-based educational theories and methods, is that we get some great views and some time to explore around the campus.  Enjoy the photos from yesterday and today. :)

This was taken yesterday morning, a beautiful sunrise on Linda's Anniversary.

This was this morning's sunrise...extraordinarily gorgeous.

When hanging out in my 'special spot' for place-based education,
I found this next to me: evidence of beaver activity!

After class today, Mandy, Annie, and I took a 3.4 mi walk up and down Ditch Creek Road (basically from Kelly Campus to the end of the road and back).  Saw about 8 moose along the way, but the view of the Tetons was really pretty today.  So I took some photos, of course!

Starting the Sunset on Ditch Creek Road

Closer View

Alright...so since the winter season is upon us, not only is there snow, but there is ice...and well, since I am learning all things and activities that are snow related...maybe I should learn how to skate?!

So first, must try to skate with hiking boots!

TheChristyBel attempting to skate with her hiking boots!

Hope you enjoyed some moments from the past two days!

TheChristyBel

Going Down!

Two Years: Thinking of You, La!

Two years ago, today, a dear friend left our world to the heavens above. It is really hard to think that someone so wonderful, strong, and inspiring has been gone for two years.  It does not feel like two years already.   I can remember making fun of Dave and eating lunch with her outside while her complaining about peppers.  I remember visiting her at UPenn before I would go to Alter Ego, keeping her updated on the happenings and current events at the Delaware Nature Society, telling her about dance and guard up in Connecticut, and all the other personal gossip and events going on.

Never a Dull Moment at Work!

More than just my former boss, she was a wonderful friend and role model.  Such a strong woman who fought for what she believed in, never backed down out of anything, cared for the smallest of creatures (even the little mice that would hide in her office), and could recite any Disney quote or trivia question you had.

Volunteer Picnic 2011

Her Tree on the Green at Ashland Nature Center

 There is not a day that goes by, that we don't think about you, La.  But today, Linda, we're thinking of you and hope you are enjoying your time watching over us. Thank you for guidance and keeping us going each and every day.

Linda, you are beautiful, you are driven, you are a fighter, you are the strongest woman I know. You know how to touch people's hearts with your spirit. I love you! 

11.11.11 

Linda Power

Forever In Our Hearts

Xoxo,

TheChristyBel

Linda Powering It Up in Front of the Tetons for You, La!

Orion Magazine: Place Where You Live

"A sense of place is the sixth sense, an internal compass and map made by memory and spatial perception together.” —Rebecca Solnit

For our Place-Based Education Class, we had to write about a place that we used to live and that we had a connection with and submit it to Orion Magazine.  Besides Delaware, I have had a strong connection with Asbury Park, New Jersey, and can say that mostly every weekend, I did live there.

Being introduced to this town through Nate, at first, was very unsure of this town; because at times, that city is a little scary and out there.  But, over the past four years, AP also has its own uniqueness and personality that has made me warm up to it.  Not to mention all of the people that I have met in that town, that have become like a second family to me.  So, I chose to write a small little blurb about good 'ol Asbury Park, New Jersey.  Enjoy.

You can also view the passage on Orion Magazine's website on the The Place Where You Live webpage. TheChristyBel - The Place Where You Live - Asbury Park, NJ

My Personal Sketch of Some of My Favorite Places Along the Asbury Park Boardwalk.

Asbury Park, New Jersey: not like all the other Jersey Shore towns.  Sure, there are great dance parties and great beach access, but there is much more that A.P. has to offer.  This tight-knit beach community was full of art, music, and soul.

I would travel up to Asbury Park, New Jersey every weekend from Delaware to visit friends that lived there.  There was always a bunch of things going at any given time; we had everything you could think of at our fingertips: from places to hang out, access to nature hikes, and lots of musical and artistic talent to spice up your day.  America’s Cup was one of our favorite places to spend a mellow, relaxing morning with a great cup of coffee.  We would be greeted with a smile from the owner, who knew our orders without asking.  I loved sitting and sketching at a window table while talking with the friends and locals. Then at night, depending on what was going on, you could usually find me at shows where my friends would be playing music, at art shows or galleries, or hanging out at one of our favorite bars.

The best memories I had being in Asbury Park were going to a show full of talented, local musicians at the Saint until the late hours of the night, and then indulging in the best Korean tacos you ever tasted at Mogo Taco.

The art and music was my absolute favorite part about A.P.  As an artist, I loved how everywhere you went, you could find someone’s personal, creative touch painted on sides of buildings, or could be heard as you walked along the boardwalk or the bars.  The local creativity and artistic talent that Asbury Park holds is beyond outstanding and it helps you embrace your inner artist as well.  Also, the community is extremely supportive of each other.  No wonder I spent every weekend in this town, great people, great music and art; it was a home away from home.

Nothing Like an Asbury Park Sunrise to Start Off Your Day

Asbury Park Boardwalk

Convention Hall

Feeling Nostalgic...So Much Time Having to Think of Home.

Missing Home,
TheChristyBe