By: Arya Moallem

Our eighth graders recently returned from Wyoming with tired legs, muddy gear, and plenty of stories to share. Throughout the trip, they impressed us with their curiosity, resilience, and willingness to look out for one another.

As it turns out, the skills that got us up Heart Mountain are the same ones that help students navigate the school year. We planned ahead, broke a big climb into manageable sections, and adjusted course when Oreos at a scenic vista seemed like the right call.

Students shared water and snacks, offered encouragement when feet were sore and legs were tired, and gained perspective while walking a trail that Japanese incarcerees at Heart Mountain would have climbed some 80 years ago. The skills they practiced, collaboration, persistence, and connecting distant places and times to the present, will serve them well in the classroom and beyond.

Our faculty team brought plenty of creativity and care to the experience. Ted transformed leftover bread into an improvised French toast breakfast. Arya turned long van rides into impromptu Japanese music and language lessons. Lizzy closed each night with readings and reflections that helped tie our days together.

We are also grateful to the staff at the McCracken Research Library, the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, and the Heart Mountain Ranch Preserve, who welcomed our students and served as engaging educators throughout the trip.

Bringing the Lessons Home

We may be back on the Emerald Campus, but the lessons from this experience will stay with us. The same students who pored over documents at the research library and persisted to the peak of Heart Mountain are the students we get to teach throughout the year. If our trip to Cody was any indication, it is going to be a very good one.