- Tim Breen, Ph.D., Head of School
At the end of last week I received a hand-written note from an alum -- Keirra Peterson ’13. She simply wanted to express her gratitude for all that Watershed had done for her. She wrote, “Watershed literally changed my life! There’s a quote my good friend uses, ‘Education gave me the power to choose.’ I feel this so deeply in my bones.” It is always wonderful to hear from alums -- to reconnect and learn what they are doing (Kierra is assistant director at a non-profit international educational organization: One School at a Time). And for educators, few things are more gratifying than hearing the reflections of former students -- reflections on how Watershed had an impact in their lives.
Two other examples, from recent stories we’ve posted on the Watershed Blog:
Erin Lewis, class of 2013, now a doctoral student in biology at Utah State, said, “Watershed teachers pushed me to ask hard questions and think critically about world issues. They truly helped me to cultivate my love of learning and ability to ask good questions.”
Sean Holt, class of 2010, is now a data scientist with Nutrien. When reflecting on the impact of Watershed Sean said, “I think that for me, it might be best summed up as ‘Guts’. While Watershed did its best to encourage me to find my ‘why’ and harness my drive to want to find solutions to the world's problems, I wasn’t quite ready for that yet. What Watershed really did, though, was lay the groundwork for me to get there on my own time. First, Watershed instilled in me a love for adventure and the skills and confidence to go on my own adventures. Second, Watershed taught me to critically reflect on experiences and contemplate multiple world perspectives. Love of adventure, skills, confidence, reflection - all of this gave me the guts I needed. The guts to go to Laos, the guts to rethink my worldly assumptions/perspectives- to find my ‘why’, the guts to continue to push forward with mathematics even when it was stupid hard and painful. Throw into that mix Pablo, one of the most patient, kind, and wise role models I could have had, and you get the impact of Watershed for me.”
As we near the end of school, I want to share my own bit of gratitude. This has been an extraordinary year, a year that has tested our community in many ways. We have had to draw on reservoirs of resilience, we have had to make sacrifices for one another, and we have had to be forgiving of one another. Our staff have truly gone above and beyond, not just adjusting to the challenges of COVID, but improving their craft, helping students produce great work, and building strong relationships with families. Our students have made many sacrifices in their lives outside school so that we could all be together. And our families have been so understanding throughout -- understanding of the disruptions and understanding of our need to follow the public health guidance. Thank you all. I feel lucky to be part of this community.
