Outside Now

My Place Essay

Doran — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:30:45 +0000

With the imagination of a young boy, and some slight influence of video games, I used to pretend I was fending off goblins with a stick. I knew one day that I would make my own sword. As I grew so did that spark, it eventually exploded into the passion I have today for working [...]

Poetry

Alexa — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:31:39 +0000

A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness. It finds the thought and the thought finds the words.

–Robert Frost

What is poetry exactly? To each person it’s different, just as poetry is written differently by each person. Recently, our school has been exploring the works [...]

Furry Mystery

Troy — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:14:14 +0000

by Troy Nino de Rivera

We climbed into the well-loved, brown van one hot, humid Friday. Rion said, “We’re going to make a quick stop to pick up something.” Knowing Rion the way I do, needless to say, it was going to be something outrageous. I would expect nothing less. While driving to an undisclosed location, [...]

Reflections on Nonviolent Communication

Star — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:28:04 +0000

6/9/11

Nature Academy students learned about NVC, also known as Nonviolent Communication, with Michelle Madgett, who welcomed us into her home and taught us what she knows about NVC. Her teacher is Marshall Rosenberg. Michelle has been studying NVC for about seven years, but only just this year started teaching us what she calls Compassionate Communication.

NVC [...]

Hero’s Journey

Star — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 05:50:29 +0000

by Star Pendergast

6/7/11

When I was thinking about what I wanted to do for my Nature Academy end of the year project, I started looking for things that I have passion for. I also talked with my teacher, Susan. We came up with me doing it on my hero’s journey writing project and the process I [...]

Sespe Wilderness Backpacking Trip 2011

Troy — Wed, 25 May 2011 04:17:23 +0000

by Troy Nino De Rivera

It was midday in the hike by the time we reached a large rock face, impassable by any other means than the aging ladder that lay before it. The ladder was of sturdy construction for being as old as the sun-bleached rope lead me to believe. We were not prepared to [...]

Buckeye Trip 2011

Troy — Wed, 25 May 2011 04:15:12 +0000

by Troy Nino De Rivera

The Buckeye Festival is a gathering with all sorts of primitive arts experts attending. The experts had individual stalls which were arranged in a circle. There they sold their wares, talked with people about their particular interest, and at morning circle told what classes they were going to have that day.

Monday [...]

Nature Academy

Troy — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:02:49 +0000

Written by Troy Nino De Rivera

It’s my choice to come to Nature Academy. I choose to come here out of all the other schools. The program allows for a level of freedom pertaining to what your assignments, projects, and everything else looks like. There is a small ratio between student and teacher, and since it’s a [...]

Forge-awesomeness

Troy — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:00:22 +0000

Written by Troy Nino De Rivera

During my stay at Figueroa Mountain, I helped build the foundation for the aikido dojo. But my favorite time was after the work was done, and I spent my afternoon and nights at the forge. The forge consisted of an anvil, forging hammers, and a manual coal fire forge capable of [...]

Hike Up Bear Heaven Waterfall at Sespe Wilderness

Tex — Sat, 14 May 2011 05:17:38 +0000

Brian, Cameron, and I were the only ones willing to cross the ice cold river in order to climb up to the waterfall. Crossing the river was the coldest thing ever. Luckily, we made it across safely. We started toward the base of the waterfall. On our way we ran into this huge red ant [...]