Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to write a quick update about our day yesterday. We got to get on my hometown creek run of the West Branch of the Deerfield River. This is an amazing, clean, fast class 3-4 run that I have been dying to bring the athletes on. The only problem was we didn’t have creek boats. So I called up Bruce Lessels and Greg Poehlein at Zoar Outdoor and they were gracious enough to lend us 6 creek boats for the run! We also got to paddle with some of the local highschoolers here Lukas and Dan! Those guys were awesome, bringing a new perspective to the group on the water and showing us down the creek with smooth lines and plenty of style. What an awesome afternoon!

The NRA crew picking up the boats at Zoar Outdoor

Hello everybody, we are now in Massachusetts, home of one of the teachers (Tino). Everything here is beautiful, we are camped next to a forest which is full of wildlife. Finally, I met up with my Spanish students, and we are now devoting time to completing the projects this semester.

This week in Spanish One we’re refining our pronunciation, for which we are working on a dialogue which we did in the first week of classes. We also recorded the dialogue of each student and we’ll see if the actual pronunciation is better than a few weeks ago.
In Spanish Two we are almost ready for our puppet show (three piglets). Alex and Clay are working on each of the characters in this presentation which will be soon on video. This week in Spanish Three, Taylor and I are working on reading comprehension, for which we are reading Hansel and Gretel.In Spanish Four we are practicing our Spanish a lot, and we do this with discussions and games in Spanish. I am very happy to be back with the group and glad to have had the possibility of classes through Skype (it’s an experience I will never forget).

  To the Droujko family- thank you, thank you, thank you for everything!! We had an amazing time in Niagara Falls. Our stay was brief, but jam-packed with fun activities. The definite highlight was a helicopter ride, courtesy of Jessica’s family’s Niagara Helicopters. All of the students got to experience an exciting ride high above the falls! Gazing down from our vantage inside the helicopter, we were able to take in all of the falls, from the white, airy foam twirling off the tops to the spectacular splashing on the rocks beneath. After our helicopter rides, we were given free passes to some of the attractions on Clifton Hill, the touristy section of Niagara. We wandered through Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum, the wax museum and the moving theater. Many of the kids were happy to be in a city, around people, sights, activities, and places to fill their bellies with tasty treats.

 Now we are with Tino’s family in western Massachusetts. It is so beautiful here- spring has arrived and the twisty dirt roads are canopied by trees that are so, so vibrantly green! The group will be running the Deerfield River, and Tino is especially excited to be taking the kids out on his home turf.

 AP exams we will be held this week, in the quiet sanctuary of a local school. Other than that, kids are preparing their brains for finals and finishing up projects. In five days, we will head back to West Virginia for the final stretch.

 Callie

Hey Everyone, We’ve finished our time down south and now are passing the time on the awesome waves of the Ottawa River. The NOC Shootout was a great success with everybody making freestyle breakthroughs on the wave there as well as placing well in the competition! We got to hit up the Tallulah River in Georgia where the kids got a chance to use their river running skills from Chile on a big water creek of the Southern US of A. Check out this southern update by Jess!

Come, take a walk with me through an enchanted forest. Feel the majestic trees watching you with ageless eyes. Wonder at the soft silky moss that cushions each step with nary a sound nor complaint. Savour the mist that envelopes the trees in a whispered embrace, and plays joyfully amongst the rays that pierce the depths, creating rainbows and color. Be silent, for voices have not yet sullied this paradise. Shudder at the knowledge that you are insignificant compared to the magic of this forest. Beware of the time, for it exists only in your mind, and has no place here. Now stop, look around. Feel the very vibrance of life and ancient secrets thrumming in every breath you take. Take a moment to notice the indescribable beauty of these silent giants that surround you, engulf you, welcome you. Know in your heart that you have found a place where you feel at one with the world, and treasure it. Never forget it. And never destroy it.

-Tracy d’Arbeloff

After traveling an hour and a half east to Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, we arrived at the Canadian Museum of Technology. Thus far into your reading you might be thinking to yourself, “Self, the name of that museum sound like quite an oxymoron.” However, you would be wrong. The Canadians have successfully invented and discovered many revolutionary products and advancements. Remember the Happy Hoppers you jumped around in when you were a baby? Well thank a Canadian for that. On a more serious note, Canadians also discovered the method for making insulin for diabetics. Obviously, this is an incredible advancement for all mankind.
At the museum, I also learned about circuits and motors. The Canadians, of course, did not invent electricity, but it is still an interesting museum exhibit. With the flip of a switch or the push of a button a circuit can be completed, and a flow of electricity can be released. I also learned about magnetism at this exhibit. An electromagnet is a magnet attached to a battery so that it has a clear positive and negative end. Electromagnets can be very strong.
The museum also had an exhibit on space and the exploration of space. We all huddled inside an inflatable planetarium and saw all the constellations in the Canadian sky. Among these were Orion, his belt, the big dipper, and the little dipper. I also learned that Canada has a space program. Formerly, I did not know Canada had explored space. However, the Canadians are a far more advance peoples than I realized.
I had a great day at the Canadian Museum of Technology. I learned a ton about our neighbors to the north and their brilliant inventions. The Canadians have truly benefitted all of man with their advancements.

Most people have seen the movie “The Titanic” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, but what about those of us who haven’t seen the film? Saturday was our first school field trip and we went to the Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa.  Upon arrival we were given an hour of free time where we were given the chance to explore the museum on our own. During this free time I came across a plastic model of a very large boat. With me never seeing the movie “The Titanic” I had no idea what this was and what to expect. I began to read about how the Titanic was the largest boat in its time, and how it was traveling from Southhampton, England to New York City. I read that there were 2,200 passengers aboard the boat.  With around 800 crewmen and the rest were richer 1st and 2nd class folk and lower class immigrents, which ended up being locked away in the lower level of the ship, away from the other passengers. I also learned that when the ship hit a giant iceberg in the middle of the night, and after the women and children left their husbands onboard while they excaped on lifeboats, the ship’s orchestra played till all was lost. I learned as well that it might have been possible to save a greater amount of people if the designers of the ship would have considered putting up enough lifeboats for the amount of passengers, and not 20, which would only support half of the 2,200 passengers. But at the time, the people believed it to be impossible for a ship so large to be able to sink. Aftre reading about the Titanic for about half an hour, I continued to look through the exhibits when I met up with Tracy and Zoe at the electricity show. There, we learned about static elecricity where I got to put my hands on an elecroscope and watched my hair stand up on end. Altogether, it was an interesting day and a great reason to miss classes.

-Jessica Droujko