When an Intersession is in its youth, its first year of existence, doubts can naturally rise about its quality. The planning, thoroughness, and refinement of the experience may all come into question. However, Living Wild suffered no such issues, and was an instant hit.
Two groups of students made the trip to Whisper Tree, an outdoor retreat, where they stayed overnight to learn about nature and ecology. Additionally, they used poetry and reflection to connect with nature and the history of its maintenance.
The excursion combined many of the most iconic and unique parts of Sonoma Academy into one package, bringing all of the best parts of our school culture out. STEM teacher Ramsey Musallam put it simply, “It was very SA, if you will. Like, a lot of poetry and nature.”
However, the participants also engaged in more hands-on work. Wesley Strassburger (‘28) said, “We helped herd sheep, and there was this one really annoying sheep named Stowaway, who would not be herded, and I really hate that sheep. I hope it gets turned into lamb stew.”
The mix of nature, poetry, activities and simply being together really united the students, especially those in the second week: a collection of people that didn’t really know each other before, but grew much closer by their time at Whisper Tree.
Part of this bonding was caused by their close proximity in the cabin, where they all had to live together and cook for each other. Arman Mohammadi (‘28) said, “We would always be around in that small group of people, cooking together.”
Strassburger also enjoyed this aspect of the trip, “I made some pretty bomb scrambled eggs, which I know are not hard to make, but I was pretty proud of them.”
The trip was led and organized by Whisper Tree’s self-made ecologist, land-surveyor and rattle-snake catching mastermind Roy Blodgett, who was described as a true legend by Musallam: “Roy in general, he was an incredible leader.” Mohammadi added that Blodgett was full of “fun facts and also history and land management.” Everyone agreed that Blodgett made the whole experience amazing, and not like a first-year intersession at all.
Students broadened their minds with new takes on invasive species, fire management and healthy relationships with the Earth. Altogether, they enjoyed both the learning and its practical applications.
All in all, the students and teachers seemed immensely happy about how the intersession went, pointing out the incredible mix of activities, the fun group and the calm, almost meditative vibe.
Even in its first year, Living Wild showed a lot of promise. As Musallam summed it up, “It was pretty much the perfect intersession, that’s how I put it.”
