The familiar feel of worn-out vinyl bus seats, filled with holes where little hands had picked out foam, meant we were getting out. At my progressive, independent elementary school, we didn’t just go on regular field trips; we had “community adventures” in our “classrooms without walls.” At the time, the bus was nothing special to me; it was just a way for my classmates and me to get shuttled from place to place in our little city. The white, used bus, with scattered fruit snacks and dried flowers left from another class’s most recent escapade, reflected the casual nature of my groovy little school. However, since entering my public high school and hearing other students’ stories of a more traditional K-8 education, I realize I would not be the person I am today without that bus and the places it took me.
In third and fourth grade, every week or so, we would pack up for the day, load our little bus, and bring the classroom outdoors to what we called sit spots. Outside, in our sit spot areas, we learned about invasive species, studied local plants and animals, and sat quietly in our spots, under a tree or on the river bank, reflecting on a teacher- given prompt. Over eight years later, I still return to nature and sit when I need to reflect or ground myself. I also continue to remove invasive leafy spurges from mountain trails to protect our native flora and eagerly seek to identify various animals by their muddy prints after rain. The knowledge I gained about the beauty of Montana’s nature from those childhood outdoor excursions fostered a love and care for the outdoors that is central to my identity today.
Jayne & Lark
Jayne Kulina Sussex Class of ‘21
Alum Dispatch
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