The end of year came sneaking up on all of us this spring.
Bravo Team had a final class last week which included a guest, Sara Poindexter, from Patagonia. We are the grateful recipients of a Patagonia grant which awarded Bravo Team for it’s environmental focused project. This year we had a day of volunteer work at the North Olympic Salmon Coalition Nursery – blog post here: (https://nwmaritime.org/bravo-team/bravo-team-service-project-in-action)
Our team decided ahead of time who would be the host of our guest, Sara, as she had never been on a longboat before. We were able to head down to the boat and have a pleasant sail, with our usual Moment of Silence and a small snack, before we headed back into the classroom to host a final celebration. Many parents and family members arrived to celebrate. We had a buffet of yummy treats before we had a Journey slideshow to share with families that adventure – blog post here: (https://nwmaritime.org/bravo-team/a-magical-overnight-journey/)
Then we had our awards and closing circle. Many heartfelt things were said between instructors and students. Each of the instructors, Nancy Israel, Chrissy McLean, and Sonia Frojen, were presented with a card and words of appreciation from a student. It was an unexpected and wonderful surprise. Instructors handed out awards suited to each student specifically and said a few words of gratitude in exchange.
The final circle was one of all in attendance – parents, guests, NWMC staff members who were able to take a break from work, and even siblings of Bravo Team students. The questions asked for the final circle were:
“What is one word to describe Bravo Team?”
- “Fantastic,” “Awesome,” “Fun,” “My student comes home happy,” “Peaceful,” “Engaged,” “Miraculous,” “Gratitude,” “Friendship,” “Hands-on,” “Knowledge,” “Expansive,” and “Growth.”
“What are you taking away from Bravo Team this year?”
- “Knots and how to sail,” “Leadership and new language,” “Inspired,” “Reminder of how important kindness is,” “Quality over quantity,” “Hopeful for our future,” “Joy!”
Many many THANKS to Sara for coming out with us and for all the parents and staff members who joined us for the special closing celebration. Sara also brought all of the students Patagonia shirts with the Edward Abbey quote: “The idea of wilderness needs no defense, it only needs defenders.”
We’re grateful to have had such a productive and connective year! Stay tuned for Fall 2019 plans!