ON THE ROGUE RIVER
Just another great way to end the summer was the River Classroom on Rogue River. Phase One students lead by
Mike , Charyn, Dave S. and Julie had a good time. Now, back to the daily schedule.
FOREVER YOUNG
| Peer Goup 39 went through their Forever Young Lifestep. A week later the studends spent a day with younger kids at a day care center in Prineville. |  |
DYNAKID AWARD
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As you may know, for many years Mount Bachelor Academy has expressed its commitment to creativity, new ideas, and meeting a wide range of educational needs through a phrase which is posted on our front door: Dynamic Education For A Changing World. In addition to striving to keep our educational curriculum dynamic, we like to recognize our staff members and students who go beyond the expectation and do excellent (dynamic) things. For the staff members this recognition comes in the form of a “Dynabox Award” which is read and rewarded at our weekly staff meetings. For students, it comes in the form of a “Dynakid Award” which is awarded by staff members and given to student(s) in front of the whole school on Friday mornings where they are recognized by their peers and staff members and given a small token of appreciation.
We have recently acknowledged the following students with “Dynakid Recognition Awards” for being outstanding in what they do:
Colin R., Rob C., Mark K., and Autumn P. – for their work on the school newspaper.
David F. – for the fun he brings with his lighthearted attitude
Charlie W. – for his positive attitude in class
Nick W. – for a great job as a dorm head
Autumn P. – outstanding compassion in communication skills group
Clayton W.- his new found consistency
Meghan E. – great support for a friend in crisis
Kelly B. – powerful positive role model in communications skills group
LA MANCHA Lifestep
October 2004: Dedication Ceremony
Year 2000: Starting the American House |
Autumn Harvest in Romania
It was my second trip to Romania in eight years, but only my first journey to Valea Plopului and the Orphanage with Mount Bachelor Academy staff members and students. The sights were rich and dynamic. We traveled modern highways in a comfortable bus while wooden horse drawn carts struggled to squeeze into fast moving lanes of traffic to deliver their corn to town. Side by side, the final crop of corn was harvested in the large fields by tractors and columbines, while small fields were manually scythed by the leathery hands of hard working peasants. All the while, I felt torn, on one hand, seeing the incredible progress of a country in recovery over the past eight years, and still knowing that something simple and beautiful would be trampled forever beneath the stampeding feet of progress. I thought of our own culture and how disconnected we have become and I felt afraid for a culture who was separating from its soil. It was the perfect time of year for me to experience the Romanian countryside. The air was crisp, but not yet cold; the trees were amazing and golden; the corn was drying and being husked by hand for mamaliga (polenta) later on. It was easy to be distracted by all of this beauty and the silvery steeples of tiny churches dotting the landscape, just in time to step ankle deep in mud and be reminded that there wasn’t enough fire wood for most families in the village this winter. So much richness and poverty woven in one tapestry. Other fruit was also ready to be harvested in Valea Plopului: The fruit of our labor. Over the past six years, Mount Bachelor Academy staff, students, and alumni have engaged in a project of giving to this little orphanage. They have supplied and built the “American House” a building in the orphanage that was finally completed. This home will be used to provide shelter for 12 expectant young mothers from the streets of Romania. They will give birth to their children there and have support from the village women to become adults with the skills to care for their own young ones. It was touching to witness the ceremony of dedication of the “American House” and be the first to cut the satin ribbon and step inside. I was overcome with emotion at this rough and minimal structure that would mean so much to so many in the way of safety and warmth. I felt thankful. Sharon Bitz Executive Director |
Romanian Mentors: Since 1999 we had many supporting friends helping during our stay in Romania. Here are some of them:
Father Tanase Andrei (middle) Andreea (right) Mama Bitz (in yellow jacket)
Father Tanase is constant motion. In the course of a day, he is a priest, a taxi service, a construction foreman, a pro-life worker (although not necessarily in the American understanding of the term "pro-life"), a fund-raiser, a builder. He is the priest of your village knocking on your door asking you to add to your family the unwanted baby he picked up from Bucharest earlier in the day. He is the philanthropist raising funds to expand his orphanage and to build more churches. In one moment he is a provocative, yet strangely compelling, philosopher describing how contraception is a sin, in the next he is a social worker caring for children who have come "from sin". Is he a study in contradictions or conclusions? When you think of Father Tanase, think about a good and caring version of the Tasmanian Devil from the old Looney Tunes cartoons.
Andreea is a young woman with a dream. A college student working on her master’s degree in music, she longs to leave the country of her birth, which for her is too slowly shaking off the chains of communist rule severed in 1989 but which continue to slow Romania's rise to a democratic future. Smart, opinionated, dependable—the quintessential team player—she sees opportunity and freedom in The United States having studied there for a term of college. Now she longs for the day she can return. In the meantime, she works hard on her degree and serves as translator and tour coordinator for MBA’s La Mancha Lifestep® when we are in Romania. Do you believe in coincidence? Traveling on a plane when she was in The United States, she met a MBA staff member. A friendship was struck, she became an indispensable part of the La Mancha experience, and now the dream of her life is to come and work for MBA.
Mama Bitz is a phenomenal teacher who has no idea that she is a teacher. Her English is limited but she speaks volumes with her actions. She is the lesson and this is what she says:
- Work hard at whatever you do. Don’t let limited opportunity keep you from setting a standard with your work ethic.
- Give your life away with acts of service. There are never any regrets when you care for people.
- Love your country and delight in its culture, especially language and food. Governments come and go ("Good riddance, Communists," I think she'd say.) but Romania is here forever.
- When it’s a choice between what's good for you and what's good for your child, choose the child. That’s what a mom does.
- Sometimes life is not what it’s supposed to be. It is what it is. Consider giving up your destiny. Just be brave.
Andrei, one of our translators, is a lawyer and a passionate advocate for the rights of the Romanian Orthodox Church. When the Communists seized power after WWII, they took church land and property, including art treasures. When the Communists were overthrown in 1989, things changed, but not overnight. And the process of determining what belongs to who is ongoing. In his words, “I win some and I lose some.” The main issue is that the laws introduced following the Communist era are not clear. His cause seems just and his aims, noble. It’s a fight worth fighting. Beyond vocation, Andre is an enigma and sooner or later you will be surprised by spontaneous acts and the way he is connected to the world, like the day his cell phone rang and we learned that his good friend from the Congo, who finally obtained a visa for his passport, would be arriving the next morning along with a friend from Great Britain. So we missed Andre for a few hours while he took care of his friends.
Glenn Austin
STUDENTS IMPRESSIONS
Chelsea P.
As a team, great things can happen as we work together, helping one another create something truly beautiful. When I helped build the bridge in the orphanage, I made a choice to do it with laughter, pride, and care. This simple choice lightened the physical discomfort and others’ reluctant attitudes toward helping with this creation.
Saralyn M.
The thing that has impacted me the most was seeing a woman from the village who took kids from the orphanage into her home. That was the best thing I have ever encountered in my life.
Eric D.
I loved playing soccer with the kids from the orphanage. One of the kids I played with ran up to me the next day and smiled. Soccer is fun because the sport is the same whatever language you speak. You have fun with the kids and figure out signs of communication: goal, corner kick, goal kick, and hands.
Denae M.
These are the things I learned on La Mancha: 1. No matter what you do you should try to be equal. Money is not everything. 2. The world and your life can be peaceful no matter where you are. 3. People you don’t know who live on the other side of the world can be very kind.
Brent M.
The High School in Ploiesti was the nicest school I have been to. It seems like the kids are proud to go there, too, and are happy to learn. The kids don’t really do drugs or drink much either here and I felt weird telling them about my life before MBA.
Alex C.
The host family that Zach, Spencer, and I stayed with washed our shoes. I wasn’t used to someone serving me like this and I felt guilty about it because I didn’t feel I needed it. The word “connections” best describes my experience on La Mancha: connecting to others, seeing other things, connecting to work, and seeing other cultures. The bridge we helped build is a good symbol of my word. It connects two different things. This was what La Mancha has been for me.
Spencer L.
The soccer game we played with the kids from the orphanage was really cool. It’s weird that you can have that much fun with a bunch of people you can’t talk to. I felt like we got closer to each just by playing. Life can be more simple than we make it out to be. Everyone is so worried about what their clothes look like or if anyone likes them when really you should just be happy with what you have. I learned that I love life.
Ian L.
I have gained so much respect for the simple life that the people in the village live. I have gained an appreciation for the great cooking that the women do. They work so hard and make such good food. I have also gained an appreciation for the people that I have worked with. They are so friendly and try to let me in on all their jokes.
THANKSGIVING
Students and staff had a great Thanksgiving day. They all miss home but with good food and friends things went well.
All the thanks to the kitchen staff, mentors , teachers and Phase Two students for making this possible.
