Eric Schlabs – SITW Abert’s Squirrel Class 2002
๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: Iโm living in Brooklyn, New York, and working as an intellectual property lawyer. I just married my husband and enjoy exploring the cityโs parks, gardening in our balcony and community garden plots, catching live music, participating in a spirited book club, and keeping up with local politics (where the real change happens).
๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ช ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ: Among my two full decades of formal education, my year at School in the Woods was the most memorable and impactful. My time on the property taught me that education expands far beyond the walls of a classroom; my spring field project (wildflowers) gave me a thirst for knowledge and a passion for harnessing the vast into the digestible; my solo spot taught me the value of stillness, reflection, and presence; learning about ecosystems taught me about the interconnectedness and fragility of our world and gave me a sense of stewardship; and Mr. Wuerth and Mrs. Stansfield showed me itโs a possible to build a life and career aligned with my values and interests, even when it might not seem possible. I might live in the big city now, but I carry my SITW experience with me every day, living sustainably and getting outside as often as I can.
๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐: Tracking. Other years, I crossed my fingers that fresh snow meant a snow day, or at least a two hour delay, but at SITW, it meant postponing the morning lesson, searching for signs of life in the cold, taking off our wet boots, and warming up in the trailer.
SITW should always:
Stay where it is. I was so thrilled to see the construction of a permanent building, because it meant that SITW is here to stay, and future generations will earn a stake in caring for the property and taking that sense of ownership and connection with them for life. Keep wandering!