LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

Transcription

1 HELP US BUILD THE NEW FARM BARN! KROKA EXPEDITIONS CELEBRATING 20 YEARS

2 LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER Dear friends, I am sitting on a giant rock slab at the entrance to the Moisie River Canyon in northern Quebec. Spruce and fir trees cling to the granite walls rising steeply on both sides of the chasm. The roar of the rapids deafens me to all other sounds. Together with Lily Frey and Pasha Belenky, I am supporting a diverse group of intrepid students on their two-day group solo through the canyon, which is perhaps the most challenging solo experience ever accomplished on a Kroka program. As I watch the team negotiate the class IV rapid, the bows of their canoes flung in the air by giant waves, I cannot help but reflect on the past 20 years of paddling the turbulent river of Kroka Expeditions. For me, these years have been one long adventure filled with exhilarating first-descents, capsizes, and exciting swims to safety. How is it possible for a group of year-olds to paddle down this canyon, one few adults have ever attempted, with such calm and confidence? It begins with the founding principles of Kroka: to see the best in each student, to recognize their human potential, to challenge them to give fully of themselves and withhold nothing, to give fully of ourselves as teachers, and to rise to the challenge of being the best we can be. It is about commitment and loyalty. I glance at my co-leaders, who both grew up as students at Kroka. They lead busy, purposeful, striving lives; yet find time every year to return and lead students on expeditions. The backbone of Kroka is our committed staff who give themselves so fully to this work, again and again. Many of these young adults started Kroka with Adventures for Small People at the age of six. Some have up to ten years of summer program experience, including several Canadian Expeditions and a Kroka Semester. The commitment of the students and families who make Kroka an integral part of their lives is central to who we are. Hours later, the paddlers are still going strong. They are approaching the last kilometer-long class IV drop of the canyon. The complex combination of a large pour-over, a rock sieve, and a riverleft hydraulic makes us stop and set up an upstream kayak rescue station. Before attempting this challenge, the students gather themselves in an eddy, and what do we hear? They are beginning to sing! This speaks to Kroka s unique holistic approach to outdoor education. We have covered 650 river kilometers over the past 24 days. Every day, we have also feasted on organic food that was grown and dehydrated by students and staff, complemented by freshly-caught fish. We have done yoga every morning, made moccasins, and created artwork with fish skins and fruit leather wrappers. We now stand on a sand dune separating the bay of Mishtashipu and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, with the ocean on one side and the river on the other. As we watch our student s canoes appear on the horizon, we can see the pride in their faces.

3 Later, sitting on a beach watching the sun set over the mountains, we reflect on our month together: the rain, the bugs, the two-day portage, the berries, the scrapes and bruises, the conflict and laughter, and we begin to look forward to the expeditions that await us in the years ahead. Lynne and I started Kroka when we were just approaching age thirty. Twenty years later, we are still full of life and enthusiasm for our work, yet it is time for us, the board of trustees, and Kroka s staff to look ahead. How do we maintain this organization that runs on enthusiasm and idealism beyond its youth? Kroka is a three-legged stool. Summer Programs, Programs for Schools and Semester Programs are three equal parts of our revenue and our work. As we grow, we will continue to deepen our Summer Program, increasing the technical difficulty and duration of our extended expeditions while maintaining the warmth and quality of our camps for younger children. Our Programs for Schools will offer geographically diverse programming, like Kroka West and Kroka Ecuador, while deepening the academic curriculum of programs such as Odyssey and Geology. At the same time, we will grow our farm and service-based programs at home. When we created our Semester Program 11 years ago, it was designed to serve our most advanced students at the end of their careers as summer students at Kroka. Now, academic pressure at school makes it difficult for our best students to attend the semester and we are asked to develop a year-round program. Sooner or later we will have to answer the need for a year-round school rooted in sustainability, community, and adventure. A solid foundation is essential for the organization s longevity and health. A challenge we face is the continued sustainable development of our beautiful campus. Once the farm barn is built, our next objective will be to address the urgent structural and energy needs of the farmhouse and create adequate staff housing in line with our values. A solid foundation requires sound finances. Financially, we are striving to build an operational reserve, a professional development fund, a capital improvements fund, and a scholarship endowment. In a time of growing socio-economic disparity, establishing an endowment to continue to allow for 50% of our students to receive financial aid is our foremost financial priority. We cannot reach any of these goals without your support. You are vital to Kroka s success on the next leg of our long expedition. By sending your children to Kroka and by donating your time and money, you make it possible for us to do this good work. Every evening I have been packing for our Grand Canyon Expedition, the great adventure ahead of us. This December, we will paddle the canyon with 30 members of our Kroka famly. It will be a fitting celebration of the amazing community we have built over these 20 years. It has been a priviledge to share the adventure of Kroka over these past two decades. I look forward to sharing it with thousands more in the years to come.

4 A SUMMER CAMP LIKE NO OTHER In the summer of 2015, we will offer deeper curriculum and more advanced technical skill instruction than ever before. We are very excited about these new expeditions, which offer extraordinary challenges, longer durations, and truly inspiring destinations. Advanced paddlers will have the unique opportunity to journey north on the UNGAVA BAY EXPEDITION, our first month long canoeing journey in the Canadian Sub-Arctic, led by Lily Frey and Pasha Belenky. Experienced climbers will adventure into the heart of Maine s wilderness on EXPEDITION KATAHDIN, a three-week Alpine-style climbing expedition led by David Silva Alvarez and Carolin Woerter. Our wilderness living programs will expand to include the three-week OCEAN ODYSSEY FOR YOUNG WOMEN led by Trina Powers. A new BOYS RITE OF PASSAGE program led by Tom Rosenberg will give young men an opportunity to challenge themselves and celebrate their transition to adulthood. Emily Hughes, our Outreach Coordinator, has taken on leadership in our Programs for Young Children, including INTRO TO ADVENTURE and CHILDREN OF KROKA VILLAGE. Emily s loving care and passion for working with kids will ensure endless fun for our youngest students.

5 PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS For the third year in a row, we are offering KROKA WEST programs on the Lost Coast of Northern California, in cooperation with the Frey family. Vermont Semester Alumni (and longtime Kroka teachers) Lily Frey and Tom Rosenberg are the principle guides, along with Lily s father Luke. For the past two years we have offered FARM AND SERVICE programs focusing on the farm, gardens, and woodyards, as well as work on the land and in the forest. This spring, we ran our first SOUTH- WEST program in cooperation with Deerhill Expeditions in Mancos, CO, for the senior class of Lake Champlain Waldorf School. Students paddled on the San Juan River and performed service projects on a Navajo Reservation. TRANSFORMATIVE SEMESTER PROGRAMS Wilderness First Aid Certification has been added to both semesters. With the addition of Joe Graham to our team and the purchasing of bikes in Ecuador the bike segment of both semesters has flourished. The semester white water paddling program has been strengthened. Expert paddlers Misha Golfman and Pasha Belenky provide instruction on training days before expeditions. A partnership with Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has made rowing the length of Lake Champlain an integral part of the Vermont Semester. A big thank you to SKY MEADOW RETREAT for providing us with the northern base camp for the Vermont Semester. We appreciate your welcoming energy and emphasis on mindfulness and sustainability.

6 OUR STAFF COMMUNITY This fall, we welcomed JOE GRAHAM as our Deputy Finance Manager and Campus Engineer. In addition to working at Kroka, Joe runs Graham Cycles, a custom bike fabrication business. He lives on campus with his partner, Emily Hughes. HANAH LABARRE completed a six-month study in Health in Crestone, Colorado. She will be bringing her expanded skills and knowledge to the semester wellness curriculum this winter. This fall we waved goodbye to LEAH LAMDIN as she drove off in a gold VW Vanagon with her partner Greg and their dog Vida. We are grateful for Leah s commitment to Kroka and her countless contributions to the organization, and excited for her future adventures. LINDA FUERDERER has co-authored an article, The Jefferson Site: A Paleoindian Encampment on a Stony Knoll. EMILY TURNER completed a solo canoe expedition in Maine. She paddled, poled, and portaged over 500 miles in her handmade cedar canoe. She is back at Kroka now. Her next adventure will be a long-distance bike ride, on a bicycle she built in Joe s shop. We are very happy to report that our Ecuador team is continuing to grow! Congratulations to MICHAEL DAMMER and MARCELA RESTREPO on the birth of their first son and to MARCEA MACINNESS and THOMAS DAMMER on their second daughter. IN MEMORIAM Jim Walker, Founder of BattenKill Canoe, passed away this spring. Jim was a great friend of Kroka since the very beginning. In 1996, Misha crossed the Green Mountains in search of a route for what eventually became Expedition Pre-Columbus. Misha stumbled upon Jim on the shore of the Battenkill River and instantly formed a friendship that has lasted almost twenty years was struck. BattenKill Canoe supplied countless canoes and shuttles for Kroka, and from Jim we learned everything from canoe repair to great paddling routes all over the country. Jim s generosity and belief in Kroka s mission allowed our organization to strengthen and grow. Jim, your adventurous spirit lives on in the eddies and riffles of the river and every trip on Battenkill is an encounter with you, now and forever.

7 NEWS FROM THE FARM The new cows, Meg and Truffle, have been bred and we will start milking in the spring. We will also double our berry patch, planting more blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. We are blessed by the generosity and commitment of many people. Huge thanks are due, especially, to: The folks at BADGER BALM. Thanks to your time and expert guidance, our new bees have been buzzing around campus pollinating all the plants. Expert carpenter HUGH LANDIS worked tirelessly with students and staff to build a new chicken wagon. The chickens are grateful, and so are we. CAT HANNIGAN just finished a second season as our farm apprentice. Her hard work increased the farm s yields and eased Lynne s work load. Thanks, Cat! OUR BRIGHT FUTURE We are making progress towards our long-term campus vision. Breaking ground on the farm barn moves us closer to our goal of renovating the farm house for structural integrity and energy efficiency. A huge success for us this year has been the formation of the Kroka Solar Garden LLC. The 150-panel Solar Array will power Kroka and eight households and businesses in the neighborhood, including Orchard Hill. We will zero out our electric bill while providing a service to our neighbors and generating local clean power. A beautiful new entrance sign will welcome you back to Kroka on your next visit. It was hand-made this fall by Ecuador Semester students with Mathias Dammer and Hugh Landis. All campus projects are made possible by your generous donations.

8 Dear Wilderness Adventurer, Admirer, Dreamer; Many organizations, year after year, write letters asking for financial support. Why should you read this one? You may have noticed that the Kroka way for most things is off the beaten path. And this is a different kind of letter, describing a new model for providing financial support to Kroka. Kroka is proudly self-sufficient in its operations. The tuition payments we receive cover our operating expenses. What can t be covered by tuition are scholarships and capital improvements. We ve done the math. We know we need robust support for scholarships. We also need to be thrifty and phase our capital projects so they can proceed as funds permit. Here is how it will work: For 2015 we need to raise $60,000 to fund our sliding scale tuition structure. These are critical funds to support the 50% of worthy Kroka students whose families cannot afford to pay full tuition on our sliding scale. In 2015 we must build a farm barn to properly house our livestock and prepare for future renovations of the aging farmhouse. The 2015 work will cost $80,000. For the special projects side of this we have developed a comprehensive campus plan that will, over the coming years, build a farm barn, save our farmhouse, repurpose the farmhouse basement to better support program logistics and students, and complete the carriage barn. This is a risk. You will either find the specificity of our requests compelling or not. Maybe you will grow weary of hearing about another special project. But, as we know you know, we are committed to making our programs accessable through sliding scale tuition and scholarship awards. We are equally committed to being frugal and thoughtful with every gift we receive. I ask you to consider making a gift that is generous for you in support of Kroka Expeditions. Sincerely, LETTER FROM OUR BOARD PRESIDENT Mother of Eric 08 Vermont Semester President, Kroka Board of Trustees

9 THE FARM BARN! Groundbreaking! With the generosity of donors like you, we have worked for the past two months digging and pouring a solid foundation for Kroka s new FARM BARN. Now, we need your help to build the barn on top of that foundation! We must raise $80,000 to complete this project in the summer of THE PLAN Construction will take place between June 1 and August 22, allowing the project to be fully integrated into summer programming. Six apprentices selected from Kroka s older students and alumni will work with master builder Bill Symonds on every aspect of the building. They will learn valuable building skills as they participate in chipping the timber frame, roofing, siding, flooring, stalls, windows and doors. And, of course, we will have a Community Barn Raising Day! Designed in the Kroka tradition, this project will result in a beautiful and much-needed building while offering a foundation of life skills and knowledge to a group of capable young people.

10 TWENTY YEARS OF ADVENTURE Misha Golfman and Lynne Boudreau establish Kroka Expeditions. Operations are based out of Hilltop Montessori in Brattleboro, VT. The growing program offers wilderness adventure, mindful living, and quality time with Kroka, the Alaskan Husky. Johanna Gardner invites Lynne and Misha to use her land in Newfane, VT. Trollhaugen Farm becomes the first Kroka Base Camp. Ecuadorian brothers Michael, Thomas, and Mathias Dammer travel from British Colombia and Ecuador to work for Kroka. JOHANNA GARDNER Our land is beautiful, but it s not the easiest place because it has two brooks that cut through it. Other people might have felt that it was not going to work, but Misha doesn t ever give up. He doesn t take no for an answer. They put up a yurt, and then two, and then it was underway. That s probably the most important contribution I made, having them on the land. It allowed them to try things and see what worked and what didn t, and to create a clear vision of what they wanted for land of their own. MATHIAS DAMMER I would say it was just meant to be. When I was in Canada studying Outdoor Education, I had a friend, Leo, with whom I shared a lot of visions and thoughts. As I was finishing my studies, Leo wrote me to let me know that he worked in a small outdoor school in Vermont and that they needed a climbing teacher. Michael and I were already working in Canada. We wrote Thomas in Ecuador, telling him to apply to work at Kroka for the summer, so we could go climbing together at the end. A few months later Thomas was at Kroka and we received an from Misha saying that he would love all three of us to come to work there. The very next day we quit our landscaping jobs. We made it to Kroka and stayed there for the rest of the summer. We had found a real brotherhood with Misha and Lynne s family. What we thought would be a one time job to bring us together for a climbing adventure became a life long commitment that has brought us together for a living adventure.

11 AT KROKA EXPEDITIONS present Students, parents, and teachers work together to launch a bold expedition to ski and canoe the entire length of Vermont: the first-ever Kroka semester program. Kroka students bike, raft, mountaineer and farm on the first Ecuador Semester Program, while at home in Vermont we offer 19 different summer programs! Kroka buys a new home in Marlow, NH. Lynne apprentices at the Landowne family s Biodynamic Farm to prepare to expand the Kroka Farm. Our programs grow and the farm expands. Many of our early students are now summer staff. We are looking forward to the next leg of the expedition. SAUL BLOCHER VSP 04 I was at an info session in the fall of Misha was talking about expedition food. He said that we d have dehydrated potatoes for carbohydrates, because they are light and quick and easy to prepare. We d carry beans, because they are light and simple and a good source of protein. And finally, he said, we d carry butter, because butter is fat, and fat is good. Well, I d been a lifelong connoisseur of butter, so I was sold at that... Semester was a huge part of my life. I still find ways to relate whatever my wife and I are doing to things I learned and did in HANNAH BILLIAN ESP 07 Semester was a huge discovery of who I am and what I m capable of. We made our own knives, our raft, our backpacks. It was the first time I had crafted so many things by hand. That was a big empowerment piece, and it informed everything I ve done since. Semester was also the first time I remember feeling physical pain- the sort of pain that comes from pushing your body to its edge and then past it. When you are cold and hungry and everything hurts. It completely changed my life. Since then I ve been a guide. BIRGIT LANDOWNE The most meaningful part of Kroka, for my family, has been our relationship with Lynne and Misha, which has grown over the past 10 years into deep friendship and appreciation for each other. It has been so good to see them develop their connection with their land. That is the work we do here on our farm, and I was so excited when Lynne wanted to do it there. Also, I have appreciated sharing our children and seeing them grow up together and form such a deep friendship and connection over the long distance.

12 ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT INCOME Contracted Groups $230,000 Tuition & Fees Other $23,000 Rent, Interest Income, Store Sales, Farm Sales, and other income Summer Programs $340,000 Tuition & Fees Donations $90,000 Annual Appeal and other major gifts Semester Programs $330,000 Tuition & Fees KROKA EXPEDITIONS First Million Dollar Year!! In 2014 we expect to surpass $1,000,000 in annual income/expenses. This is certainly a milestone in our growth, and reflects the volume of activity that takes place here! Where does all this money come from? Where does it all go? EXPENSES Insurance $60,000 for liability, property and auto insurance Other All other operations necessary to provide fun and safe programs for our students Capital Improvements $45,000 Investments in our facilities and vehicles: Carriage Barn, Farm Barn, and Base Camp improvements Subcontracted Programs $83,000 to Nahual Expeditions Food $73,000 for locally sourced organic foods Year-Round Staff $304,000 Salaries & Benefits for year-round employees Seasonal Staff $150,000 wages for seasonal teaching staff Supplies & Equipment $83,000 for consumbable supplies and durable equipment

13 KROKA S COMMUNITY OF RECENT DONORS Barry Aleshnick & Martina Sczesny Jeffrey Allen and Stephanie Lahar Anne Appleby Katherine Arrington Julie & Gary Arthurs John Athanasopoulous and Katherine Tanya Balsley Spyropolous David & Jenny Begin Alexei & Marina Belenky Anne Brin & Mark Billian David & Claudia Teachman-Blocher Daniel & Anne O Connor Charlie Boswell Michael Boylen Eva Cahill Elet & John Callahan Kim Canseco Lawrence Carter Peter Carter Larry Cassidy Vincent & Deneen Chippari Sam & Jane Katz-Christy Tom & Fran Clemetson Martha & Berny Cooper David and Mary Beth Cooper Lise and Tim Coppinger Keith Cornell & Carrie Steindorff Terri Borden Tonya & Jamie Coulter Dan Curll Fred & Jude D Angelo Chris Segrave-Daly & Amishi Desai James Simring Joe Deden & Mary Bell Stephen & Nancy Detra Kevin Devine Bet Dews & Wendy Coughlan Anonymous Donor Ritalee Doty Mary Doyle & Patrick Herson Gerald & Nancy Dumas Monica Herman & Peter Dunphy Janet Gordon & Timothy Dziedzic Susan & Bill Eisen Dove & Noah Elbers Bruce & Adriana Elliot Stephen Ellis Anita Kostecki & Michael Ennis Don Estes Christopher & Carolyn Evans Kathy Faltin and Lawrence Rudolph Charlotte & Charles Faulkner Dawn Fischer & Randy Minns Peter Fisher Peter & Jane Ann Fisher Steven & Ellen Fishman Ruth Fiske & Nicolas Lindholm Barbara Fordyce & Robert Dahl Margaret Foxweldon & Leonard Weldon Parents of Ezra Fradkin Susan Joel & Dan Fraizer Luke & Emily Frey Linda Fuerderer Johanna Gardner & Bahman Mahdavi Maxine Garfinkel Laurie & Daniel Gelb Greg Georgaklis Molly Barber & Tom Gilbert Patrick & Tracy Gillespie Robert Glantz & Nancy Montgomery Misha Golfman & Lynne Boudreau Joseph & Margarita Golfman Neva Goodwin Joyce & Cy Gregg Rachael Grossman & Paul Erlbaum Jim & Joy Grossman Robin & Peter Gucker Alaric & Jodi Harris Francis & Doris Hauert Roger Haydock Beth Reuman & Rick Hemond Lisl Hofer Susan Hostetler Parker Huber Emily Hughes & Joe Graham Kim Peavey & Frank Hunter Patricia & Robert Innes Ari & Liz Jackson Marcia Jackson Ruth Jaffe & Paul Horowitz Sandra Jones Swift Corwin JR George & Sigrid Scholz-Karabakakis Paul Kazarov and Barbara Whipple James & Carolyn Kelly Sarah Keyishian Craig Kishi Randy Knaggs Ashirah & Chris Knapp Helen Koch Paul & Barbara Koutras Brian Kunz & Lindsay Putnam Stephanie Lahar & Jeffrey Allen Peter & Kate Lamdin Leah Lamdin Terry & Hugh Landis Ezra Landis Owen & Jennifer Landis Styliani Pastra-Landis & Tanya Laidlaw Erik & Birgit Landowne Mary Lawrence Ruth Hodges & John LeClaire Bruce Lessels Gili & Yotam Lev Laura & Jonathon Links Jim Lukenda & Maura Lockhart Cathy Luke Stephen Mackenzie Joe Marks & Maggie Cahoon Kevin & Polly Mahoney David Mannai Robin & Lawrence Mathews Patricia & Jon McAlice David & Lisabeth Sewell McCann Peter & Dorothy McColl Mark McGovern Judith Scheuer & Joseph Mellicker John Miller & Debbie Van Schaack Dennis Molesky JC Myers Meena & Addison Neva Richard & Elizabeth Norton Louis & Margaret Noschese Joe Madrigali & Donni Uzarski Marcia Okun & Joshua Lieberman Ann Du Bay & Jeremy Olsan Charles & Dorothy Marquis-Omer Mary & Chris Osgood Andy Paonessa Darlene & Mark Patterson Stephen Phillips Terese & Thomas Platten Polly Mahoney & Kevin Slater Judi & Ilene Price Tim Price Anah Pytte Ruth Recker Kevin & Kate Reily Addie Hall & Harry Reindel Eugene & Julia Reznik Alan & Amy Robertshaw Sandra & Louis Rosenblum Irina & Bruce Rosenblum Peter & Heather Row Karl & Ann LaBar Russek Katie Schwerin & Bill Whyte Deb Luskin & Tim Shafer Chris & Julia Shaida David Sobel Lou Soltys and Christopher Morse Chuck & Lori Soule Henry & Carol Spindler Craig Stockwell & Sarah Mustin Betsy Street Stephanie Cox Suarez & Del Friedman Jim & Diny Sweitzer Garry & Jami Thall Molly Turlish Seth & Susan Granger Tyler Robin Tyner Monica Vegelj & Brian Miron Mandy Walsh & Chris Fischetti Andrea Walsh & Andrew Davis Ondria & Peter Wasem Peter & Fannie Watkinson Jeffrey & Susannah Webb Zach & Emily Weinberg Anne-Kathrin Weise Michael & Valerie Wiles Dyan Wiley Perry & Jed Williamson Katrina Wilson Andy Winter & Elissa MacLean Laura Fitch & Lyons Witten Ellen & Steve Young Heather & Peter Zine Organizational Supporters Archie Bunker Basin Farm Battenkill Valley Outdoors Catamount Trail Association Earth Sky Time Farm Farm and Wilderness Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center Grandy Oats, Inc. Granite Gorge Ski Area Green Mountain Orchard Harlow Farms Harris Center for Conservation Hillside Springs Farm Hogancamp and Associates Koviashuvik Local Living School K. Sweeney Construction, LLC. Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Lake Champlain Waldorf School Merck Forest Mahoosic Guide Mole Hill Theater Monadnock Waldorf High School Orchard Hill Breadworks Patagonia of Freeport Maine Rock Point School Shelburne Farms Shushan Covered Bridge Museum Sky Meadow Someday Farm Trapp Family Lodge West Hill Shop The Works Bakery Cafe W.S. Badger Company

14 ECUADOR SEMESTER ALUMNI SONYA BUGLION GLUCK ESP 13. When semester ended, I was not at all ready to settle down. I set out on a bike tour which took me from CA to NC and from CT home to northern VT. The journey was full of generous people, beautiful landscapes, and simple freedom. I am now studying at UVM. My semester friends and the memories from those spectacular months of my life will always be dear to my heart, as will Kroka. SHAI LEV ESP 12 I am in a self-designed pre-nursing program at the local community college. I am planning to travel around Guatemala and Ecuador in the spring and begin a four-year nursing program in the fall. I have seen half of my fellow semester alumni since June. SIENA POWERS ESP 12 When I was 17, I had never done anything that I felt significantly proud of. Going to Ecuador and living in that community made me realize that life is full of wonderful things to do and people to meet. After graduation, I worked as an Au Pair in France and biked around the countryside. Now I am studying at St. Johns College. At Kroka, I realized that my life is my own. I can do anything with it. CLAYTON CLEMETSON ESP 11 After semester, I spent four months biking, hitchhiking and trekking around New Zealand. More recently, I have been continuing to work as a contra dance pianist and film score composer. I moved to Boston this fall to build my music career. I hope to attend Berklee College of Music in the fall. EZRA FRADKIN ESP 11 I have been at Sterling College for the past two years. I am studying sustainable agriculture and community food systems. I spent this summer on Lopez Island, WA, interning with the Land Trust and working on a draft-horse-powered organic farm. I still use my semester backpack and knife every day. More importantly, I use the communication and problem solving skills I learned at Kroka. ARMIN WEISE ESP 10. Semester put me on the path I truly wanted to follow. I now live in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where I study Sustainable Forestry at Warren Wilson. You might find me working with the forestry crew, paddling the many local rivers, or reading about myco-heterotrophic plants. I ve come back to work at Kroka each of the last four summers. The Kroka village has become another home for me. ARI ERLBAUM, ESP 07, VSP 10 I live in Burlington, VT, where I teach harmonica lessons, play in a brass band, contradance, sing, and work at a nature program. I m slowly writing a science fiction comic book, and also learning to make podcasts. I m hoping to attend an intensive semester program in audio production in Portland, Maine.

15 VERMONT SEMESTER ALUMNI OLIVER MEDNICK VSP 10 AND VSP TEACHER 14 I haven t slept under the same roof for more than a month since I graduated from Warren Wilson College, over a year ago. After teaching Semester, I decided to bike across the US. I recently reached the Pacific, and I m thinking it might be time to settle down for a little while. My future holds fiddles, buckskin, sourdough, and anything you can make with two hands and a mind. MOLLY KATZ-CHRISTY VSP 14 I m in Boston, trying to balance my different lives on and off semester. I ve been doing a lot of queer activism, like answering calls from lonely Midwesterners. I ve also been doing a lot of swimming and climbing and tanning deer hides. Life feels very full, but I keep finding more things to do! KENYA PERRY VSP 13 Kroka changed my life in ways I didn t expect. While skiing the length of Vermont, I learned wilderness skills, how to push myself beyond my limits, and how to live in a close community. I realized I wanted to go to a not-so-average college to continue living the way semester showed me. I am currently at College of the Atlantic, studying marine biology. My connection to Kroka and my semester family is something I will always appreciate. KERENSA BARTLETT VSP 13 I ve completed my duties as a high schooler and spent this summer as an apprentice at Kroka. Both endeavors were full of adventure and exploration. This fall I am apprenticing at Koviashuvik with my dear friend and semester-mate, Lotte. I m planning to return to Kroka for another summer of kids, kasha, and kindling splitting. JOSIA GERTZ DECHIARA, VSP 12 I am at Hampshire College, studying molecular ecology. I am happy to be spending most of my class time doing real research. I also play with after-school kids in the woods, contra dance, climb, and forage for wild edibles. After apprenticing at Kroka for two summers, I spent this one chainsawing and doing trailwork on a conservation crew in Colorado. ADAM HODGES LECLAIRE, VSP 12 I am spending much of this year sailing aboard a recreated 1779 French frigate called the Hermione. This fall, I took part in sea trials on the west coast of France. This spring, we will sail across the Atlantic. Right now, I am working at Fort Ticonderoga. I recently met up with almost half my semester group in Amherst, MA. ANNA SOLTYS MORSE, VSP 09 I worked at several outdoor organizations, including Kroka, for a while after the semester. I have recently gone back to school and am also training to be a professional circus performer! I m having a grand old time.

16 NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO 1 Marlow, NH UPCOMING EVENTS December 7, 2014 ECUADOR SEMESTER GRADUATION All are welcome! January 19, 2015 VERMONT SEMESTER OPENING You are invited to come meet the new semester students and families. February 14-17, 2015 FIRE AND ICE Join us for winter exploration by ski and snowshoe. Ages May 2, 2015 KROKA WORK DAY Help us wake up the Kroka Village with friends and family. K R O K A E X P E D I T I O N S 767 Forest Road, Marlow, NH (603) A huge thank you to our amazing cover artist, Finn Mahoney Vsp 14!