Every student is an exception. At Leelanau we don’t believe that a young person has to be labeled to be educated. She needs, instead, to gain a sense of her own biography–to know herself as a learner, as a friend, and as part of her community and society. When she steps onto Leelanau’s campus, she’s unsure. How will she manage her courses, do laundry, share a room, make friends? In the first week, she has to climb through a “spider web” strung between the trees along with a team of her classmates.
She’s petrified–she’s always felt awkward in athletic activities. But when the most coordinated students start through the web first, she speaks up: “We need a strategy. What if you guys lift us through first, since you’re stronger, and leave the most agile person for last?” Her solution works.
During exploratory week, camping with her class, she figures out how best to pitch the tent, remembers to bring a waterproof watch on the canoeing trip, and even finds that she can keep up with the paddling if she tries hard enough.
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