I made a casual email typo this morning, slipping an F in front of the word unfettered. And I thought, hmmm, this could be milked to describe Boundless.
It could mean fun-fettered, as in, we are drenched in mirth. Too cheeky I suppose. We are not a merry-go-round.
And then I thought about the notion of being unshackled. Mix this with being let loose in a world of merriment, and the term hits the spot.
I see this all about me. Its our social programs time of year, and I am watching our students liberate themselves. Their shrieks can be heard across a property where bunnies are hopping about, deer and groundhogs are gorging themselves, and the sky is on fire every sunset. We live in Milne’s 100 acre wood, times six.
Whatever has burdened our students – its not easy being a teenager these days – they are acne-laden examples of Joni Mitchell’s refrain of becoming “unfettered and alive”. Its a marvel to behold.
They are learning in the most extraordinary ways. Many are receiving a grade 11 leadership and peer support guidance course. But I assure the reader that they do not hear the word “guidance” as they descend Rifle Chute rapids on the Madawaska River.
We are told that our brains are wired to thrive in tribes of roughly 150 people. Our neuronic pathways can accommodate the complexity of social relationships in a community that size. Anything larger gets tricky.
Being at Boundless is sort of a throwback to an ancient time where everyone knew your name. The kids are in groups of roughly 25 people. So cohorts get tight. No room to hide. Lots of chances to be a hero and support your team. Some good role modelling by our teachers complete the recipe for sheer joy in a world of non-traditional learning.
Some notes on the upcoming summer program (July and August):
Both English and our Outdoor Adventure Program are filling quickly. Please contact us soon to avoid disappointment.
Some families are asking me about what novels are being studied in English. We ain’t telling. It’s a secret. We’d have to sequester you otherwise. CSIS is guarding this precious information. Just know English will blow your kids away, and they better get ready for some action.
We were concerned about water levels for the whitewater program. There has been very little precipitation since February up here, and the levels are low. But some epic thunderstorms recently are edging them back up to acceptable levels.
Our teachers are training feverishly to get ready.
Some final Thoughts:
I am growing a little wistful that our social programs are ending soon, paving the way for our summer programs starting June 28th (A reminder to the reader that our social programs and summer programs are totally separate and target different kids altogether).
We are grateful to the incredible teachers and school administrators in the TDSB and TCDSB for facilitating such superb collaborations with Boundless this spring.
Best wishes,
Steven Gottlieb, Executive Director [email protected]
