This past June hundreds of HMI alumni returned to campus as part of our 25th Anniversary Celebration. Seeing adults return to the place they had called home for a mere matter of months, in some cases decades ago, reminded me of the indelible impact of this special place and community. Friends from across the country leaped into each other’s arms, walked the cabin loop, and joked, sang, and danced together.
Summer was a homecoming for me as well, as I moved cross-country from Maine to Leadville, just as I had sixteen years ago when I accepted a position at HMI called Mathematics Faculty & Wilderness Leader. This time, I was returning as Head of School. The place that awaited me was physically larger and more established as an institution. I too had grown in my time away, but HMI’s essence of people, place, and purpose was deeply familiar and welcoming.
Since I left in 2011, the campus has grown, as have the school’s programs, scope, and commitment to inclusion. In this timespan (almost half of HMI’s history), our alumni body has tripled in size, our campus has grown, we’ve added Gap, Summer Term, and Educators Expedition, our financial aid budget has quintupled, and we serve more than twice as many public school students, and three times as many students of color in our programs. These are things HMI should be deeply proud of, a product of thoughtful, intentional leadership, strategic governance, the incredible care and dedication of our faculty, staff, and apprentices, and the commitment and generosity of our students, families, and alumni.
I am delighted by these developments, but I am not surprised. The professional and personal growth I experienced at HMI as a young teacher eclipsed any other period in my adult life. Just as HMI accomplishes life-changing growth in our students in a short few months, the school itself achieves an accelerated developmental timeline, improving iteratively each semester, expedition, academic block, and program. I know of no other school that has come so far in such a short time: from yurts and a couple barely-finished buildings to a modern campus that over half our employees call home; from a plot of vacant land in a boom-bust mining town to one of Lake County’s largest private employers; and from a wild start-up idea by two far-too-young founders, to an industry leader and exemplar in outdoor and experiential education. We’ve come a long way.
And yet, so much is the same, in precisely the ways I would hope. Central to all we do is HMI’s laser-focused mission: community, wilderness, and academics (my paraphrase). We employ the most skilled, dedicated, and empathetic people I know. We strive to ensure every student feels a deep sense of belonging within our community. We run, ski, and chop wood. We dance in the kitchen. We scramble brownies and regularly burn hash browns. The students sing Taylor Swift (though more Midnight than Fearless, these days…) We start each semester with “the rock,” and end with Full Circle. These parts are familiar, and reinforce my sense that my move–2,000 miles in length and 10,000’ in elevation gain–isn’t an adventure, nor an expedition; it’s a homecoming.
Sam Critchlow
HMI Head of School
This article first appeared in the Fall 2023 / Winter 2024 HMI Newsletter