Semester 34: Classes, baseball, and a college visit!

This past week was our second week back on campus from third expedition. In English class we just finished reading Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. It was a very good book to discuss because the feelings towards the story were very polarized. The other day in both of the Spanish classes we watched a video that revealed the difficulty in pronouncing Spanish words for non-Spanish speakers. It was most definitely the highlight of class! Today was our science lab, too. We went out to visit a few different ecosystems and recorded our observations. Then we went to a river and collected data  on bug species to determine how healthy the river actually is. From the group’s samples, it was found to be very healthy and clean. Yesterday, we took a test in APUSH in which our short answer questions and long answer questions simulated what is going to be on the exam. AP exams are coming up soon! And that means the SAT is also coming up soon, this Saturday! There are a large handful of students taking the test who will leave early Saturday morning to drive to the testing centers. Needless to say, there have been plenty of SAT prep books all over campus the past few weeks!

This past weekend, the HMI student body visited Colorado College in Colorado Springs. After a long drive we finally arrived at CC. We enjoyed a great meal in the cafeteria and then split into groups to tour the campus. We asked some fun questions such as, is there a parkour team? Is there on-campus skiing? As well as other informative questions providing insight into the life of a CC student. We met 3 of the 48 HMI alumni that attend CC, and got an interesting perspective on the transition from HMI to college life. The weather wasn’t as great as we had hoped though, with a steady stream of drizzle. However, spirits were high and the trip was a success. During the return car ride most students slept after another long and enjoyable day in beautiful Colorado.

During last Monday’s activity period, a small group of students went to Dutch Henri, a local sledding hill. Students spent the hour-and-a-half period running up and sliding down the area. Daredevils attempted feats such as using a snowboard as a sled and jumping through hoops. The period ended with a long chain of multiple students overlapping their sleds to travel down as a group. Other activity periods visited a local Leadville store to listen to poetry readings. That following Saturday all 48 students traveled down to Denver to watch a Colorado Rockies baseball game. Dinner was provided by a near-by burrito restaurant, Illegal Pete’s. The burritos were huge and teachers have several photos of students raising them in a toast. On campus both students and faculty have been competing a 3 v 3 gaga ball tournament. The first rounds finished last night and semi-finals are expected to come shortly. Life here at HMI sure has been busy, but we are enjoying every minute!