memories for Steller's anniversary
Apr. 25th, 2014 01:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kareinaSteller, the alternative school I attended for grades 7 to 12, is having its 40th anniversary this year, and they have requested as many of us as possible to write up some of our memories of our time there, how it changed our lives, and/or what we learned there. This is what I came up with:
Attending Steller changed my life in so many ways. Before Steller I was a shy kid who was rather more inclined to read a book than play with the other children. By the time I graduated I had an active social life and many friends (many of whom were also addicted to reading). Before Steller I dutifully went to school and did what I was told to do as a student without considering what I *wanted* to do or to learn, but Steller taught me to take charge of my own education—to seek out courses that were interesting, to learn things outside of a classroom, to question, to think, to consider consequences. It strengthened my love of learning, and encouraged me to take “scholar” as my life’s work. It taught me many leadership skills and the importance of communication as well as many tricks to achieve more effective communication. But the single biggest and longest term change in my life as a result of my time at Steller was my introduction to Historical Recreation.
When I first started at Steller there were a number of “big kids” there who had discovered the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), an international organization dedicated to re-creating the Middle Ages “as they should have been” (with the fashions, cultures, and technology levels, but without the plague or inquisition). Those students spread the word among other Stellerites, and I was soon hooked. We formed a “Household”, sewed costumes, cooked feasts for ourselves, and had a wonderful time teaching ourselves a bit of what life would have been like if we had been born 500 to 1000 years ago.
For me the safe, happy “nest” that was Steller was extended to include the SCA, and after I graduated Steller I stuck with the SCA, first locally in Anchorage, and later, each time I moved away to attend university in another city, the first thing I did upon arriving was find the local SCA chapter. Thirty years, five countries (and twelve different communities within those countries) later and I am still active in the SCA. The hobby I first found at Steller has kept me busy and out of trouble all of these years. It has made it possible for me to move (more than once) to the other side of the world and have a close community of friends waiting for me when I arrived, and it has taught me many skills ranging from arts and crafts (for which I have received international recognition for my craftsmanship) to how to conduct oneself with chivalry, courtesy and honour, even in the face of challenging situations.
I will always be grateful for having been fortunate enough to have found Steller and to have been a part of that amazing community which taught me so many life skills in addition to the book learning that is an expected part of one’s school experience, and I am further grateful that it also provided me with an introduction to another, international, community which has so much in common with all of the best aspects of Steller.
Attending Steller changed my life in so many ways. Before Steller I was a shy kid who was rather more inclined to read a book than play with the other children. By the time I graduated I had an active social life and many friends (many of whom were also addicted to reading). Before Steller I dutifully went to school and did what I was told to do as a student without considering what I *wanted* to do or to learn, but Steller taught me to take charge of my own education—to seek out courses that were interesting, to learn things outside of a classroom, to question, to think, to consider consequences. It strengthened my love of learning, and encouraged me to take “scholar” as my life’s work. It taught me many leadership skills and the importance of communication as well as many tricks to achieve more effective communication. But the single biggest and longest term change in my life as a result of my time at Steller was my introduction to Historical Recreation.
When I first started at Steller there were a number of “big kids” there who had discovered the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), an international organization dedicated to re-creating the Middle Ages “as they should have been” (with the fashions, cultures, and technology levels, but without the plague or inquisition). Those students spread the word among other Stellerites, and I was soon hooked. We formed a “Household”, sewed costumes, cooked feasts for ourselves, and had a wonderful time teaching ourselves a bit of what life would have been like if we had been born 500 to 1000 years ago.
For me the safe, happy “nest” that was Steller was extended to include the SCA, and after I graduated Steller I stuck with the SCA, first locally in Anchorage, and later, each time I moved away to attend university in another city, the first thing I did upon arriving was find the local SCA chapter. Thirty years, five countries (and twelve different communities within those countries) later and I am still active in the SCA. The hobby I first found at Steller has kept me busy and out of trouble all of these years. It has made it possible for me to move (more than once) to the other side of the world and have a close community of friends waiting for me when I arrived, and it has taught me many skills ranging from arts and crafts (for which I have received international recognition for my craftsmanship) to how to conduct oneself with chivalry, courtesy and honour, even in the face of challenging situations.
I will always be grateful for having been fortunate enough to have found Steller and to have been a part of that amazing community which taught me so many life skills in addition to the book learning that is an expected part of one’s school experience, and I am further grateful that it also provided me with an introduction to another, international, community which has so much in common with all of the best aspects of Steller.