Thanks

Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 72

Before I move on to the next phase of this experience, I feel a need to put a bit of closure on what I have done so far. First of all, I need to thank several people. Next, I want to summarize what I believe the outcomes of my trip to Summit are. Finally, I want to explain the directions this experience is moving in next.

This journal entry will focus on the special thanks:

To Jack Dibb: Thank you so much for agreeing to take me on as a part of your project. You are a brilliant person, and one of the most dedicated and hard working people I have ever encountered. I feel honored to have been able to spend time with you, and am very grateful for you taking time out of your busy schedule to work with me and my students. From teleconferences, to answering my questions, to participating in webinars, you were there even though you undoubtedly could have been doing other things. If it weren’t for you, I never would have had this experience at all. I cannot truly express to you my appreciation. Thanks again.

To Barry Lefer: You were so incredibly helpful to me while I was at camp. I always knew that if I didn’t understand something, I could come to you and you would help me get it. You took time to help me find some resources to work with, and were always there to give me feedback on how to handle relaying information to my students. You were at every teleconference and spent many hours assisting me in what I needed to get done. I appreciate your help. You are such a wonderful person. Thank you.

To Cort Anastasio: Thank you for everything you did for me. I know that it was a lot to ask to have you come visit my school. You hadn’t been home in months, your computer had crashed, and you had hundreds of emails to wade through. You put all of that aside for me and my students. This was so giving of you. I appreciate it, and I thank you.

To Eddie: I’ll never forget my first day at camp. You tried to explain your part of the research team, and were a bit concerned with my blank look. It took a while, but I got it! I really did! Thank you for trying again- sometimes I just need to hear things a few times before I get it. Also, thanks so much for sending me the Caribou antlers. My students are really impressed with them, and I plan on having them mounted in the near future.

To Donna: I was always amazed at how much you knew. You can take a bunch of wires and turn it into a working piece of lab equipment! I remember the day I spent with you running about 160 snow samples. I was glad that we had each other to talk to while we took on that task! I think you are the person I got to know the best, since we did have all of that time together to talk. Being one of just a handful of girls, it was nice to have someone to chat with. Thanks!

To Greg: I loved your sense of humor. You were the only other person at camp that had little kids at home, and it was nice to be able to trade kid stories now and then. It always made me feel better to do that, especially when I was missing my family. Thank you.

To Steve: Thanks for the chili. I paid for it for a while, but it sure was good! I didn’t get to spend much time with you since you worked while everyone else slept for the most part, but you went out of your way to help me out with an explanation of photochemistry of snow written by yourself. It was so nice of you to do that for me.

To Andreas: The quizmaster. Thank you for constantly asking me questions. It really helped me to know what I understood and what I still had to work on. By the end of my time at Summit, I was actually able to answer most of them Smile

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To Kelly: You were so much fun. I had a great time with you, and thanks for helping me when it was my turn to mouse. Good luck with your future.

To Sara: Thanks for being way nicer to me than you needed to. I know I have food issues, and you gave me gentle encouragement to try new things (I can’t believe I at sushi and musk ox!!). You went out of your way to make special things when you knew I just wouldn’t be able to handle it. You absolutely did not have to do that. Even though you beat me at cribbage way too many times, it was fun. Thanks again.

Meg and Travis: Thanks for spending time with me. The medical drill entry was one of the favorites in my journal. It was one of those things that I will never have an opportunity to participate in again. Good luck in Hawaii, Meg. Travis, when you are back in Wisconsin, look me up.

Kathy: You were the first person I met at the hotel before leaving for Kanger. Thanks for letting me follow you around, and for escorting me to the sat camp on my first time when I got lost. If it weren’t for you, I might still be wandering around up there Smile

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Brad: I could always count on you for a Wisconsin joke. You made me laugh all the time, and you loved to have a good time. You could always be depended on for help when it was needed, as well. Thanks.

Tom: You are a very talented mechanic. You kept things running smoothly at camp, and were an important part of the successes experienced at camp.

Nys: You stood out in the cold with me for 11/2 hours waiting to capture video of the rockets on the plane. You were also great to play cribbage with. I enjoyed talking with you about the differences between our countries. Thanks for the experiences.

Wendy Warnick (at ARCUS): Thank you so much for being there every time I needed something (which was sometimes a couple of times a day). It didn’t matter how long it took to work through a problem, you were always there and found a way to fix it. You also were so patient, even when I felt like I was being a huge pain. You are amazing, and are very dedicated to what you do. Thank you so much for making this happen, and work so smoothly.

Helen Wiggins and Kayt Sunwood (at ARCUS): Thank you for overseeing this project. As with Wendy, anytime I needed any help whatsoever, I could call on you and it would be fixed, no matter how long it took. There were many times that the three of you helped to stop me from committing computercide Smile

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Janet Warburton (at ARCUS): See above, but in addition, thanks for all of your help with the teleconferences. They continued to get better and better as we went through them, and that was largely because of your help. Even down to one minute before the kids walked in the door, you kept trying and made them successful.

Jane Lazarevic: You were my at home support. Without you working day and night to make things work, much of what my students experienced just wouldn’t have happened. Thanks also for your continued support of this program in general.

The 8th grade team: Your flexibility and willingness to give up your own curriculum time for this experience is very much appreciated. You bent over backwards to make this work, and that is admirable. Thanks again for your support.

These people were so great. They really made the experience what it was. I had so much fun, learned tons, and it really was because of them. If I forgot anyone I should have thanked, I apologize. There were so many people who helped with this experience in their own way that I could go on forever. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for each of you.