Discovering Inner Strength at Glen Brook

“Glen Brook’s mission is to nurture a personal responsibility for the world around us.” Through meal chores, animal care, farming, Leave No Trace practices in our wilderness experiences and more, our guests have an opportunity to directly engage in caring for the world around them. But another less visible thing they learn is to take personal responsibility for the world within them.
“…In world-space there without, in soul-depths here within…”  The morning verse recited each morning at the Waldorf School of Garden City references the outer as well as the inner world.  One way Glen Brook tends to this inner world is by inviting individuals to become more resilient by stepping outside of our comfort zones and trying new things. This winter we saw this in action in the following ways:
  • In January, the 12th grade arrived in an ice storm and experienced a power outage. They jumped right into washing dishes by hand, by lantern light. Later that week, many of them tried skiing for the first time, supporting and encouraging each other.
  •  At a Winter Family Weekend in February, families woke to -17F temperatures.  Prepared with extra layers of clothing and determination, people met this icy day with smiles and braved the arctic landscape with skating, sledding and hiking activities.
  • In March, the 7th grade was treated to 36 inches of snow and 4 days of power outage. They cheerfully jumped into shoveling hundreds of feet of paths, singing by lantern light and hand washing dishes.