At Wilderness Inquiry we take great pride in our outdoor leaders ability to serve and guide participants. So we love it when we get feedback that recognizes the effort of those leaders. On a recent 5-day trip to the Boundary Waters, two of our outdoor leaders guided a group of seven summer school students from Minneapolis Public Schools. Afterwards, one of the teachers on the trip wrote us a letter of thanks.
“I just wanted to take a few minutes to follow up on our trip to the Boundary Waters Area with seven of our summer school students. Devan and Larry were the WI staff that led the trip. We had a fantastic time and for many of us (including me) the power of placed-based learning was transformational.
The students learned to swim (using life vests), canoe, protect the forest, camping skills, and hiking for the first time. They can identify many types of evergreen trees (thanks to Devan) and how to ‘stern’ a canoe. Most importantly there was laughter, singing, and dancing throughout the trip. For these newcomers to America the trip opened their eyes to the beauty of our country. Larry and Devan were incredible! They showed patience, helped teach vocabulary, science concepts, and took special interest in each student. The love these two men have for their jobs and the wilderness came through with every step! They took extra measures to make the trip comfortable and engaging. They met everyone’s needs most often with a big smile!”
— Sandy H., Teacher, Longfellow High School
Larry Raineri
Larry Raineri
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