Sending You Warm Wishes this Winter!

Hello Friends, 

Since we last wrote to you, the Mountain SOL School has received two more grants, along with the Biodiversity Advocates for the Mountains (BAM!) grant through the Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation. We received funding from the Norcross Foundation to purchase much-needed laptops, tablets, and software for our Mountain SOL staff. We thank the Norcross Foundation for their generosity.

The second grant we received is through Project Learning Tree GreenWorks!. We are excited to receive this grant because it will allow the Mountain SOL School and MLA to participate in the Monarch Sister Schools program. This program is a network of schools in the U.S. and Canada that create Monarch butterfly habitat to be used as outdoor classrooms. Schools enrolled in this program partner with a "Sister School" located in Central Mexico near the Monarchs' over-wintering habitat. Children will learn about habitat, life cycles, and migration while engaging in a cross-border collaboration to address the Monarch's declining migratory population. Needless to say, we are beyond excited to start this project!

We are finishing up this semester in anticipation of next semester's projects. This fall, MLA students completed a 3-week unit on team building with P.E. instructor Ms. Amber and a 3-week unit in Art classes with a focus on local wildlife. Our after-school programs will be participating in a Mountain SOL graduation ceremony next week. These students developed mapping skills and other outdoor skills, such as weather preparedness and "how to dress for the elements". All students are taught to be prepared for any type of weather. Mountain SOL classes will be held rain or shine.

Because Tuesday, December 2 is designated as Giving Tuesday, we hope you will consider donating to our organization. Your donation to the Mountain SOL School would be used to fund staff time, which is not currently covered by grant funding. All Mountain SOL Staff are mainly volunteer with roughly 50% compensation for their time. With your donation, we can pay our staff and ensure they will earn a proper living wage while doing the work they love.

 

Any donation you make to the Mountain SOL School is tax deductible and is appreciated by our staff and students.

Thank you for supporting us through our first semester. We couldn't have done it without your continued support and encouragement.
 

See you in the woods! 

Hannah Spencer
President, Aurora Lights