Monday, June 1st ~ Travel Day

Travel Day by Juniper

The sound of the plane's roaring engine shook me as we took off on our first flight to Seattle. I was halfway awake, and my head was bobbing as the plane landed at the Seattle airport. Once we got settled and set our bags down, the adventures began. One student lost their backpack. Others lost things like their boarding passes or a wallet. After much frantic searching, we boarded the flight to New Mexico. We landed in the happy airport of Albuquerque and began our journey to the cabins. The airport had successfully given us enough excitement and stress for the day. 

Arriving at the Albuquerque Airport by Greyson and Asher

Our class arrived in New Mexico, and when we got there, we regrouped at the gate. We made sure we had everyone and everything, and then we headed to the bathroom. When we got to the bathroom, we all sat down and chilled together while waiting for our turn. When we all got done, we exited the terminal and headed down to the curb. When we were going down the escalator, we met Chris, who gave us high-fives. Then we met Nicolee. They both told us what we would be doing next and prepared us for the drive. Then we finally reached the curb, and while waiting for the vans, we realized that Mattox had lost his wallet! We couldn’t find it, but we called the lost and found. Then we hopped in the van and went to a Mexican fast-food restaurant, and a lot of people got burritos and chicken strips. All of the food came out in less than 1 minute of ordering and was so good. After we were full, we got in the van and went to get Mattox’s wallet, which the staff had found after that quick pit stop. We headed to Bishop’s Ridge and played some card games along the way, as well as other road-trip games.

Arriving at Bishop’s Ridge by Juni and Natalie

My eyes scanned the ground as the van turned onto a gravel, dirt driveway. Slowly, people started to tumble out of the van, excitement drawn all over their faces. I hopped down the van’s narrow steps as the sun welcomed me to Bishops Ridge. Trees surrounded a cheerful lunch hall with twinkle lights strung around the edges. To the left of the lunch hall I noticed there were two A-frame cabins with light peeking through the curtains. My friends and I walked over to the first cabin and hesitantly pulled open the creaking, wooden doors. I was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful room before me. The cabin had cherry red shelves next to all the twin bunks, and in the back of the room, there was a bathroom, which was a relief to me. The teacher’s room was off to the side, with a door blocking it from my sight. Once we got settled in our cabins with our sleeping bags and pillows neatly laid out on our beds, we trudged down to the lunch hall to have a delicious dinner of burgers and mac and cheese.  We ate dinner outside with a stunning view of New Mexico’s mountain tops surrounded by a thick, dense forest. There were many tables with red umbrellas. To the front of the tables was an amusing cornhole game going on between Harper and Jamison. The ping-pong table was swarmed by a giant group of boys, all yelling and trying to beat each other. After dinner, the group leaders of tomorrow, Blake, Vera, Mattox, Mia, Oli, and Jackson, all sat down on the comfy couch with one of the world leadership school teachers, Nicolee. They discussed what to expect when being leaders and how to direct the group with tomorrow’s activities.  Exhausted from our grueling day, once we got back to the cabins, we all collapsed into our sleeping bags for the night. 

Tuesday, June 2nd ~ Cochiti School 

Helping K-2nd Grade Field Day by Paxten

While some people filled water balloons and some others set up chairs in the gym for the 8th-grade graduation, most kids went to the 1st grade classroom and listened to the kids reading. Then we went outside, and we started off by playing a bunch of water games, followed by some more dry games. Two more classes trickled throughout the games. This was an amazing experience to be with the little kids from other cultures. I think that we all learned something from these knowledgeable 1st graders. 

Field Day by Mia Christensen 

The field day in New Mexico was such an amazing experience. We started by going outside on the field, and we played this field day game where you put your shoes in the middle, and you tried to get them while the teachers sprayed water at you. Then, we played dry for a little while, and then migrated back to playing water games. The water game we played after that is where you throw a water balloon back and forth between you and your partner, and if it falls, it usually pops. There were some indestructible balloons that, even if you dropped them, wouldn't pop. a while after that we went back to the shoe game and Esme ended up trying to steal a water gun and succeeded and everybody followed her lead stealing more water guns Until the adults told us we couldn't steal the water guns anymore and made us put them back then we went back to the shoe game and that was when Chris dumped a much deserved bucket of water on Esme drenching her with water. We then moved on to practicing for our intense kickball game that was happening later in the day. Larry really wanted us to win.

Fry Bread Lunch by Isa

Making fry bread was an adventure. You started out by taking the dough and kneading it. You had to make it into a thin circle. When the bread was done frying, they added multiple toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, beans, and cheese. We got to enjoy the bread with the 6th graders.

Fry Bread by Oscar and Bryn

After the field day, we went inside and made fry bread. The dough was already made, so we just learned how to get it the right size, and then we shaped it. After it was cooked, we filled it with cheese, lettuce, beans, and ate it. While we were eating, some cochiti students came and ate with us. They were really shy. Later, we got Ollipops. I was so happy to get one because it felt like 200 degrees.

Kick Ball Challenge Game with 7th and 8th Graders by Emma

The SPS crew played kickball with the Cochiti School students. Despite Larry's skepticism about our kicking abilities, we beat the Cochiti students for the first time ever. Then, we split into teams with the Cochiti and SPS students and played in a tournament. Larry was beaming with pride. Afterward, we celebrated with popsicles. 

The Water Balloon War by Kate Finter

On June 2nd, the Hunger Games commenced. Not with hunger, but with water. Our game maker cried, "Let the games begin!" It was a battle of thirst. While we were grabbing for weapons, the game makers fired at us. Soon enough, we ran out of ammo. We were nearly defeated, but we had one last shot if we worked together. With the last of our strength, we fired at the game makers with a water cannon. Within seconds, the teachers pleaded for mercy. We had won!

Even though Esme admirably attempted to dump a bucket of water on Larry, the tables were turned!

Kickball and Water Fight by Jamison and Owen Fletcher 

I think my personal favorite part was when, after eating with the 6th- and 7th-graders, we went outside to play kickball with them. We thought for sure it was more fried than the fried bread we ate for lunch. Then we started to play like our lives depended on it. They hit a lot of good kicks, and we made good plays. It was a very close game, but in the last quarter, Harper hit a really good shot, and so we ended up winning it. After celebrating, we split up into 4 teams to play a championship-style match, but this time the groups were mixed between the Cochiti school and Seven Peaks. It was really fun, and we ate popsicles while playing. After all these shenanigans, Esme tried to dump a bucket of water on Mr Lerry, but he grabbed it and ended up dumping it on her.

Bernard by Isabela and Lola

When we went to the pueblo, we got to listen to Bernard tell us about the plaza and how, anytime there was a party, everybody would go to the plaza to dance. He also talked about how there were two types of groups in the pueblo. One group is pumpkin and turquoise. These two groups would dance in the plaza. Then he took us into his house. He showed us what he did and the stones and metal he uses to make his jewelry. He told us about his jewelry and how he learned to make jewelry in college. Aw came to live with him, and he would watch them make jewelry. He started making jewelry for fun, but then he started a business. Then we bought jewelry from him; his prices were really low, and he had multiple types of jewelry, including pins and bedazzled hair ties. Overall, he was really sweet, and he ended up letting us take a photo with him in front of his house.

In the pueblo, we also visited Nadine. She was working in her parents’ house at the time. It had one main room with two couches. Nadine explained the process that she takes to build her storytellers. The clay that she used was local, and all her work was handmade. She had a collection of storytellers that she had displayed on the table. She told us how she builds each storyteller with its own purpose, and although she does not name her storytellers, she blesses each one after it is made. Also, Nadine told us the story of the black bird. It was a really meaningful story about how a black bird was sad that he was all black, but then he saw how all the pretty birds were not free. At the end of the story, the black bird was grateful that he was all black. While Nadine talked, she was carefully crafting the shape of the storyteller. Nadine was an amazing person and was incredibly fun to learn from.

First morning at bishop ridge by Kambria James and Vera Koto

Upon waking up on our initial morning at Bishop Ridge, everyone felt tired from the long trip we had taken the day before. We all got out of bed at 6:30 and had a hard time leaving our comfy, warm beds. When we all got the courage to get up, we started getting ready to head to breakfast at 7:00 in the morning. 

For breakfast, we enjoyed home-cooked bacon, eggs, and hash browns. After our meal, we arranged our chairs in a circle and all sat down ready to listen as the teachers announced the LODs (leaders of the day), and they all conducted AMP to prepare the group. AMP stands for Analyze, Manage, and Prepare for the day.

After that, we began on a never-ending drive to the Cochiti School, where we met the first graders and listened to them read to us! While at the school, we split into groups; one group filled up water balloons for the Cochitis school field day, another set up for the school's graduation, and the third group interviewed Masa, Ms.Tena, and Nancy. We all learned so much from all of them, and all three of them were very educated and answered all our questions with enthusiasm and interest. After our long 

8th grade graduation - Most of this was just sitting there, watching them accept their certificates, and taking the next step into High School, and as some of them won awards for academic achievement. We cleaned up the gym. 

Lunch in the Commons - We ate spaghetti with garlic bread and salad, which was delicious, and we had strawberry shortcake!

Trip to Cochiti Dam - by Harper Vraniak and Blake Porter

After the graduation, we got in the cars and headed for the Cochiti Dam. Once we got there, we parked the hot vans outside the visitor center and walked in. Inside the visitor center, we were hit with a cool gush of air. We were met by Wayne, the dam worker, who told us all about the dam. We looked around the visitor center and saw a lot of cool dam exhibits, including a sand pit where you could move around the sand and a projector that would show you how the water would flow. We also saw a cool orange and black snake out the window. After hanging out in the visitor center, we got in the vans and drove halfway across the dam, which was about 5.3 miles in total! We stopped at a tower that measured the depth of the lake. The tower was 273 feet tall, and 93 feet of it was covered by water! Wayne then talked about a lot of cool facts about the dam and the landmarks you could see from it. We learned that the nuclear bomb was created 15 miles away from us, and about the Rio Grande River. We took some time to admire the sights, then loaded back up to finish our tour. Our coach, Larry, was trying to walk the rest of the way, but we snatched him back into the van. We finished our way on the dam and were surprised to find horses and the cutest baby foals galloping in front of us! That was a big highlight of the trip. We headed back to the visitor center for some people to do their interview and go to the bathroom, then we made our way to the pueblo. 

At Bishops Ridge Day 3 by Lucy and Mattox

GAGA BALL:

On our third day in New Mexico, we had just gotten back from a visit to the Cochiti Pueblo. We got out, Nicolee and Gerald told us we had free time, so the boys' cabins decided to play Gaga Ball, and the girls joined too. It was amazing. I had gotten out, and Owen was trying to attack me.

S’MORES:

After dinner, we had smores. Everyone got into a line to get marshmallows to roast over the fire. A lot of the marshmallows caught fire and/or fell off. It was really crowded. Everyone got 2 marshmallows. Some of us got marshmallows in our hair, including me. We had to eat the s’more outside.

CAN GAME:

The can game is where everyone is in a circle sitting. Gerald would put a can on someone's foot, and they would have to pass it on without using their hands or talking. We never made it a full circle. The boys were basically attacking each other, trying to get the can across without using their hands, but they were failing. The girls were trying to come up with a strategy, but weren't doing so well either. We all kept talking and dropping it. 

ANCHOR is something we would do after dinner and activities. So basically, our class would sit in a circle of chairs and talk about what happened that day and what we were going to do the next day. On day three, we talked about the hike to Bandelier National Monument the next day. We also talked about how we had gone to the dam and the Cochiti Pueblo. ANCHOR stands for: Appreciation, News, Health, Oh wow, and Reflection

Bandelier National Monument by Jackson Edwards - The Bandelier National Monument is more than 33 thousand acres of canyons and mesas, which contain the cave dwellings that were the Ancestral Pueblo Peoples’ home, as well as many other archeological sites. They don’t live there anymore; they have moved to live on the other side of the Cochiti Dam, which is on the Rio Grande. There are two kinds of houses in Bandelier. There are ones on the cliff side and stone foundations for homes on the ground. The cliffs there are made from tuff, a very soft rock formed of volcanic ash, which makes it very easy to carve and dig through. Because of this, the Pueblo People could remove material from the cliff and make homes in the space left behind. On the ground, there are also two kivas, which were semi-subterranean ceremonial buildings for religious purposes or welcoming guests. The      L way the dancing works is that there are two straight lines, and they both dance counterclockwise.

L One of the kids, Owen Fletcher, saw a sign saying, “closed because of snow conditions" and said, “Where's the snow?” Then his hand hit a cactus, and Nicollee had to stay behind and pull the spikes out.

Candle Circle by Kate and Ben

Have you ever heard of a candle circle? Don’t worry; if you haven’t, we haven’t either. A candle circle is where you list all the things you want the people back in your home to recognise in these people. For example, during our candle circle, we reflected on how amazing Cochiti Pueblo culture is, especially how grateful they are for how good their lives are. We also reflected on what we wanted the Bend residents to see in them. This experience was very educational; we learned a lot about how the Cochitit Pueblo has hope, and they always remind themselves how good their life is. It is very cool how appreciative they are of all that they have. For example, did you know local artisan Bernard carries breadcrumbs in his pocket? It’s not to feed birds, but to remind himself of how lucky he is. Isn’t that heartwarming? It was also very good to hear about how Bernard, the silversmith, has persevered and become a master silversmith without a person to teach him! It was a really amazing story about how perseverance can bring you to become a respected artisan. Did you hear of the other artisan, Nadine? Did you know the home she taught us in was also her parents' home? The day before, her granddaughter gave birth to a child. How lucky for her! Nadine is a real wonder who makes beautiful clay storytellers. I got one for my nanny, and she loved it! I’m really glad Bernard and Nadine are doing well. Do you want to know what I wished for? I wish that people in Oregon knew how amazing and inspiring these kind people are.

Waking up at 2:30 am ~ The Journey Home by Kaleia & Esme

We all lugged our luggage out, our eyes barely open, though there was nothing to see because it was so dark. Then we put our luggage at the curb and trailed inside cabin after cabin, tired 6th graders started to fill the dining room. We all grabbed our tinfoil-wrapped burritos (which later made some people sick), and we lugged them into a minivan and went into the assigned vans that we all knew from yesterday. I think all the teachers gave up on giving us new vans.When we got to the airport, we all felt so excited and so sad to leave. As we all started walking to the entrance of the airport, we collected our boarding passes and started our way home with a 4-hour flight to Seattle, where most people slept. Then we had a two-hour layover in Seattle, and then a short flight to Redmond to see all our families. In the end, we lingered to take photos with teachers, then all left to see are beds again and not leave them for the rest of the night. This trip taught us so much fun and let us see so many more different cultures, and gave us all an exciting thing to look forward to at the end of the school year.

Mood Cat by Willow and Addie

Mood Cat is a small stuffed animal that resides in Dr. Kruer's room as an advisory speaking piece. Willow was entrusted to bring Mood Cat to New Mexico, but she doesn't own a camera, so Addie was entrusted by Willow to be Mood Cat’s personal photographer. 

Day 1 of Mood Cat shenanigans: 

Mood Cat's first appearance was at RDM airport. She was seen at the gate playing rat-a-tat-cat with Kaleia and Willow. She then hopped on the plane, shoved in Willow's backpack, and wasn’t taken out until Wednesday. 

Day 2:Mood cat was not taken out on this day.

Day 3: Mood Cat wasn’t allowed to take pictures at the Pueblo and Chochiti School. So Mood Cat took a lot of pictures on the  Dam tour! Mood Cat showed great gymnastic ability in some very flexible positions. She learned her lesson when she sat on a cactus and got spiked! Willow tried to help her but got spiked 3 times! At the end of the tour, after we had gotten out of the vans and were waiting for the interviews to end, a problem arose. Where was Mood Cat???? We thought we had left her at the dam! We were sad that Mood Cat was gone, so we got in the van to leave. But on the seat was a MOOD CAT!!!! We left her in the van after driving on the dam! That concludes day 3. 

Day 4: This was our last full day of the New Mexico class trip!! Our main activity was a scenic hike at Bandelier National Monument! It was a two-hour drive so Mood Cad Cat was in Willow’s backpack the whole time. Once we got there, we realized some of the lunches were missing, so while we waited for some other children to go to the cafe, Mood Cat Cat had a nature photo shoot of the trees. We thought we lost our mood cat for the second time in the bathroom, and as we were taking a peek outside, we almost lost hope and were almost forced outside, but we persevered to our final place to check (the front desk) and found a mood cat that our tour guide handed over!!!!!! We then began the hike with some pit stops, pics of mood cat here and there, before making our way into the old cave homes that had some great crevices for mood cat! We only got to one of the three caves along the way to the big ladders. Owen F got stabbed by a big cactus, which was very concerning so the mood cat shielded her eyes as we fled the scene. We made it closer to the big ladders and had lunch nearby. After we had lunch, we heard some thunder, so we waited around only to wake up to the thunder. Then, after waiting for almost two hours decided to walk all the way back, so Addie and I went on a speed run to get a bunch of last-minute photos of the mood cat since we didn’t get any on the big ladders.  Then we left to go back to Bishop's Ridge for our last night in New Mexico 2026.