Colorado!!!

We spent ten days in Colorado for a work/vacation trip and it was beautiful out there! For a beach person, it was nice to see such scenic landscapes for a change.

The first part of the trip was for work. I am an advisor for the Technology Student Association at Delmar High School along with Mr. Carpenter. TSA is the student group for technology education students similar to BPA and FFA. Students compete in events related to what they do in our classes in events such as structural engineering, transportation modeling, digital photography, graphic design, and many others. Each year, there is a state conference and a national conference which was held in Denver, Colorado. We were able to take eight students from tiny Delmar, Delaware/Maryland (the town is really in both states) out west. For two of the students, it was their first time on a plane. Another student has only ever flown once before, when he went to last year's conference. I don't think any of them had been to Colorado before.

While the primary focus of the trip was to compete, one of my personal goals is to give the students the opportunity to experience life outside of the Eastern Shore. Whenever we had the chance, we took them outside of the conference area to explore Denver and beyond. The conference was held right in the downtown area, so it was full of touristy things to do- lots of shopping, the Denver Zoo, an amusement park, and museums. Each night, we had dinner together at a local restaurant. One of my "rules" is that we can not eat at a chain restuarant so we can experience different things. We broke the rule one night because the only place open was the Hard Rock Cafe.

We also took an afternoon and rented a van to go to Mt. Evans, the highest paved road in North America. To hear eight teenagers get excited about the sight of the mountain and the views from the top made the trip completely worthwhile!

One of the Delaware chaperons was overheard talking about our eight students at one of the sessions. She felt that our students were only at the conference for a vacation! That is hardly the case, but we do try to make the trip about MORE than just competing, we want it to be an experience they will remember for a lifetime. I know that I will remember it for the rest of my life. They worked hard to qualify to go and were instrumental in raising money. It was also said that we were trying to be their friends rather than their advisors. My goal is not to make friends as a teacher, but I have made some lifetime friends over the years. One former student works for me as an associate photographer and another has come to me seeking guidance on becoming a tech ed teacher. I keep in touch with many former students and will keep in touch with the seniors from this trip who are going on to college for graphic design and auto mechanics...but especially the very special young man who is going to the Marines. He was the biggest pain as an eight grader, but has transformed over the years to one of my favorite students. Part of that transformation can be directly attributed to his participation in the Technology Student Association and I am proud of that. I held back the tears as we said our good-byes.

This was the first conference that I have had girls qualify for nationals. Since we needed a female chaperon, my wife traveled with us and we brought the kids along. Once the conference was over, Mr. Carpenter took the students back to Delmar while my family and I stayed out west. We went into the mountains and stayed at the Keystone Resort near Breckenridge. Normally, this is a ski resort but it's pretty nice in the summer too. We were able to go snow tubing in shorts and t-shirts, swimming in the pool, watch fireworks over a mountain lake, and horseback riding along the slopes of Breckenridge. There is nothing like being up in the cool mountain air in the summer, a welcome change from the heat of the beach!

I will miss Colorado, but it is nice to be home!