Many friends, folks and even strangers ask me why I live in Aspen. One big reason is it's a great place to raise kids. My daughter road her bike to school today. About 3.5 mostly flat miles on roads with speed limits of 20-25 mph and bike paths and views of 3 ski mountains. My son is getting to take aviation classes as an elective. If it sticks with it through senior year he can have a twin engine commercial pilots license. I don't have to be a helicopter parent to ensure their safety. There are no gangs. No one is getting shot. The bears aren't even mauling anyone aside from kitchens. Yes there are drugs and booze but show me a place that doesn't (while you are at it find me a middle ager who doesn't laugh knowingly at the excellent movie Dazed and Confused).
And then there is outdoor education. This is the 50th year of 8th grade ODE. 50 years ago it was a kinda haphazard program put together by bare chested teachers with some rope. Today it involves a 3-4 day trip into the woods (carrying a 40-60 lb pack) for 25 miles or so and 4k vertical feet of gain in patrols of 8 or less taking a variety of routes to avoid congestion in the wilderness. During that period the 8th graders also experience a solo camp out (a night alone in the wilderness). Then they all meet at base camp for another 3 days with everything from conquering a 14 foot wall to 100 foot rappels. (There is a great movie celebrating 50 years of 8th grade ODE and if-when they publish it I will post a link.)
Remember this is a public school. Most of the best private schools in the country can't touch this experience or even try, and NO public school in the country comes close. If you need equipment and can't afford to buy it the school will find some for you. This is a town of 3 homes or 3 jobs--the tremendous economic diversity is fully represented and neutralized on ODE. Cool.
What an opportunity to test yourself, build confidence, and grow emotionally just as you are preparing for high school. Reading Return of the Native is great (well actually I thought it sucked), but getting to go native with your classmates will stick with your forever.
8th grade ODE proved infectious. While it is the BIG trip, 5th graders go hiking and camping, 6th grades do a cross country ski from hut to hut, and 7th graders paddle the rivers to various camp sites. It has also infected the lower school with shorter trips and high school with Ex Ed (paddling in the San Juans or visiting aerospace companies in LA anyone?).
Again this is all available at the public school (not a magnet school ). In a town where more than half the locals live in some form of subsidized housing. And yes, you are expected to do some volunteer work to support this. My wife packed up all the meals on Tuesday. I was a sherpa on Thursday (transport kids to a trailhead, pack out the trash from the first day's lunch, and as it turned out hike out an injured student). Or I could be paying $35k a year for private school in Chicago and getting to work the student drop off zone for a week in February.
Why do I live in Aspen? Why don't you?
PS the wicked low property taxes in Aspen don't quite cover all of this. If you want to support the program you can make a donation at the Aspen Education Foundation.
AEF
PPS or you could just support a slightly higher property tax here in Aspen. Our property taxes are so low and with property values so high a small increase would easily fund the school's needs, and maybe leave some room to raise teachers salaries to the national average. Or so it would seem, there might be some rule not allowing us to better fund our school. Grumble.
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