income - Kroka Expeditions

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LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER
Dear friends,
I am sitting on a giant rock slab at the entrance to the Moisie River
Canyon in northern Quebec. Spruce and fir trees cling to the granite
walls rising steeply on both sides of the chasm. The roar of the rapids
deafens me to all other sounds. Together with Lily Frey and Pasha
Belenky, I am supporting a diverse group of intrepid students on their
two-day group solo through the canyon, which is perhaps the most
challenging solo experience ever accomplished on a Kroka program.
As I watch the team negotiate the class IV rapid, the bows of their
canoes flung in the air by giant waves, I cannot help but reflect on the
past 20 years of paddling the turbulent river of Kroka Expeditions. For
me, these years have been one long adventure filled with exhilarating
first-descents, capsizes, and exciting swims to safety.
How is it possible for a group of 15 – 18 year-olds to paddle down this canyon, one few adults have ever
attempted, with such calm and confidence?
It begins with the founding principles of Kroka: to see the best in each student, to recognize their
human potential, to challenge them to give fully of themselves and withhold nothing, to give fully
of ourselves as teachers, and to rise to the challenge of being the best we can be.
It is about commitment and loyalty. I glance at my co-leaders, who both grew up as students at
Kroka. They lead busy, purposeful, striving lives; yet find time every year to return and lead students on expeditions. The backbone of Kroka is our committed staff who give themselves so fully to
this work, again and again.
Many of these young adults started Kroka with Adventures for Small People at the age of six. Some
have up to ten years of summer program experience, including several Canadian Expeditions and a
Kroka Semester. The commitment of the students and families who make Kroka an integral part of
their lives is central to who we are.
Hours later, the paddlers are still going strong. They are approaching the last kilometer-long class
IV drop of the canyon. The complex combination of a large pour-over, a rock sieve, and a riverleft hydraulic makes us stop and set up an upstream kayak rescue station. Before attempting this
challenge, the students gather themselves in an eddy, and what do we hear? They are beginning
to sing! This speaks to Kroka’s unique holistic approach to outdoor education. We have covered
650 river kilometers over the past 24 days. Every day, we have also feasted on organic food that
was grown and dehydrated by students and staff, complemented by freshly-caught fish. We have
done yoga every morning, made moccasins, and created “artwork” with fish skins and fruit leather
wrappers.
We now stand on a sand dune separating the bay of Mishtashipu and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, with
the ocean on one side and the river on the other. As we watch our student’s canoes appear on the horizon, we can see the pride in their faces.
Later, sitting on a beach watching the sun set over the mountains, we reflect on our month
together: the rain, the bugs, the two-day portage, the berries, the scrapes and bruises, the
conflict and laughter, and we begin to look forward to the expeditions that await us in the
years ahead.
Lynne and I started Kroka when we were just approaching age thirty. Twenty years later, we
are still full of life and enthusiasm for our work, yet it is time for us, the board of trustees, and
Kroka’s staff to look ahead. How do we maintain this organization that runs on enthusiasm
and idealism beyond its youth?
Kroka is a three-legged stool. Summer Programs, Programs for Schools and Semester Programs
are three equal parts of our revenue and our work. As we grow, we will continue to deepen our
Summer Program, increasing the technical difficulty and duration of our extended expeditions
while maintaining the warmth and quality of our camps for younger children. Our Programs
for Schools will offer geographically diverse programming, like Kroka West and Kroka Ecuador, while deepening the academic curriculum of programs such as Odyssey and Geology. At
the same time, we will grow our farm and service-based programs at home.
When we created our Semester Program 11 years ago, it was designed to serve our most
advanced students at the end of their careers as summer students at Kroka. Now, academic
pressure at school makes it difficult for our best students to attend the semester and we are
asked to develop a year-round program. Sooner or later we will have to answer the need for
a year-round school rooted in sustainability, community, and adventure.
A solid foundation is essential for the organization’s longevity and health. A challenge we
face is the continued sustainable development of our beautiful campus. Once the farm barn
is built, our next objective will be to address the urgent structural and energy needs of the
farmhouse and create adequate staff housing in line with our values.
A solid foundation requires sound finances. Financially, we are striving to build an operational
reserve, a professional development fund, a capital improvements fund, and a scholarship
endowment. In a time of growing socio-economic disparity, establishing an endowment to
continue to allow for 50% of our students to receive financial aid is our foremost financial
priority. We cannot reach any of these goals without your support. You are vital to Kroka’s
success on the next leg of our long expedition. By sending your children to Kroka and by
donating your time and money, you make it possible for us to do this good work.
Every evening I have been packing for our Grand Canyon Expedition, the great adventure
ahead of us. This December, we will paddle the canyon with 30 members of our Kroka famly.
It will be a fitting celebration of the amazing community we have built over these 20 years.
It has been a priviledge to share the adventure of Kroka over these past two decades. I look
forward to sharing it with thousands more in the years to come.
A SUMMER CAMP LIKE NO OTHER
In the summer of 2015, we will offer deeper curriculum
and more advanced technical skill instruction than
ever before. We are very excited about these new
expeditions, which offer extraordinary challenges,
longer durations, and truly inspiring destinations.
Advanced paddlers will have the unique opportunity to
journey north on the UNGAVA BAY EXPEDITION, our
first month long canoeing journey in the Canadian
Sub-Arctic, led by Lily Frey and Pasha Belenky.
Experienced climbers will adventure into the heart
of Maine’s wilderness on EXPEDITION KATAHDIN,
a three-week Alpine-style climbing expedition led by
David Silva Alvarez and Carolin Woerter.
Our wilderness living programs will expand to include the three-week OCEAN ODYSSEY FOR YOUNG
WOMEN led by Trina Powers. A new BOYS RITE OF
PASSAGE program led by Tom Rosenberg will give
young men an opportunity to challenge themselves
and celebrate their transition to adulthood.
Emily Hughes, our Outreach Coordinator, has taken
on leadership in our Programs for Young Children,
including INTRO TO ADVENTURE and CHILDREN
OF KROKA VILLAGE. Emily’s loving care and passion
for working with kids will ensure endless fun for our
youngest students.
PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS
For the third year in a row, we are
offering KROKA WEST programs on
the Lost Coast of Northern California,
in cooperation with the Frey family.
Vermont Semester Alumni (and longtime Kroka teachers) Lily Frey and Tom
Rosenberg are the principle guides,
along with Lily’s father Luke.
For the past two years we have offered
FARM AND SERVICE programs focusing on the farm, gardens, and woodyards, as well as work on the land and
in the forest.
This spring, we ran our first SOUTHWEST program in cooperation with
Deerhill Expeditions in Mancos, CO, for
the senior class of Lake Champlain Waldorf School. Students paddled on the San
Juan River and performed service projects on a Navajo Reservation.
TRANSFORMATIVE SEMESTER PROGRAMS
Wilderness First Aid Certification has been added to both semesters. With the addition of
Joe Graham to our team and the purchasing of bikes in Ecuador the bike segment of both
semesters has flourished.
The semester white water paddling program has been strengthened. Expert paddlers Misha Golfman and Pasha Belenky provide instruction on training days before expeditions.
A partnership with Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has made rowing the length of
Lake Champlain an integral part of the Vermont Semester.
A big thank you to SKY MEADOW RETREAT for providing us with the northern base
camp for the Vermont Semester. We appreciate your welcoming energy and emphasis
on mindfulness and sustainability.
OUR STAFF COMMUNITY
This fall, we welcomed JOE GRAHAM as our Deputy
Finance Manager and Campus Engineer. In addition to
working at Kroka, Joe runs Graham Cycles, a custom
bike fabrication business. He lives on campus with his
partner, Emily Hughes.
HANAH LABARRE completed a six-month study in
Health in Crestone, Colorado. She will be bringing her
expanded skills and knowledge to the semester wellness
curriculum this winter.
This fall we waved goodbye to LEAH LAMDIN as she
drove off in a gold VW Vanagon with her partner Greg
and their dog Vida. We are grateful for Leah’s commitment to Kroka and her countless contributions to the
organization, and excited for her future adventures.
LINDA FUERDERER has co-authored an article, The Jefferson Site: A Paleoindian Encampment on a Stony Knoll.
EMILY TURNER completed a solo canoe expedition
in Maine. She paddled, poled, and portaged over 500
miles in her handmade cedar canoe. She is back at
Kroka now. Her next adventure will be a long-distance
bike ride, on a bicycle she built in Joe’s shop.
We are very happy to report that our Ecuador team
is continuing to grow! Congratulations to MICHAEL
DAMMER and MARCELA RESTREPO on the birth
of their first son and to MARCEA MACINNESS and
THOMAS DAMMER on their second daughter.
IN MEMORIAM
Jim Walker, Founder of BattenKill Canoe, passed
away this spring. Jim was a great friend of Kroka
since the very beginning. In 1996, Misha crossed the
Green Mountains in search of a route for what
eventually became Expedition Pre-Columbus. Misha
stumbled upon Jim on the shore of the Battenkill
River and instantly formed a friendship that has
lasted almost twenty years was struck. BattenKill
Canoe supplied countless canoes and shuttles for
Kroka, and from Jim we learned everything from
canoe repair to great paddling routes all over the
country. Jim’s generosity and belief in Kroka’s mission
allowed our organization to strengthen and grow.
Jim, your adventurous spirit lives on in the eddies and
riffles of the river and every trip on Battenkill is an
encounter with you, now and forever.
NEWS FROM THE FARM
The new cows, Meg and Truffle, have
been bred and we will start milking
in the spring. We will also double our
berry patch, planting more blueberries,
raspberries, and strawberries.
We are blessed by the generosity and
commitment of many people. Huge
thanks are due, especially, to:
The folks at BADGER BALM. Thanks to
your time and expert guidance, our new
bees have been buzzing around campus
pollinating all the plants.
Expert carpenter HUGH LANDIS worked
tirelessly with students and staff to build
a new chicken wagon. The chickens are
grateful, and so are we.
CAT HANNIGAN just finished a second
season as our farm apprentice. Her hard
work increased the farm’s yields and
eased Lynne’s work load. Thanks, Cat!
OUR BRIGHT FUTURE
We are making progress towards our
long-term campus vision. Breaking
ground on the farm barn moves us
closer to our goal of renovating the
farm house for structural integrity and
energy efficiency.
A huge success for us this year has
been the formation of the Kroka Solar
Garden LLC. The 150-panel Solar Array
will power Kroka and eight households
and businesses in the neighborhood,
including Orchard Hill. We will zero
out our electric bill while providing a
service to our neighbors and generating
local clean power.
A beautiful new entrance sign will
welcome you back to Kroka on your
next visit. It was hand-made this fall by
Ecuador Semester students with Mathias Dammer and Hugh Landis.
All campus projects are made possible
by your generous donations.
LETTER FROM OUR BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear Wilderness Adventurer, Admirer, Dreamer;
Many organizations, year after year, write letters asking for financial support.
Why should you read this one? You may have noticed that the Kroka “way”
for most things is off the beaten path. And this is a different kind of letter,
describing a new model for providing financial support to Kroka.
Kroka is proudly self-sufficient in its operations. The tuition payments we
receive cover our operating expenses. What can’t be covered by tuition are
scholarships and capital improvements. We’ve done the math. We know we
need robust support for scholarships. We also need to be thrifty and phase
our capital projects so they can proceed as funds permit.
Here is how it will work:
• For 2015 we need to raise $60,000 to fund our sliding scale tuition
structure. These are critical funds to support the 50% of worthy Kroka
students whose families cannot afford to pay full tuition on our sliding
scale.
• In 2015 we must build a farm barn to properly house our livestock and
prepare for future renovations of the aging farmhouse. The 2015 work
will cost $80,000.
For the “special projects” side of this we have developed a comprehensive
campus plan that will, over the coming years, build a farm barn, save our
farmhouse, repurpose the farmhouse basement to better support program
logistics and students, and complete the carriage barn.
This is a risk. You will either find the specificity of our requests compelling or
not. Maybe you will grow weary of hearing about another “special project”.
But, as we know you know, we are committed to making our programs accessable through sliding scale tuition and scholarship awards. We are equally
committed to being frugal and thoughtful with every gift we receive. I ask
you to consider making a gift that is generous for you in support of Kroka
Expeditions.
Sincerely,
Mother of Eric ‘08 Vermont Semester
President, Kroka Board of Trustees
THE FARM BARN!
Groundbreaking! With the generosity of donors like you, we have worked for
the past two months digging and pouring a solid foundation for Kroka’s new
FARM BARN. Now, we need your help to build the barn on top of that foundation! We must raise $80,000 to complete this project in the summer of 2015.
THE PLAN
Construction will take place between June 1 and August 22, allowing the project to
be fully integrated into summer programming. Six apprentices selected from Kroka’s
older students and alumni will work with master builder Bill Symonds on every
aspect of the building. They will learn valuable building skills as they participate
in chipping the timber frame, roofing, siding, flooring, stalls, windows and doors.
And, of course, we will have a Community Barn Raising Day! Designed in the Kroka
tradition, this project will result in a beautiful and much-needed building while offering a foundation of life skills and knowledge to a group of capable young people.
TWENTY YEARS OF ADVENTURE
1995
1996-7
1998
Misha Golfman and
Lynne Boudreau establish Kroka Expeditions.
Operations are based
out of Hilltop Montessori in Brattleboro, VT.
The growing program
offers wilderness adventure, mindful living, and
quality time with Kroka,
the Alaskan Husky.
Johanna Gardner invites
Lynne and Misha to use
her land in Newfane,
VT. Trollhaugen Farm
becomes the first Kroka
Base Camp.
JOHANNA GARDNER
“Our land is beautiful, but it’s not
the easiest place because it has two
brooks that cut through it. Other
people might have felt that it was
not going to work, but Misha doesn’t
ever give up. He doesn’t take no for
an answer. They put up a yurt, and
then two, and then it was underway.
That’s probably the most important
contribution I made, having them
on the land. It allowed them to try
things and see what worked and
what didn’t, and to create a clear vision of what they wanted for land of
their own.”
2002
Ecuadorian
brothers
Michael, Thomas, and
Mathias Dammer travel
from British Colombia
and Ecuador to work
for Kroka.
MATHIAS DAMMER
“I would say it was just meant to be. When I was in Canada studying
Outdoor Education, I had a friend, Leo, with whom I shared a lot of
visions and thoughts. As I was finishing my studies, Leo wrote me to
let me know that he worked in a small outdoor school in Vermont
and that they needed a climbing teacher. Michael and I were already
working in Canada. We wrote Thomas in Ecuador, telling him to apply
to work at Kroka for the summer, so we could go climbing together
at the end. A few months later Thomas was at Kroka and we received
an email from Misha saying that he would love all three of us to come
to work there. The very next day we quit our landscaping jobs. We
made it to Kroka and stayed there for the rest of the summer. We
had found a real brotherhood with Misha and Lynne’s family. What
we thought would be a one time job to bring us together for a climbing adventure became a life long commitment that has brought us
together for a living adventure.”
AT KROKA EXPEDITIONS
2004
2007
2008
2009-present
Students,
parents,
and teachers work
together to launch a
bold expedition to ski
and canoe the entire
length of Vermont:
the first-ever Kroka
semester program.
Kroka students bike, raft,
mountaineer and farm
on the first Ecuador Semester Program, while at
home in Vermont we offer 19 different summer
programs!
Kroka buys a new home
in Marlow, NH. Lynne
apprentices at the Landowne family’s Biodynamic Farm to prepare to
expand the Kroka Farm.
Our programs grow
and the farm expands.
Many of our early students are now summer
staff. We are looking
forward to the next
leg of the expedition.
SAUL BLOCHER ‘VSP 04
“I was at an info session in the fall
of 2003. Misha was talking about
expedition food. He said that we’d
have dehydrated potatoes for carbohydrates, because they are light
and quick and easy to prepare. We’d
carry beans, because they are light
and simple and a good source of protein. And finally, he said, we’d carry
butter, because “butter is fat, and
fat is good”. Well, I’d been a lifelong
connoisseur of butter, so I was sold
at that... Semester was a huge part
of my life. I still find ways to relate
whatever my wife and I are doing
to things I learned and did in 2004.”
HANNAH BILLIAN ‘ESP 07
“Semester was a huge discovery of who I am and what I’m
capable of. We made our own
knives, our raft, our backpacks.
It was the first time I had crafted
so many things by hand. That was
a big empowerment piece, and it
informed everything I’ve done
since. Semester was also the first
time I remember feeling physical pain- the sort of pain that
comes from pushing your body to
its edge and then past it. When
you are cold and hungry and
everything hurts. It completely
changed my life. Since then I’ve
been a guide.”
BIRGIT LANDOWNE
“The most meaningful part of
Kroka, for my family, has been
our relationship with Lynne
and Misha, which has grown
over the past 10 years into deep
friendship and appreciation for
each other. It has been so good
to see them develop their connection with their land. That
is the work we do here on our
farm, and I was so excited when
Lynne wanted to do it there.
Also, I have appreciated sharing
our children and seeing them
grow up together and form
such a deep friendship and connection over the long distance.”
ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT
INCOME
Contracted Groups
$230,000 Tuition & Fees
Summer Programs
$340,000 Tuition & Fees
Other
$23,000 Rent, Interest Income,
Store Sales, Farm Sales, and
other income
Donations
$90,000 Annual Appeal
and other major gifts
Semester Programs
$330,000 Tuition & Fees
KROKA EXPEDITIONS First Million Dollar Year!!
In 2014 we expect to surpass $1,000,000 in annual income/expenses. This is
certainly a milestone in our growth, and reflects the volume of activity that takes
place here! Where does all this money come from? Where does it all go?
EXPENSES
Capital Improvements
$45,000 Investments in our facilities and
vehicles: Carriage Barn, Farm Barn, and
Base Camp improvements
Insurance
Subcontracted Programs
$83,000 to Nahual Expeditions
$60,000 for liability ,
property and auto
insurance
Food
$73,000 for locally sourced
organic foods
Other
All other operations
necessary to provide fun
and safe programs for
our students
Year-Round Staff
$304,000 Salaries & Benefits
for year-round employees
Seasonal Staff
$150,000 wages for
seasonal teaching staff
Supplies & Equipment
$83,000 for consumbable
supplies and durable
equipment
KROKA’S COMMUNITY OF RECENT DONORS
Barry Aleshnick & Martina Sczesny
Jeffrey Allen and Stephanie Lahar
Anne Appleby
Katherine Arrington
Julie & Gary Arthurs
John Athanasopoulous and Katherine
Tanya Balsley
Spyropolous
David & Jenny Begin
Alexei & Marina Belenky
Anne Brin & Mark Billian
David & Claudia Teachman-Blocher
Daniel & Anne O’Connor
Charlie Boswell
Michael Boylen
Eva Cahill
Elet & John Callahan
Kim Canseco
Lawrence Carter
Peter Carter
Larry Cassidy
Vincent & Deneen Chippari
Sam & Jane Katz-Christy
Tom & Fran Clemetson
Martha & Berny Cooper
David and Mary Beth Cooper
Lise and Tim Coppinger
Keith Cornell & Carrie Steindorff
Terri Borden
Tonya & Jamie Coulter
Dan Curll
Fred & Jude D’Angelo
Chris Segrave-Daly & Amishi Desai
James Simring
Joe Deden & Mary Bell
Stephen & Nancy Detra
Kevin Devine
Bet Dews & Wendy Coughlan
Anonymous Donor
Ritalee Doty
Mary Doyle & Patrick Herson
Gerald & Nancy Dumas
Monica Herman & Peter Dunphy
Janet Gordon & Timothy Dziedzic
Susan & Bill Eisen
Dove & Noah Elbers
Bruce & Adriana Elliot
Stephen Ellis
Anita Kostecki & Michael Ennis
Don Estes
Christopher & Carolyn Evans
Kathy Faltin and Lawrence Rudolph
Charlotte & Charles Faulkner
Dawn Fischer & Randy Minns
Peter Fisher
Peter & Jane Ann Fisher
Steven & Ellen Fishman
Ruth Fiske & Nicolas Lindholm
Barbara Fordyce & Robert Dahl
Margaret Foxweldon & Leonard Weldon
Parents of Ezra Fradkin
Susan Joel & Dan Fraizer
Luke & Emily Frey
Linda Fuerderer
Johanna Gardner & Bahman Mahdavi
Maxine Garfinkel
Laurie & Daniel Gelb
Greg Georgaklis
Molly Barber & Tom Gilbert
Patrick & Tracy Gillespie
Robert Glantz & Nancy Montgomery
Misha Golfman & Lynne Boudreau
Joseph & Margarita Golfman
Neva Goodwin
Joyce & Cy Gregg
Rachael Grossman & Paul Erlbaum
Jim & Joy Grossman
Robin & Peter Gucker
Alaric & Jodi Harris
Francis & Doris Hauert
Roger Haydock
Beth Reuman & Rick Hemond
Lisl Hofer
Susan Hostetler
Parker Huber
Emily Hughes & Joe Graham
Kim Peavey & Frank Hunter
Patricia & Robert Innes
Ari & Liz Jackson
Marcia Jackson
Ruth Jaffe & Paul Horowitz
Sandra Jones
Swift Corwin JR
George & Sigrid Scholz-Karabakakis
Paul Kazarov and Barbara Whipple
James & Carolyn Kelly
Sarah Keyishian
Craig Kishi
Randy Knaggs
Ashirah & Chris Knapp
Helen Koch
Paul & Barbara Koutras
Brian Kunz & Lindsay Putnam
Stephanie Lahar & Jeffrey Allen
Peter & Kate Lamdin
Leah Lamdin
Terry & Hugh Landis
Ezra Landis
Owen & Jennifer Landis
Styliani Pastra-Landis & Tanya Laidlaw
Erik & Birgit Landowne
Mary Lawrence
Ruth Hodges & John LeClaire
Bruce Lessels
Gili & Yotam Lev
Laura & Jonathon Links
Jim Lukenda & Maura Lockhart
Cathy Luke
Stephen Mackenzie
Joe Marks & Maggie Cahoon
Kevin & Polly Mahoney
David Mannai
Robin & Lawrence Mathews
Patricia & Jon McAlice
David & Lisabeth Sewell McCann
Peter & Dorothy McColl
Mark McGovern
Judith Scheuer & Joseph Mellicker
John Miller & Debbie Van Schaack
Dennis Molesky
JC Myers
Meena & Addison Neva
Richard & Elizabeth Norton
Louis & Margaret Noschese
Joe Madrigali & Donni Uzarski
Marcia Okun & Joshua Lieberman
Ann Du Bay & Jeremy Olsan
Charles & Dorothy Marquis-Omer
Mary & Chris Osgood
Andy Paonessa
Darlene & Mark Patterson
Stephen Phillips
Terese & Thomas Platten
Polly Mahoney & Kevin Slater
Judi & Ilene Price
Tim Price
Anah Pytte
Ruth Recker
Kevin & Kate Reily
Addie Hall & Harry Reindel
Eugene & Julia Reznik
Alan & Amy Robertshaw
Sandra & Louis Rosenblum
Irina & Bruce Rosenblum
Peter & Heather Row
Karl & Ann LaBar Russek
Katie Schwerin & Bill Whyte
Deb Luskin & Tim Shafer
Chris & Julia Shaida
David Sobel
Lou Soltys and Christopher Morse
Chuck & Lori Soule
Henry & Carol Spindler
Craig Stockwell & Sarah Mustin
Betsy Street
Stephanie Cox Suarez & Del Friedman
Jim & Diny Sweitzer
Garry & Jami Thall
Molly Turlish
Seth & Susan Granger Tyler
Robin Tyner
Monica Vegelj & Brian Miron
Mandy Walsh & Chris Fischetti
Andrea Walsh & Andrew Davis
Ondria & Peter Wasem
Peter & Fannie Watkinson
Jeffrey & Susannah Webb
Zach & Emily Weinberg
Anne-Kathrin Weise
Michael & Valerie Wiles
Dyan Wiley
Perry & Jed Williamson
Katrina Wilson
Andy Winter & Elissa MacLean
Laura Fitch & Lyons Witten
Ellen & Steve Young
Heather & Peter Zine
Organizational Supporters
Archie Bunker
Basin Farm
Battenkill Valley Outdoors
Catamount Trail Association
Earth Sky Time Farm
Farm and Wilderness
Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center
Grandy Oats, Inc.
Granite Gorge Ski Area
Green Mountain Orchard
Harlow Farms
Harris Center for Conservation
Hillside Springs Farm
Hogancamp and Associates
Koviashuvik Local Living School
K. Sweeney Construction, LLC.
Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc.
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
Lake Champlain Waldorf School
Merck Forest
Mahoosic Guide
Mole Hill Theater
Monadnock Waldorf High School
Orchard Hill Breadworks
Patagonia of Freeport Maine
Rock Point School
Shelburne Farms
Shushan Covered Bridge Museum
Sky Meadow
Someday Farm
Trapp Family Lodge
West Hill Shop
The Works Bakery Cafe
W.S. Badger Company
ECUADOR SEMESTER ALUMNI
SONYA BUGLION GLUCK ESP ‘13.
When semester ended, I was not at all ready to settle down. I set
out on a bike tour which took me from CA to NC and from CT home
to northern VT. The journey was full of generous people, beautiful
landscapes, and simple freedom. I am now studying at UVM. My
semester friends and the memories from those spectacular months
of my life will always be dear to my heart, as will Kroka.
SHAI LEV ESP ‘12
I am in a self-designed pre-nursing program at the local community
college. I am planning to travel around Guatemala and Ecuador in
the spring and begin a four-year nursing program in the fall. I have
seen half of my fellow semester alumni since June.
SIENA POWERS ESP ‘12
When I was 17, I had never done anything that I felt significantly
proud of. Going to Ecuador and living in that community made me
realize that life is full of wonderful things to do and people to meet.
After graduation, I worked as an Au Pair in France and biked around
the countryside. Now I am studying at St. Johns College. At Kroka, I
realized that my life is my own. I can do anything with it.
CLAYTON CLEMETSON ESP ‘11
After semester, I spent four months biking, hitchhiking and trekking around New Zealand. More recently, I have been continuing
to work as a contra dance pianist and film score composer. I moved
to Boston this fall to build my music career. I hope to attend Berklee
College of Music in the fall.
EZRA FRADKIN ESP ‘11
I have been at Sterling College for the past two years. I am studying
sustainable agriculture and community food systems. I spent this
summer on Lopez Island, WA, interning with the Land Trust and
working on a draft-horse-powered organic farm. I still use my semester backpack and knife every day. More importantly, I use the
communication and problem solving skills I learned at Kroka.
ARMIN WEISE ESP ‘10.
Semester put me on the path I truly wanted to follow. I now live in
the Blue Ridge Mountains, where I study Sustainable Forestry at
Warren Wilson. You might find me working with the forestry crew,
paddling the many local rivers, or reading about myco-heterotrophic plants. I’ve come back to work at Kroka each of the last four
summers. The Kroka village has become another home for me.
ARI ERLBAUM, ESP ‘07, VSP ‘10
I live in Burlington, VT, where I teach harmonica lessons, play in a
brass band, contradance, sing, and work at a nature program. I’m
slowly writing a science fiction comic book, and also learning to
make podcasts. I’m hoping to attend an intensive semester program
in audio production in Portland, Maine.
VERMONT SEMESTER ALUMNI
OLIVER MEDNICK VSP ’10 AND VSP TEACHER ‘14
I haven’t slept under the same roof for more than a month since
I graduated from Warren Wilson College, over a year ago. After
teaching Semester, I decided to bike across the US. I recently
reached the Pacific, and I’m thinking it might be time to settle
down for a little while. My future holds fiddles, buckskin, sourdough, and anything you can make with two hands and a mind.
MOLLY KATZ-CHRISTY VSP ‘14
I’m in Boston, trying to balance my different lives on and off semester. I’ve been doing a lot of queer activism, like answering calls
from lonely Midwesterners. I’ve also been doing a lot of swimming
and climbing and tanning deer hides. Life feels very full, but I keep
finding more things to do!
KENYA PERRY VSP ‘13
Kroka changed my life in ways I didn’t expect. While skiing the
length of Vermont, I learned wilderness skills, how to push myself
beyond my limits, and how to live in a close community. I realized
I wanted to go to a not-so-average college to continue living the
way semester showed me. I am currently at College of the Atlantic,
studying marine biology. My connection to Kroka and my semester
family is something I will always appreciate.
KERENSA BARTLETT VSP ‘13
I’ve completed my duties as a high schooler and spent this summer
as an apprentice at Kroka. Both endeavors were full of adventure
and exploration. This fall I am apprenticing at Koviashuvik with
my dear friend and semester-mate, Lotte. I’m planning to return to
Kroka for another summer of kids, kasha, and kindling splitting.
JOSIA GERTZ DECHIARA, VSP ‘12
I am at Hampshire College, studying molecular ecology. I am
happy to be spending most of my class time doing real research. I
also play with after-school kids in the woods, contra dance, climb,
and forage for wild edibles. After apprenticing at Kroka for two
summers, I spent this one chainsawing and doing trailwork on a
conservation crew in Colorado.
ADAM HODGES LECLAIRE, VSP ‘12
I am spending much of this year sailing aboard a recreated 1779
French frigate called the Hermione. This fall, I took part in sea trials on the west coast of France. This spring, we will sail across the
Atlantic. Right now, I am working at Fort Ticonderoga. I recently
met up with almost half my semester group in Amherst, MA.
ANNA SOLTYS MORSE, VSP ‘09
I worked at several outdoor organizations, including Kroka, for a
while after the semester. I have recently gone back to school and
am also training to be a professional circus performer! I’m having a
grand old time.
NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO 1
Marlow, NH
UPCOMING
EVENTS
December 7, 2014
ECUADOR SEMESTER
GRADUATION
All are welcome!
January 19, 2015
VERMONT SEMESTER
OPENING
You are invited to come
meet the new semester
students and families.
February 14-17, 2015
FIRE AND ICE
Join us for winter exploration by ski and snowshoe. Ages 13 - 18
E X P E D I T I O N S
K R O K A
767 Forest Road, Marlow, NH 03456
www.kroka.org | (603) 835- 9087
May 2, 2015
KROKA WORK DAY
Help us wake up the
Kroka Village with
friends and family.
A huge thank you to our
amazing cover artist,
Finn Mahoney Vsp’14!