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Dusting off the old Résumé of Failure!
We often talk about embracing failure, and it’s not just educators who do so. In fact, the entire concept has become an industry. From motivational quotes to success stories, it’s easy to find examples where failure is portrayed as a stepping stone to success. Overload The overload principle is key to exercise science. It asserts…
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Climbing walls
I have been involved in adding a climbing wall to school gymnasiums twice. The first in 2001 in Petersburg, Alaska. We achieved that with just $3,000 worth of materials and one very dedicated volunteer. The second climbing wall, was built in Chennai, India in 2018. For the planning, we worked with Project Adventure and then…
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Old dump resurrected as an award-winning park
I used to sit in my car and eat lunch while out driving around the Petersburg parks and facilities. One spot that I liked to sit was actually the old town dump — called glass beach by many locals. It had a wonderful view of the coastal range mountains out across Frederick Sound. Sometimes while…
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Reconstruction of a 70 year old log shelter
In my Parks and Recreation career, I managed a key capital project: reconstructing a log shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) at Sandy Beach Park. I secured $60,000 in funding for the through a $60,000 US Forest Service RAC (Resource Advisory Committee) grant. This is an interview with KFSK about the completion of…
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Clifton Strengths
According to my results from Gallup’s CliftonStrengths, 4 of my top 5 themes are strategic.
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Catastrophe Prevention: New ABCs of Emergency Preparedness
In 2015, during Chennai’s “100-year floods,” the school began reflecting on emergency preparedness. Though I was a PE teacher at the time, I stepped in to help, leveraging my background in disaster preparedness, Boy Scout experience, and first aid and emergency training. We focused on four key areas: personal preparedness, neighborhood support, institutional standards, and…