Category: Through the Power of Sport

"No Child Left Inside" · Books · Conversations with Kids · Education · Growing Up New Hampshire · Nature-Based Learning · Through the Power of Sport

On the Night Before School Begins, Our Last Batch of “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters

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Tomorrow, this bulletin board will greet my students on our first day of school.  No matter how many years into this teaching gig I get, I’m still an excited school girl the night before.  Change. Transition.  Adolescence.  Friendship.  Work ethic.  Big dreams.  Little dreams.  Balancing what we love with what we must do.  Finding our… Continue reading On the Night Before School Begins, Our Last Batch of “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters

"No Child Left Inside" · Conversations with Kids · Education · Growing Up New Hampshire · Local · Nature-Based Learning · Through the Power of Sport

“Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 4

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As I’ve officially returned to school this week for professional development, I await the arrival of my students one week from today.  Sitting in meetings with colleagues, my eyes often turn to wonder outside the window, and I remember our hiking experiences this summer with our girls.  Why is it that writing comes so much… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 4

Accessibility · Adaptive Parenting (an adventure itself) · Conversations with Kids · Education · Family life · Through the Power of Sport

August 15, 2017 Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog: “What about the daddies who can’t slingshot?”

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Recently, our six-year-old daughter asked if other daddies might be sad if they couldn’t slingshot. Perplexed, I thought she meant using an actual slingshot as in caveman style sling and rock to kill an animal. I think I said something like, “Well, not all people like to hunt.” She gave me a funny look because… Continue reading August 15, 2017 Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog: “What about the daddies who can’t slingshot?”

"No Child Left Inside" · Conversations with Kids · Education · Growing Up New Hampshire · Local · Nature-Based Learning · Through the Power of Sport

“Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 3

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  Here are some more strong letters in defense of our challenging White Mountain trails: Dear Mary Altz-Smith, My friends and I frequently hike in the White Mountains during the summer. Today, we hiked Indian Head on June 20 with my summer hiking group, Girls of Summer. We are a  strong group of girls who… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 3

"No Child Left Inside" · Conversations with Kids · Education · Growing Up New Hampshire · Nature-Based Learning · Through the Power of Sport

“Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 2

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A continued conversation of our response letters from Girls of Summer: Dear Mrs. Mary Altz-Smith, The letter that the you wrote to The Union Leader was very disappointing. You obviously have never been in the in the real outdoors of New Hampshire. Have you ever been on an actual hike before coming to our challenging… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 2

"No Child Left Inside" · Accessibility · Adaptive Parenting (an adventure itself) · Family life · Nature-Based Learning · Through the Power of Sport

When Making Family Memories Takes Years Off Our Lives in Only the BEST Ways…

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For the record, for all of you judging the safety represented in this photo, this Boston Whaler containing my family is within the legal weight limit, and our son, in the green sweatshirt, is wearing his lifejacket beneath his sweatshirt.  We are away on vacation visiting my brother and his family on Martha’s Vineyard, and… Continue reading When Making Family Memories Takes Years Off Our Lives in Only the BEST Ways…

"No Child Left Inside" · Accessibility · Adaptive Adventure · Adaptive Parenting (an adventure itself) · Family life · Through the Power of Sport

July 27 Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog: Grit, Resiliency , and Resolve

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When having a conversation with anyone– with or without a spinal cord injury– we garner information about their attitude, sense of grit, and/or capacity for resiliency within a few minutes. I’ve become slightly obsessed with this concept of GRIT reading many articles over the past few years identifying grit as one of the qualifying characteristics… Continue reading July 27 Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog: Grit, Resiliency , and Resolve

"No Child Left Inside" · Books · Conversations with Kids · Education · Growing Up New Hampshire · Nature-Based Learning · Through the Power of Sport

The Weight We Carry

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One of my favorite American novels is The Things We Carried by Tim O’Brien.  In the first chapter, he writes about what they carry in their packs.  Today, while hiking we teased one young lady for packing an entire jumbo box of goldfish in her pack along with a pudding cup, not her best choice… Continue reading The Weight We Carry

"No Child Left Inside" · Accessibility · Adaptive Adventure · Adaptive Parenting (an adventure itself) · Family life · Through the Power of Sport

Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog for July 13, 2017: a Different Kind of Independence

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Independence for those of us living a wheelchair lifestyle means different things for different people. For my husband, Geoff, independence is creativity paired with accessibility. We live in a beautiful place where so much is accessible to our family, a place where adaptive programs like Eastern Adaptive Sports and New England Disabled Sports and Adaptive… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog for July 13, 2017: a Different Kind of Independence

"No Child Left Inside" · Conversations with Kids · Education · Growing Up New Hampshire · Nature-Based Learning · Through the Power of Sport

For the Lady who Complained Our White Mountains are “Disgraceful,” We Beg to Differ…

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    Dear Mary Altz-Smith of Birmingham, AL, Recently, The Union Leader published your letter to the editor expressing your disappointment in the conditions of our White Mountain trails.   Respectfully, many of us who actually live here actually got quite a kick out of your complaints, including this incredible group of girls we have… Continue reading For the Lady who Complained Our White Mountains are “Disgraceful,” We Beg to Differ…