Around CampusBush News
Cultivating Community Through Connection: A Conversation with Alexa Adams
Director of Programs, Methow Campus and Semester School Alexa Adams cultivates community through connection within The Bush School community and the Methow Valley. Alexa is in her second year at Bush and previously was the Director of Admissions & Financial Aid at The School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL). Alexa holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Bates College, and M.Ed. in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Alexa works with Bush faculty and staff to create opportunities for students across all divisions to experience the Methow Valley campus and community through programming and partnerships.
Who goes to the Methow campus and what programming is coming up this fall or beyond?
- Students (from every division), faculty and staff, and friends of The Bush School! Programming this fall includes Twelfth Grade and Eighth Grade retreats, Middle School fly fishing “wilderness” trip, Upper School Student Wellness Center retreat, Upper School “climbing and mindfulness” class trip, faculty and staff visit for professional development and curriculum planning, “Celebrate Bush” Bush family visit, and more!
What brought you to Bush? What are your favorite parts of the Bush community and Methow community?
- I was drawn to Bush because of the value it places on building a strong and diverse community and the School’s vision to build a semester program at the Methow Campus that brings high school students from Bush and other schools in the PNW together.
The theme this year is Connected, what role does Methow programming have in keeping students connected?
- I think that the Methow Campus offers our community some of the best opportunities to connect and feel connected! All programs at the Methow Campus are largely technology free and are focused around building community. They offer students an opportunity to try new things and learn in immersive and experiential ways. Students learn together, cook dinner together, walk, run, and ski on the trails around campus, do chores, watercolor on the riverbank, and participate in the incredible Methow Valley community.
Our values are Blaze Trails, Nurture an Open Mind, Invite Perspectives, and Cultivate Community, how are these values included in programming at the Methow campus?
- In addition to quite literally blazing trails at the Methow Campus through service work with the USFS Methow Valley Ranger District and being good stewards of the trails that run through our campus, the Methow Valley community provides an excellent model for cultivating community and inviting perspectives, especially from those who may be different from you. The vast network of nonprofits and other community based organizations have served as excellent teachers and partners for our students.
Can you tell us more about some of the partnerships we have within the Methow Valley?
- We feel so fortunate to have a number of incredible partnerships with organizations and community members in the Methow Valley, and we are always looking for ways to strengthen our existing partnerships and build new ones. This month, our Eighth Grade students are partnering with seven different organizations in the Valley on community engagement projects (The Methow Conservancy, Little Star School, Willowbrook Farm, Methow Rafting, Methow Arts Alliance, Hoodoo Blooms, and the Winthrop Rink).
What is your favorite spot on campus?
- The lodge front porch and the nook by the pellet stove!
Click here to learn more about our Methow Campus and upcoming Methow trips!
The Bush School is an independent, coeducational day school located in Seattle, WA enrolling 735 students in grades K–12. The mission of The Bush School is to spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities.
3400 East Harrison Street, Seattle WA 98112 (206) 322-7978
The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment, recruitment, admissions, or administration of any of its programs on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. In addition, The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment on the basis of age or marital status.