Ellington

Some UW students returned from spring break with suntans. Some returned with sunburns.

Participants in Alternative Spring Break (ASB), however, arrived back on campus perhaps as sun-deprived as when they departed — but no skin tone could match the grins on their faces or the sense of fulfillment in their hearts.

During the week, one group of UW volunteers guided kids in rural and tribal communities across Washington through student-designed, environmental-education curricula. Another group worked with students on the process of writing, and helped the kids illustrate and publish their own stories.

“The lessons are all about trying to get them more engaged with science and environmental issues,” said environmental ASB participant Kristen Olsen, whose group traveled to the Quileute Tribal School in La Push. Another environmental group traveled to Brewster.

Some projects drafted during winter quarter by environmental ASB volunteers included crafting sourdough bread maps and experimenting with the effects of alcohol and tobacco on daphnia, which are microscopic, plankton-like crustaceans.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Olsen, a first-time volunteer. “I just know we were super, crazy-busy, but I loved every minute of it. The students were such a pleasure to work with.”

Literary arts was the focus for groups in Harrah, Tonasket, Toppenish, Forks, Neah Bay, Pascal Sherman and Curlew.

The young students were encouraged to develop poems and prose relating to the theme of “The Space We Call Home.” Volunteers described the responses as entertaining, silly and, at times, touching.

“We like to think the kids are engaged because we got so much out of it too,” Olsen said.

The kids were not the only ones who reaped the benefits of the lessons; often, volunteers learned as much as they taught. The younger generation seemed initially awed by the peculiar college visitors, but nonetheless, rapidly forged bonds with their UW mentors, inviting them to experience a unique way of life for a week.

“One of my favorite parts was when we were invited to a whale-welcoming ceremony that the Quileute tribe does,” Olsen said. “It was really great to see all the students dressed up. . . . It was a great community event, and we felt very welcome.”

Junior Cynthia Hsu discovered a similarly hospitable atmosphere in Forks.

“At the end of the day . . . my kids would give me a hug, even after the first day,” she said. “Little kids are really open to strangers and new things.”

The kids also tested their mentors, at times flouting rules and revealing a rebellious nature typical of elementary-age kids and middle-schoolers.

“The first through second-graders just throw themselves at you with hugs and love,” Olsen said. “[But] we also had to work on getting them to focus.”

Rebecca Mark, who volunteered in Forks, agreed that the kids’ short attention spans factored into the effectiveness of the project.

“It was difficult to get the kids to focus,” Mark said. “Some people just don’t like writing, but they eventually came around.”

Olsen mentioned that some of the teenagers she worked with flaunted a too-cool-for-school attitude, questioning the legitimacy of the seemingly “random” lesson the UW students spent an entire quarter compiling.

“We wanted to break through that and get them excited about science,” she said. “Every curriculum goes through rough spots. We really did try our best, and we were confident in the value of our curriculum. . . . There’s no crystal ball to see how [the children] will respond.”

Ultimately, that response was overwhelmingly positive.

For some volunteers, the short week helped carve out a path for their future. Olsen, a senior graduating with a degree in international studies, expressed regret that this was her only opportunity to participate in ASB. The experience proved useful, however, for determining her post-commencement plans.

“Currently, I’m on the wait list for Teach for America,” Olsen said. “In my mind, this very much simulated what Teach for America would be like.”

She added that ASB pushed her toward working with students who are not granted “as much access to the same educational resources [she] personally had growing up.”

Mark acknowledged that Teach for America, a program that places young teachers in under-resourced urban and rural schools around the United States, is a definite option in her future as well, while Hsu recognized the value of ASB in her own desired career.

“I’m thinking about being a pediatrician,” said the biochemistry and biology major, “so this kind of experience is very valuable.”

As a junior, Hsu is already planning for next year’s ASB.

“I definitely want to do this again,” she said. “I’d love to come back to Forks to be able to give these kids something they hopefully will remember.”

And remember it they will. Hsu and Mark shared some poignant anecdotes that demonstrate the strong impact they were able to make in such a short period of time.

“One of the kids came up to my friend and said, ‘This is the funnest thing I’ve done in a long time, and I hope it never ends,’” Hsu recalled. “One of the girls was like, ‘I want to go to college, too. I want to be a teacher, too.’”

A student presented Mark with a flower the second day, accompanied by a note affirming that the two were “best friends forever.”

The Pipeline Project, which encompasses ASB and other K-12 outreach programs, generally accepts applications for volunteers at the beginning of winter quarter and invites all who are interested to apply for ASB in 2010.

“It’s definitely worth the exhaustion I’m now feeling,” Olsen said of the hectic, yet satisfying, week.

Hsu was also content with the outcome of the trip.

“Not everything went smoothly,” Hsu said. “Everything was a learning experience.”

Reach reporter Rachel Solomon at features@dailyuw.com.