Wow.

I certainly wasn’t sure when we started that we would have been able to say that. It certainly is gratifying to have been part of this experiment from the beginning. To build something and watch it grow into something as special as the Digital Safari is just so awesome. Our founder, Ted Maddock’s vision for how school should be is being realized daily. Thanks Ted. Our lives have all been blessed by what you imagined so long ago.

I just realized we have reached the point where some of our newest students weren’t born when we began. That’s cool.

And, I’m getting old.

But, you know what? We’re getting better and better every year. I fully expect year 15 to be the best year in the DSA ever. This will be our second year offering summer internships to our Seniors (after an amazing trial run this year). We have college visits planned for everyone. We have field trips planned to see the workings of real media companies up close and personal. We have camping. We have snow trips. We have so much more.

We also have our award winning curriculum that produces the finest high school designers and film makers in the state and, produces graduates every year who are poised and ready for the challenges ahead of them in life and college. And, we have our projects that are the envy of everyone. Ready for GreenBizz, Seniors? Ready for I.D.entity, Juniors? Ready for the hardest and best work you’ve ever done Sophomores?

Oh, and we have the best teachers and students around.

I’m just so proud of everyone who’s been a part of it all from the teachers who helped change the way education is done to the administrators who trusted we knew what we were doing to the 500 plus graduates of our program out there making the world a better place.

WooHoo! 15 years!

And, we haven’t even gotten started.

In this year’s competition the team representing Rwanda (Jesus Sanchez, Karen Paredes, and Kaitie Brooks) took home top honors with their plans for a school and community garden to address the chronic need for education and nutrition for children. Other teams honored included the teams representing Angola, Botswana, Togo, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.

For more information on the Legacy of Imperialism project check out the DSA project wiki at http://digitalsafari.pbworks.com/The-Legacy-of-Imperialism.

In addition, check out the amazing country plans published by our 10th grade Legacy teams. The level of design and thoughtful planning is tremendous and a testament to a class that is going places. The rest of the plans can be seen at slideshare.net/randydepew/documents

The DSA 11th Grade class took 250 pictures of the faces that make MDHS.
Check them all out at our Flickr page.

What started out as a project exploring the complexities of immigration turned into a tribute to our fallen friend. Anna Ramos, Gustavo Gomez and Nin Nguyen produced this video in the aftermath of Cripus’ death. The rapping you hear throughout is Crispus performing a song he recorded last December.

We hope this video will help all of us keep Crispus in our hearts.

The entire set of videos can be found in our vimeo album for the project.

Diagnosing Failure from Digital Safari Academy on Vimeo.

The rest of the essays can be viewed at www.slideshare.net/randydepew/presentations

Photos of the visit are here.

And, now, it feels even better to be a member of this big family.

There are 150 more pictures in our Flickr album for the trip.

]]> http://www.digitalsafari.org/?feed=rss2&p=212 0 http://www.digitalsafari.org/?p=206 http://www.digitalsafari.org/?p=206#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:03:54 +0000 rdepew http://www.digitalsafari.org/?p=206 The newest installment of the DSA’s Speaking of I.D.entity project hit Vimeo today. Check ‘em out!

(We’re still waiting on a few videos, so if the one you’re looking for isn’t here, check back Monday)

Speaking of I.D.entity 2010 on Vimeo

Jessylyn Los Banos “Rose Colored Glasses” from Digital Safari Academy on Vimeo.

Gustavo Gomez & Felipe Carias “Don’t Give Up” from Digital Safari Academy on Vimeo.