Alumni Update: Kevin Mandagere

We recently heard from one of our alumni, who was kind enough to give us an update of his recent activities. Kevin Mandagere left SK after his seventh grade year back in 2005. Sounds like Kevin's had some interesting adventures since leaving us.

Here's what he had to share:

I've been living in Boulder, Colorado, for the last three years, and started at the University of Colorado in August. I'm studying molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, but probably switching to a double major in environmental biology and photography. I've been doing a lot of traveling over the past few years. I spent three months in Spain my sophomore year, and have visited Singapore, the Galapagos (twice, actually), Ecuador, and a lot of different places within the United States. School has been going well, good grades so far. In case you're interested, here's a link to my photography. www.flickr.com/photos/theycallmenacho

We'd love to hear more of our alumni voices. Please send your stories and updates to skalumni@comcast.net

Renaissance and Reflection

Ah, an invitation to the Curious Epicures' Renaissance Feast--a gem glistening from within my otherwise drab collection of bills and junk mail. This tasty event represents the best of what Summers-Knoll offers: collaboration between community members and students, facilitating experiential learning. Reminds me why I'm so grateful Summers-Knoll was there for my son, and why I miss my daily excursions to this one-of-a-kind school!

Experiences such as this one are the reason many of our alumni remember SK so fondly, often visiting the school, volunteering at one of our camps, or spreading the word about how they benefited from their time at SK. It's Billy stopping in to get reacquainted; it's Dean, Ray, Connor, and Adam working at Eudaimonia (our spring fundraiser); it's Cat, Brian, and Tess helping out over the summer; it's Annemarie contributing to our website; and it's the countless other ways our alumni give back. Learning comes full circle when our former students return to share their experiences with our current crew.

This Renaissance Feast provides yet another opportunity for all alumni--students, parents, and staff alike--to celebrate with other members of the SK family as well as members of the greater Ann Arbor community, which often serves as our extended campus. Come join us on October 10!


Reminder: We're always looking for blog contributions from our SK alumni. So, please submit your ideas for blogs or your own blog entries to skalumni@comcast.net. We want to hear our varied alumni voices!

This Used To Be Our Playground

Not long ago I stopped by SK and witnessed a reunion of some former students who had gathered to celebrate an old friend's visit and reconnect in a place that was once their second home. Watching these young adults interact brought back a flood of memories. Were these the same children I had known? The answer was a resounding "Yes!"

It seems that their experiences at our unique small school had left an imprint on each of them and provided a bond that none of them was prepared to see severed. And neither are we. So, here is our alumni blog, a place where alumni can tell their tales of life after SK and perhaps share a few memories of their time here.

If you're a former student, we want to hear from you. Send your blog input and ideas to skalumni@comcast.net and make your voices heard!