On May 23, the last Monday of the school year, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders from Alta Vista Elementary and Intermediate School made the pilgrimage to Urban Air in Albuquerque. After a pit stop in Espanola, we were on our way to an urban adventure like I have never experienced, outside of a full-blown circus!
When we arrived, the kids flew out of the bus and signed in for their four hours of adventurous experiences. I walked around in awe at the different activities they had set up in a giant warehouse. My personal favorites were the climbing walls and zip line.

Staff members had set up in different areas and supervised an enthusiastic student body. It was a wonderful experience to hear all those peals of laughter and see the giant smiles on students’ faces. This adventure allowed them to push their limits, build confidence, dare to expand their horizons, and gave immediate feedback on what they accomplished. When Lorraine Trujillo, our 5th-grade teacher, introduced the idea of this trip as our final activity of the year, I was skeptical. Reflecting on the ride back home, I realized what genius this trip really was.

I kept thinking WHAT IF?

• What if your child finished an activity with a giant smile on their face?
• What if your timid child spent a half hour deciding whether they could trust a mechanical belay system; finally decide it will catch them when they jump off any height element, and then finally end up bailing off a 40-foot-high rock wall? What an empowered smile on that face!
• What if your child could ride a zip line around the perimeter of a huge warehouse building, swinging, swaying, screaming, and smiling?
• What if your child could challenge their teacher into a duel on the sponge pool beam challenge?
• What if your child could build relationships with staff in a ball pool?

All these things were possible due to 5th-grade teacher Lorraine Trujillo at Alta Vista Elementary.

THANK YOU FOR THIS LIFE ALTERING EXPERIENCE!