Otters are the logical place to start when learning the letter “o.” Megan Anecharico, one of two teachers for St. James Academy’s (SJA) new PreK program for four-year-olds, learned that her young students weren’t that familiar with the otter, though. But they were excited to learn more about the water-loving creatures.
Shortly after the morning lesson on the letter, she scoured SJA’s library for books. “I found a fictional book about a little otter and his family who held hands every night so they wouldn’t drift away from each other in the sea,” she explains. “We loved the story, and one of the students asked if real otters do that.”
My adventures through several winters on the freezing decks of a Norwegian fishing trawler in the Bering Sea instilled in me grit, perseverance, and self-reliance. Many years in Telluride doing public relations for the ski area developed my eye for innovative marketing, people skills, and ski legs. As Oliver Stone’s personal chef and a wine consultant, I found my passion for all things food and an appreciation for kitchen design. My experience as a ranch hand in Jackson Hole taught me the value of simplicity in life. It gives me great joy to help people through change, the only constant in life. In the course of my twenty year career I have seen how essential to one’s well-being it is to inhabit a place and a property that truly speaks to you. A home is the most intimate sculpture you’ll experience. The right structure can immeasurably elevate how we nest, gather, nourish, and create our daily rhythms. As we evolve in the journey of life our homes should too. Our health and happiness is deeply connected to the way in which connect to proportion, space, and light. The world has changed, and people are living differently. It is deeply rewarding to help people consciously choose how they live.
Two years ago, a student told Garrison Forest Upper School art teacher Sarah Sachs about an Adirondack chair her brother made in a woodworking class at an area boys’ school. “I started looking into it and all of the boys’ schools had woodshops,” said Ms. Sachs. Yet, in her research, none of the area girls’ schools taught woodworking. This drove Ms. Sachs to begin her journey toward creating a woodworking class at Garrison Forest, which wrapped up its inaugural semester in January. She began by visiting one school, which has a woodworking department in each division, to start gathering ideas and learning more about the tools the students would need to get started. She was excited to realize that the GFS sculpture studio already had most of the required tools and she was able to purchase the remaining tools needed in order to launch the course. 
Cold, snow, and ice have been the talk of the town this week. Amid the school closings and delays, it can be hard to think about what your child will be doing when school lets out in June. Summer at Friends has been the camp for Baltimore children for more than half a century; and with co-ed programs for campers ages 4 to 13, there’s something for everyone. All Summer at Friends programs include a blend of indoor and outdoor activities, with a well-rounded schedule that keeps campers excited and engaged. Friends’ 35 acre campus houses everything campers need, so there’s no need to travel! 
