Nakaia Millman

Independence and choice - that is what this program means to me. I will be involving myself in this alternative class, as it allows me to pull my personality and love for community into my own education. Simultaneously, I am looking forward to the organization of the requirements and the freedom that we get. This will be the first time I’ve engaged myself in an activity that is geared towards what we want to learn. I feel that I’ll be able to get a lot out of it by supporting personal growth in my communication, organization, and individuality in and out of the classroom.

Will Nolan

I believe in being the master of my own education. The BrainStorm Field Course appeals to me because I believe it is extremely important to be involved and active in one's own community while learning. Also, I hope to explore the process of growing organic foods locally and how that food is used in the community. I am most interested in the ecological factors of the local food systems and how sustainability is incorporated into the process. Ultimately I hope to gain a broader understanding of the place I live and to lay a foundation for students to take control of their education in the future.

Winter Harms

BrainStorm for Education is still forming and reshaping every day, and we do not know what the final product will be. I find this very refreshing and advanced in concept and sophistication. That is why I am participating.

A storm can mean a lot of things. I perceive BrainStorm for Education as a fantastic lightning, that has potential success in the process of formation, and in branching off. It is an opportunity for me to radiate my efforts outward to the local farms and most importantly, to the community. I have always loved and appreciated local foods and I am enthused to experience what we create with this project.

After participating in the first BrainStorm Performance project, I got a sense what it means to collaborate, seek vitality, and enjoy. I truly cannot wait to undertake the responsibility and have the promised liberation in return. Being able to decide independently what we want to learn and how we apply that knowledge is refreshing. BrainStorm's unique approach and what it has to offer for me as a student is something that I honor.

Hanna Cole

I am intrigued to be part of the summer program because I would like to know all about the foods that I put in my body. Local farms and foods are a huge part of our community and I feel the need to be more educated on the process of organic farming and the positives that come along with it. I also believe it is very important to link students to the community, and this program is a great way to do that. I am excited to participate in creating our own curriculum that fulfills what each and every one of us would like to learn.

Benjamin Ryweck

Independent learning is important to me because I want to explore subjects that are more specifically aligned with my interests. By learning and engaging myself in the local food systems, I hope to become a more valuable member of the community. By participating in BrainStorm for Education, I hope to learn more about what agricultural and marine farms do that positively and/or negatively affect the environment. I also want to learn video editing skills that will help me with my senior project.

This program will give me the opportunity to learn about what I find important and to explore career possibilities that I wouldn’t normally be exposed to in school. 

Serena Vilage

To me, BrainStorm for Education means much more than just a way to earn another high school credit. BrainStorm is a way to shape my own education, learn more about our local farms and produce, and become more involved with the community. During the Field Course, I will be studying the production and distribution of locally grown produce and how it can sustain and help a community. 

I hope that Port Townsend will also benefit from our class because I hope that our town will eventually be able to produce the majority of its own food. I will record our discoveries and progress by taking photographs to use for our final presentation. Brainstorm for Education will give me an opportunity to learn more about myself and who I will become while also giving something to the community.

Dylan Nichol

I am very excited to participate in this project because it embodies some of my own values as well as the values of many people in our community. I like the idea of working on a project that, on one hand is a service to the community, but will also enable me to take a leading role in my own education and set the precedent for the same to be done by others for years to come. Promoting this in an extracurricular learning environment in which I can accumulate school credit is an amazing opportunity.

Food is a wonderful thing, especially when it is natural, locally grown food that nourishes our bodies as well as the local economy.

Paula Sorenson

The word 'educate' is nearly synonymous with the words 'cultivate' and 'civilize'. Education cultivates us into mature individuals, individuals capable of planning for our futures and making the right decisions. Education arms us with an insight to look at our lives and to learn from every experience. Education forms a support system for talents, to excel in life. It is the backbone of society.

I want to take control of my own education and to learn the things that are relevant to me and who I want to become. I want to be a part of the bigger picture and give what I have to offer to the world, and to the future.

Alesia Brady

I am involved with Brainstorm for Education because I like the idea of creating my own education. I worked with Jonathan on a BrainStorm performance to raise money for my math tutoring, and I learned how to organize an event and how to create possibilities for my own education.

I think this food project is fascinating. I'm interested in studying how different farming techniques affect the land and the food that is produced. Also, I think it would be interesting to figure out a way to get local food into the school system to provide better food for the students and economical growth for the community.

Hanna Rose Trailer

I am passionate about many things: music, animals, sailing, nutrition, and others. But in relation to school, my best subject is writing. I will be focusing on nutrition and organic/local farming. I chose these topics because I intend to make a difference in the world by helping raise awareness about what really happens to the food we eat. Since the BrainStorm project is still being created, I brought my own creativity and ideas, while participating in a form of education that is new and different.