Housing is often considered the most essential benefit educators and interns receive when employed by Walking Mountains. The Pete and Pat Frechette Educator Community housing enables the Walking Mountains educator team, sustainability interns, and lead naturalists to live and work in Eagle County. Without this resource, many of these employees would be unable to accept job offers due to limited affordable housing opportunities. This fall, a new house will be ready for incoming educators and interns to move into on the Walking Mountains Avon Tang campus. As current residents watch the new unit being built from their windows, they reflect on how vital the educator housing has been for them and how beneficial the additional housing unit will be for future employees.
When asked, “What about the employee housing are you most grateful for?” educators often mention how the housing provides opportunities to create a community with other residents. Tayler, a graduate fellow, said, “I am so grateful to be in a community of amazing folks, many of whom are going through the same program as I am, to guide and inspire me.” In addition, educators mentioned that they are most grateful to have their own room and bathroom. David said he is most grateful for “a spacious room with an attached full bath, [something that is often] completely unheard of in employee housing.” Many other educators mentioned similar gratitude for their individual spaces.
Educators utilize their personal spaces within the provided housing in individualized ways. Bogdan Gîrbovan, a Romanian photographer renowned for exploring how people present their unique identities within their homes, created a captivating photo series, "10/1," that looked into the lives of ten individuals residing in identical apartments within his building. Through his lens, he captured the individual expressions of each resident. Gîrbovan's project serves as a documentation of how individuals decorate their homes with their distinct personalities. Gîrbovan's work is the inspiration behind capturing the same phenomenon within the Pete and Pat Frechette educator housing at Walking Mountains. From the outside, the neighboring educator houses are essentially identical to one another, but within the interiors of the houses, residents express themselves in personalized ways, which adds variety. Before staff move in, each resident's room is outfitted with the same essential furnishings: a bed, desk, and dresser. Despite the uniformity in the layouts among the twelve rooms, when residents decorate their spaces to reflect their unique tastes and personalities, the spaces really come to life.
Keaton, a second-year fellow, describes her room as bright and colorful, with many knick-knacks and plants. She favors the big windows and the bathtub in the room! The big windows let in so much natural light and provide excellent views of Beaver Creek. Having her own bathroom with a bathtub is essential for her mental health.
Tayler, a first-year fellow, describes her room as cute, cuddly, and functional. Her favorite aspect of her room is the big window that faces the beautiful backyard.
Kaite W., a second-year fellow, describes her room as earthy, cozy, and warm. She enjoys the big windows, view of the mountains, attached bathroom, ceiling fan, and personal thermostat.
Ania, a first-year fellow, loves the art she has been able to decorate her walls with. Some of the art is collected, some was made for her as a gift, and some she made herself. She describes her room as boho, maximalist, and witchy, with nature as the overarching theme.
Katie G., a second-year fellow, describes her room as a rustic, eclectic, and modern-southwest blend, forming a maximalist "full" space. Her favorite parts of her room are her friend's art and the books she has displayed.
David, a first-year fellow, appreciates the unobstructed view of Beaver Creek from his room. “In my opinion, it's the best view of the house. The gentle lights of the snowcats soothe me to sleep every night, like bright stars inching across the sky.” David described his room as minimalist and austere. “The few pictures I have accentuate what is truly important: family and roots.”
Savanna, a first-year fellow, says her favorite aspect of her room is having a bathroom and big windows to let sunlight in for her plants. She describes her room as forest green, comfy, and lived-in!
This project showcases the value and uniqueness of the housing provided by Walking Mountains. Like Gîrbovan's work, the rooms of Walking Mountains residents highlight that when people are given the same space, they occupy it differently. Personal expressions from the educator community adds to the diversity of Walking Mountains, which is necessary for the organization to thrive. The residents of the educator housing want to express their gratitude to the Frechette family, Walking Mountains board members, and others who have made the educator housing possible. As current employees move on and new employees move in, these houses will continue to be decorated in different ways. These houses will have forever-changing aesthetics, vibes, and communities as Walking Mountains continues to provide employees with the opportunities to grow in their careers and contribute to the broader Eagle County community through Walking Mountain’s mission of education, science, and sustainability.
This was written by Keaton Cloven. Keaton is a Foley Graduate Fellow at Walking Mountains Science Center and is expected to graduate in July 2024!
