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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Interns.jpg" style="width: 250px; " />Wow, where does the time go?&nbsp; The internship has started, training week has flown by, and we are now at the end of our first week of teaching.&nbsp; So far, so good!&nbsp; But let me back up a bit. &nbsp;I feel a little guilty at this point referring to our interns as simply &lsquo;interns&rsquo;. Having worked with them for nearly two weeks now, I have gotten to know them much too well to introduce them under such a generic term. We&rsquo;ve gone over the curriculum, canoed the Manistee River, and laid down a decent coat of elbow grease getting this place ready for students.&nbsp; So without further ado, here they are, our Fall teaching staff:</p>
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	<img alt="Jessica environmental education intern" src="{filedir_5}Jessica(2).jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 254px; " />Typically the majority of interns teaching with us are past students of Au Sable&rsquo;s college program.&nbsp; This year two of our three instructors are completely new to the Au Sable experience.&nbsp; Jessica Eggemeyer studied biology at Oral Roberts University and while she is not new to the Northwoods (her parents have a cabin in northern Minnesota), she is new to Michigan and Au Sable.&nbsp; You don&rsquo;t need to hang around Jessica very long to tell that she is great working with children.&nbsp; In fact, in just this first week of teaching she has managed to receive enough hugs from the children to give a Macy&rsquo;s Santa Claus a run for his money.&nbsp; In the past, Jessica has worked as a counselor at summer camps and taught gymnastics classes.&nbsp; This is her first time teaching environmental education, and it seems as natural to her as breathing.</p>
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	<img alt="Dan environmental education intern" src="{filedir_5}Dan.jpg" style="width: 250px; " />Dan Brouwer is also new to Au Sable and joins us from a part of the world that is very close to my heart, the Pacific Northwest.&nbsp; Prior to the internship Dan was living and working in Surrey, BC.&nbsp; A truly eclectic individual, in addition to his studies in Biology at King&rsquo;s College, Dan&rsquo;s resume includes work as a carpenter, substitute teacher, and coffee barista.&nbsp; Dan&rsquo;s broad experience makes him very relatable with the students, and his passion for people, outdoor adventure, and nature further enhances his abilities as an educator.&nbsp; Of course he is 100% Canadian and is unable to hide this accent.&nbsp; So far every group we have had has picked up on the &ldquo;ehs&rdquo; and &ldquo;heys&rdquo;.&nbsp; While on the surface he seems to take minor offense to the fact that it is more noticeable than he assumes, secretly I think he likes it.</p>
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	<img alt="Travis environmental education intern" src="{filedir_5}Travis.jpg" style="height: 250px; " />Travis Silveus is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and is a past student of Au Sable&rsquo;s college program.&nbsp; Talking with Travis over the phone prior to the internship it became immediately apparent to me that Travis had a heart of gold.&nbsp; His work mentoring youth with the Boys and Girls Club during college has prepared him well for working with students, as evidenced by remarks I hear from children on their way to the bus that Travis&rsquo;s station was often their favorite part of the day.&nbsp; Travis has been super helpful during these first two weeks, even to the point that he would risk his own well being to help out the team.&nbsp; One day I asked the interns to start chopping wood in preparation for our first day of Michigan History (a living history unit that brings students back to a logging camp and a fur trading post).&nbsp; Without hesitation, Travis grabbed an axe and went to work.&nbsp; Moments later his finger was bandaged, and we were covering axe safety. It was later that night while burning and whittling spoons (another activity involving sharp tools and fire) that Travis informed me he was accident-prone.&nbsp; Noted:</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Travis Cut.jpg" style="width: 150px; height: 113px; " /></p>
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	So there you have it, a little background on our very excellent fall interns. Over the next month or so we will be updating the blog with stories from the EEIP.&nbsp; Check back to hear directly from our interns how they are doing and what we are up to!</p>
