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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}DSC_1331(2).jpg" style="float: right; width: 250px; height: 167px; " />The winter internship is in full swing as we enter our second week of teaching. The snow is falling as it should, the school buses are arriving on time, and we are almost figuring out how to put 12 pairs of snowshoes on wiggly children before freezing our fingers off, a feat that would seem less manageable if it were not for our three amazing environmental education interns.</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}DSC_1318(2).jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 168px; float: left; " />Jacob Boone is doing double duty this winter helping Bob with grounds work while also joining the teaching staff as an education intern.&nbsp; Jake first came to Au Sable the summer of 2011 as undergraduate from Spring Arbor University where helped with our ongoing research studying macroinvertebrates on the Boardman River.&nbsp; Jake has a personality that invites conversation and in case you were wondering, he can tell you the scientific name of nearly everything at Au Sable.&nbsp; As a side note, he is frequently found singing along to Taylor Swift while wearing a hat of a stuffed animal cougar, so naturally the children love him.</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}DSC_1323.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 168px; float: right; " />Valerie Metzler is becoming a seasoned outdoor educator.&nbsp; She joined our teaching staff this winter to gain a little more experience with environmental education before continuing her work as an OE instructor with South Mountain YMCA in Pennsylvania.&nbsp; Valerie brings a quiet confidence to our teaching staff and it seems she is ready for any challenge.&nbsp; She applied to the internship after hearing about Au Sable from her brother who attended years earlier (Michael Metzler - India, Florida, Pacific Rim, Great Lakes Campus 2000, 2001).&nbsp; Val holds a degree in Biology from Eastern Mennonite University and is currently in the lead for most attempts by children at instructor handholding.</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}DSC_1218.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 167px; float: left; " />Collin Whitsett drove up to Au Sable from Nebraska and took the long way around. Driving through the Upper Peninsula, he made stops in several locations to see friends and take photos. Collin is a talented photographer who blends his passion for others and his passion for nature into his photographic work. This same mindset of thinking through subject and form translates well into how Collin organizes information into his teaching. Collin has attended courses at three Au Sable locations: Florida, Pacific Rim and Great Lakes campus where he did some of our first genetic testing on Pitcher&#39;s Thistle. His deep love for Au Sable is evidenced by his constant remarks of thankfulness for each day and the opportunity to spend time at the Great Lakes Campus in the winter (a new season for him).</p>
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	It is hard to believe, but we are more than halfway through our winter teaching schedule.&nbsp; Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.&nbsp; Check back soon to hear what experiences the interns are having as we give you updates on life at Au Sable this winter.</p>
