51����

By Erin Latimer

Humanities Chair

When I ask myself, Why 51����? two phrases come to mind. First, “Remember who you are and what you stand for,” the words we chant as a community at the close of each week; and second, this invocation in our school song, written by Meredith Wilson: “make us worthy of this land thou hast chosen to bless.” To me, 51����, and the worthiness to live and work here, are synonymous with service to creative spirit and service to the community—our tiny community and that of the world. Artists hold a crucial role in the making and remaking of human culture, in expressing the value and purpose of the human mind in uncertain times and in an uncertain universe. In 51����, the mountain keeps us grounded, reminds us to approach art and life with wisdom, compassion, and intention.

Who am I? I’ve known I wanted to be a teacher since the third grade, and I knew I wanted to teach at 51���� Arts probably about an hour into my first class here as a high school junior. An 51���� native, I was fortunate to grow up on the mountain because my artist parents decided the city was no place to raise kids, and this campus quickly became a second home. From my first “all-school meeting” during ISOMATA’s summer camp to the hours I spent watching my dad plant trees along Apela drive and install the first computers on campus, I could feel the magic of this place and knew that important things happened here. When I joined the Creative Writing Department, after two years of public high school, I felt for the first time that I had found my people—a community that would support me in becoming fully myself—and I knew I wanted to continue co-creating this space for other young artists.

What do I stand for, then? First and foremost, my students. Though I may occasionally call myself a writer or a bookmaker, the young people with whom I exchange daily knowledge and laughter, in my attempts to impart some useful skills for their futures, are my greatest works of art and the greatest acts of service I can give to the world. I am most fully myself when I see them thrive, and the eternal drive we share to make ourselves worthy inhabitants of the land, as we aim to become worthy stewards of humanity, is the most hope I have that a more just and beautiful world is possible.