By Eric Gangloff, Late Shift Teacher/Advisor

Her senior year at P.S. 1 Charter School, Elizabeth Fisher-Bruns earned the Compassionate Award, given to one student who best embodies this value. Elizabeth was an easy choice, as she never faltered in her support and care for her classmates and everyone around her.  She worked hard to maintain positive relationships, build a constructive community, and maintain social connections.  Elizabeth has taken these values and grown them as she pursues her B.A. in Human Ecology at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine.  Here, she is especially interested in “sustainable local economies,” including local business alliances, sustainable agriculture, and community-friendly urban planning.  She also works at a seasonal vegan restaurant that emphasizes the importance of locally grown produce.  This winter, Elizabeth interned at the Boulder Independent Business Alliance, where she worked to manifest these values back home here in Colorado.  As Elizabeth approaches her senior year of college, she is looking forward to graduate school where she can continue this important and timely work.

During her six years at P.S. 1, Elizabeth took full advantage of the various travel opportunities, taking excursions to Chicago, Detroit, Honduras, Mississippi, New York City, Baja California, and various Colorado destinations.  These travels showed her the importance of community, both in relation to the traveling group and the places she visited.  She also demonstrated her willingness to both work with and learn from others.  In Honduras, for example, she lived in an impoverished Garifuna community and constructed stoves that were more fuel efficient and expelled less smoke to keep families healthier.  Her Senior Project involved bringing a nationally-recognized artist to P.S. 1 to create two murals, one inside and one outside the school, and speak with students about the importance of both art and community.  When looking back on these experiences and how they inform her current work, Elizabeth says, “One of the things that P.S. 1 did was prepare me to be more social and able to talk to large groups of people.”  As she continues to manifest these values in all that she does, Elizabeth will undoubtedly continue to bring her compassion, integrity, and good cheer to any community she works with.

Elizabeth cites several powerful learning experiences from P.S. 1 that shaped her life’s direction, giving her long-lasting friendships and bonds that continue to this day.  She also gained from her academic experiences, pointing out that  “P.S. 1 actually helped me learn math.”  Her senior year, she took a math class off-campus to expand her learning opportunities.  Additionally, she benefited from P.S. 1’s flexible schedule and unique offerings, learning in-depth about the politics and cultures of Latin America, the formation of New York City’s neighborhoods, and the fragile ecosystems of Mexico’s Pacific coast.  As Elizabeth sets off on new adventures in new places, we are delighted to see that she carries a small piece of P.S. 1 with her.  Indeed, as Elizabeth says, “P.S. 1 people are constantly supportive…it’s like a weird, weird family that never lets you go.”