Boulder Valley School District: Centaurus Sends Teacher Off On Historic Everest Trek

Boulder CO

14 April, 2022

6:23 AM

Description

Press release from the Boulder Valley School District: April 13, 2022 With the help of the entire student body and faculty, including the Marching Warriors Band, Centaurus High School teacher Eddie Taylor got a hero's send off on Friday, April 1. Science teacher, track coach and mountaineer Eddie Taylor is now on his way to Nepal to climb the world's tallest mountain. WATCH VIDEO: Video capturing Eddie Taylor's last days at Centaurus before heading to Everest. At a height of 29,032, Mount Everest is not only a formidable and enviable challenge for the world's best mountain climbers, but Taylor says it is also an incredibly large yardstick measuring racial disparity. Of the more than 10,000 people that have successfully climbed Everest, only 10 of them were Black. Taylor is part of a mountaineering team, called Full Circle Everest, which aims to change that. "We are hoping to become the first all Black team to summit Everest," said Taylor. "I won't be the first Black person to Everest, none of us are, but Everest is a big mountain and there are a lot of Black people who want to climb the mountain." Climbing the world's tallest peak The first American expedition reached the summit in 1963, but it took another 40 years before the first Black climber joined the ranks. Even more people tried the climb but never made it to the top, and an average of 700 to 1,000 people attempt the climb each year. Full Circle Everest, a team assembled by Phil Henderson of Colorado, planned a 60-day trip in April and May, though good weather could shorten the trip by as much as 15 to 20 days. "It's not really that groundbreaking, it's just unique," Taylor said about the team being all Black. "It has inspired a bunch of different people who look like (us) or come from diverse backgrounds to do these types of things." Full Circle Everest has 11 members with eight climbers and three providing support, including three who are female, two of them also climbers. The team will climb to the Everest Base Camp, taking about 10 days to do so, then climb in rotations up and down the mountain, since a direct ascent can result in altitude sickness. The climb from the base camp to the summit takes about five days, Taylor estimates. Everything was set in motion when Taylor met Henderson in mid-January in Ouray, where he was on an ice climbing trip. A couple weeks later, while they were skiing together, Henderson asked Taylor to join Full Circle Everest team. Taylor has prepared for the trip during the past year, taking hiking and climbing trips, running and spending as much time as possible outside and increasing his physical activity. He's climbed 20 to 30 fourteeners in Colorado, Washington, Alaska, South America, Mexico and Africa, but hasn't climbed in Asia before. Showing others they can Taylor says one of the objectives of this project is to show students of color that they too can conquer the outdoors. With few Black people rock climbing or skiing it can feel like you are not welcome in the backcountry. That didn't stop Taylor's family. Growing up in Minnesota, they nurtured a love of the outdoors in him. "I know that I'm incredibly privileged because when I was young my family thought it was important for us to see parks, and go outside. I learned to camp and ski. I've been incredibly lucky, but I don't think a lot of people of color have that." Taylor started climbing in 2011, stating, "I stumbled upon it and really enjoyed it and just kept doing it. I really like the athletic part of it. I really like the places that climbing has taken me." It will be one of the hardest climbs that Taylor has done and it will take him away from home, his wife, Anna Taylor, a first-grade teacher in Boulder Valley School District at Meadowlark School in Erie, the students he teaches at Centaurus and track season. Sharing the trek with students in BVSD and beyond While he will be far away, he will continue to be in close contact with his students, kids across Boulder Valley and beyond – providing them updates every step along the way. Beyond Full Circle Everest's website and social media outlets, the Taylors have created lessons and learning avenues where educators and students will be able to track the trek's progress. Anna Taylor will help provide trip updates for Boulder Valley students through her work with the Diversity Equity and Inclusion collaborative group hosted by Boulder Valley and St. Vrain school districts. DEI will have resources available for staff to download with access to live sessions, Q&As and articles about the trip. "It's so cool that kids can learn about the expedition. They can connect with members of the team by getting to know Eddie, since he's a teacher here," Anna Taylor said. "His students are already so excited to learn about even the smallest pieces of the expedition, like what they'll eat and drink." Eddie Taylor plans to bring in science and social studies during his talks like Nepal's culture and customs and how they're different from those in the U.S. He also has a few other messages he'd like to share, he said. "A big one is picking goals and working hard," Taylor said. "Trying things that are hard is okay." One of the highlights will be a live video event that will be hosted from an Everest base camp using Flipgrid, a Microsoft video discussion platform for educators and students. Microsoft is one of the team's sponsors. The 30-minute live event will be geared to students across the nation who will have the opportunity to learn about the trip and ask team members questions. "We'll talk a little bit about the project and we'll open it up and see where it goes from there," Taylor said, adding that other discussion points likely will include learning about a new culture, what's involved in mountaineering and climbing a mountain, and what life is like above 18,000 feet. Students at Meadowlark School will also be engaging in a Project Based Learning (PBL) unit, inspired by the trek and every BVSD student can take part in the Kids Everest Challenge. As part of the challenge, they will log their effort to reach 5.5 miles, the distance to the top of Everest, through running, walking, biking and hiking. There will be a drawing for prizes, such as a mountain bike, summer camp and rock climbing. "It's so incredible to see the amount of community support that's already been generated, and they haven't even gone to the mountain yet," Anna Taylor said. "It's really inspiring to me. It shows representation really does matter and really makes a difference." Students say Taylor won't let the climb go to his head. Given the coolness of being on a trek to Everest, you might find it surprising that it isn't something that he talks much about at Centaurus, but once kids learned about the expedition through news and social media, they've shared his excitement for the trip. Centaurus Senior Zuzu Hanst, who's taken Mr. Taylor's chemistry classes for the past two years, finds it inspiring that his teacher is pursuing his passion but still making time for his students. "This is a really cool thing for a teacher to do because it's so life changing. He is risking his life to pursue something he is passionate about," Hanst said. "It's great to see him prepare to do something so monumental, and I'm glad I've gotten to know him as he takes on this journey." "I'm sure he'll bring back a lot of cool stories to the classroom, but also I don't think he will let this experience go to his head. Mr. Taylor is a very down-to-earth person, and I know he will continue to be a great teacher and make a positive impact on his students," Hanst added. Eventually, Taylor's students, as well as a national audience, will be able to see Full Circle Everest's climb as the subject of a documentary that will be produced by Rolake Bamgbose. Bamgbose, an award-winning producer and two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker based in New York City, will focus on filming planning for the trip and the actual climb, Taylor said. This press release was produced by the Boulder Valley School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.