“Always…when you leave familiar ground and step off alone into a new place there will be, along with feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is fear of the Unknown, and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into. What you are doing is exploring. You are undertaking the first experience, not of the place, but of yourself in that place”. -Wendell BerryTeton Science Schools is pleased to welcome 20 AmeriCorps Field Education Instructor Interns to campus for one of our busiest summer seasons ever! Hailing from more than 15 colleges and universities and holding diverse degrees including Environmental Studies, Secondary Social Studies Education, Geology, Wildlife Ecology, Anthropology and Theater, these folks make up a dynamic and talented cohort for the Summer 2012 season.Having just completed their two-week training, AmeriCorps interns will join field instructors in teaching a multitude of day and residential programs in both the Jackson area and the larger Teton Valley, as well as conducting TSS outreach and roving science camps with schools across Wyoming and Idaho. The stellar program line-up for Summer 2012 features youth adventures for K-12 students, adult and family programs, and programs tailored for the lifelong learners of the Road Scholar organization. Additionally, we are pleased to welcome childhood cancer survivors from the Texas Children’s Hospital and families involved with the National Military Family Association. AmeriCorps interns will play an integral role in all of these offerings.Along with serving as full members of the Field Education Team, AmeriCorps interns will engage with the local community by performing at least 20 hours of personal service and participating in an array of professional development opportunities throughout the summer, all focusing on increasing their science literacy while helping others and meeting critical needs in the community. So far in June, interns are volunteering with river clean-up efforts organized by Snake River Fund and Mad River Boat Trips, fence removal with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation and the Raptor Center’s Raptorfest.As the interns jump into life at TSS and the Teton Valley, and come to know themselves here through service and teaching, we welcome, support, and thank them.