Grade 5: Author Inspires Young Writers
Fifth graders in Kimm Lucas' class learned about setting and achieving goals from Jordan Romero, author of No Summit Out of Sight. Via Skype, Jordan talked about the challenges and successes in becoming the youngest person to hike the highest summit on all seven continents. He was 13 when he completed this goal.
Fifth graders in Kimm Lucas' class learned about setting and achieving goals from Jordan Romero, author of No Summit Out of Sight. Via Skype, Jordan talked about the challenges and successes in becoming the youngest person to hike the highest summit on all seven continents. He was 13 when he completed this goal.
Now in college in Salt Lake City, UT, Jordan was inspired in fourth grade when he came across a 6-foot-tall painting of the seven summits.
“When I saw this painting I was so fascinated by it,” he remembers. “I wanted to find out everything I could about these mountains. Every day, I went to the computer lab and spent an hour learning about each one.”
One day, Jordan asked his dad if he would take him on a hike in their area. He had big ideas about being a world-class climber, but the reality was a little disappointing.
“Fifteen minutes into the hike I was cold and miserable,” he shares. “It was not as exciting as I thought it would be and that was something I had to learn - that climbing is a mental and physical challenge.”
Still, he was excited to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and trained for a full year to get in shape, including changing his diet and accepting coaching from his dad. He was 10 when he reached the summit and gained the confidence to continue pursuing his dream. “I remember being at the top of Kilimanjaro and saying, ‘One down, six to go.’”
While he was “most scared” of climbing Mt. Everest, Jordan admits that Denali in Alaska was his most difficult mountain. “It was the coldest I’ve ever been in my life,” he says.
Jordan ended by encouraging students to discover their passions, set goals and go all in to be successful: “I want you to go home and write down 10 things you are interested in and start there for inspiration."
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
