Home again

by Ali O'Marra-Armstrong, Assistant Head of School, Academics

Joining a new community is never easy—even when it’s not entirely new to you. When you gather the courage to leap into something again, it’s often the small things that remind you it was worth it. It’s been at least 15 years since I last experienced the Rosseau Lake College Hekkla Marathon, and today’s race without a doubt, topped them all. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve gained more life experience (maybe I’m older, maybe even slightly wiser), but for the first time, I could truly see just how special this experience is—for so many people. Even for strangers who stumbled across the listing in a public race guide and decided to drive down a dirt road into the forest just to be part of it.

But here’s the thing—it wasn’t the race itself. Not the running, the riding, or the resilience of the participants that left the biggest impression.

It was during the BBQ lunch after the race that Dave shared his biggest takeaway: the Hekkla isn’t just a race. It’s an opportunity for relationship-building. He mentioned he’d be writing about this for his Beacon contribution this week. And then two things happened. First—I panicked! It was my week to write a Beacon piece too (yikes!). And second, I found myself wondering what else from this week had made an impact on me in quite the same way? Surely I couldn’t write about the Hekkla as well. That’s when Patrick Haggerty (’06) and I ended up outside the Dining Hall, reminiscing.

Patrick had returned for his first Hekkla on campus since graduating from RLC in 2006. Back then, I was one of his teachers. There’s something both surreal and heartwarming about reconnecting with someone from such a different chapter in your life—hearing about their family, their career, and the memories that still live large in their mind. And as so often happens, that conversation brought back a flood of memories for me too.

One that stood out was a 7,000 km road trip I took with Kim Hacker and a group of students—including Patrick. We piled into a 15-passenger van and drove to the Four Corners region in the U.S. We skied in Vail, stopped (I think!) at Mesa Verde, camped in Moab, explored the Grand Canyon, cruised along Route 66, and ate at the Big Texan. And then there was Roswell, New Mexico—a stop I had forgotten completely, but one Patrick remembered vividly. We explored the UFO museums and soaked in alien conspiracies. (I do still remember vividly when the van broke down in New Mexico—but that’s a story for another day) Insane trip? Perhaps. Memorable? Definitely! 

This Beacon contribution is about memory. About how shared experiences, long after the fact, connect us to people and place. It’s about why those memories mattered before we carried iPhones everywhere to document everything. Some photos from that trip still exist—captured on old-school cameras, tucked into photo albums or floating around in boxes somewhere. Maybe that’s why reminiscing feels so special! Listening to what stood out most for Patrick about his time at RLC was the most impactful thing in my week. And then it got even better—Sarah Mahon (’03, née Stone) joined us and added her own memories of time spent with Patrick during the Whitewater co-curricular led by Angus Murray and Scott Hepworth. Back then, they would drive out after school to the Rosseau River just to catch a bit of whitewater. It was a regular spring activity and one that left a lasting impression on both of them.

All of this reminded me how powerful it is to revisit the past through someone else’s eyes. I loved hearing about the lasting impact RLC had on our alumni—and learning which experiences stuck with them the most. When I asked Patrick what might encourage more alumni to return to campus, he didn’t hesitate: It’s the people. The faculty. The staff. 

So while this might not be a story about pedagogy, it is a story about learning. And while I’ll leave the Hekkla write-up to Dave, I’m happy to borrow his refrain: Rosseau Lake College is built on the 3 P’s—People, Place, and Program. Rejoining a community—whether you’re returning to work here like I did, or lacing up your runners for your first Hekkla in years—takes courage. But it might just unlock memories you didn’t know you were missing.

Come back and visit, Alum. Your memories might mean more than you realize! See you at the Pow Wow on June 6?

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