Deerhorn definitely has a focus on fun, and as a photographer, I love capturing those fun moments, those huge smiles, those looks of sheer delight.  But there is also a lot of hard work that happens at Deerhorn, and I love capturing those moments too.

A couple of days ago, on the blog, I talked about “grit“, and one of the components of grit is determination.  That look that comes across their face as they try just one more time to get up on skis, or aim to get that elusive bullseye in archery, get a good hit in baseball, or hit that last point over the net in tennis.

I love watching those looks of determination, knowing that those kids are, in that moment, giving their all.  That’s why kids thrive here at Deerhorn because it’s somehow the perfect combination of work and play.

They learn the skills and get the practice, but they also get to play and just be a kid.  They become intrinsically motivated because they are given the choice of how hard they want to work that day. And it’s amazing how they rise to the occasion.