My father likes to jokingly retell the story of when he taught me how to ride a bike and how he questioned if I would ever learn. We both remember the skinned knees, him running behind me holding on to the big banana seat, and his letting go without my knowledge (until he yelled, “You’re doing it!”, which caused me to turn my head, panic, and promptly crash). Learning to ride a bike was an expectation in our house, and the countless “let’s try again” frustrations on both of our parts are embedded in our memories. My sister and I started with big wheels before graduating to bicycles with training wheels and eventually to two-wheelers. We biked for exercise, pleasure, and freedom, and I rode my bike to school every day as my mode of transportation.
The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain, an independent school located on 33-acres in the community of Summerlin, is Nevada’s first Stanford University Challenge Success partner school for students in early childhood through grade eight. Utilizing the unique Challenge Success framework, Dawson uses research-based strategies and programs that emphasize student academics, wellbeing, and a healthy school-life balance to create more engaged, motivated, and resilient learners and leaders. At Dawson, students achieve their individual potential while savoring life and meeting the challenges of the world.