United World College students find silver linings amid evacuation

May 2—GLORIETA — There's community and togetherness — and then there's community and togetherness in the face of a catastrophic forest fire.

Students at United World College, who have experienced the angst brought by the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire in unique ways during the past three days, said the uncertainty has brought them even closer.

Closer, as the fire pushed near the campus and its historic Montezuma Castle.

Closer, as the roughly 220 students at the school grabbed their go bags Friday and loaded onto buses and headed to Las Vegas, N.M., to stay at New Mexico Highlands University.

And closer still after officials determined Saturday the evacuation would last for days, prompting students to head to the Glorieta Adventure Camps, where they are staying.

"It's been a real bonding experience," said Aviva Nathan, 17, of Santa Fe.

School officials expressed gratitude to officials at the facility, where the students will stay until the crisis has passed.

"Glorieta, within a day, opened their facilities, which have been shut down for the winter. For them to be able to welcome us here ... we couldn't be more grateful," said United World College Chief Advancement Officer Mark Hodde.

Hodde said the school would be able to continue conducting classes from the camp starting Monday.

United World College-USA, located in Montezuma, has students from more than 90 countries around the globe. Some live in nations embroiled in turmoil from war. The only conflict in the area near the campus was that between firefighters and flames, but it's been unnerving for some students. When the school was first ordered to evacuate, Esther Mbandeka of Namibia said the scene was unforgettable.

"It was just gray, and everyone felt like it was an apocalypse," she said.

As the tension grew, Mbandeka and Nathan said students tried to stay calm by telling jokes and singing songs. During their first night, Nathan said students slept on cots in an auditorium at New Mexico Highlands, warmed by wool blankets.

The lessons from the fire have been obvious to many at the school: United World College President Victoria Mora said this year's fire has brought her students face-to-face with the effects of climate change and the tragedy it has caused.

"Our mission is to make education a force for peace and a sustainable future. And so, any student who comes to us already is thinking about those issues," Mora said. "This fire, for better or for worse, is an amazing tutorial into climate change, and they're seeing it firsthand. They're seeing people displaced."

Student Ruby Mahoney of Maine said she had never dealt with a wildfire until she came to New Mexico for school.

"Our experience and the experience of so many people in New Mexico right now is proof of the climate catastrophe. And it's going to get worse if nothing's done," said Mahoney, 18. "Those that have power need to step up and meet the challenge of climate change, before it's too late."

Mahoney said the anxiety mounted as the school learned the fire was creeping closer to campus.

"Everyone was obviously really scared of the school burning down because there was a fire last year," Mahoney said.

Nathan said she was used to hearing about wildfires while growing up in Santa Fe but never anything this early in the year.

"I have some grief around the wildfires that are caused by climate change," Nathan said. "In school, it's kind of like a cerebral thing where we're talking about environmental systems in class and we're taking tests on it. Now, we're living it and seeing what it actually looks like."

Mbandeka said she wants to learn more about the people in Northern New Mexico who lost their homes in the fires.

"I feel like we have to be more understanding and send our prayers out to them. Because I literally cannot even imagine what that has to feel like to have to start over once again," Mbandeka said.

Even before the evacuation order, students already were dealing with the stress of preparing for upcoming exams. Mora said students are scheduled to begin taking International Baccalaureate exams Wednesday. She said second-year students are under additional pressure since they need to pass their exams to graduate.

As first-year students like Nathan and Mbandeka hung out with friends and played volleyball, some of their peers were hard at work studying on a Sunday afternoon.

"I feel like a lot of us are just trying to pretend that nothing is happening. Like we don't have school. We don't have exams," Mbandek said. "I feel like it will hit us tomorrow at 9 a.m. when we are actually in class."