Passion Beyond the Classroom

Athletic trainer and anatomy and physiology teacher Sarah Orban strapped on ice skates for the first time at age four and fell in love with the sport of figure skating. At age 13, after nearly a decade on the ice, she faced a tough decision: she could continue to skate, but the intense commitment that the sport demanded meant that she would have to give up all of her other activities. “I was involved in everything imaginable — soccer, softball, volleyball, clubs,” she says. Rather than sacrifice it all, she hung up her skates.

Years later, in her first semester at the University of New Hampshire, she saw a flyer recruiting people for the synchronized skating team. With synchronized skating, teams of 12 to 20 or more people perform on the ice at once. “It’s kind of like the Rockettes,” Orban explains. “It’s more about lines, circles, speed, and footwork, not about jumps and spins.”

Skating became a part of her life again, and she performed on the ice through all four years of college. But after graduation, the real world took over. “I moved to Florida for grad school, and I didn’t bring my skates,” she says

After finishing graduate school and moving back to Massachusetts, she ran into a friend who performed with an adult synchronized skating team. “I tried out — and I made it,” Orban says. She’s been skating with the team for the past four seasons, competing, exhibiting in shows, and attending the Eastern regional championships.

She points out that as a CH-CH house parent, it can be hard to pull herself away from campus, and skating pushes her to do something that is different from her school life. “It’s definitely one of those things that makes me feel complete,” she says. “I don’t want to sound corny, but it’s something to look forward to weekly. I do it for me — because I want to do it.”

As an athletic trainer and experienced skater, Orban lands opportunities to volunteer at top local skating events, including national and world championship competitions for individual and synchronized skating held in Boston. “It’s been amazing,” she says. “I’ve been sitting rinkside watching skaters who are the best from all over the world.”

Those experiences give her something to share with her anatomy and physiology students. “You have to be ready for anything—from getting a bag of ice to finding a doctor if two skaters collide. You’re on your toes the entire shift,” she says. This year, she volunteered at the Boston Marathon as well. “I can come back and explain to classes the real-life scenarios. I teach about the body, and I see it and live it. I can tie it into lessons, and it helps [the students] get the point a little better,” she says.

Our students and staff sometimes spot history teacher Patrick Cooke hanging around the rock wall in the gym— literally. As an ice climber, Cooke suspends himself from the climbing holds on the wall to build the stamina he needs to hang from ice picks.

Cooke got hooked on rock climbing in college—and soon discovered he liked ice climbing even more. “I have a special affinity for ice climbing,” he says. “As much as I love rock climbing, come September, I’m itching to get out on the ice and looking ahead to winter.”

Now, just about every weekend, you’ll find him out on either rock walls or ice sheets in the Northeast, depending on the season. And in the summers, he heads to the western United States for an extended climbing trip.

While Cooke recognizes the risks and demands of iceclimbing, he appreciates the opportunities that it brings. “Climbing allows me to explore the world around me in ways I don’t get to otherwise. When you’re hanging on a little ledge on the side of a cliff and you’re seeing a peregrine falcon, a turkey vulture, or a blue skink lizard, you get to enjoy the natural world.”

Climbing has brought him in contact with other communities and cultures, as well. “There have been so many memorable trips and special climbs,” he says. “I’ve been able to climb in the Canadian Rockies three times, and I was invited to Scotland to climb two years ago.”

Raised in upstate New York on the edge of the Appalachian Trail, Cooke fell in love with the outdoors. While working at summer camps as a counselor, he found his calling. “I really love the act of teaching,” he says. “My passion is getting to work with other people, to share insight and knowledge and help them understand a concept or idea.”

Cooke’s climbing experience informs his work in the classroom, particularly in the modern global issues class he teaches. “With environmental issues, I can bring my firsthand experiences of global warming. I’ve seen the effect on glaciers, ecosystems, and habitats in my own travels,” he says.

His focus on climbing also helps him recharge for the work week. “Climbing is so intense and requires such focus. It allows me to be a better teacher — because each weekend I get to recharge.” After a weekend of rock climbing, his hands are covered in cuts and scrapes, and he’s stiff and a little tired. “The last thing I want to do then is put my hands back on rocks,” he says. “Then I shift gears. I engage with the kids and get a sense of perspective.”