Elena DeLacy, President

Born and raised in Sacramento, Elena attended a memorable week at Sly Park Center as a 6th grader at Genevieve Didion elementary. As President of Friends of Sly Park, Elena is honored to be able to help provide impactful outdoor experiences to students through scholarships. Her formative experiences in nature shaped her field of study, her conservation-oriented career path, and have provided boundless inspiration for her creative pursuits. Ms. DeLacy holds a degree in Environmental Biology and Management from UC Davis and recently completed coursework on Non-profit leadership at Harvard Business School. Elena is the Executive Director of American River Conservancy, a local land trust and community-based conservation organization. She is also the proud mother of 3 amazing daughters. In her spare time, Elena also enjoys creating and performing music (violin), hiking on local trails, and playing in her garden. 

 

David “Granite” Welsh, currently vice-president for FOSP, is a retired full-time credentialed Sly Park teacher. With over 27 years on the trails at Sly Park he brought smiles and knowledge of the natural world to countless students. One of his many contributions to the Sly Park program was the construction of the climbing wall, and the joy of facilitating thousands of students to grow from the experience. Prior to becoming a credentialed teacher, he led summer backpacking and rock climbing trips in the southern Sierras. He received a BA degree in physical geography from the University of Santa Barbara.

Susan “Lichen” Welsh, currently treasurer for FOSP, is a retired educator with an over 20 years teaching geography at Antelope Valley College and at colleges throughout the Sacramento region. She was also a part-time teacher at Sly Park for several years where she enjoyed observing students discovering the natural environment. Her interest in the out-of-doors began early with a hiking group in the Berkeley hills, Girl Scout and family camping and backpacking trips in the Sierras. She recieved a BA from Simon Frasier University in British Columbia, Canada and an MA degree from CSUC, both in the field of geography.

AMY GEORGE I am a 6th grade teacher in the Davis Joint Unified School District, where I have taught for 25 years. I'm fortunate that I've been able to attend Sly Park with my students for almost all of those years; our annual trips are truly the highlights of my career. I am a Certified California Naturalist with three different conservation organizations.

 

I appreciate how proud students are of what they accomplish at each and every moment of their time at Sly Park. They reflect on their strengths as humans and are able to see a larger view of themselves and get to add to their personal story. Their independence shines throughout the week and students get to work through challenges on any number of levels. Kids who have never spent time away from home have the chance to realize that they have unlimited potential to do new and sometimes seemingly impossible or uncomfortable things. Being able to witness my 6th grade students experience Sly Park fills my bucket! 

 

A favorite moment: one of the moments that continues to bring joy to my heart when I think of it happened years ago when I had a student who used a motorized wheelchair. He was not able to physically move or verbally communicate, but he had a talker and he told us that he wanted to climb the rock wall. The Sly Park staff made a large climbing harness and tied the ropes to support him, and with the help of his paraeducator, his mom, and our teachers, he was able to safely go up the wall. His excitement spread to everyone on campus and soon other kids who weren’t in his hiking group were giving him high fives and praise for his awesomeness. This is what inclusion looks like. 

 

Hello, my name is Mike Salter and I am a retired 6th grade teacher.  For 15 years my team and I took roughly 100 kiddos to Sly Park each year for the experience of their lives. It was hard as a teacher to get all my students up there because not every family could afford the week and I had to fundraise. It was all worth it. The experience of being at an outdoor school is something I wish every student has a chance to experience. I have personally witnessed how much students learn and grow in their week at this marvelous outdoor school. I think the teachers here are of top quality, care for their students and teach in a way to keep all students engaged.  The science learned here is hard to do in a normal school setting.  In addition, the students are active while learning. The students hike everyday(so PE is taken care of!) learn how to cooperate with others(social skills), and the chance to do something they have never done happens everyday.  I loved seeing the students meet the challenges and see their confidence soar (climbing the rock wall, hiking, and even the skits at the campfire!). I am here to help Friends of Sly Park in any way I can because I believe in their mission.