Seeds of Literary Analysis Planted at KHS

I gave this week's sibling assignment. I asked my siblings to think of a time in one of their Kellogg High School classes that really made an impression on them, and write about it.

One of my English teachers while at KHS was named Dale Bachman. When I was in high school, the English classes were set up when you could choose a different class each nine weeks. One nine weeks I chose to study Poetry. Mr. Bachman was my teacher.

One of the assignments we did was to bring a song we liked, and share the lyrics, showing how song lyrics were actually a type of poetry.

As an example, Mr. Bachman shared one of his favorite songs, "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". He talked about the song, and explained how this was a kind of story poem.




I chose a song from "A Chorus Line", titled " At The Ballet". This is a song about three girls and their troubles growing up, and how the ballet helped them out. I chose this version because Kelly Bishop from "The Gilmore Girls" sings it, and it sounds really good. Thesethree originated the roles on Broadway. If I remember correctly, we brought in the lyrics, and talked about what they meant, and analyzed them in front of the class.

This lesson has always stuck with me, and I still remember Mr. Bachman jumping around the room, acting out "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". I think it stuck with me, because my teacher was excited about what he was doing, and really got into this lesson.

I still love analyzing literature, whether it is poetry, essays, short stories or novels.

I love it and believe the seeds were planted right here in this class at KHS.

Memories of an Unpolluted Creek

Kellogg High School in the late 50's

Kellogg High School is probably one of the only high schools that has a creek running under it. The high school is located in a beautiful setting. It is up Jacob's Gulch. (I think Jacob's Gulch is named after the Jacob's family who owned the land up there and ran a dairy.)

The creek running down Jacob's Gulch is Jackass Creek. In the photo below, you can see how the creek runs under the school.

Today, after dropping off The Princess at school, I noticed a culvert by Shoshone Medical Center, which is at the entrance to Jacob's Gulch, and the culvert had a big grate over it so you couldn't get into the culvert. This reminded me of playing in Jackass Creek in my youth.

Up behind the high school was a trail that took you along the creek, and there was a reservoir that, at one time provided water for the high school. (I'm not sure if it still does or not.) Below the reservoir were little dams, and it was fun to play in the creek because the water was clean. This water hadn't been affected by the mining pollution, at least not directly.

Jackass Creek was very unique to me as a child growing up in Kellogg, because you could see little fish in the creek. Things grew in this little stream. The water was clear.

Most of the local water I was used to seeing wasn't that way. "Lead Creek", or the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River that runs through Kellogg, had been a bit murky, then got clearer, but still nothing lived in those waters in my childhood. And I don't remember being told I couldn't play in that water....it was just understood.

The other creek that I would frequently see is the water running by Silver King School, which came from the Zinc Plant up above. It was another polluted stream that you stayed away from.

(The North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River was not polluted, but I don't remember going up there much until I was a bit older.)

Exploring Jackass Creek was a treat. I could splash in the water, which got a little deep where there were the little man-made dams, and it was cool, and you could splash your way down toward the high school. In those days, there were no grates. I remember playing in the culverts and walking in the creek all the way to "Lead Creek", and wondering what happened to those pour little fish once they got to the river?

Now it is all gated up. In fact, I think most of the culverts were closed up by the time I graduated from high school.

But some things remain the same. The creek still flows through the high school. The walk up behind the high school is still beautiful. Actually, the area is even more beautiful because there is much more vegetation. Wild turkeys are seen in the KHS parking lot. PKR and The Princess saw about five deer in the KHS parking lot last night.

I don't ever remember seeing much wildlife around Kellogg when I was little, or even hearing about it unless people went places to hunt.

As I look back, it seems odd how normal "Lead Creek" seemed. And the Smelter Smoke, that created that burning sensation in my throat as I played on the playground at recess.

It shouldn't have been. But it was part of my life, even though I wasn't always a willing participant.

A human being is part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole [of] nature in its beauty.

~Albert Einstein, 1950

Time to GEAR UP for my new job

Since graduating from college, I have had a long and winding career path, from college admissions director to radio announcer, to newspaper reporter, to office manager.

Next week, I add GEAR UP Site Coordinator to the list.

I got a new job. It was one of those serendipitous occasions where everything fell into place and all the stars aligned and I was approached about this position and I applied and went for an interview and got the job.

GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.

The goal of GEAR UP for the Kellogg School District is to provide comprehensive early intervention services for Kellogg Middle School students in cooperation with their parents that will help them learn about, prepare for and succeed in college.

The mission of GEAR UP Idaho is to inspire students to become active in their educational experience and to ensure they are academically prepared for advancement to post-secondary education; and to increase the economic development and quality of life of Idaho residents by offering avenues to post-secondary education.

So I get to spend the next five years working with students helping them become more successful as students and to show them how getting a high school education and education beyond high school can open up a whole new world for them.

This has been a passion of mine since my first job as the Director of Admissions and Public Relations at Dawson Community College in Glendive, Montana.

I can't tell you how excited I am to help develop this program.

I am flying down to Boise next month to find out more about the program and get some training, and also attend a conference in Spokane to learn more. These two things will help me get started.

So I'm phasing out of my old job and phasing into the new one.

Lots of changes in our household this fall. PKR changing teaching jobs and going to Kellogg High School, me working at Kellogg Middle School, The Princess starting her senior year, Z2 going into 8th grade, and Kiki Aru starting 6th grade at KMS.

We are all looking forward to the changes...

Clematis Bloom, New Meme and PKR Gets New Job

1. I was blessed with two very mature clematis plants in my backyard when I moved to this house last spring. This flower is from the smaller of the two, and the first to bloom. I can see this bloom out my patio door. I think it is so beautiful.

2. Ponderosa Pinings tagged me for a new meme. Here are my results.


INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:


1) BlondeMomBlog



2) It's A Schmitty Life



3) Life is short, buy the shoes



4) Ponderosa Pinings



5) Silver Valley Stories




Next select five people to tag:



(Sorry, but I'm skipping this part. Join in if you would like. Leave me a comment if you do.)




Answer the following questions:




What were you doing 10 years ago?


I was living in Meridian, Idaho. My children were 6, 2 and 1. I was a stay at home mom who did a little bit of childcare. Besides being a full time teacher at one of Meridian's Alternative High Schools, my husband was the Youth Pastor at our church, and I helped him minister to the middle school and high school youth. I also was very involved in my daughter's school, helping with the PTO group, and volunteering in class. I loved to garden and bake and can food. I loved to write, and helped write our church's newsletter. Life seemed a little slower and simpler then. A different kind of busy I guess.

What were you doing one year ago?

I had just moved into my new house at the end of March, and was still getting settled,

Five snacks you enjoy:

Cheese
crackers
popcorn
pretzels
apples


Five songs that you know all the lyrics to:

Love Will Keep Us Together
Moon River
Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey
Copacabana
My Favorite Things


Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:


Hire a personal financial advisor
Hire a maid
Get out of debt
Save for girl's college tuition
Save for traveling




Five bad habits:


Eating late at night
Sitting too much
Reading the paper first instead of the Bible in the morning
Not planning meals for the week
Forgetting to clean out the litter boxes




Five things you like doing:


Going for a walk each night with my husband
Helping lead worship in church
Praying and reading the Bible and having something new revealed to me
Sitting and talking with my three daughters and laughing at our own private jokes
Spending time with my brother and sister and mom.




Five things you would never wear again:


Cheap, uncomfortable shoes
Big 80's hair
Clothes with big padded shoulders
Leggings
Maternity Clothes





Five favorite toys:


Laptop computer
Espresso machine
Karaoke Machine
Backgammon Board
Digital Camera



3. My husband PKR has been a teacher at alternative high schools since 1991. He worked at Meridian Academy in Meridian, Idaho for 8 years, and has been the director of Silver Valley High School here in Kellogg for 6 years. Well, change is coming. Yesterday, he interviewed for and was offered the job of Drama/Speech and English teacher at Kellogg High School, which he accepted today. He is very excited, and it was fun last night taking our walk, and having him share some of his vision for the drama program at the high school.

Grandma Woolum--A Silver Valley Story

I had two grandmas growing up…no grandpas. Both of my grandmothers raised their children as single mothers, when being a single mother wasn’t too common.
Grandma West, my mom’s mother, lived in Orofino. We went to visit her for one week every summer. She was a wonderful grandma and I always loved our yearly visits.
The one I knew better was Grandma Woolum. She lived in Spokane. She was my dad’s mom.
When I think about visiting grandma’s house, there are so many memories that come flooding back. Certain sights, certain sounds, certain smells and certain tastes.
One of the things that I always remembered about Grandma Woolum’s by sight was her chewing Doublemint Chewing Gum. Whenever I see a green package of the Wrigley’s gum, I think of my grandma.
And she usually only chewed half a stick at a time. She would have those 24 stick packs hidden away in a drawer or in her bureau, and you would see how half a stick was still in the paper. I’m not sure why Doublemint was her favorite. I don’t think I ever asked. I never thought to ask. I just knew that was what Grandma liked.
A sound I remember from Grandma’s house was her starburst clock on the wall above her television. It always had a certain buzz at certain times when it moved.
There were so many wonderful smells emitting from Grandma’s house, but one I remember and still love today is when she boiled green beans on the stove with some bacon so we could have them for dinner. They seemed to boil all afternoon. Yum-m-m-m!
I had never heard of “jack cheese” until I went to Grandma’s house. She always kept this white cheese wrapped up in her refrigerator in aluminum foil to keep it fresh. It tasted very different from cheddar or American or Swiss, the cheeses I was used to having at home. Later in life, I learned the correct name was Monterey Jack cheese.
Grandma’s house was always such a safe and nice place to be, because she made it that way. She was always excited to see us, and I was always her “Sugar”.
She lived here in the Silver Valley, living various places like Burke and Wardner and Kellogg. But after a while the “smelter smoke” took its toll on her breathing, and she moved to Spokane. But she did always love to come over and visit us.
She was part of the Silver Valley, and the Silver Valley was a part of her. Hers is a very special Silver Valley story. She is why I am a part of the valley today, and why it runs through my veins.
Thanks, Grandma, for letting my life, and my children’s life, continue your Silver Valley story.

Tuesday night in the Silver Valley

So what is going on in our home tonight in the beautiful Silver Valley?

The Princess is working on her online course with PKR. She attends 4 periods at Kellogg High School, and then takes online courses as well. It is a system that works well for her, and students are fortunate these days they have many different options of earning their high school diploma. I am a firm believer in public school education, but I also believe it doesn't work for everyone, and that we are fortunate that our children have many different options, from Richard McKenna High School, the online school my daughter takes classes from, IDLA that PKR uses at Silver Valley Alternative School, the valley's alternative high school, and many good home schooling programs, not to mention private schools, if you choose that route. Here is PKR and The Princess working on U.S. History.




Z2 is putting the finishing touches on her cricket she is making for her 7th grade science project at Kellogg Middle School. With the help of her dad and myself, we found enough materials to construct this 3-D creature that will soon join many others in the insect kingdom and hang from the ceiling in her science room. She also put her cricket in its' habitat, so hopefully she will earn an extra 20 bonus points.





Valentine's Day has been extended by a week at 5th grader Kika Aru's school because it was shut down last week due to 41 percent of the students and teachers missing because of a nasty flu bug. So tommorow is the day they get their Valentine's parties. I helped Kiki Aru make a very original valentine for her classmates. She is giving her classmates "Cupid Poop".



Here is what the card says:

I couldn't send you flowers
and candy wouldn't do

and mushy cards just didn't
say the things I want them to.

So I got you something special

and here's the inside scoop

I found you something very rare

it's genuine Cupid poop!

I hope her 5th grade classmates like it!!