Ties to My Workplace--Kellogg Junior High School/Kellogg Middle School

I enjoy working in a school where I was also a student.

Actually, both schools that are my workplace, I was once a student.

Kellogg Middle School used to be Kellogg Junior High School.  I enjoy having ties to this building, and memories of being a student there.

It is also fun having ties to some of the staff.  As I stroll through the halls of Kellogg Middle School, I can find ties to many of the faculty and staff.

The choir director started her career at Kellogg Junior High School when I was a student there, and still continues to work and help students perform.

Another faculty member was a fellow student with me at KJHS and Kellogg High School, and today she is a wonderful role model for the students at KMS.

One of my brother's best friend's sons teaches Science at KMS.

One of my sister's former students teaches English at KMS, and has had all three of my daughter as students.

When I was a student at Sunnyside Elementary in Kellogg, JD came and started her teaching career as a fifth grade teacher.  Now she teaches Math and Social Studies at KMS.

One of the teacher aides is the daughter of one of Dad's best friends.

The art/computer teacher married a man I grew up with in Kellogg.

When I was growing up, I stayed at one of the secretaries parent's houses when she and my mom and sister went on a trip.

And I have established ties with other staff by working in this building for the last three years.  I have come to admire these men and women, and am very fortunate to work with such a caring group of people, who really care about the students they work with, and try to help them in many ways.

I am very glad I have ties to such a wonderful group of people.

Winter Walk--Looking back at Kellogg Junior High School

Looking back at Kellogg Middle School from the bridge crossing the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River.

This is the back of the building where I work, Kellogg Middle School. The large window is at the end of the ramp that heads to the library.

This morning I looked back on this building and took this picture. Then, in my mind, I also looked back to the time I was a student in this building.

I attended this school when it was called Kellogg Junior High School. I went to grades 7, 8 and 9 in this building, in the mid to late 70's. I was the only sibling to attend junior high at this school, because it opened after Inland Empire Girl was already in high school.

I had good times, and not so good times in this building as a student.

I learned I loved to read, write and study poetry in this school.

I learned I sucked at Algebra. I never could figure out from Mrs. Abelman how to balance the equations.

It was during these years I learned to "put on a happy face" and act like everything when okay, even when I was miserable.

I learned to play the piccolo, and still remember playing the "special part" during "Stars and Stripes Forever".

I experienced having a fellow classmate get pregnant at the beginning of my 9th grade year, and have the baby at the end of the year. It was strange, but for me personally, it was an effective form of birth control, because I knew I didn't want to get pregnant until I was ready.

Drama class my freshman year exposed me to acting on the stage for the first time, and writing my first play.

Even though some of those times at Kellogg Junior High School were difficult, and made me feel fat, ugly, stupid and like a loser, they helped shape me into the person I am today.

And, overall, that isn't such a bad thing.

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...

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!!