Washington Elementary Students Get Art Lesson From Resident Artist

With budget cuts being a predominant theme in schools, an art program can often be one of the first things to be dropped from the curriculum.

But thanks to Sandpoint’s Arts Alliance, a nonprofit organization formed in 2006 and devoted to providing arts education, artist services and advocacy, students at Sandpoint’s Washington Elementary School were able to receive instruction from a professional artist over the last several months. The end result? A piece of public art for the entire community to enjoy.

The alliance’s Artists in Residence Program allowed nearly 100 fourth- and fifth-grade students to work with a local artist to create a public mosaic mural, the theme of which was “Protecting Our Local Waters.” Students crafted handmade ceramic relief pieces in the form of plants, bugs, animals and plankton, which were then incorporated into a ceramic tile mosaic mural on the side of the school.

Lizzy Hughes, the executive director of the Arts Alliance, said the program is intended to teach students the manner in which a piece is created.

“It focuses on the process more than the product,” said Hughes.

When planning this year’s artist in residence project, Hughes said she wanted to ensure that the Arts Alliance worked closely with the schools to integrate the project with their curriculum.

“It gives them (the students) a more well-rounded understanding of their subject matter,” said Hughes. “And I really wanted to make sure that we did a project that was either environmental or social justice oriented so the students have a better understanding of caring for their environment.”

Teacher Sally Loveless said that the fifth-grade students do a project each year called Waterfest, which teaches them about water and various habitats. It provided a perfect opportunity for kids to incorporate what they learned in their classroom with the art project.

“Being able to do art once a week was phenomenal,” said teacher Ellen Darling, adding that it was amazing to see the process go from a pencil sketch to a beautiful mosaic mural.

For the past several months local artist Lynn Guier has worked with the students, teaching them everything from the importance of public art to the process involved in creating a mosaic mural.

There was a unit on healthy water where the Arts Alliance brought in scientists who work with fish, local Lake Pend Oreille, and water collection systems. The students were involved in fish identification, creating fish prints, learning about sedimentation, macro invertebrates and water quality.

After doing research in library books and on the Internet, the students eventually chose the animal they each wanted to draw to be a part of the mural.

Fifth-grader student Ben Schwartz described the process.

“First you draw what you want and then you trace it onto (tracing) paper. You put the paper onto a slab of clay, apply details, glaze it and then you bake it,” said Schwartz, whose creations included a chipmunk, a turtle and a fish.

Fourth-grader Burke Palmer-Fullerton said the message the students wanted to convey is the importance of the environment. “We tried to put out a good note on conserving water,” he said.

Guier said as murals go, this creation rivals some of the better pieces of public art. “I wanted this to be the most spectacular piece of art they’ve seen in Sandpoint,” she said, adding that both the students and teachers were wonderful to work with. “The students all took it very seriously.”

Fourth-grader Sam Diercks said before this project, he typically enjoyed just sketching in a book he has at home. “I didn’t think of myself as an artist before this. Just as a drawer. Now I’m a little bit of a painter,” he said.

Sam and his classmate Rachel Meyer agree it is important to have art in public places where many can enjoy it.

“It might remind someone of their childhood and may make them think of Disneyland,” said Sam.

“It can bring back memories,” added Rachel.

One important lesson Darling said the students have learned is that they each have their own creativity.

“It really allowed each of them to blossom,” she said.

Everyone involved in the project said it was a joint effort by many in the community who came together to teach the children everything from science, to conservation to art.

“It’s more than just art,” said Darling. “It’s thinking about our environment and history. It adds another dimension.”

Decades After High School, Friends Maintain Close Relationship

In the age of e-mail, Facebook and texting, it is fairly easy for friends to stay in touch. But for Sandpoint resident Loris Michael, it is a letter or a phone call that mean more to her than anything.

“I like to stay in touch with people, but on a personal level,” said Michael who admits that while it may take more time than simply sending an e-mail, it is well worth it.

It is that philosophy which has enabled Michael to stay connected with her friends with whom she graduated from North Platte High School in Nebraska 52 years ago. There were 265 students in her class, but it is Michael’s connection with 10 of the women that has helped the group through decades of life’s ups and downs.

“Over time these are the women who stayed in touch,” said Michael.

But communication was not always easy. With only four of the 11 staying in Nebraska, they did not see each other as often as they liked and they were all busy raising children.

“No one called in those days because (long distance) phone calls were extremely expensive,” said Michael.

So instead the women began writing round robin letters in the early 1970s.

“One would write and mail it to the next person,” said Michael. “It would sometimes take from May to September by the time it got around to everyone.”

The letters would arrive at least twice a year and Michael still enjoys reading them.

“There’s a lot of history in some of those letters,” she said.

As their children grew older, it became easier for the women to reunite every couple of years. It was during one reunion in 1984 when they dressed up in old time costumes and had their photo taken.

Deciding they needed a name, they began to call themselves the Floozies and gave each other nicknames. They even wrote out a Floozie Family Tree – a testament to the bond that is as close as that shared by sisters.

Michael said that when the women get together there are always crazy gifts exchanged, time to reminisce over old photos and a lot of laughs.

“We don’t have to do anything special,” said Michael. “We revert to being 17 when we’re together. We laugh, put on our pajamas and slippers.”

Michael recalls one reunion she attended with her Floozie friends when she arrived at the Denver airport and was greeted by the women who were decked out in tiaras, boas, wands and balloons.

“I almost got back on the plane, I was so embarrassed,” jokes Michael. “They are way crazier than I am.”

The reunions are like a giant slumber party with sleeping bags and girl talk until early mornings.

At one reunion, one of the women had handcrafted a porcelain doll for each of her friends that resembled the recipient in her younger years. It is a gift Michael treasures.

But it isn’t always fun and games. When one member of the group suffers, there is no hesitation on the part of the others to lend a hand. When Michael was diagnosed with cancer approximately five years ago she visited Nebraska upon completion of her treatment. All her friends came to check on her, some traveling several hours just so they could see she was OK.

“That tells you a lot about your friendships,” said Michael.

Two of the women have died and as the others celebrate their 70th birthdays this year they are realizing it is more challenging to travel.

Since moving to Sandpoint in 1999 Michael has wanted her friends to visit North Idaho. But some of them now face illnesses or are taking care of their spouses who are ill, making travel difficult. This weekend however, four of them traveled to North Idaho to visit Michael and explore the place she calls home.

“I want to show them what a beautiful part of the world this is,” said Michael.

Through the years these women have helped each other through divorce, losing a spouse and more. It is that support and the bond they share that has made the difference.

“They’re a strong bunch of women,” said Michael as she shared a story of how one of the members was determined to make it to one more reunion before she died. She made it and died one month later. “They’re brave and strong.”

As Michael reminisces about her friendships in life, she said she wishes more people would reach out the way she and her friends did so many years ago – through phone calls and letters or cards.

“There’s nothing like old friendships,” she said.

Sandpoint High School Graduate Lives Life With Positive Attitude, A Lesson Learned from His Mother

If there is one lesson 18-year-old A.J. Smith has already learned, it is that attitude is everything.

“Life is full of good and bad things, but life will only get you down if you let it,” said the Sandpoint High School senior.

It was a lesson Smith learned from his mother, Norma Taylor, who died last year from pancreatic cancer. “My attitude towards life I learned from my mom,” he said.

It is that attitude that got Smith through his senior year, excelling both academically and athletically.

A.J., whose given name is Abinadi John, is the second of four children. An outstanding athlete, he played football all four years at Sandpoint and has played lacrosse since seventh grade.

Never afraid to try new things, Smith tried out for basketball for the first time this year and made varsity.

“I went from knowing nothing at all to going to someone they could count on to put in if need be,” said Smith, who had his best year academically this year with a 3.7 grade-point average. He encourages others to try new things. “Don’t wait until the last chance to take a chance to do something you might really enjoy.”

When Sandpoint made it to the state championship in football this year, Smith said it was one of the most exciting moments of his life.

That excitement is likely to continue. He will play football at University of Montana Western in the fall on a scholarship and was also offered a scholarship by Montana State University Northern – something he knows would make his mother proud.

The memories of his high school years will always be special. But not just for the reasons that most young people cherish those years. For Smith it will always bring back memories of times spent with his mother.

“She was the most encouraging person,” said Smith, who said his mom would make every game her health would allow. But when she couldn’t attend his mom was the first person he would call after a game.

“She’d never ask if we won or lost. She’d ask if I had fun.”

When she was reaching the end stages of her life, Smith and his mom would spend a lot of time talking.

“We would sit and talk about things we wouldn’t normally,” he said.

During the last few months of his mother’s life, Smith said he struggled with whether to quit the lacrosse team. He was worried about his mom, but his teammates and coach encouraged him to play so he stuck with it. The day after she died he had a game and made the decision to play what was the last game of the season.

“She always said she would make it to a game and she never was able to,” he said. “The game I played the day after she died, that was the last game. I guess she finally got to see me play.”

During his years at Sandpoint High School, Smith received several football honors including all state, all league and all North Idaho honors his junior year and all league and all North Idaho honors his senior year. It was after football season his junior year that his mom started expressing her desire to buy Smith a letterman’s jacket. But they are expensive – about $400 – and due to her illness, his mom was not able to work regularly.

He assured his mom he did not need it, but it was something she kept talking about. When Smith’s friend Mike Hubbard asked why he didn’t have a jacket, he confided in him that his mother had wanted to buy one but never got the chance. So the kids and their moms got together and surprised Smith with the gift his mom never got the chance to give him.

“Right before we went to the playoffs (senior year) I got my letterman,” he said. “It is definitely one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me.”