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.”

Sandpoint High School Newspaper and Year Book Receive Awards at National Conference

For Sandpoint High School junior Jesse Webster Merwin, love of writing began at an early age.

“I grew up having my mom and papa read to me,” said Jesse. “When I was 8 years old, I started to write stories. A friend and I wrote a 12-page mystery back then.”

But it was when she was in seventh grade and started to read the Sandpoint High School student newspaper, the Cedar Post, that Jesse became interested in journalism.

“Bailey (her sister) would bring home the Cedar Post and I would read every word,” said Jesse. By the time she reached her freshman year, Jesse said she read it cover to cover right when it came out and would eagerly await publication of the next issue, usually about three weeks later.

Now, as she finishes her junior year at Sandpoint High School, Jesse is proud to say that next year she will be the editor in chief of the Cedar Post, an award-winning publication.

Students from Sandpoint High School’s Cedar Post and Monticola, the school’s yearbook, attended the National Journalism Education Association High School Convention in Portland recently and both publications came home with several awards.

“There were about 3,000 people at the conference and I believe there were about 500 schools,” said Jennifer Prandato, this year’s editor for the Cedar Post. “People came from pretty much every state in the U.S.”

According to Barbara Tibbs, the staff adviser for Monticola, this was the first time in 10 years the yearbook staff attended the conference because Cedar Post staff typically attended the fall conference.

“The newspaper staff returned to going to the spring conference and we (the yearbook staff) could go together,” said Tibbs. “Fall conferences are difficult for spring-delivery books to attend.”

The Cedar Post placed seventh in the nation for the December 2009 edition in the eight-page-and-under division, something Prandato attributes to the perseverance of a group of young writers.

“We had a very young and inexperienced staff this year, so the fact that we were able to learn so fast shows that they really have a talent,” said Prandato.

Merwin said they may compete next year in the 10-page-and-over category, but adds that will remain to be seen. She does have a goal, however, and she intends to achieve it through a variety of ways.

“Hopefully we will get in the top three next year,” she said.

One of the changes she will implement as editor is to make the paper more visually attractive to high school students.

“Instead of writing longer stories, we will break it up with color fact boxes and photos,” said Merwin, who adds that the editorial staff will also take strong positions on issues. “Hopefully we’ll get more letters to the editor.”

One prestigious award was received by Sandpoint junior Connor Griesemer who placed second in an unrelated photo contest through the Edward R. Murrow College of Journalism at Washington State University.

“The (photo) contest was open to high schools in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska and they received over a hundred entries,” said Prandato.

Something unique about the Cedar Post is that it is a student-run newspaper. While they do have an adviser, William Love, the administration does not dictate to the students what should and should not be printed.

“But at the same time we do recognize that we are a high school paper and not everything is appropriate for freshmen or the seventh-graders who may be reading it,” said Merwin, who hopes that students who read the paper will be inspired to write.

“You might not use it in calculus, but writing is something you’ll always need,” she said. “Students may not want to write a 10-page English paper, but if you tell them they can write a no-nonsense story, they usually like it.”

But don’t think the Cedar Post will be the last place you will get the chance to read Merwin’s articles.

“I want to go into political journalism,” she said. “My dream job is to write a political column for the New York Times.”

Stay tuned. My bet is that she will do just that.

Other awards won by Sandpoint High School students

Blaine Shultz, honorable mention in yearbook copy/caption: sports; Barry Wilson, honorable mention in literary magazine: poetry; Jennifer Prandato, honorable mention in newspaper layout; Evan Metz, excellence in editorial cartooning; Amanda Hayes, honorable mention in news writing; Graham Cole, honorable mention in feature writing; Jessie Webster Merwin, excellence in editorial writing; Eddie Ogle, excellence in sports writing; Dylan Vogel, excellence in yearbook student life photography (one of his winning photos is shown on the front page of the JEA website); Kendall Stratton, honorable mention in computer design: photoshop art.

Friendship Deepens Between Two Women in Their Search for Birth Parents

Barb Hecker always knew she was loved. Adopted at birth, she was blessed with a wonderful family and a happy childhood.

“My brother and I were thrilled to know that we were twice loved,” said Hecker, of Sandpoint. “Our birth mothers loved us enough to make sure we had a good home, and our adoptive parents carried on from there.”

But when Hecker had her own children, she felt something missing.

“I got tired of going to the doctor’s office, filling out forms and always putting ‘unknown’ on health history,” said Hecker.

It prompted her to begin the search for her birth parents 12 years ago. She contacted the agency that handled her adoption and within two weeks she had the information needed to locate her birth mother.

Unfortunately, she had died. But Barb learned she had two half-brothers.

She traveled to Texas to meet them and at the advice of the agency, did so alone.

“They said I did not want to have to worry about my husband and kids because I would be busy processing my own emotions,” said Hecker. It was advice for which she is grateful.

And if her half-brothers had any doubt Hecker was their sister, it vanished the minute they saw her.

“My brothers took one look at me and they knew,” said Hecker, who is told she shares many traits with her birth mother. “They said it was like seeing a ghost.”

After returning to Sandpoint, Hecker shared her story with her friend Laurie Anderson, of Sagle.

Like Hecker, Anderson was adopted. Born in the Seattle area, she grew up in Ellensburg.

“Every time we went to Seattle, I would always look around and wonder,” Anderson said of her curiosity about her birth parents.

But she was not sure about whether she wanted to begin the search.

“I felt it may be hurtful to my parents,” Anderson said of her adoptive parents. But because she had four children of her own, she, too, wanted to know about her ethnic background as well as any potential health issues. So with Hecker’s help she began the process.

“If it weren’t for Barb, I would not have done it,” Anderson said.

Working with the Washington Adoptive Rights Movement, it took three years for Anderson to locate her birth mother.

“They said it was the least amount of information they ever had to go on,” Anderson said.

Initially, her birth mother was not sure she wanted to meet. But after Laurie's birth mother notified Laurie's birth father, the couple agreed to meet their daughter they gave up decades before.

Anderson asked Hecker to accompany her to the meeting.

“I wanted to take Barb because if it weren’t for her I would not have done this,” Anderson said. “And because she did not get the chance to meet her birth mother I wanted her to be a part of it.”

Together the friends flew to Seattle to meet Anderson’s birth parents who had flown from Oklahoma City and Colorado.

They had dinner at the Space Needle and talked at length, asking questions and fulfilling one another’s curiosity.

Anderson’s birth mother, still unsure of the meeting, looked to Hecker for advice on how to handle this newfound relationship. She said she had never had other children and did not think she could be a mom.

“I told her, ‘Laurie does not want a mother. She wants a friend,’ ” Hecker said. “She said, ‘I can do that.’ ”

She also shared with Hecker that when she found out she was pregnant, Anderson’s birth father flew back from overseas, brought her a string of pearls and proposed to her. But she declined, saying she was not ready.

Anderson’s birth mother had kept the string of pearls and brought them with her when she met Anderson.

“She asked me what I thought about her and Laurie’s birth father presenting Laurie with the pearls,” Hecker said. “I told her I was sure she would love it.”

Hecker was right. It is a gift Anderson treasures.

As both women discovered more about their biological beginnings, their closure began and their friendship grew. “There’s definitely a bond,” Anderson said.

“A deep-down bond,” Hecker said, adding that it was healing for her to share the journey with Anderson. “It is a very intimate experience.”

Both Anderson and Hecker advise that searching for one’s birth parents may not be for everyone. But if one does undertake the search, Hecker said people need to be sure they are doing it for the right reasons, such as discovering medical history, or just to know the story behind why they were given up for adoption. It can help to give closure.

“It is definitely a journey, but it is one worth taking,” Anderson said.

Hecker agrees.

“You can’t have peace until you find the pieces,” she said.

Sue Vogelsinger Recalls Her Years in the White House and Washington, D.C.

Sue Vogelsinger first learned of her boss’s death while reviewing one of his upcoming speeches. The place was Dallas. The date was Nov. 22, 1963. Her boss was President John F. Kennedy.

“My colleague, Chris Camp, and I were working on speech copy for the next stop. We were on Air Force One in (Kennedy’s) cabin when one of the stewards came through and said to pack up,” said Vogelsinger, a Sagle, Idaho, resident who served as a member of Kennedy’s press staff.

Decades later Vogelsinger smiles as she remembers the man she calls physically awe-inspiring, quick-witted and a man who truly loved his job.

“Being around President Kennedy was exhilarating,” said Vogelsinger.

After graduating from Penn State, Vogelsinger’s goal was to earn money so she could move to California.

She first worked for a Florida senator until November 1958, when she was hired by the Kennedy campaign to work with press secretary Pierre Salinger.

“I chose to work for Salinger on the theory that working with him would involve travel,” said Vogelsinger. And she was right.

After a successful campaign, Vogelsinger worked on the transition team.

“My final duty the night before the inauguration was to take a copy of President Kennedy’s inaugural address to President (Harry) Truman,” said Vogelsinger. “Much to my surprise I was able to go right up to his (hotel) room and knock on the door.”

Truman opened the door in his bedroom slippers and invited her in to meet Bess. Later that night, Vogelsinger was hospitalized for exhaustion and missed the inauguration and the ball.

During Kennedy’s administration Vogelsinger traveled extensively with the president and was in Ireland with him for the Kennedys’ emotional return to the home of their ancestors.

With a press staff of only eight, the days were long and draining – especially during the Cuban Missile Crisis and other such times.

“But you really did not care because it was so exciting and so exhilarating,” said Vogelsinger.

After Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon Johnson chose to keep Kennedy’s staff. Vogelsinger said many felt they could not do a good job for Johnson – their hearts weren’t in it. She left the White House in April 1964 to assist Salinger in his campaign to be a senator from California.

Married by this time to Bruce – who happens to be a Republican – she returned to Washington, D.C., and became pregnant with twin girls, Sera and Julia.

But a love for the Kennedys and politics led Vogelsinger back into part-time work for Robert Kennedy, opening and answering his personal mail. Vogelsinger was at home in Virginia when she received the call that Robert Kennedy had been killed.

“I worked on helping get that funeral together, too,” said Vogelsinger.

Over the years, Vogelsinger worked with several other political figures, including George and Eleanor McGovern, Ted Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Hillary Clinton.

During Ted Kennedy’s 1980 campaign Vogelsinger was in charge of scheduling for the Kennedy wives, sisters and 29 grandkids.

“Teddy used to call me the saint,” said Vogelsinger.

She worked on President Jimmy Carter’s inaugural committee, and in 1986 she and a friend opened a media relations firm. Vogelsinger was pulled back in to the political scene by the desire to work closely with White House staff when President Bill Clinton was elected. She volunteered her time and worked closely with the first lady.

One of her favorite projects was her involvement with the promotion of Hillary Clinton’s first book, “It Takes a Village,” as a liaison between the White House and the book’s publisher.

Vogelsinger has admiration for Hillary Clinton; even through all the scandals of Monica Lewinski and the Whitewater investigations, Hillary Clinton amazed her, she said.

“She kept in amazingly good spirits,” said Vogelsinger.

Of all her years working with so many administrations, Vogelsinger said the biggest public misconception was that of Hillary Clinton.

Vogelsinger adds that her observations of both Clintons were of a couple very devoted to one another. “They were very warm and affectionate with each other. You could certainly tell they cared deeply about each other.”

Vogelsinger and her husband’s desire to be close to their daughters, who live in Sandpoint, precipitated a move from Washington, D.C.

“Politics has gotten so mean and vicious that I do not miss what it would be like today,” said Vogelsinger. “But I do miss what it was.”

The couple spent New Year’s Eve 1999 at the White House and shortly thereafter moved to Idaho.

“It was a good way to end my political career,” she said.

In four decades in Washington, D.C., Vogelsinger said one experience always took her breath away.

“I had to pinch myself each time I took off in the helicopter from the White House lawn sitting with the president of the United States,” she said.

This Week in Sandpoint....Career Fair & Opening of the Sandpoint Farmers Market

It’s the first sign of summer in Sandpoint. Vendors line the perimeter of downtown’s Farmin Park and spill into neighboring Jeff Jones Town Square. The Farmers Market at Sandpoint, a nonprofit organization managed by its members, takes place Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons.

As this 22-year-old Sandpoint tradition opens Saturday, it is making changes to adapt to the struggling economy. According to Emily Levine, vendor and market board member, this year food stamps will be accepted.

“The Moscow Farmers Market spearheaded the system for Idaho,” said Levine who last year attended a farmers market management conference. “It (accepting food stamps) is a natural progression for the farmers market. It will allow low-income people to be able to use the market.”

The same guidelines that apply to the use of food stamps in grocery stores will apply at the market.

The only exception, said Levine, is that people will be able to purchase plant starts for food items with their food stamps.

“The plant starts is a real cool thing so people who want to can have their own garden,” she said.

Each vendor who accepts food stamps will go through training. When customers arrive at the market they will go to the market manager who will issue food market script which can be used throughout the entire market season.

Sandpoint’s market has grown each year. “In our busy season we will have at least 80 to 85 vendors at market on a given Saturday, and approximately 30 vendors at our Wednesday markets,” said market manager RaeAnn Mavity. She said the Saturday market has a farm/food section as well as fine arts and crafts. There’s also live music.

Career Fair Wednesday

If you are among the many who are struggling to find employment, you may want to visit Sandpoint on Wednesday for the Fifth Annual Career Fair hosted by the Idaho Department of Labor and the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce from noon to 6 p.m. at the Bonner Mall.

The fair, sponsored by Litehouse, Inc., will host employers who will accept applications and some who even intend to conduct on-site interviews.

“One of the most challenging obstacles in obtaining a job is getting your foot in the door, and the Career Fair allows job seekers opportune face-to-face interaction with employers,” said Amy Little, president and CEO of Sandpoint’s Chamber of Commerce.

While some people may be searching for full-time work and others just need a part-time position, organizers say there will be something for everyone. The employers include those looking to hire in a variety of industries including health care, manufacturing, education and management.

“The (available) jobs are changing daily as new positions open and existing ones are filled,” said Bridgette Bradshaw-Fleer of the Idaho Department of Labor. Organizers say there are tasks job seekers can do prior to attending the event that will help to create a positive impression on the employers present.

The Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce has a list of employers who are attending the fair listed on its website, www.sandpointchamber.org (http://www.sandpointchamber.org) . Job seekers can research the employers and prepare and present résumés tailored to the appropriate position for which they are applying.

Preparing a short introduction and dressing appropriately can go a long way to creating a lasting impression.

Additionally, Ruth Wimberley of Human Resource Consulting and Amber Snoddy of Business Management Services will be available at the fair to support and counsel job seekers, offering suggestions on résumés and answering questions.