respublica

Kahok Strong

One of the most impressive programs at Collinsville High School is Kahok Strong.  KAHOKstrong is a student-based organization that was created to assist students, staff, and families in the Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 community during times of tragedy or need.

It just an amazing effort going on by students and staff. Money goes for student scholarships and each year, KAHOKstrong purchases Christmas gifts for Unit 10 families students/families who are in need to help provide their children with gifts to open on Christmas day.  Throughout the school year, KAHOKstrong is the first group in the CUSD 10 community to reach out to families who experience catastrophic events or need.  KAHOKstrong uses their resources and takes the lead in soliciting funds to assist these families.  Funds designated to these families are passed totally and directly to them.  

Recently the Festival of Trees organizers gave this group 16,000 plus dollars to aid in the work they do. This is an effort which gets the whole school involved and just amazes me.

Holy Cross school renovation

I have been very impressed with the work done on the Holy Cross day school. For decades the hallways and classrooms, floors and wall have been a boring beige. Now everything is a wonderful bright, white with blue trim. And the bathrooms are now a wonder to walk into. Even the stairways got an update. And the Church offices hallway is partly finished, new floors and wall paint with more to come.

Math jokes never get old

This is me.

How did you learn to read?

I came across a short post on Zerna Addis Sharp. You may not recognize this name, but I'd bet you very well know what she did. She was born in 1889 and was a book editor and the creator of the Dick and Jane grade school readers.

Zerna Sharp was born in Indiana and became a teacher and eventual principal who was hired as a grade school textbook consultant by the Scott Foresman publishing company of Chicago  in 1924. The Dick and Jane books came about when she happened to be walking on a Lake Michigan beach and heard young children playing and calling out to each other:  “Oh! Look! Oh, oh, look."

From that beach to the most famous and well loved grade school reading textbooks. I learned to read from them as did millions of others for decades. Sadly the 60's women's rights movement was the beginning of the end for the books in schools.

I happen to have a couple of the original Dick and Jane books. One is a well remembered paper covered book, the other a third or fourth grade hardback. I treasure them

And back page of the paper back had this. Just so we'd know the stories no longer fit our world view.

True signs

I came across two posters or signs yesterday and each time I thought, oh yeah.

Chemistry was like trying to understand Russian to me back in the day. I've never been more flumoxed by a class in my life. So....

Illini searching for a new mascot

I got a kick out of this story about the University of Illinois athletic teams looking for a new mascot. For decades they had Chief Illinwek, but after pressure and sanctions forbidding the hosting of post season events, the school did away with him in 2007. They've been without a mascot ever since. recently a committee of 12 was formed to look into how to choose a new mascot and how long it would take.

Ah committees.

Students have taken matters into their own hands and have turned in a petition asking to make Alma Otter the new mascot. It began as a joke, but has become a serious desire to have this furry otter.

There is a belief that this guy fits in well with animal mascots in the Big Ten like Wisconsin's Bucky Badger and Minnesota's Goldy the Gopher.

I kind of like it.

When should school begin in the Fall?

In 2016 Maryland governor, Larry Hogan, signed an executive order mandating that all schools start after Labor Day. Now, he is fighting some lawmakers who want to change that order so that schools could start earlier if they so desired. The governor said, "Polls have shown that over 70 percent of Marylanders support the after Labor Day start and that, "We’ve taken a lot of actions over the past four years, but I can’t think of any action that has as much widespread, enthusiastic support as this one does."

Those who want an earlier start to the school year argue that the summer is longer and puts a burden on low income families who have to pay more child care days. In addition, those with economic disadvantages often have kids who need more instruction time.

I'd have to take issue with the argument which states that beginning after Labor Day means a longer summer break. Our experience is the school year has little by little been ending much earlier in May than the traditional Memorial Day time and heading back much earlier in August which means the length is about the same.

Frankly school districts which have gone to earlier/mid May ending and earlier/mid August beginnings have rather ruined August for many families who in the past planned vacations at that time. Rarely have people gone on vacation or family trips in May. This type of scheduling began when our kids were in school and I always felt that early dismissal in May was weird and the same with mid August beginnings.

But whatever. For some reason educators like this type of calendar. The last day of school this year in Collinsville was to be May 17, but now after having used up snow days, it will be May 21.

Old things which pop up unbidden

I was walking through the house this morning when all of a sudden I found myself reciting a stanza of poetry I had to memorize in junior high.

"And what is so rare as as day in June then if ever comes perfect days. Then heaven tries earth if she be in tune and over it softly her warm ear lays." James Russell Lowell, the Vision of Sir Launfal.

Where did that come from? My 7th and 8th grade language arts teacher was a firm believer in having us memorize things, poems, pieces of literature etc. We had to stand up when called on and recite. I went to a public school in the Chicago suburbs and Dale went to a Lutheran school in the Chicago suburbs. He had to memorize as well, but his classes memorized hymns. 

"On the 18th of April in 75, hardly man is now alive who remembers that famous day and year." Paul Revere's Ride by Longfellow.

I'm glad she did this, memorization is a good discipline, but more than that, it keeps us grounded in history and thought. But it's still weird to be walking through the living room and having old poem stanzas pop into my head for no reason.

"This is the forest primeval, the murmuring pines and the hemlocks."  Longfellow from Evangeline.  Good times.

This and that

Yesterday was the first of 3 grandparents day events at our grandkids school. They all go to Christ Community Lutheran School but are in 3 different campuses. Yesterday was Connor at Webster and today is Christian at Kirkwood and then Nick at Crestwood. Last evening Connor's school put on an operetta which featured 4th grade. It was an amazing sight, at least 200 kids in first thru fourth grade singing with such enthusiasm. Connor got to play the part of a pastor. He had a clerical shirt ahead of time but at the last minute he was shy about wearing it so put the clerical collar on a buttoned down shirt.

Their Texas grandparents came in this week and got to be a part of things.

 

Walking out

High School students across the country are walking out of class around 10 a.m. today to show their solidarity with those in Parkland, Florida after the school shooting a couple of weeks ago. I've seen reactions from quite a few parents that "their children will not be part of this walk-out."

I wonder how kids who choose, or are told, not to to walk out can hold up under peer pressure for not going along with the rest. I honestly have no opinion on the nationwide walk-out, but I kind of feel sorry for those who stay in the classrooms. High School years are hard and school shooting and their aftermaths make it even more confusing and difficult.