Student Happenings Out and About- Overall Great Stuff
By
Twinkle Ann Morton – School Board Chair
Let me remind you that this column is my opinion and my opinion only. I am not speaking for the board but merely making observations about educational and community topics and asking for your take on things.
What a whirlwind the end of the year is for anyone trying to keep up with our students. In addition to all the accolades the OBOB students deserve at all four schools, we add the teams that did so well in Destination Imagination. Four teams from schools entered into very strenuous competition with FRMS and VES 3rd grade moving on to state competition. Congratulations to all of our terrific students and coaches. Many, many hours went into preparation and competing. We can all be so very proud of our students and community.
Last weekend, I attended the ART, Inc. presentation of the Children’s Theater Play “Patch by Patch” adapted and Directed by Marti Stevens Byers. The play was a series of short skits where children from the community presented stories for each patch of a new quilt they were forming. The stories were cleverly done by the students that represented Veneta Elementary School and Fern Ridge Middle School as well as one young lady who is home schooled. The “Players” were two older students, one ‘computer schooled’ and one from Elmira High School as well as two ART, Inc Board Members from Veneta and Noti. The house was full on Sunday afternoon and from what I had heard each performance was well attended. The children and young adults were whimsical and absolutely charming.
I appreciate the chance ART, Inc. is giving the Fern Ridge Community to have a place to enjoy plays such as this one, and I am particularly pleased by the joining of the talent in our schools to get this chance to both experience and share the wonders of theater. I was also pleased to see a showing in the lobby of some of the beautiful quilts that people in the area have made. Two new plays began rehearsals this last weekend with performance dates slated for this summer. “Nunsense” a musical comedy and “On Golden Pond” about love and commitment make for exciting possibilities for our summer enjoyment.
On Sunday, I attended the Fern Ridge presentation of “Our Own Selves” where local students from Veneta and Elmira Elementary Schools as well as Elmira High School talked about what makes them who they are. Emily Eagle-Eye read some of the poems that Serra Lafferty’s 7th grade Humanities Classes wrote at Fern Ridge Middle School and designed the cover art for the Program while others were posted around the auditorium. I struggle to find the words that encompass what I experienced there. I wonder now what I expected. Whatever it was, it was not the deep, emotional commitment of each to his or her own truths. From beginning to end and one by one, the self-assured, a little bit nervous, young person stepped up and handed a crowd of admiring families and Fern Ridge School District Staff and School Board members a sampling of each and every student’s inner strengths. Our thanks to Angie Pebworth’s guidance to a program which is so important in serving our very diverse students.
Still to come are the Fern Ridge Middle School and Elmira High School Choir and later in the month the band presentations. Awards Night and Graduation pretty much finish up the year at the high school. Each school has exciting things happening as the year comes to an end. What an exciting time of the year for all of us.
Once again, thank you for your comments and questions. If you have missed any of my columns or would like to read one again to refer to something I said [or didn’t say], they are all available on the District webpage…http://www.fernridge.k12.or.us/ Go to School Board under the District heading. Find the unflatteringly, accurate photo of me and above my picture is “Twinkle’s page”. I close with a quote from one of my favorites Maya Angelou “When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” A must see video is the new ad from Heineken at https://youtu.be/8wYXw4K0A3g
Please write to me at tmorton@fernridge.k12.or.us and follow me on Twitter “tweeting” only about FRSD and issues related to education- #TAM@Oregon. Until next time.