By Dixon Bledsoe
School has started. Football season has arrived. Our hour and a half of summer weather was spectacular. Now fall takes center stage. Negativity reigns nationally and locally if we let it. Let’s not.
All our best wishes to those in education – kids, teachers, administrators, aides, school board members and building maintenance staff. Welcome new staff like Mark Parker, a science teacher at Scotts Mills via Wyoming. Appreciate those who work with the little ones, like Celeste Lopez and Cathy Hopkins at Eugene Field. Support veteran administrators like Jennifer Hannan, Dale Koger and Dandy Parsons, starting their school years as new principals at Eugene Field, Evergreen and Mark Twain, respectively, and Troy Stoops as the superintendent of Mount Angel schools. A welcome to Benjamin Merrill, the new principal at Kennedy High School. Say an extra thank you to those who work with special needs students like Julie Steacy at Mark Twain (who does so daily with an award-winning smile and magnificent heart) or keep our facilities immaculate like Florentino Cuevas (one of the hardest working people I have ever met) at Silverton High School. Help students transition easily and productively to high school, such as Cole Ballinger and Collin Kuehn, and Lucy Fronza as she makes the leap from kindergarten to first grade. Here’s having a great school year. Teach well, learn a lot, be safe and enjoy the opportunities presented.
I have asked my wife to put on my headstone, “He loved kids.” Not any time soon, mind you, but like in 2040 right after Oregon State gets its first national championship. But two young people stand out to me, every time I talk with them. SHS students Julian Canda and Annie Kuenzi are genuinely nice kids. Remarkable people, great students and wonderful athletes. Julian had an incredible football game Sept. 2 as the Silverton Foxes rolled over a hot-headed Springfield team. Many students went to the Home Place for pizza to celebrate, and Julian was there graciously accepting congratulations. But only after he came over to say hello to our group of diners and politely answer questions about his college plans after this, his senior year. Annie has a personality as sparkling and engaging as anyone I have ever met. Intelligent, charming and immediately likable. We talked about the wonderful things her Apostolic Christian Church has done and continues to do for Silverton Area Community Aid, about her upcoming junior year, track and plans after high school. Their parents must be awfully proud of these kids.
An “anonymous” tip came in from a local person who wanted to recognize the good in people during some pretty tough times. Kenneth “Mike” Shepherd is facing serious medical challenges and can’t do as much around his Scotts Mills home as he would like. Gathering wood for heating the home he shares with Joy used to be easier. Daughter and son-in-law Kari and Carl Kintz got a bunch of Mike’s logging friends together without fanfare to cut, split and stacked a winter’s supply of firewood. As the anonymous tipster said, “About 10 good neighbors were involved in this effort and will no doubt be thanked. But the whole neighborhood should be reminded that in spite of the times we live in, there are generous folks around us doing great things, and no one hears much about it.” Well said.
The Adaptive Riding Institute, a non-profit equine therapy program, is moving up the list in the national Pepsi Refresh Project’s September grant giveaway. The group is currently #57 and competing for a $5,000 grant. The contest ends Sept. 30. This group of professionals has served children and adults with disabilities by working with therapy horses in the Mid-Willamette Valley since 1988. Visit www.refresheverything.com/adaptiveriding to vote and for details.
The young people of the Silverton LDS Church have struck again. Last fall, they cut, split and stacked firewood for SACA. The wood is given to people who need it to heat their homes. This August, they cleaned the food bank’s kitchen from top to bottom after a messy summer of sorting and cleaning vegetables and repacking flour, sugar, coffee, beans and rice. Well done, kids. Your values and compassionate nature are to be commended. Thanks to Lanie Pyper for organizing this great bunch of kids!
