Parker's Graduation

Parker made it!  On May 30th he graduated from Lehi High School as part of the class of 2014.  We are very proud of him!

Sad and Angry

I was the band director at Lehi High School when the Columbine shooting occurred.  I was horrified by the violence that seemed so senseless.  At that time I assessed the safety of my classroom and the hall way situation.  I was absolutely sure that if there was a shooting at our school, it would happen in my area because it was close to the commons/cafeteria and the door was relatively unused.  I began locking my door during class and patrolling the hall during breaks.  I even went and took a class about how to handle a firearm for a concealed carry license, but I never bothered to actually get the license.  As the years went by there were a few other school shootings, but LHS was spared.

A few years ago I had a second run as the band director at LHS.  Same classroom but I had an additional percussion room that added some safety, in my mind.  Hallway was a little longer since a drama classroom had been added and quite a bit busier because there were lots more kids in the school.  I often locked the door- but not always.  I still watched the halls- but not every period.  Life was busier and I was a little more used to violence.  I did spend more time with those students who seemed like they were “outsiders” to make sure that they felt connected to the school and that their needs were being met.  This behavior paid off.

In March of 2010 there was a bomb scare.  Turns out that it was called in by a couple of school skippers who called from Lehi City’s Legacy Center.  They were caught pretty quickly, but not before the school spent several hours on lock down.  In my very large classroom with lots of equipment, the students had to get their backpacks and sit on the floor in the middle of the room.  Unfortunately we had lots of other backpacks (and instrument cases) that were considered “suspicious.”  I was told to prepare the students for a bomb sniffing dog to come into the classroom.  While I was instructing the students, one young man, who was kind of a rough character, said “Uh, Mama C, we might have a problem.”  I immediately took a deep breath and asked for clarification.  The young man informed me that he was pretty sure that he had firecrackers in his backpack.  Not good.  And totally illegal in the state of Utah.  I was really glad that I had built a relationship with Casey because it ended up helping everyone.  I called the office and told them the situation.  His pack was checked.  And due to his honesty, he was chastised but not charged.  Phew.

The young men and women who are currently seniors in high school were probably two or three when the Columbine shooting occurred.  They have grown up with parents who worry about shootings.  They practice lock downs.  They have seen other shooting splashed across the news. My boys are “situationally aware.“  Given the choice they always pick a seat where they can see the door to a classroom or any other space.   They look around when they are walking and keep their eyes moving.   They have taken karate lessons and are accomplished wrestlers.   I have no doubt that if there was a school shooting at Lehi High School, I would lose Parker because he would do everything in his power to neutralize a shooter.   I’m not sure that Reed has the same determination.

As I ponder on the school shootings at Sandy Hook- a year ago tomorrow- and the shooting at Arapahoe HS today, I am sad and angry 

• Sad that there are people who are hurting so much that they are past reason and are willing to lash out at anyone.
• Angry that people do not take care of their firearms in a responsible manner.
• Sad that children and teachers attend schools and fear for their lives.
• Angry that guns- and not people- are considered the problem.
• Sad that we have lost so many with so much promise.
• Angry that the "good guys" are usually left helpless and at the mercy of the crazies.

 I often wonder what would have happened if the principal at Sandy Hook had had a gun when she confronted the gunman.

I am not currently teaching and to be honest, I’d be nervous to go back with the turmoil in our world.  Last spring I had a dream that we had an active shooter at a City Council meeting.  In the summer I had an uncomfortable incident after a City Council meeting that wouldn’t have bothered me a few years ago, but times have changed.  This fall I took a concealed weapons class. . . again.  And this time I finished and sent in my paperwork.    I even did some research and I bought myself a handgun.

At this time I have never felt the need to conceal my gun and carry it with me.  But I may have that feeling one of these days.  And I can tell you that if I were in a public area where someone started shooting and killing innocents, I would not hesitate to put a red dot on that shooter and pull the trigger.  I am a good shot and I would protect. And I would be happy to deal with the consequences of that decision if I felt that I had saved even one innocent life.

Maybe Parker and I are a lot more alike than I thought.

Back 2 School

Summer was much too short this year.  I guess it was all the marching band rehearsals, but it just seemed like there was no time to just chill.  We did have a fabulous vacation, though.  *sigh*

Anyway, time marches on and the Alpine School District is the Master of our Calendar.  School began last Tuesday for Parker and Reed and today for Colby. 

 

It is hard to believe, but Parker is a Junior this year.  He is 16, 6 feet tall, and loves driving this stylin' white Ranger.  The cab is decked out with camo gear to reflect PDog's personality.  The best part is the sticker on the back window that states "Don't Tread on Me."  So Parker.  This year Parker is taking English, Geometry, Physics, Adult Roles/Financial Literacy, Foods/Nutrition, Choir, Fitness, and LDS Seminary.  His Seminary teachers are a pretty funny bunch.  Check out the "Welcome Back" video that they made! 

 

Lehi Seminary Welcome Back Video

 

Reed is a mighty 9th grader this year.  He is 14 and a half and is about 5'3".  In our school district freshmen are in the junior highs which is a little awkward.  Because he is in the marching band and plans to wrestle, he actually has two classes at the high school.  Every B day Reed goes to LHS for a 6:00am rehearsal that lasts until about 9:00 (through first period) and then the junior high kids are bussed back to their schools for the rest of their classes.  Wrestling will be A4, so that requires either Parker or Mom to go to LJHS and pick him up.  Reed is taking Band, Earth Science, PE, Secondary Math 1, Computer Technology, Wold Civilizations, English 9, and LDS Seminary.

Colby is starting his second year of college at Utah Valley University, but he doesn't have quite enough credits from last year to be considered a Sophomore.  He has dropped all his music classes, and is focusing on generals this year.  He has an ugly 5 credit English class, World Geography, American Government, and an online Health class.  He has all his classes on Tuesday and Thursday, so hopefully he will find a job soon that will allow him to work on the other days.  He saved a LOT of money this summer by working about 80 hours a week in Williston, North Dakota, so he isn't feeling too pressured to get a job.

Lehi Cattle Drive

It hasn't happened for 75 years, but it happened this week.  A cattle drive.  Down Lehi's Main Street.

There was quite a bit of concern about safety.  I mean, we have all seen the videos of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, but in the end no one was gored or trampled.  Phew.  I hear that there were some issues. . . some of the longhorns were not interested in the whole idea of a parade and they ended up staying at the rodeo grounds.  Others wanted nothing to do with the railroad tracks and tried to turn back.  And rumor has it that someone let some of the bulls out overnight which made for an interesting morning.


Now you can't celebrate a cattle drive without parade, so we had the Lehi High School Band and the Lehi Silver Band, the City Council, a County Commissioner, and various rodeo queens. It was short, but it was appreciated by the surprisingly ample crowd. A pretty cool event for our fair city.

 Council Member Kaye in her fringed shirt

Cattle turning off Main Street

 A rare sight

Lehi Silver Band

Happy Chinese New Year!

This is a holiday that I have only recently begun to celebrate. As far as I am concerned, there can't be too many holidays!  I have some items on display that were gifts.  I love this red box and the horse it protects.

Here are some things that we will do to celebrate-

Wear red!  It is the color of good luck!

Make lanterns.  There are all sorts of ways to make them, but this technique is really easy.  Just fold your paper in half and cut 1/2 inch strips beginning on the folded side, leaving about two inches intact at the top.  Unfold, glue or tape together, and add some light on the inside.

Eat Chinese food.  Yup.  Panda Express is ok if you aren't adventurous!

Have Ming Kung Cakes.  These little cookies are individually wrapped and are like a shortbread.  They are very dry and crumbly, but a fun addition to a celebration.

Attend a festival. Lehi High School has a great Chinese program and they do a festival every year. We are planning to attend.

Give red envelopes.  Any red envelope will do, although you can get special ones that are red with gold imprint at any Chinese market.  Put some money in them and give them to children.

from about.com

"Red envelopes are handed out to younger generations by their parents, grandparents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends during Chinese New Year. At some companies, workers may also receive a year-end cash bonus tucked inside a red envelope. Red envelopes are also popular gifts for weddings and birthdays. When giving someone a red envelope, use both hands to present the red envelope to the recipient. Giving and receiving red envelopes, gifts, and even business cards is a solemn act. Therefore, red envelopes, gifts and name cards are always presented with both hands and also received with both hands.

The recipient of a red envelope at Chinese New Year or on his or her birthday should not open it in front of the giver."

And if you need a little laugh, I found these on Pinterest, but they were a little raunchy, so here is the cleaned up version.

printable term list

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon!

I Finally Achieved the Perfect Weight!

It's not what you think, though. 

It has been a weekend of endings and beginnings.  Culminations and commencements.  (That sounds a little Jane Austen, doesn't it?)

Colby graduated on Friday from Lehi High School.  He had a rough start and still has horrendous handwriting, but he made it.  In fact, he was never in peril of NOT graduating (we had several of those students) so I was very happy.  He even has a half scholarship to UVU for next year, so things are looking good.

Friday night we had a graduation party for Colby.  (Thanks to all who came! We love that our friends support us since we have no family nearby!)  It's funny how one minute you have the party under control and the next you can't scoop ice cream fast enough!  What a blast.  Thanks to Scott and Cathrine for all their help!!!  (Ice cream has NOTHING to do with the weight issue, by the weigh way!)

Saturday was family portraits.  Close your eyes and imagine it.  We all go through it.  Why?  Because we are crazy.  I haven't seen the proofs yet, but I will share! 

This morning Colby was ordained to the office of an elder.  We were all bawling by the end of the blessing.  Bad enough that it would have been embarrassing to go to class, so we went home to get him ready for his flight to Arizona where he will march with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps.

Time flew.  We managed to get everything done and stuff his duffel bag full.  As I looked down at the monstrosity sitting in my kitchen I mused that it was pretty darn heavy (probably over the 50 lb limit) but there was really nothing we could do about it.  Ed said that we would just pay the charge for it being too heavy and off we went.  We went through a LOT of tissues on the way to the airport.  I am pretty sure that Colby was dehydrated by the time we got there.  He hates goodbyes.  So do I.  I am always dehydrated from crying, so nobody thinks that is weird! 

We stopped at the Sky Cap and wrangled the duffel out of the back of the Suburban.  Ed swung it up onto the scale and I said, "How far over are we?"  The Sky Cap said, "You're OK."  with disbelief we all looked at the scale.  This is what it showed!  Finally, the perfect weight!

Jazzed about Jazz

Last night we had "Jazz Nite" at good old Lehi High.  It was a tradition when I was at Lehi before, but it hasn't happened in several years.  We held it in the Commons Area on the little stage and we sold some snacks and desserts.  Some of the desserts looked amazing. . . but I didn't get any!

Karrie Green was in charge of the decorations and little did I know what an over achiever she is!!!  (She reminds me of someone. . . hmmm. . . who is it. . . Oh, yeah.  Me!)  The open space between the commons and the hall was filled in with a wall of black paper glittered with stars and swirls.  A mirrored disco ball hung from the rafters while decorations hung on fishline waved over the dance floor. Just plain amazing.  I SO wish that I had photos!!! (If you are reading this and you have some, please send them to me!  These pics don't show the "wall"!)

My two jazz bands played 3 sets of music for the audience's pleasure.  OK. . . some of the tunes had slight issues. . . and one was a total crash and burn. . . but no one seemed to mind.  By the time we wrapped things up with Earth, Wind and Fire's September, the dance floor was packed!  It was a night of fun- which was the whole point, so I will call that a success.

Band On The Run

As part of the massive fundraising effort that has been kicked off at Lehi High School to allow the band to get to Washington, DC for the 2012 National Independence Day Parade, today we had a race.  I have been imagining this event in my free time (from approximately 2:17am-2:54am) for almost three months.  I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted to stage the event and how it would all flow.  But reality hit this week. 

Reality in event planning is when when you have to try to get people to do a specific job in a specific way so that the outcome looks like what is your head- only no one else has the whole picture, so it may or may not come together.  Reality is understanding that you cannot do it all. . . you must have help.  And reality is also standing back and letting it happen.

I am happy to say that reality was wonderful today.  Not exactly what I had in mind, but great in its own way. There were so many happy moments: like Home Depot actually being open at 6am, my first helper arriving at 7am, chairs on rolling carts so that I could put them where I wanted before I had to explain anything, a warm creamcheese and strawberry donut, more helpers than I had jobs, more runners than I was expecting, students who were on time, perfect weather, and parents who truly are willing to do anything I ask them to do.  I am actually feeling overwhelmed by how so many puzzle pieces where on the right place on the table today.

The most exciting moment for me was seeing a huge crowd of people leave the starting line and head down 1st North in the 5K.  It was one of those moments when you realize that all your thoughts actually came to life!  Not only had I never planned a race before, I have never BEEN to a race before, so I wasn't ready for the excitement of the starting line!  I am not sure how many people raced or how much money we actually cleared, but I know that everyone had fun (with the exception of the gentleman who got talked into walking the 10K. . .not happy), and that was half the battle.  

Next week we will get back to the administrative tasks, but for today, it was fun to be a party planner.

My New Look

Yes, my hair is purple. I have been getting some very interesting looks in the halls at school. And I even had a young "gentleman" make some suggestive gestures toward me yesterday- which hasn't happened for years, so here's the story. . .

Last May or June a bunch of the marching band students were hanging around and fantasizing about how cool it would be to win state and how teams sometimes shave their heads or bleach out their hair. After they suggested that I could shave my head if they won, I said there was no way I would shave my head but I would dye my hair purple if they won at the Red Rocks Competition in St. George, which is the closest thing we have to a state championship. At that moment in time I was looking at a rag-tag bunch of musicians who were having a hard time marching- even without their instruments. I didn't think they could do it and I never really thought about it again, but apparently the band did.

A few weeks ago they started teasing me that they were going to win Red Rocks and I would have to dye my hair. I was still pretty unconcerned because our show had not totally clicked and the judges were not seeming to love us. We continued to work hard and make changes to our show that we hoped would please the judges. . . So, imagine my surprise last Friday night when the band stepped onto the field at Dixie College and delivered the best performance I have ever seen from them! It was almost magical! When they announced that we had won the music caption, the visual caption, and the Color Guard caption, I knew we were going to win. About 20 seconds after they announced our first place win and I let the band break attention, the chant began. . . "Pur-ple hair, pur-ple hair!"

We got the band back to the hotel and Ed drove me back to Sally Beauty Supply in St. George. A very helpful salesperson helped me find the products that she felt would work the best to produce a luxurious, purple coif. I was armed with items that brought a look of wonder to the cashier's face and was out of the store in under ten minutes. Later that evening I donned my rubber gloves and got to work. First I had to bleach my hair for about 30 minutes. It was a good thing that the salesperson had given a warning about the results AND that Ed was asleep when that process finished. My hair was a terrible shade of bright orange and felt like straw. Then I applied the semi-permanent "Vicious Violet" tint and left that on for 20 minutes. I was not happy with the results at the end of that process, so I had to repeat it. By then, I felt that I was sufficiently purple.

It was hilarious to watch my students' reactions as they came to breakfast on Saturday morning at 6am and realized that I had kept my word. The real fun began at about 8:30am when the sun topped the mountains and my hair began to glow with color. I lost track of how many people stopped me at the competition to tell me that they liked my hair and that I looked good with my lavender locks. A lot of people wanted to touch it to see what it felt like. Too funny. I am sure that most of the male band directors with whom I work and compete thought it rather silly and unprofessional, but that didn't bother me at all. I said I would do it and I did.

I will probably be back to normal this weekend although Colby thinks I should have it purple at church. I think I will let the professionals handle the next round of color treatment. Hopefully my hair doesn't fall out.

UPDATE- It seems that purple hair dye appears somewhat bluish under flourescent lighting, so you may want to go on the pinkish side. Just a tip for all you crazy people who may want to dye your hair purple, too!

And no. . . I am not hiding out while sporting my school pride. . . last night I attended a City Council meeting and a joint meeting with the Alpine School District Board of Education. Most people think it is cool. Some people are too afraid to ask. . .

Deja Vu. . . All over again. . .

In the summer of 1997 I was hired to be the Band Director at Lehi High School.  It wasn't much of a job- since there were only 15 students on the first day of class.  Eight of those students were horrified to find out that they actually had to bring (and play) their instruments, so I sent them to drop the class.  One moved away in November, so for most of the year the band consisted of 6 students.  I had no real idea how to be successful
with that group, so I decided to make them successful as individuals.  Three of the six made All State that year. 

Since the JH was in much the same condition it took a while to grow. Pete Swiderski was a brand new teacher that year and as his program grew, we added students at the high school. I was a half time teacher and the seams were starting to stretch by 2003.  We added some classes, did some additional recruiting, and made the position full time beginning in the 2004 school year.  I was excited for the new challenge. . . until my mom broke both hips.  The stress level in my life had exceeded my ability to handle it, and I ended up quitting my job.

During the last six years, I have had very little to do with music.  The stress of dealing with my mom clouded my memory and made me think that I was done teaching forever.  I watched what was happening at the high school, but stayed away through three teachers in 5 years.  This became increasingly more difficult as Colby became more and more of a band geek!

Everything changed in December.  Our band director, who is also a member of the Army National Guard, was activated.  He announced the news to the students and sent out an e-mail to the parents.  I was blissfully shopping and ignoring my Blackberry's message features when I got a call from Ed asking if I was ready to teach.  After he read me the e-mail, I called Mr. Seamons and offered to substitute whenever he needed me.  Little did I know what that would mean!  I taught most of January, most of March and I will be back at the school on May 6 until the end of the year.

I was pretty nervous about subbing so much, but it has been a joy.  I re-discovered the love of music and I remembered why I became a teacher in the first place.  What a great group of teenagers!  After much talk and discussion, I decided to apply for the one year position to cover for Nate while he is in the Middle East.  There were 14 applicants for the one-year position! I got the news this afternoon that I was chosen to get the job.

So, deja vu.  Same classroom, same office, new students, more classes.  A little like 1997, but it's going to be a whole lot more work!  Watch out Lehi High- I'm coming back!

Romance. . . or Nightmare???

It's that romantic time of year when young ladies at Lehi High are asking the young men of their dreams to the Sweetheart Dance.  You have to ask early, or some other young lady might ask first!

Brittany made plans with me this week to come over on Saturday afternoon while Colby was playing basketball at the church.  I managed to get him to clean his room under the guise that we had to take down his little Christmas tree. All seemed well. . . until I took Colby to Barnes and Noble and he decided that he would rather stay at home and read than go play basketball.   At that point, I called in the troops.  A quick call to Becky Struthers and in just a few minutes Paul was calling Colby and getting him revved up for the game.  The minute he walked out of the house I called Brittany and she came right over.

The torn sheet says "It would be a nightmare if you don't go to Sweethearts with me."  There were little candies all over the bed. . . but inside the bed were rubber spiders and snakes!  He didn't fond those until later and it was pretty funny. . .

So, now he has to decide how to answer. . .  Of course it will be YES!  But it has to be creative. . .  I told him that he should give her a sweet dreams pack with a mask and stuff since the nightmare is over.  But what do I know?

Lock Down!

My life has become much busier in the last couple of weeks- not only because of my City Council duties, but because I am substituting a LOT at the high school.  Our most wonderful new band director, Mr. Seamons, just happens to be in the Army Reserve and he will be deployed to the Middle East on May 3.  He has training for most of January and March, so I will be subbing for him while he's gone.  I will actually be at the school more than he will be there this spring!

It is a little weird substituting in the same classroom where I taught for 6 years. . . but I am having a blast.  The kids are great and I already knew many of them because of their associations with Colby.  I was pretty burned out after 15 years of teaching, but now that I have had 5 years off, I am enjoying it again.

Except for Friday.

Some dumb kid decided to call in a bomb scare, so the school went into lock down.  I had the percussion ensemble, so we kept right on rehearsing for a while.  I figured it was just a drug bust.  But after a couple of announcements, it was clear that there was something going on and we needed to be able to actually HEAR the announcements, so we packed up.  Not long after that, the school psychologist came to the room to help me check for out-of-place items or articles that did not belong to one of the students in the classroom.  Hello!  This is a band room!  There are hundreds of cases and bags!!!  But, there were a couple of items that looked a little suspicious, so she decided that the dog should come in.

At that point I decided to tell the kids what was going on and that the dog was coming- just in case I had someone who was going to freak out.  There were a couple of kids who were a little nervous, but the big surprise came when one of the kids said, "Uh, you should probably know that I think I have firecrackers in my backpack."  Oh my heck!!!  Duh!!!

I thanked him for being honest right up front, stopped him from retrieving the firecrackers out of the backpack, and reported the problem.  When the dogs came in all was well because the handlers already had a heads up.  The suspicious items turned out to be fine and the perpetrators were arrested.

After about 1.5 hours the lock down ended.  The students gratefully headed to lunch and the restrooms.  I headed for the young man with the firecrackers and used a little teacher voice on him.  If he doesn't clean out his backpack this weekend, I'm gonna bust him.

March On, Lehi!

Yesterday, Reed, Parker, and I drove to Logan to watch Colby and the Lehi High School Band compete at the Bridgerland Marching Band Competition. For those of you not familiar with Utah, it's almost a two-and-a-half hour drive. Although Colby said that he didn't mind if we didn't come, I remember how many concerts my parents drove to for me, and we loaded into the Suburban! (Ed was stuck at a Stockholder's Meeting at work. Boo hiss!)

We enjoyed the competition and cooling off with shaved ice. We watched about nine bands and we cheered for everyone, but we went crazy for the Lehi High School Band! Last year there were only 17 students in the marching band, and this year they are up to 101! When they announced that information the whole crowd gasped and then cheered even louder! It was SO exciting to see how far these band students have come since the first day they learned to march! There were a couple of bands in our division who were clearly better, but I was hoping that the kids would at least get third place. . .

We left early because Parker wasn't feeling well, but Colby sent me a text to let me know that they had won 3rd place! What an accomplishment for this band of newbies! Congratulations to Brek Mangelson and all his support staff! Thank you to all the band parents who donate their time to help! What a wonderful Saturday.

Purple Tights

In a household of all boys, I was totally
confident that the only tights in the house would belong to me.

But that was before school spirit infected Colby. Last Friday night, Colby hung out with bean and mason until gametime. They are good boys, so I wan’t worried about my sophomore hanging out with a couple of seniors. So, there I was, working in the booster shack when my darling son came looking for his instrument. I was shocked and amazed to see these purple tights peeking out from under his shorts! Apparently, PartyLand is now stocking all sorts of purple paraphanalia. From the number of purple tights I saw on boys and girls, I’m guessing they sold out!

I thought the craziness would be confined to gametime, but yesterday morning Colby popped out of his room at 6:15am ready to go to marching band practice- wearing the tights! I let him. I figured that by the time he got home from school at 3:00, he would have a new found appreciation for the suffering that we women go through on a regular basis in the name of fashion and modesty. I am happy to report that at 3:01 the tights were off!

Everytime I look at this picture of Colby’s abnormally hairy legs, complete with ankle socks, stuffed into these purple tights I get the gigs. May you enjoy the same reaction!