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Show Free Press - Wednesday, March 18, school in future for most Alpine students Year-roun- d In approving its first e year-roun- d elementary school schedule, the Alpine School District has taken the next step into the future of education in Utah. True, Orchard Elementary in Orem has operated under its extraordinary 5 schedule for two years as a pilot program for the district. Making the pilot program permanent is the next logical step towards implementing the necessary changes to make the most of local school buildings, and to keep the need for new school construction to a minimum. Even if it means dragging reluctant parents along into innovative schedules that will make more productive use of the available classroom space. Orchard isn't the only elementary school in the Alpine District trying new ways to education more children in the same space. Bonneville Elementary is working with another full-tim- 60-1- c 1987 - Page 2 school concept, as is Dan version of the year-roun- d Peterson Elementary. And Highland Elementary is in the first year of a pilot approach to educate the program using an extended-da- y g number of students at that school. Finally, American Fork Junior High, taking still another approach, is using a productivity model designed to make more effective use of space and teachers at the same time - sending teachers to school longer so they can prepare for the students, who. maintain a traditional school year. All are variations on a theme that will become increasingly familiar over the next four years as overcrowded schools are forced to new schedules to educate more students. While that approach has been mandated by the Utah Legislature, the real culprit is the unhealthy state of Utah's economy coupled with its extraordinarily ever-growin- healthy growth rate. And all indications are that extschool and other ended-day schedules, year-roun- d are here to stay. variations of the productivity theme Over the next few years, most elementary children in the Alpine District can expect to be introduced to a year-roun- d or extended-da- y schedule increasing a school's 25 capacity by about percent. The challenge facing both the district and the students' parents is to work together to develop the best alternative schedules for the students and the areas involved. That will require planning on the part of the district, and cooperation on the part of the parents. But it is a challenge that must be met. e Orchard Elementary may well be the first School d in the Alpine year-rounelementary school District. But it won't be the last. Everyone needs to work together to make the transition a smooth one. - full-tim- Columnist gave drill teams a bad name you better No off road trails in state believe it letters to the editor By BETTY FOWLER I need Jane. When I was stuck for ideas for my column, she could always come up with something outlandish and I was off and run- -- Editor: I feel that I must respond to your comment about keeping offroad vehicles where they belong. I do not speak for the drive highway vehicles which as you are aware are driven off road also. But as the secretarytreasurer of the Utah Trail Machine Association, I do speak for our members and we do love our high powered engines and knobby tires. However, in order that both yourself and your readers may be aware of the deplorable situation which exists in this state with regards to the rights of, or rather the lack of rights of the ORV riders, may I offer the following? The State of Utah Parks and Recreation, who are responsible for the constructio nand maintenance of ORV trails in this state, have not designated one foot of trails for that purpose. They have ablack hole where the moneys from the purchase of ORV stickers goes, and not one penny is spent for the maintenance or construction of ORV trals. believe this is unconstitutional - taxation without representation! Let me explain what other states ' are doing. In Idaho, for instance. 80 percent of the moneys received from the purchase of ORV slickers must be used for the construction and maintenance of ORV trails. Only 2(1 percent can be used tor the program. In administering Utah, loo percent ol the moneys received mm sticker sales is used for program administration, and absolutely nothing for trails. And is four-whe- 1 I has always been so. Certainly, this state has nothing, thus far, to offer the ORV riders, but in spite of this, about 20.000 stickers were purchased last year (1986). But instead of using the carrott method and building a few trails to offer these people, Utah uses the club method by passing a law whereby any law enforcement officer can cite an ORV on or off the road, in or out of the back of a truck or trailer, even if they are being hauled for someone else - or to the bone yard, if they are not registered and have a current sticker. In Idaho and adjoining states, one percent of the gasoline tax goes into the ORV fund. In Utah it has taken about 12 years just to get three-tenth- s of one percent out of committee. I recently purchased ORV stickers for my young granddaughter's XR80 Honda dirt bike. Eight dollars for Utah County tax and five dollars for the sticker to help fill the Utah parks and Recreations black hole. In Idaho during 1985, I paid a total of three dollars for the same bike. By the way. Idaho has hundreds of miles of trails built by and maintained by ORV moneys. You mention keeping oil road vehicles where they belong. Would you be interested in telling us just where we do belong?-- ' At this point in time we would 1k happy to be told we belong anywhere. - KM. Stokes Sec. trcas Utah Trail Machine Assoc City disregards public in RR crossing closure Editor: After attending the March 10 city council meeting where the committee, appointed by Mayor Tripp, was to report on the proposed closing of the railroad crossings in the south-wepart of the city, we were left with a feeling of concern. There was disappointment in the councilmen for the lack of concern they showed for the citizens of Lehi. The council ask for citizen imput and they were given a council room filled to capacity on two occasions and over 300 names on petitions in opposition to the proposed closures. The citizens had made their desires known but still they did not listen. We ask the question: Why do you listen and respond to the railroad representative before you listen to those you were elected to represent? Many feel the council have found a way to open center street without the need to find the money from the city. The railroad put dollar signs in front of them and the hungry council grabbed! We like many, felt good about the mayor and council, but the more we see and learn the more we feel they st are more concerned with money and the railroad then in those citizens directly involved with this issue now before them. Two of theses councilmen have children and grandchildren living on the west side of these tracks and in time will be attending Meadow Elementary. If these crossings are closed and access to this area limited, in the event of an accident emergency vehicles could be delayed in responding. We do hope that Councilman Shepherd is never faced with this and will not regret the decision he has made on this matter. We would like to express our thanks to Guy Cash for his time and efforts spent in sincerely listening to the citizens and for making an effort to find the facts, both pro and con, on this issue. The citizens are invited to the council meeting on March 24 at 7 p.m.. when the council will FINALLY tell us what they want for the citizens and not necessarily uphold the desires of the people. Lee R. Stewart Nancy R. Stewart ning. One time after she moved, and I missed her so much I called her up and we discussed ideas over the phone. That's pretty costly. But when I look over our list of subscribers, I figure it's worth it. Folks, we've got literally hundreds of regular subscribers and many of them peruse every word, ad and section of the paper. That's pretty intimidating when you think about it. How can you please them all? And it's never so apparent as when tournament time rolls around. I asked quite a few people why we didn't come home from Cedar City with the first place trophy. Here are some solicited opinions : "They were hungrier than we were." "We didn't want it bad enough." "All those fouls killed us. Forty-fiv- e trips to the line?" "The kids looked tired. After all, the Richfield kids could sleep in their own beds and come to the By BETTY FOWLER tourney straight from home." Now. that last statement is ridiculous because for years now, Richfield has been coming to Provo. they've been staying in motels and trying to find things to keep a bunch of healthy boys busy all those hours until they play each day. Evidently they've learned how to cope with that situation. This was a first for our Lehi kids and maybe they didn't adjust to that southern Utah air and altitude, but, it's only fair that they take a turn at traveling. The tournament did prove one thing. That Lehi fans are loyal. We missed our Pionettes though. The whole experience would have been better if they could have performed at some of the half times. They are terrific. Speaking of drill teams - one of our sister weeklies is in trouble because a columnist wrote a very unflattering piece about the "Region Harlots." Nine Half-tim- e The writer claims that most of the girls who, as members of drill teams, don't keep up with the actual game of basketball, and that if someone asked them what a free throw was, they'd think it was a session in the back seat of a "dingo-balle- d Chevy." The columnist also said that their costumes and routines are not in keeping with most of their Mormon-influence- d homes. Some of the Region Nine principals allowed their girls to stage a protest rally in the parking lot of the newspaper, but the editor didn't back down to the girls' protests. Personally, I've decided that drill team members, whoever they are, are a bunch of girls dedicated to supporting their school's activities, and that the columnist's remarks are in poor taste and not in keeping with the spirits of the Regin Nine schools. And, I still wish our Pionettes could have performed at the tournament. That would have completed a wonderful trio of happenings: Lehi's fabulous basketball team playing in of a the finals, the wonderful Pioneer Pep Band, and a mob of tried and true purple-cla- d Pioneer fans. We have happy memories of the 1987 tournament. And phooey to our heckler from Park City. She's probably wondering why the team sheds their respective sweats as they step out on the floor1 to play the game. By the way, Lehi's drill team for the first time ever has qualified to drill team compete at the state competition. That will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. in Spanish Fork. 2-- What did I do wrong to become an editor? Mark Twain once said: "I'm not an editor of a newspaper and shall always try to do right and be good so that God will not make me one." That leaves me asking: "What did I do wrong?" That's because I am the editor of a newspaper - three of them, in fact. There was a time when that might have meant I was someone important. Despite the fact that someone once said: "Let me make the newspaper, and I care not who makes the religion and the laws," community newspapers don't carry that kind of wallop arty more. But small papers like ours play an important role in the life of a town. The local paper provides a sort of social cement to hold a community together. It gives notice of weddings and other social goings on. It gives reports of the deeds, or misdeeds, of school boards, city councils, golf committees, police departments -you name it. It tells about school events and sporting events. And a good community newspaper makes comments on important community events - it provides a forum for public comment on issues. And it usually ddes all that with a limited staff and limited editorial space. Despite Twain's disclaimers about being an editor, he was a newspaperman for a time. And described what was supposed to be a typical day in a pioneer newspaper. This is how he describes the instructions given by an editor to his new assistant when the latter was left in charge: "Jones will be here at three him. Gillespie will call earlier, perhaps - throw him out of the window. Ferguson will be along about four - kill him. That js all for today, I believe. If you have any odd -- r the editor's column By MARC HADDOCK time, you may write a blistering article on the police. "The cowhides are under the table, weapons in the drawer, ammunition there in the corner, lint and bandages up there in the pigeonholes. In case of accident, go to Lancet, the surgeon downstairs. He advertises; we take it out in trade." In some cases, Twain's humorous of country view newspapering wasn't far from the truth. Before the turn of the century, when Editor CO. Glanville of the Wasatch Wave in Heber was beaten up at a local livery barn, he was inspired to include the following notice in his paper: "Wanted: A fighting editor at this office. One who stands six feet eleven inches tall in his stocking feet and tips the beam at 197 pounds fighting weight, who can handle his fists, feet, a gun or a club." At our newspaper office we don't have a "fighting editoi, just me. our readers have Fortunately, changed as well - I have yet to be beaten up over one of my editorials or a column I've written. I have been verbally assaulted on several instances, and threatened with legal action. That's part of the fun of the job. Fortunately for our readers, we don't run our newspaper office like Twain claims they did in pioneer times, cither. I have yet to cowhide anybody, and I would hesitate a good long time before throwing anyone out the window. With cold type and computers in the composing room, we don't put the paper together the way they did then either. Someone once asked me, "Since your paper only comes out once a week, what do you do the rest of the week?" It was a good question. So for your information, here is a summary of what the work week is like at a weekly newspaper: Our week starts on Wednesday, when the week's edition is delivered with the mail. Not much happens on Wednesday until the afternoon, when people have had a chance to find out what was, or wasn't, printed. Wednesday afternoon, they start calling in to complain. I usually play golf on weather afternoon, Wednesday permitting. On Thursday I may return a few of those Wednesday calls. If I dare. I spend the rest of the day worrying about what to put in my column and trying to stay out of trouble while doing as little work as possible. Not much happens on Friday. The weekend is coming, so most of the people we rely on for news - our "sources" - are not available. They work for the government. Maybe if I -- played golf on Friday, I could get more work done. Saturday we don't have to work. Except about once a week, when someone needs a picture of this or a story about that. So I spend Saturdays at home, sort of, except when I'm running off to take those pictures. Sunday we don't work either. Except about once a week, when a church group needs someone to take a photo. Not that these folks would dream of working on Sunday; they just don't seem to mind if I have to. Monday is when we have to do all our writing, because we didn't get it done on Thursday or Friday. Monday is also the day of our deadline - that's the absolute latest time that anyone can submit a stories for the newspaper - in theory. Since people have a whole week to get things in, most of this material comes to our office about an hour aft erthe deadline. Tuesday we put. the paper together. That's also the day when all the important news happens. So it's the day I work. I figure one day a week is enough. After all, that 's why I became a newspaperman - so I would only have to work one day a week. Also on Tuesday I finish writing what absolutely had to be written on Monday, paste up the newspaper and send it to the press, where it is miraculously reproduced, printed, stuffed, sorted and mailed by the next morning. Wednesday mor ning we clean up the mess left in the aftermath of Tuesday and go start working in next week's edition. I do this primarily by going to the golf course. It's a hard life, this newspaper business. Irish Saint Patrick has roots in Wales, as well By TOM GRIFFITHS So, once again St. Patrick's Day is with us. Dear old Patrick and the Welsh have something in common. and He was born in Wales emigrated to Ireland. The only reason I can think of why he left Wales was the snakes. A snake called an St. Pat might have done what I once did, while out gathering blackberries I almost stepped on one. That experience did something to me, for up to this day I cannot stand snakes. Even the innocent water snake scares me. Frankly, I don't believe St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. If there ever were snakes there they left on their own, for even snakes like a little peace once In a yhile. But with all the tumult In this mean tempered adder lived there and lovely green isle, the Irish have retained their sense of humor. I like the story of the Englishman, a Scotsman and a Welshman who were left legacies by a friend on condition that each should put five pounds in his coffin. The Englishman put in a five pound note. The Welshman also put he had in five pounds which borrowed from the Englishman. The Scotsman took out the two five pound notes and put in a check for 15 pounds, payable to bearer. Three days later he was astonished that the check had been presented and cashed. The undertaker was an Irishman. A Irish ward boss named Pat Murphy sometimes received invitations to the parties and sometimes he was left out. two-fiste- d When one of the victory parties to which he had not been invited came off, Pat was almost the first man to appear. "Why, Pat," said one of his friends, "how come you're here? I understand you were not invited." "I know it," smiled the Irishman as he reached for a mug of beer and a sandwich, "but I thought I'd show up just the same to prove I wasn't mad at not being asked." There was the Irish immigrant who applied for a job at a powder plant. "What can you do?" inquired the foreman. "Anything, sir, just anything," replied the hopeful man. "Well," drawled the foreman, thinking to have some fun with the newcomer, "you seem to be all right. Could you wheel out a barrow of smoke?" "Aye, that I can," said the Irishman, "just fill it up for me." A party of clergymen were attending a religious convention in Ireland. Several of them set off to explore the district. Presently they came to a river spanned by a temporary bride. Not seeing the notice that said it was unsafe they began to cross it. The bridge keeper ran after them in protest. "It is all right," declared the spokesman, not understanding the reason for the old man's haste. "We are Church of England from the conference." "I'm no caring about that," was the reply, "but if ye dinna gel off the bridge, you'll all be Baptists." (S0!&tfb!iWIK IMjt 3rcc ISSN No. USPS. prrss 8750-46- No. Published weekly except for Thanksgiving and Christmas by Newlah. Inc. 32 West Main Lehi, I'tah K4H43 Telephone Numbers 9 Advertising & Circulation. News. . . , 3 , Publisher Brell K. Bezzanl Editors Marc Haddock Betty Fowler, Subscription price $16" per year Second class postage paid at tahi Post Office hwtmwMtT: I Mm jifltlrPM ctaintft In i. Anwrk ;in Kuril. I'lah IHnn |