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Show m mmrn wr wm nr Page Two - The Pyramid - April 12, 1995 f "V Correction COMIMI With our Calvin Hobbes Prepare Schools? The recent walk out at North Sanpete High School is obviously not the most important issue local schools should be addressing. There is a far deeper concern that was brought to light by a recent unsigned letter. We normally dont print unsigned letters, but this one raised such an important question about values in our education system that I couldnt pass it up. is a tip for extra entertainment when the riders come along in the parade. As a rider of the opposite sex approaches, say to a fellow parade watcher in a voice to be heard by the rider, "What a beautiful animal." Often the rider responds with a "thank you to which you return, "Thats a nice horse too." Its a cheap laugh and can be used equally among the sexes. The clowns, drill teams, floats, and royalties are all part of the experience. We love to give the wrist, wrist; arm, arm wave to all the gowned girls as they float by. We get more kisses blown our way than anybody. Of course, were a noisy bunch and make demands for such attention. I believe parade entryspectator communication is important for getting the full parade experience. Then there is the candy and the goodies. Theres nothing like being hit in the head with a handful of salt water taffy. My kids pile up a mountain of the stuff and then announce that they dont like it. Maybe some of you candy throwers should consider changing over to other parade favorites like tootsie rolls, jolly ranchers, and to wave With snowstorms still dumping on us, its hard to believe that Spring is really here. But there are daffodils, tulips and hyacinths under that snow. So that means one of my favorite seasons is just around the comer, the Sanpete parade season. I see by the papers that Ephraims Scandinavian Festival has been officially kicked off by Governor Mike. There is always a fun parade associated with that festival which is on Memorial Day weekend. I look forward to putting on my for the Norwegian flag occasion. They put on a terrific event there thats worth your time and support. Some of you may think Im way early in bringing up the topic of parades now. There is thought to the timing. The committees that put on the parade events of Sanpete need lots of help. Many of us should consider participation which requires time and planning. Therefore the topic to consider now is not as harebrained as you might think. In Sanpete, we have Lamb Day, Hub City Days, Pioneer Days, Independence Day, and a When the the County Fair besides Scantruck dinavian Days. There may be goes by Im usually able to more events with parades. Im luck out and get a cold one. not sure. Anyway we have (The secret is to not be overopportunities galore for parade bearing by screaming your head off for a coke. Your fun. There are certain elements chances are better to calmly that make up a great parade. catch the eye of the One of them is a marching person and thank them for cries band. My mother-in-lacoming to be in the parade. when the band strikes up and Try it.) marches by. I empathize with the marchers since I did it as a Weve been talking about high schooler. I can still hear camping out on Mantis Main Mr. Stahell yelling, "Guide Street this year to save a good Right!, Guide Right!" in an .place ala the Days of 47 or attempt for us to keep our lines Tournament of Roses parades. I believe that would be a Sanstraight. Riding clubs are also excitpete first. Maybe youll want ing to me. The decked out to join us. In any event, get off horses in leather and silver the tractor or out of the office prance. The guys and gals are and enjoy the parade season in cool in their riding style. Here Merrill Sanpete Its one of those articles I wished I had written, so Im - tch-tche- . five-da- y. Coca-Col- The reason one of the board members gave us for Mr. Whites firing was that he wasnt a "team player." Apparently, it is more important to be a. "team player" than an efficient teacher. eft AtJ Published Weekly ot Mt. Pleasant l Uian, oalaj 49 West Main Street i Telephone: r AX: 462-24- 462-2- 9 5 Craig Conover Publisher Penny Hamilton Managing Editor Linda Barker Associate Editor Shirley Christensen Sports Editor SUBSCRIPTION RATES . (In Advance) $18 per per copy $21 per year outside Sanpete year-50- C County CORRESPONDENTS Manti, Bruce Jennings 835-382- 4 835-519- 1 Gunnison, Uledo Wesllund. ...... 528-706- 2 Moroni, Barbara Gordon 436-876- 0 Fairview, Deanna Pate.: 427-379- 5 Ftn. Green, Jessie Oldroyd 445-342- 2 MantiEphraim Angela Rasmusson Snow College 1 evident and must be stopped or complete loss will occur. Manti has many potential projects for safeguarding history while allowing modem progress. Discussion is underway on the A great leader once said, "Our fate of the old city hall building nation needs a revolution every on the comer of 200 North and five years in order for our system Main Street. Architects from the t0 work. " We believe this is what State History Department have we need right now. We challenge looked at the building. They everyone to stand up for the reported that the building is education of our students, if we generally sound and could be dont, who knows? Our system successfully preserved. Possible uses of the building may change from a democracy to 0ne of a monarchy. have been proposed and other ideas will be considered. Use as Josh Greenman an art gallery and museum is and many concerned under review. Should a public North Sanpete High use not be feasible, a sale to School students private ownership with a condition of maintaining the historic structure could be an option. Of course, razing the old hall is a Oil possibility, though not favored by EPHRAI- M- Far West Bank the committee. A goal of the committee is to purchased 250 daffodils during raise public awareness of history the annual ACS Daffodil Days sites as significant historical and donated and project flowers8 assets of the community. Increason es in tourism, community charm recipients in North Sanpete Coun ty according to Sanpete County and attractiveness, and quality of American Cancer Society (ACS) life in general are possible Jamee Wheel- - through historical preservation. Spokesperson, The historical committee is wright of Ephraim. in. process of gathering and now vice assistant Elna McKay, Bank in West Far evaluating of past efforts in the area president of history and preservation. Fairvicw' arranging the donation and Joan Information for walking tours and Webb, administrator of Moroni home surveys have been done. Senior Citizens Center, eagerly Books have been written and accepted and arranged for deliv- - research compiled. Anyone with "ieals information or interest otherwise ery of flw5rs witJ Proceeds from the sale go to help, please contact a member directly to ACS for use in re- - of the committee. Members of the committee search, purchase of loan closet items, cancer patient financial include Dirk Correnti and Colassistance, and educational videos leen Hess, chairpersons; Lonnie for schools. The donations made Wintch, Kay Henningson, Sharon a brighter day for many Sanpete Vetterli, Lois Brown, Steve County residents and for Utah Thorsen, Harlan Ashby and cancer patients as well. Merrill Ogden. Dean O'Driscoll Reporter, Ray Truitt 445-332- Photographer, Hollee Anderson 462-3- 1 6 31 POSTMASTER: Send change of address to The Pyramid, 49 West Main Street, Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647. Second class postage paid at Mt. Pleas- ant, UT and additional mailing offices. Meals Wheels Be there a father alive who hasnt asked the question upon hearing the cost of the gown alone (forget the shoes, and accessories), "Where else will you wear it? The answer is, probably nowhere else. "But oh, what a night, Dad. Cant you just see the proofs now? "Thats my girl. Parents, dont gasp when things occur that seem extraordinary to you, such as what happened at North Sanpete. Why on earth should that surprise you? These wonderful children of yours and mine are simply living out the values that have been so successfully nurtured by society (parents, friends, etc) today. On any given day parents will excuse their students so they can make a pilgrimage to the mall, even if no Moonlight Madness Sale is in progress. What message do these young people etch when that occurs? Ill be more than happy to tell you. It says this: School is not the most important thing for my sondaughter. And dont worry if some teacher marks you down because you havent been there often enough to even have a clue what is gong on. If you get a failing notice I will personally go to die teacher, principal, or board member, if necessary, to plead your case. I love you, as you most surely know, and I will let nothing stand in your way as you achieve and have fun at rs Consumer j 34 1 Continued from Page al (local pronunciation accept- ed). this wonderful time of your life. Integrity? Responsibility? But dont, not even in jest, Just words. Son, dont that the nor prom, worry about them. We have to suggest prom practice, be interrupted. make sure you are eligible for Heaven forbid! Is nothing the sacred? Classwork be damned and at this critical time in our so on. young peoples lives. Nothing is more important than that. And if you should The prom must go on! And with it, (as the fathers stumble, or even trip once you of high school girls know) get out of high school, for comes the inevitable trip to heavens sake, wake up? that most holy of places, the Dont you remember anydress store where every girl thing we tried to teach you can become an instant Scarlet about how the tough get goOHara, that is, if the mort- ing? These kids today.... I dont gage on the farm can balance out the price tag of the farm- - know. $2,-000.- 00 Preservation d Unless one happens to be in the school on a regular basis day to day, there is no true understanding of what takes place once those students hit the halls in the morning. First of all, at this time of the year at the high school level, it is Prom Time. The prom takes over in an almost mystical, religious quality. It is revered. It is the ultimate event on the high school calendar. Truly, the school could bum, faculty could die in the halls and life would go on. w We had 365 signatures of parents and students, all done in y a period. It makes us wonder why we evert try to go by the rules, if they hardly even glanced at our petition. The only concern the administration has is to get the students into class. The reason for this is that the more students in class, the more money they get. Each year the school receives per student. Clearly the dollar sign is running our schools. borrowing from my anonymous benefactor and putting my name on hisher words. I hope thats OK. The Pyramid recently ran a at story on a student walk-oNorth Sanpete High School. The story indicated the reasons the demonstration was held and so on. In looking at that story, I would not be too surprised if there were not- some of your readers who perhaps at leased a couple of times. I wonder though if the public in general has even the slightest idea what the state of affairs is in todays schools. I really doubt they have a clue. ut pop-packi- Save Mr. White? No! Penny Hamilton Whats Wrong & Letters lCp4g By Merrill Ogden Hundreds of North Sanpete High School students poured out of the schools doors a few weeks ago in protest of what they perceived to be the firing of a favorite teacher, Tony White. Out on the schools lawn, they chanted "Save Mr. White! Save Mr. White! " until a teacher pointed out they would get more notice if they went to the districts office on Main Street, which they promptly did. What impresses us is not the fact they did it so much as the way that they did it. Word of the decision not to renew Whites 1995-9- 6 contract leaked early one evening. Before first period ended the following day, students had been notified via 400 almost microscopic strips of paper that said "Save Mr. Whites job! Walk out for him before 2nd period today (out in front of the building)" and that they did. Granted, some were only followers enjoying escape from routine, but most were earnestly concerned students seeking answers to questions about the decision. Law enforcement officers arrived and no riot ensued. Instead, upon hearing they could have their voices heard if they returned to the school, they immediately dispersed and within a 15 minutes were assembled in the schools auditorium. Shortly, students, NOT school officials noted they could not all be heard at once and selected a group of representatives who took the stage asking questions tactfully evaded by Superintendent Mower and Principal Syme (whose recommendation had resulted in the action against White.) When students, NOT officials noticed the assembled crowd was too big to be effective, they accumulated a committee to meet in private with officials. We were present to see them organize into small ranks of those seeking signatures for a petition, and those gathering questions to be fed to student representatives gathered in the library. As students reps felt their questions go unanswered time and time again, even seeking audience at a special school board meeting held where they were on the agenda, we could see their frustration with a system that, while legal and legitimate, deprived them of the teachers who related with things they felt they were seeking-qual- ity kids and taught them. Still frustrated, many of them wrote unsigned letters to The Pyramid, afraid of retribution, not to themselves, but to parents with jobs within the school system. Mr. White did not organize this lawful assembly, nor did a radical, unruly minority. Rather, an impressive group of young adults seeking answers to questions they still feel are unanswered, and worked within a system that left them feeling frustrated, betrayed and still losing Mr. White. We can only hope that among them are some of the future educators, leaders and governors of our own future. TUP PURRmiD IIIL on The say loves like the measles-all the worse when it comes late in life. Who will lead? Sanpete's Leading Kewspaper A Penny's MORON- I- Moroni Seniors will hold their potluck dinner on April 28, not April 2. catalogs give Jehovahs Witness information MT. PLEASAN- WASHINGTON D- C- From advice on housing and money to obtaining free tax information, Senator Orrin Hatch said the Consumer Information Catalog, packed with valuable consumer information on publications of consumer interest, can be obtained through his Salt Lake City office. This free booklet contains a list of informational pamphlets which include: Tips for Finding the Right Job, Lowering Car Insurance Costs, Mortgage Refinancing, Investment Strategies, Preparing Your Child for School, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Coping with Stress, and much more. One such free pamphlet offered, "Understanding Social Security", explains retirement, disability, survivors benefits. Medicare coverage. Supplemental Security Income, and more. The "IRS guide to Free Tax Services" informs the consumer on how to get free services by includtelephone and tax and forms. ing publications The pamphlet illustrates common tax errors to avoid, how to file electronically, and what to do f 1 if you have a tax problem. Most of the pamphlets listed in the catalog are offered at no cost. There is a small fee for some of the pamphlets For a free Consumer Information Catalog, contact Senator Hatchs office in Salt Lake City at 8402 Federal Building 125 South State Street 84138 or call (801) T- "Keep bearing witness to the truth" was the theme for the special events day for Jehovahs Witnesses. According to Matthew Kurtz, the Presiding Minister of the Mount Pleasant Congregation, of Jehovahs Witnesses, "The group returned home after attending hear Kurtz their special events day in Orem, this past Sunday." Mr. Jurtz went on to say, "A number of aspects of bearing witness were discussed such as using every opportunity to be thorough in the teaching and preaching work, what bearing witness accomplishes and how the truth affects our lives." . 524-438- 0. CPT Kelly Lauritzen is presented the Distinguished Graduate Award from the AI Center. From left to right: LTC William Being optimistic after you've Cleckner (Department Chairman), CPT Lauritzen, and Mr. got everything you want dont Brain Ashford (Course Director) count. 4 |