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Show 1 B8 Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Vernal Express Salt Lake kids tele Neola North victims By ViAnii Prestwich Uintah Basin News Service When the Gardner family fam-ily moves back into their Farm Creek home they will have a new washer and dryer provided by students of Indian Hills Elementary Elemen-tary in Salt Lake City and Lowe's Home Improvement in Vernal. Colleen Gardner's home was destroyed by last year's Neola North Fire, which killed three men, destroyed at least a dozen homes, and burned 43,51 1 acres in Duchesne and Uintah counties. coun-ties. Extensive media coverage was given to the fire that broke out on June 29; however, the media attention was not what convinced Ann Melville's fourth grade class to help one family return to normal. The Indian Hills Elementary class wanted to help after they became involved in a traveling exhibit called "Sacred Images: A Vision of Native American Rock Art." Darrell Gardner, sweat lodge keeper and medicine man, was instrumental in the creation of the exhibit. Although Darrell died more than two years ago at age 73, the students wanted to do something for his wife after they learned about the destruction of her home. "It's an amazing story," said Joyce Kelen, school counselor at Indian Hills. She said some of the fourth-graders fourth-graders had acted as docents for the rest of the students when the exhibit was at the school. The group became quite attached to the display, which features 75 1 M ' V J . , ' " ' t I t , -r 'i ' . , Ui A ' J ? . ' " C- - - ; ; j . UJ r .... y' '' f-jjj- i - - : r t ' . ! " ,v- -J l' ' fcrti irmmr ikiM,-r,mu-m 'MmM, ... . -a - , , .- ' - .... 1 n n , 1lr , . M. lff. Using Cell Interactive writing skills, students from Ashley Elementary second grade classes of Margo sports or activities, scenery, and Murray, Darrell Matthews and Lisa Henderson made personalized poster size letters and presented wildlife. A $50 gift certificate will them to each member of the Board of Education, the superintendent, business administrator and be given to all first place win-student win-student board representative. Letters were personalized and included "Candygram" surprises, ners and other prizes to those Eight second graders, including Lindsay Seitz, Scott Olsen, JayeLyn Parrack, Emmalee Allred, lei who place and receive honorable Forbis. Easton Clark. Liz Hackina. and Raeaan Deets deliahted board mfimhers with their read- mentions. ing and performance skills. Messages included such things as Randy Upton being referred to as "Sugar Daddy" and Shane Frost being a "Jolley Rancher" who traveled "Rocky Roads" to get to his meetings each week. 1 00 Financing!! No closing costs!! 6.5 Fixed rate 30 year loan!! Why rent? Monthly payments from only $950!! Open Monday - Friday 9-5 and Saturday 10 - 4 ; 1 i ' t 1 L ! L m From Main ! I photographs of rock art found in boulders, cliff faces and overhangs over-hangs throughout Utah. The Salt Lake Education Foundation prepared a K-12 curriculum guide, which accompanies ac-companies the exhibit and helps teachers link exhibit content to state's social studies, geography, literature, and art curricula. Kelen called Janet Canyon, associate coordinator for the Salt Lake City School District's American Indian Education Program Pro-gram for suggestions on how this class could become more personally person-ally involved with the project's creator. The students learned that the Gardner family could really use a new washer and dryer and they went to work raising money. Canyon supplied the school with an example of a "Red Road Power Bracelet," while Kelen bought supplies for the students to make them. Anyone who donated to the washer and dryer fund was given a bracelet and an explanation of what the bracelet stands for. "They were so excited," Melville Mel-ville said about the students in her class. "They had so much fun making those bracelets. It was really all about how they got to do this cool project and someone is going to benefit." Another advantage Melville witnessed during the venture was how interested the students became in the reservation in eastern Utah and where the fire occurred. When the project was completed com-pleted over $600 had been col SUN5UR5T Two new floor plans now 4F-ut2nishedJfede.ls Family Oriented Community 3 Parks with Playground 9 Floorplans to Choose From Quick Delivery Available fe& mx mMi o m-mi-mi Directions to Sales Center and Model Homes: Street (Hwy 40), go South on 500 West approximately 2 miles, then turn left into Sunburst Terrace. rate in ellcct as of 0.V0708 and subject to market change. APR equals 6.75 lected. Kelen wanted the washer and dryer to come from a local store so she contacted Lowe's in Vernal. J eff Coltrin, the assistant manager at Lowe's, explained what happened next. "She said they had raised $600 and she wanted a good set," Coltrin Col-trin said. "We told her it would cost double. She seemed a little sad about that. We said we would kick in another $600." I- X i The cabin where the late Darrell Gardner kept his spiritual items escaped damage during the Neola North Fire last summer. The home that Gardner and his wife, Colleen, shared - which sat less than 100 feet away from the cabin to the west - was completely destroyed when the fire swept through Farm Creek on the evening of June 29. 4 TE.RRACE. starting at only $139,950 3-4 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths 2 Car Garage Landscaped Lot i'Ht. Kelen was thrilled with the offer. "We lost everything," Colleen Col-leen Gardner said, adding that she would probably have two daughters and their children moving in with her so having the new washer and dryer would be a tremendous help to the family. While waiting for her home to be rebuilt, Colleen has been living in her son's trailer house. " J ' 1 .I - -1-j "SB'""'1 " " "' J7ttf i -- v , ! , i : , li Photo contest announced by Express After the huge success of entries per person. com or they can be brought in to their last photography contest, ' Photos can be e-mailed to the the office in Vernal located at 54 the Vernal Express announces a Express office at editorvernal. N. Vernal Avenue, winter photography contest for Basin residents. "This gives our neighbors here in the Basin an opportunity to pull out their favorite wintertime photographs and show them off, " said publisher Kevin Ashby. "I am amazed of the quality of photographs pho-tographs that everyone around here take and this gives us an opportunity to showcase some of these as a newspaper." The contest is a little different this time. The newspaper will not only accept 8x10 inch prints, but wiH also welcome digital pictures from those who don't want to go to the expense of making prints for the contest. All photographs need to have a winter theme and must have been taken locally, in the Uintah Basin, between the months of November No-vember and March of whatever year they were taken. There will be three categories: Deadline for the contest is March 20 with a limit of five I j 7 ! i. i i t "Roger and his wife moved to his in-laws' place and let me take over here until I get my place," the grateful mother explained. "I don't know what I would do without him." She also doesn't know what she would do without the kids who made jewelry to replace her appliances. "I think they are pretty cool," Colleen said and then issued an i ! - tj. i f. " , r A x: - ... -a,.-:., ,.)- The above photos pho-tos are contest con-test winners of of other photo contests from across the United Unit-ed States and are used here as an example of orgininality that and content that can be used for the Express photo contest. 0!M h J, 1 ' f -iff p V , J - ' '"V' V. ; X ' " ' I . - - - - - ,-.,- .-. .-. -,. ., J ' i " 7 - . ,: ' ' ' ' ' x, , ,,:ti I. i C,. 7 I - open invitation for the students to come out and see the new home. Not only would they see where the fire had been, but they could also see the cabin right behind the house. That is where Darrell kept most of the items he used for his sweat ceremonies. Larry Cesspooch, a Ute spiritual leader, storyteller, and friend of the Gardner's, is surprised that through all of the destruction the cabin remained intact. "It's truly amazing," Cesspooch Cess-pooch said. "Darrell was one of the spiritual leaders around here. He used to stay in that cabin." April Gardner is the youngest young-est of Darrell and Colleen's 15 children. After the fire she brought her three children from Grand Junction, Colo., and returned re-turned to Roosevelt to help her mother. Still, April struggled to find a place to live. "We're good now," she said optimistically. The Uintah Basin Association Associa-tion of Governments donated a trailer for Colleen and her daughters to move onto the site of the burned out home. April helped her mother get a loan to refurnish the new home. The renovation should be complete within the next two weeks, and the structure ready for occupation. occupa-tion. "The outpouring from the community is tremendous," April said. "Even the outpouring outpour-ing from kids in Salt Lake. It's incredible. I don't know how we'll ever pay them back." 3 3 -A ixx. U V |