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Capturing a bit of the past

USHISTORY

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For those of you who, like me were fortunate enough to have taken one of Sam's classes, listening makes you feel like you're right back in class.  In fact, the memories were so strong I could remember the seat I had.  (second row, 4th row).  

Two years behind Jeff, I've racked my brain trying to remember seeing this kid walking around with a microphone and recorder, but to no avail.  Not that it matters, because what's important is that he did and managed to save them after all this time. 

Because of the size of the files there's no easy way to present this without a fairly healthy wait.  So you're patience will be appreciated.  For those of you with slower internet connections, you can send me an e-mail with your mailing  address and I will make a CD with the files on it and send it to you.

Working with Jeff and the audio recording of Sam, I've been reminded more than once about the importance of history. Of preserving history and learning from history.  In that regard, Jeff's contribution and willingness to share it with us is priceless. It also proves Sam was right when he told us that history was important, but I bet even Sam didn't realize just how important it would turn out to be. Thank you Jeff...

http://jacksonhs.com/ushistory.html

JHS Message Board

In The News 

Tom Kaade '73 (right) and three other members of the Swiss Valley ski patrol in Jones, MI say that all their earlier rescue training couldn't prepare them for the devastation they confronted in helping out at the World Trade Center disaster site in New York City in September. (excerpt copied from the South Bend Tribune September 30 edition)

Z for Zero

 I do not have enough information to see why it was LaSalle who had to go and not one of the others.  That's where the rubber meets the road.  Tough decisions aside, I am older now and have yet to understand the "desegregation" ruling quoted in this article as something bad....the following is taken from the article in the SBTribune:

"Six inner-city primary centers would be out of compliance with the 20-year-old consent decree, the document that mandates the desegregation of the schools."

The lack of balance frustrated Trustee Dawn Jones, who responded to critics who have said the consent decree has failed to improve black student achievement and in some cases hindered it. She said the lack of diversity in advanced classes shows that the schools are still segregated in some ways.

Primary schools would be neighborhood schools, and Jones said that could lead to schools developing reputations that stick to their students. Neighborhood schools were phased out when the consent decree went into effect in 1981.

"Students will be judged, more so than now, by what school they attended," she said. "It wasn't right then, and it wasn't right now."

I hate to be such an obvious ignoramus here, but that's a bad thing being identified with and having pride in where you live, your friends and where you go to school? Where the heck have I been....apparently I missed that memo because I thought that by instilling a sense of community and pride....well you either understand my point or you don't.  

 Now before you think I'm a total idiot, I understand in theory  what is being said, though in Dallas it appears to be an Ok thing to build neighborhood schools.  But the article states that this "decree" has failed over a twenty year period of time to raise the achievement records or worse they are saying that in twenty years of effort....they've yet been able to find a plan that would balance whatever it is they believe is lacking if they were forced to go to schools in their neighborhood and found them to be filled with other kids they know live in the neighborhood as well.     

Point: I refuse to believe that they would be so presumptuous as to think that this is a decree written solely for black students as opposed to racially mixed lower income neighborhoods.

Simpleton that I am, any product that was on the market for twenty years and either didn't sell or didn't work as advertised ....well you'd have to think that the product wasn't the right product.  It sure as heck wouldn't take twenty years for Wall Street or investors twenty years...or even twenty months in the high tech industry.  With that in mind, maybe someone can write in and educate me as to why they don't take a moment to consider that it could be something else that is causing low scholastic scores, achievement levels?  

I am hard pressed to believe it's the quality of teachers across the board that are lousy and only the bright kid living in a bright neighborhood can figure out a way to learn despite this albatross.

I refuse to believe that I'm suppose to guard again something inherently American, no matter what color you are as choosing where you live partially based on what schools are in the area.  I have difficulty believing that any child should be refused an education too, but to prohibit a couple from sending their child to school  purchasing a home in an area partly because it's close to a school.  

I realize that there are advantages in some neighborhoods, but my house wasn't very big and in my neighborhood it was a big deal to go to the beauty parlor for my mother.  I know of no one in my neighborhood that had a maid or someone who would plant flowers and cut the grass.  Sure I know there were friends who probably did have a maid, probably did have someone with a driver's license who made a living at cutting grass, do their yard.  But I'd have to take a guess at who those fortunate few might be because it just wasn't something that was thought about.  I remember more about the kids on the farms who had to get up so darn early every morning before school so they could do that 'farm thing' than I do about kids who had a maid get up early and fix breakfast.  Sure we had a bit of a softspot for cars.  Ok, a big soft spot for cars....but how many of them were brand new BMW's?  More like used Camaro's or 61 Chevy Impala's.  

And as much as I'd like to think of us as witty, bright, articulate, worldly and wise...I would be incredibly disappointed in anyone who tried to tell me we were any smarter, wittier or wiser on average than any of the other high school student bodies.

I guess it still doesn't make sense. I'm sorry LaSalle but looking back at history, you never had a chance.