Among Other Things: 'Earned' school desks; 110 in the Shade

Once again, my friends George and Helen Thomas in Seattle emailed a timely item. Helen is a school teacher, George is an Air Force veteran who served with me at Malmstrom AFB, Great Falls, in the early ‘50s. Both theoretically are retired. Helen still does substitute teaching. They were recognized recently for their volunteer service. Over the past decade Helen has served 3,552 volunteer hours and George 7,142 volunteer hours.

The account below was sent to me by Helen:

In September 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, Ark., did something not to be forgotten. With permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she took all of the desks out of the classroom.

The kids came into first period, they walked in, and there were no desks. They obviously looked around and asked, “Ms. Cothren, where’s our desk?”

She said, “You can’t have a desk until you tell me how you earn them.”

They thought, “Well, maybe it’s our grades.”

“No,” she said.

“Maybe it’s our behavior.”

“No, it’s not even your behavior.”

And so they came and went in the first period, still no desks in the classroom. Second period, same thing, third period, the same.

By early afternoon television news crews had gathered in Ms. Cothren’s classroom to find out about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of the classroom. The last period of the day, Martha Cothren gathered her class. They were at this time sitting on the floor around the sides of the room.

She said, “Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the desks that sit in this classroom. Now I’m going to tell you.”

Martha Cothren went to the classroom door and opened it. As she did, 27 U.S. veterans in uniform, walked in, each carrying a school desk, which they placed in rows, and then they stood along the wall.

By the time they had finished placing those desks, those kids for the first time, perhaps for the first time in their lives understood how they earned those desks.

The teacher said, “You don’t have to earn those desks. These guys did it for you. They put them there for you, but it’s up to you to sit here responsibly to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid a price for you to have that desk, and don’t ever forget it.”

Helen Thomas in her email wrote, “My friend, I think sometimes we forget that the freedoms that we have are freedoms not because of celebrities. The freedoms are because of ordinary people who did extraordinary things, who loved this country more than life itself, and who not only earned a school desk for a kid at the Robinson High School In Little Rock, but who earned a seat for you and me to enjoy this great land we call home, this wonderful nation that we’d better love enough to protect and preserve with the kind of conservative, solid values and principles that made us a great nation.

“We live in the Land of the Free because of the Brave. Remember our troops.”

110 in the Shade

Be sure to catch the Port Polson Players production of 110 in the Shade at the John Dowdall Theatre this weekend, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. It’s funny, serious, and tune-filled, all at the same time.

The cast, comprised of folks up and down the valley, is energetic, enthusiastic, enjoyable and obviously having a good time. And the audience reaction reflects this.

The play is a musical spin-off of the movie The Rainman, which I saw many years ago.

Game Warden Rick Schoening does a super job as Starbuck, the loud, fast-talking con man who convinces folks — all but Lizzie Curry, played by Megan Gran — he can make a drought-buster rain within 24 hours — for $100.

While he doesn’t convince Lizzie he can do that, he does make her see that her self-image is out of whack, that she is not “plain” and lacking confidence, but pretty and beautiful and has much to offer. Lizzie responds positively and confronts Sheriff File (KC Sorensen), who has self-image problems of his own.

Megan’s singing, of course, comes out at least 12 on scale of 1 to 10. In recent Page by Page Books literary series, Megan sang soft, soothing songs, but in 110 in the Shade she shows she can really belt ‘em out, loud and clear.

In the role of Jimmy Curry, PHS German exchange student Jonas Schreitag has the Montana accent downright perfect as he pairs off with girlfriend Snookie (played by Misty Futrell).

James Uhde, Lizzie’s brother Noah, effectively antagonizes the audience with his continually berating his sister as being plain, awkward, with no future, destined to be a spinster.

Dana Grant as Lizzie’s dad also turns in a credible performance.

There isn’t enough room to list all the cast members — but they all rate a “done good,” plus. Really enjoyable.

The creative screen designs were painted by Carolyn Schoening, Monica Christ and Faye Martinez. Joe Arnold devised a new drop curtain that effectively enhances the scene.