By Barbara Soderlin

Even though I have wonderful parents and wanted for very little as a child, I always had a secret fantasy that something would happen to my parents and I would end up living in a giant mansion with some unknown rich uncle, a la Daddy Warbucks or the English castle in The Secret Garden.

So I have to admit that if I were 10 years old now I would be SO JEALOUS of the Obama girls. They already had a great life, sure, living in a cool city in a nice house and going to a fancy private school. But then, while they’re still at an age when Dad is a hero, their daddy gets elected PRESIDENT and soon they get whisked off to Washington to live in a giant mansion with a rose garden and a swimming pool and even a brand new puppy.

I think some grown-ups must be watching them with the same vicarious awe that I am. This story talks about all the fuss over where the girls will go to school (it’s clear public school was never really an option). The family has chosen Sidwell Friends, the same expensive private school Chelsea Clinton and the less-successful Al Gore III attended (remember his mug shot?)

I can only imagine the social frenzy that will surround Sasha and Malia in their new schools — whose locker will be next to their lockers? Who will they sit by at lunch? Who will they invite to their birthday parties and sleepovers?

Maybe it’s better that nothing like this ever happened to me. School is hard enough as a regular kid — let along a mini celebrity.

By Kayla Gahagan, Journal

We’re about to publish a story that says the Rapid City School District has asked its staff to make recommendations to cut 5 percent from the proposed 2009-2010 budget. This across-the-board cut is a stark difference from the approach last year when $2.7 million was cut and only particular programs were elminated or reduced.

Is this the way to go? Let me know what you think.

 

By Kayla Gahagan, Journal staff

I’m working on a story about the Rapid City School District’s Financial Review Committee, which is a panel of local business leaders who have been commissioned to review the district’s budget and make recommendations in December.

The committee isn’t sure they want the public (it would probably only end up being the media) at their meetings. My bosses disagree and say the committee falls under the Open Meetings Law because it was commissioned by the board and members are making recommendations about taxpayer dollars.

What do you think, open or closed?

 

 

 

By Kayla Gahagan, Journal staff

A collegue sent this Atlanta Journal- Constitution column to me this week about how middle school is not effective.

As the Rapid City School District is on the cusp of closing schools to save money, some community members have suggested doing away with the middle school model.

Read this article and tell me what you think - is middle school a black hole that students fall into between elementary school and high school? Let me know what you think.

 

By Kayla Gahagan, Journal staff

The final leg of the Lakota Dakota Nakota Language Summit wrapped up today here in Rapid City and I’m hoping the people who attended get a chance to read a recent story by Education Week about the overall picture of the integration of Native language and culture in public schools.

South Dakota passed legislation in 2007 requiring the Department of Education (in cooperation with an advisory council) to include K-12 content courses on the history and culture of the state’s tribes.

In the story, Keith Moore, the Indian Education director for our state, said the law was passed in the hope that it will improve the achievement gap between native kids and other students.

Is it working? Send me your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

By Barbara Soderlin

When I was a kid everyone wanted to grow up to be a marine biologist. Then it was a chef. Now today’s “generation Y” college students are turning their passion for non-profit and charitable work into careers. This story talks about how more colleges are creating degrees specifically in non-profit management.

I see this as a good thing. There has to be an outlet for students who don’t want to make a lot of money after college, now that newspaper jobs are getting harder to come by.

By Barbara Soderlin

Schools here know it’s easier to get some parents involved than others. Some parents are way TOO pushy and involved; others are hesitant to come to school because maybe they had a bad experience in school, or they’re afraid they’ll embarass their kids, or they’re just too busy or they don’t care.

This story is an interesting twist on the issue. In Jericho, N.Y., where schools send a large number of graduates to Ivy League colleges each year, schools have struggled with decreasing numbers of parents at school events even though the school enrollment has grown.

Why? A lot of the school’s new families are Asian, and, the story says, ”having come from a culture where performing well on tests was the only school activity that mattered, and self-conscious about their limited English skills, they are scarce at social activities like back-to-school nights, bake sales and football games.”

The story made me wonder what the big deal was - if their kids are doing OK in school, who cares if the parents don’t show up? But the school is trying to create a community, and the article is interesting in its description of the ways other parents have gotten the newer, Asian parents involved.

There are probably some lessons in here for Rapid City schools that struggle to reach out to different groups of parents here.

By Kayla Gahagan, Journal staff

I spent most of yesterday on the road to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to visit the small town of Wanblee and Crazy Horse School, where more than 200 people have been living and/or visiting for food and heat since our blizzard last week.

While many of the people I talked to complained of a lack of support from federal, state and tribal entities, one entity that was praised was the school and its staff. I was pleased to run into school personel, board members and teachers who all stayed at the school to help cook, entertain children, phone relatives and clean.

It seemed that in one of the community’s darkest hours, the school and it’s food, staff and building became a beacon of hope. I’m hoping it won’t be long before power is restored and people make their way home to their own food and heat.

Read more about the Wanblee people who are staying at the school here.

 

 

 

 

Today was the most glorious of all days — a snow day. The big blizzard canceled schools across West River. Unfortunately it also left thousands without power, which takes away a lot of the fun of it. It’s not that great coming inside from a snowball fight, with red, raw wrists and a drippy nose, to find there’s no dryer to throw your jeans into, no microwave to heat up hot chocolate in and no TV to watch cartoons on. Here’s hoping school open soon so the kids will have a nice warm place to head to.