The Last Night

Well I just got back from Randy and Lynn’s place. They had me over for dinner. We had salmon, which is always nice, then sat around talking and listening to music. It was a lot of fun. I need to get some of the music they have.

Okay I need to pause here for a sec and talk about something that just came to my attention. I just received an email from our superintendent wishing the entire BSSD staff a happy Christmas. He and his wife wrote up a little Christmas parody that I would like to share with all of you….

‘Twas the day before vacation, when all through the schools

Not a principal was focused; no teacher using those nifty new tools.

The books were all veiled; the party food greatly evident.

With great hopes that Jim Hickerson would not call or be present.

The children were filled with sugar treats all adults dread,

While visions of more goodies raced through their heads.

When out on the ice there arose such a clatter,

All sprang from their seats to see what was the matter.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,

Oh no, it can’t be, the Superintendent is here!

With Doug at the yoke, so lively and quick,

All knew in a moment it must be a very sad trick.

More rapid than soaring eagles down came his plane,

And he whistled, and shouted, calling all principals by name:

“Now, Andy and Jeannie, Rick, Robin and Dan!

Now Terry, Now Vern! You know I’m the man!

On Margaret, Elise, Edna, Craig and Steves (2);

On Joe and on Dave!” Oh my gosh, what a crew!

There are children to be taught and teachers to be frightened;

There are masses to be fed and test scores to be heightened.

So up to the school the Superintendent he strode,

With a gleam in his eye and a look that was quite bold.

And then in a twinkling, students and staff heard on the step

The most feared sound of all, the sound of Dr. D’s footstep.

As new staff drew quiet, and tried to hide the evidence of no work,

He came through the door with that famous and very stern look.

He was dressed in his snow pants; and his hair was quite messed,

His clothes were tarnished and torn from years of being poorly dressed.

A bundle of questions, his backpack in tow,

He looked like the last person they wanted to see or know.

His eyes how they twinkled! They all became wary.

His cheeks weren’t like roses, his nose nothing like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up ready for the first question,

The staff did not dare laugh, no request did they mention.

It was that wink of his eye and twist of his head,

Soon gave them all to know they had something to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

He began walking around, visiting the kitchen first.

Then went “strait” to the high school, and next the middle school near,

Finally, to the kindergarten room, the teacher in great fear.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

Giving a nod, he finally arose.

He declared this place the best with the grandest treats and also so neat.

And there he stayed the rest of the day while teachers toggled complete,

While moodling so skillfully with their two feet.

As he left, they all heard him exclaim, as he quietly slipped out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all and a most Happy New Year’s Eve night.”

Post some comments and let me know what you think about their creative writing. I am not that creative when it comes to writing. I am more of a video guy.

Speaking of video, I just finished up a pretty cool DVD of the Student News Broadcasts. It was the first dual layer DVD I have ever created. All of the videos together were way too big for a single layer DVD, actually almost double what one would hold. I set up a couple tracks that play before you get to the main menu. The main menu has a drop zone in it showing the SBT intro, with a link under it to a second menu with the episode selection. Once in menu two you have the choice of the first six broadcasts, or to go on to the next menu, or back to the main menu. The third and “final” menu has three more broadcasts, the interview that Tori did with Albert (the student in Savoonga that killed the whale a couple weeks ago), a slideshow of pictures of the kids working, and the interview Mia did with the two scientists studying the bird flu that flew up to Brevig Mission. Its a pretty cool interview. The first scientist is currently studying the bird flu, and is very knowledgeable in the subject and linked the 1918 flu pandemic to the current bird flu. The second scientist is the one that obtained the tissue sample from the lung of a Brevig Mission lady who died from the 1918 flu. He was the one who supplied the first scientist with the biomaterial he needed to make the connection with today’s bird flu. There is also another portion of the DVD that is held in a close circle and I won’t get into it here, but I can tell you the DVD ended up being 8 GB.