End of school year packed with activities

I can't believe the school year is at an end. Thursday is a minimum day for the elementary schools and the high school has graduation at 5:30 p.m., Friday, for my youngest of my old kids. Way to go, Davis!

The last few weeks of elementary school are crazy. There are lots of field trips. I don't know why they wait till the end of the school year, I'd probably spread it out to make it easier on the bus drivers. We had field trips to James Lee Park where the kids hiked over the hill in the heat and came back all sweaty. There were field trips to our Valleys' museums and cemeteries. Then there was one all the way up to the Animal Ark north of Reno. That's not all.

Susan Harmon and Jennifer Kelly who are fourth-grade teachers at Jacks Valley Elementary School had a wonderful presentation about a wax museum. Children in their class had to study Nevada history and the movement west in the United States. It was about the 1800s expansion and how it affected the U.S. neighboring countries and the people involved. How the presentation was done, the teacher would ring a bell and the actors would come to life. Then she'd ring the bell and they would freeze. Two fifth-grade classes and one other fourth-grade class walked around to each station to observe.

Brandon Lane was dressed up as Chief Joseph. Born in 1840 and died in 1904 at the age of 64 he was famous for taking 800 Indians in his tribe to Canada because the Americans were taking his land away. He died of a broken heart.

Jonathan Guy was dressed up like Jedidiah Smith, a famous mountain man who blazed trails through the Mojave Desert. He was the first white man to get to California.

Maria Cruz was dressed in a fancy green satin dress with a matching hat to play the roll of Victoria Woodhull who was the first woman to run for President in 1872 at the old age of 32.

Then there was Juan Aguaya and his partner Luis Hernandez who played William Clark and Meriwether Lewis. They told me they paid Sacagawea $500 to help them explore the west. William Clark was attributed, according to the boys, to have found 122 new kinds of animals. I'll bet the rattlesnake was one of them.

Adanary Ortega had the roll of Elizabeth Blackwell who was the first female doctor and her cousin Daritza Ortega was dressed up in a beautiful light lavender dress as Patty Reed, one of the 48 survivors of the Donner party.

When I asked her where they had gotten stuck, she knew it was northwest of Lake Tahoe and she knew that Donner Summit was named after the Donner Party.

I was most impressed with Megan Sando, she played Belle Star nicked named the "Bandit Queen." When the bell rang she went to town with her spiel about her life and how she was arrested for robbing a stagecoach.

The last days of school are so jam-packed with so much adventure. Have a good summer off school kids.

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Today at Jacks Valley Elementary School is field day. It's a day before the end of school and the children are in for a surprise. There is going to be volleyball, soccer, kula hoops, noddle jousting (whatever that means), hurtles, sidewalk chalk, kickball, four square, jump rope, bean-bag target, long-jump rope, Frisbee/golf, that sounds like fun.

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The United States Sidecar Association is having their 31st annual sidecar rally at Camp Richardson. The last time it was held here was 25 years ago. If you are interested in seeing some beautiful motorcycles, a lot with sidecars attached, come join in on the fun. It will be June 25 through the 28 at Camp Richardson. The field events and show and shine will be at the airport on June 27.

In Missouri, my dad was the driver and I was the passenger. I had to hold a tin pie pan with so much water in it over his lap while he was blindfolded.

I had to tell him when to turn through an obstacle course and keep as much water in the pan as possible to win the race, and we were timed. We won a trophy.

Last year in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho I was blindfolded and Jenee (my 8 year old at the time) had to guide me through the field and stop at a certain point.

Before we started I said, "which way is right?" and she pointed to the left.

I thought we didn't have a chance, but we ended up winning a trophy.

Call me if you would like more detailed information.

Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.