The Sattler Series: Worms & the Hershey Editorial Cartoon

The students were coming in from recess and stopping by the water fountains outside my classroom door to get drinks when the screaming began. 

A student came running into my room and cried, "Mrs. I, Mrs. I!! There are WORMS in the drinking fountain!"

What?? Surely not. Had I not heard the screams, I would've thought the child was pranking me. 

I stepped out into the hallway to investigate, and OH MY GOSH! THERE WERE WORMS IN THE DRINKING FOUNTAIN!

I called the school office and reported the issue. My call was met with confusion and, "Worms? Worms!! How could that be? I'll be right down!"

I stepped into the hallway again and scooped up a few of the worms into a paper cup, handing it to the school secretary when she hurried down to my hallway. The look on her face when she peeked into that paper cup! (I think it matched mine.)

Within 24 hours the worms in our drinking fountain had made the national news. 

Dave's editorial cartoon for that week looked like this:

A clever idea, but appalling to those of us who were there. Including Dave's wife, Nancy, whose classroom was next door to mine.

Out of respect for her and the school, he agreed to draw another editorial cartoon for the week and not use the PTA bait one. But he did make prints of that same cartoon and gave them to any teacher who asked to have one.

Of course, I was all in on that, even though I had been the teacher who'd first found the worms. 

A disclaimer on the cartoon carried a note that this editorial cartoon had never been published.

I was glad, especially since Hershey's name was on the cartoon FIVE times.

Dave caught the kids' reaction to finding worms in the drinking fountain with this image of a rather sickly green student.

The question we all had was, where had the worms come from? 

The answer was that school was built in 1964 and the drinking fountains were original to the building. The worms were drain worms, which are not uncommon in sink drains old or new. (Ever had a tiny insect buzzing around the drain in your kitchen or bathroom sink? It's most likely a drain worm.)

As such, drain worms are not IN the water source, they come from where the water goes after the tap has been turned on. And that is the drain, hence the name.

Luckily, the worms the kids and I were seeing were coming out of the drain and not the faucet. (Not that that made me feel any better.)

The principal told me that he'd taken care of the drain worms. I was NOT comfortable when I watched him pour bleach down the drain and call it good. Sure enough, later that day more worms were in the bowl of the fountain.

So, I privately took matters into my own hands.

I called a well known entomologist at Purdue - Tim, as in my barn owner. I explained what I had seen and captured, and that the problem had been handled by pouring bleach down the drain. I asked if that bleach would handle the problem.

Tim felt as I did - the fountains needed far more than bleach.

"When were the fountains last replaced?" he asked me.

"Never. They are from when the school was built in 1964." (Which was about 50 years ago at that time.)

A very long pause by Tim.

"Bring me that sample you have. I am pretty sure that they are just drain worms, but I'll look at them just to be sure. And, I served on the school board for years. I'm gonna make some calls. Fountains that are so old that the drain worms are crawling up the pipes is unacceptable. The fountains need to be replaced."

And Tim was as good as his word. He examined the worms I'd brought him and yes, they were drain worms. Harmless and not in the water we'd all been drinking. The fountains outside my classroom were turned off and had yellow "Do Not Cross" tape placed over them and the kids had to hike to another hallway if they wanted a drink. (If I remember right, bottled water was provided during this time to those of us who were in that part of the building.)

A couple of weeks later, three shiny new fountains were installed, and then during the summer the entire school also received new fountains.

Five years later when I retired, I still had not drunk the water at Hershey - be it from a drinking fountain or from the ice machine in the teachers' lounge. Never again - I brought bottled water from home.

And that is the worm story that I promised to share.

Stay 'tooned!

 

The Sattler Series: Dave's Visits to My Classroom

First Post of the Day

Dave was kind enough to visit my classroom several times.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Cartoonist in the Classroom!

As part of the preparation for our Reaction Art Museum, I invite guest artists to speak to my students about their artwork and to explore how art can be a reaction or response to a certain event. The final component is looking at Superheroes - did you know that Superman was created in the 1930s as a response to the rise of Hitler, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, etc.? The world needed a hero, some hope, and Superman fit the bill. (Take a look at early comics of him. See who he fights?)

You can also see the rise of technology and cultural changes through Superheroes, so we look at 10-12 of them, see how they reflect the cultural mores of their times, and then look at how they change as society changes. (It really is quite fascinating. So many cultural markers that can be traced - who we fear, racism, feminism, urban trends.... Superheroes truly do reflect us.)

Dave graciously agreed to visit my classroom this week and to talk about his work (which is a reaction to newsworthy events in our world.) I thought his clean-line drawing style would help my students draw their own Superheros which they are creating in response to a current issue of their choice in our culture.

 Part of Dave's discussion centered on how to communicate your ideas by zeroing in an an aspect - for example, a longer nose indicates an older character while a button nose a younger one. Facial length was another good indicator. Here he shows how he illustrates youth with a short face. 

And he even drew Boo, although he started by just drawing the outline of Boo's head and had them guess what he was drawing. It's a football shape, and that is what they guessed. Boo's #1 fan, aka me, knew exactly what Dave was going to draw!

Dave certainly delivered! He really gave the children things to think about as he discussed how he comes up with ideas, how his editorial cartoon is a reaction or response, and how it reflects us and our culture. Dave's presentation was spot on to what we were learning and thinking about!

Here he shows us several stages of his weekly editorial cartoon - how they begin, what they look like when he sends them to the newspaper, what is added in at that location, etc.

A picture with the students. They were so excited about having him come and what they learned. I cannot wait to see what their Superhero characters look like now that they are chock full of ideas and inspiration!

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And from another visit, this one in April, 2010.

Dave generously created a cartoon just for us. Knowing we were studying conflict and that I was trying to bring it down from a global/national level to a local/individual one, he asked the kids what conflicts they faced. Naturally HOMEWORK came up. Dave then asked the kids what sort of symbol might work in a comic for homework. Suggestions included a backpack, a notebook stuffed with papers, and a happy teacher. (Ouch!! Surely not!)

Dave got to work with a pencil, sketching out the figures, and then using a marker to finish. The end result? A schoolgirl staggering under the weight of an enormous book labeled "Homework" with Boo the cat sitting on top! The kids and I were absolutely delighted, especially when he signed it and presented it to us! 

Thanks, Dave! You're the best! (Even if you leave Boo out occasionally.... :D)

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More to come tomorrow - will it be about worms? Or will it be about the portrait caricature that the recipient hid away from others?

Stay 'tooned!

Feast: Friday School Day

Yesterday was Feast School Day, and about 3,000 kids and their teachers were walking around the grounds attending demonstrations and learning about Indiana history.

I was there but not demonstrating anything; I was finishing setting up my wares.

Some of the blackened beeswax ornaments are out on display.

Men's shirts and fabric remnant bundles, ready to go.

Two jars for maple cakes, one on my little desk and the second by the feathers in the back, towels, toques, pin pillows, hussifs, and the cash box with my pewter mug peeking out. (I'll pour any cokes that I drink during Feast into my pewter mug and tuck the can out of sight - no one will know it's 21st century coke that I'm drinking!)

Chemises, aprons, bed gowns, short gowns, cloaks, bum rolls, panniers, and pockets. That tent wall will be opened up fully tomorrow so people can come and go more easily. 

Yesterday the 4th grade teachers from Lisa's school had their kids at the Fort for School Day. Brock, Nick, Brooke, Lisa, and Vinny.

Our dear living history friends (and fellow horse lovers), Carol and Frank Jarboe were still setting up Scoundrel's Alley but took time for a selfie.  Carol usually interprets Maggie, who is an indentured servant, to Frank's Parson John. But not tomorrow. He's playing The Ould Badger at Scoundrel's Alley. She will be Maggie, but not as an indentured servant and thus dressed more nicely than usual to reflect that.

John is an ordained minister in his 21st century life and he always leads the church services Sunday mornings at events.

A real plus of School Day was running into two very dear colleagues from Hershey, the school where I taught. They had brought their classes out and I was lucky enough to bump into them.

Jocelyn, me, and Sarah. Two of the best of the best when it comes to teaching.

Along with them was another fourth grade teacher from Hershey, but one I did not know.

Lisa sure did! It was her former student teacher who is now teaching with Jocelyn and Sarah! (Lisa says she is an outstanding teacher as well. Lucky Hershey!)

My new sign's up, and I'm ready to go. Time to go immerse myself into 18th century life. 

 

Where's Lynn?

Kathy and I had a great time reading to kids yesterday back at Hershey where I'd taught. I was really looking forward to having a photo to remember the day.

Why, yes, I'll always remember what I looked like that day! LOL!

Lego Robotics - A Surprise Message

Sometimes you get something out of the blue that just makes your day. Such was the case with this message that I received from a girl who had been on the Lego Robotics team I'd sponsored at Hershey.

In 2018 Caterpillar had offered to sponsor one team for us (the very first one at Hershey ever) at a very hefty cost. The purpose was to get more girls introduced to and involved in STEM learning so it was to be an all-girls team. 

We had room for ten girls, but twenty showed up and wanted to participate. Bless Caterpillar; they agreed to sponsor a second team, and all the girls got to experience robotics.

This is an example of the fruits of their generosity. (And I have sent this on to the man who facilitated the grants and the team to pass on to Caterpillar.)

Read it and smile.

Volunteering - Hershey Registration

TSC registration is all online unless you are new to the district. If you are, then you need to bring in documents such as birth certificates, immunization records, and proof of residence to the school your children will be attending. I have volunteered to help at registration for the past three or four years, and did so again this year despite having recently retired.

Tables and chairs were set out in the foyer for people to fill out forms that were on a welcome table along with instructions as to what to do.

 I spent a good deal of my time xeroxing and collating the packets for registration.

 Jackie had made a bunch up, but we were getting a lot of walk-ins and needed more.

I ended up working ahead for the coming school year, making some for Jackie to use with kids who move in during the school year.

 I had to smile - the file folders I was using were recycled ones from my classroom!

And, I found a map of the building with me still listed as a teacher at Hershey. That was a bit bittersweet.

While there, I also committed to helping with bus duty the first day of school and then with the Open House the night before, so I will be back soon.

Between helping Lisa, helping Kathy, and helping Hershey, I still feel very much a part of things and that is helping to stave off the sadness I feel as the education world goes on with out me.

My Hershey Retirement Party

Hershey always throws a retirement party on the last work day for teachers of the school year. It's a breakfast, and family members are invited to come.

 Former teachers who have retired are also invited back, so the Media Center is packed.

 Mrs. Eberle (standing), is a longtime lunch aide who is retiring.

 Each of us got to stand and speak to the faculty.

 Steve Dietrich, Mar's husband and friend of Craig's, is in the pink shirt.

 More time with this guy now!

  Lisa (not shown), Vanessa, Ian, Mila, and Lukas surprised me by coming!

The best office staff in the world! Jackie Spitznagle, Jennifer Leahy, Maddie Riordan, and Linda Fields.

 And my dear friend, retired Life Skills teacher, Jan Cyr.

There are more pictures somewhere, of Lisa, of Nancy Sattler, and my 5th grade team, but they must be on someone else's phone. I will see if I can't track them down and do another blog post!

Tornado!

Tuesday evening while working in the temple, I heard that there were tornados in Boone County. (Lebanon is located there.) I knew the temple was very safe should anything happen, but I did wonder about our drive home since we would have to go through that area.

I should have been more worried about my own county.

Sure enough, as soon as my shift was over, I found I had a message from Lisa who had been at our home with the dogs.

That "no confirmed touchdown" would change because there were actually two tornadoes, one of which was out by Hershey.

 As I drove to work Wednesday, I noticed a debris field on the north side on 300, just a mile from Hershey.

 The debris stretched quite a ways through a field.

 I could tell a tornado had hit a metal barn and then thrown the pieces as it traveled north toward Buck Creek.

As I drove home from school that afternoon, I took pictures of the farm building that had sustained the damage.

 Not the best picture, but I was driving and had a car behind me.

This tornado was only a mile from my school. In 1996, a tornado actually hit my school, Yankee Ridge Elementary, and just missed our home by a quarter mile. That tornado wreaked havoc and killed one person. (We lived in Illinois at the time.)

This is a video of that tornado. (After their school had been hit, my students took our drills seriously! It was very, very real to them.)

Whenever we do a tornado drill at school, I reassure the kids that, while I don't think it will happen, that being hit by a tornado is possible.

This recent one so close to my school just confirms how possible that really is.

Lego Robotics

I know NOTHING about robotics. Not a thing. But I knew enough that, when Caterpillar and The Society of Women Engineers offered me a grant to begin a girls team at Hershey, I jumped at it. Their goal was to introduce girls to STEM careers through FIRST Lego League, and FIRST Lego League turned out to be an excellent vehicle to accomplish that goal.

They mentored us faithfully, coming out every Wednesday after school to help me work with the girls.

We only had seven weeks to prepare, but we participated in Purdue's competition for FIRST Lego Leage grades 4 through 8 yesterday.

 Former student Carl Landskron was one of the Purdue students in charge of the competition.

And Brooke Cederquist was helping out, too. It's always nice to see former students!

There were nine girls competing for the Hershey Legoettes, but the other nine girls participating at Hershey were invited to come and cheer us on. I counted fourteen of our eighteen girls there at one time or another!

 Our robot accomplished the tasks at school, but it was finicky at the competition. The girls tweaked its program repeatedly, trying to get it to work the way it should so that it could accomplish its tasks.

We also had to make a project and a poster about it as well as a poster about the Core Values of FIRST Lego League and how we exemplified those values.

We presented those in the morning as well as did a demonstration of our robot. The girls were on their own - their mentors and I could not go in with them for the presentations.

Lanie S. and Hannah S.  ran the computer in the three competitions during the afternoon. We got three tries to accomplish our tasks. It wasn't until our final chance that our computer worked. That meant that we probably would not move on to the state competition.

Linda Fields, our principal, (seated in the upper right) came and watched us and stayed for the awards ceremony.

The girls and their high school mentors, Molly Page and Hailee Rolofson, waited with the rest of the teams in the bleachers, fingers crossed that they might win an award.

They erupted into cheers when it was announced that they were one of two teams to win the Core values award, which is considered very prestigious as it means that they exemplified everything FIRST Lego League wants the girls to do (kindness, cooperation, team spirit, hard work, etc.) We were thrilled when our counterpart, East Tipp, was the other winner!

It was a long day, and I am still tired, but a good one, too. And even better, Caterpillar and The Society of Women Engineers told me that I was receiving another grant to start a boys team at Hershey next fall.