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We met at the new Hillcrest Lutheran Academy Classical Christian School, previously best known as the Eisenhower School. Kathy Austvold gave the invocation and we recited the Pledge of Allegiance and The Four Way Test. We were told there were only 31 lugs of peaches left and that number was reduced by a good amount by those present stepping forward to buy a lug to donate to the Food Sheld. (A postscript: at 3:52 p.m. last Wednesday, Jamie reported that all peaches had been sold; you could feel the collective sigh of relief felt by Noon Rotarians throughout the community, and a big thank you to all those who made it happen!) President Ken reminded us that we will be back at Bethel Church this coming week and that the Board will be meeting with District Governor Kay Biga at 11:00 a.m. at our meeting location. Then we launched into brags and fines and Jamie Larson paid as he had to get back to the peaches but also because it was his 50th birthday that very day, prompting a spontaneous rendition of Happy Birthday. John MacFarlane appreciated the well-organized peach distribution and shared that one of his grandsons was married the prior weekend. Keith Olson rose to celebrate his and Kim's 40th wedding anniversary, to politely correct this writer for failing to reference Hal Leland in the picture taken at the United Way office and in last week's Rounds, and to remark polio has reappeared in the United States and to say thanks to all Rotarians who have joined in the fight to eradicate this terrible disease. Mark Bring welcomed Jamie to his 50's and said it just keeps getting better. Hal Leland thanked all those who worked at getting the peaches distributed and Kathy Austvold reported she was back from a trip to Pennsylvania.  Kathy then introduced us to Morning Son Christian School, now part of Hillcrest, which began in 1984 and where Kathy was employed from 2004 to 2009. In that process she got to know our speaker, Joyce Aamot, then a third-grade teacher. Joyce told us about the school's move into the building in which we were meeting. The school had outgrown its prior space and God answered their prayers when the opportunity to move to the new location presented itself. Joyce was also excited about the classical curriculum that has been adopted, which focuses on 1) is it true? 2) it is good? and 3) is it beautiful? Studies indicate that people who are taught using the classical education approach are more likely to keep their faith, stating they remain more in the world but not of the world. The desire is to have God evident in everything we do. As to the new location, the renovation budget jumped from $300,000 to over $400,000 when the State required a new air exchanger be installed. New playground equipment has not yet been ordered as they want to have funds pledged to pay for it first. The move out of the Church of the Nazarene started on May 27th and the semis full of school furniture, equipment and supplies did not start to get unloaded until July 11th. They will have preschool through fifth grade in the building and right now the number registered is 180, with a capacity of 200. The frame building they previously used for art and music has been moved to the site to serve the same purpose. Club members in attendance then were able to walk through the building, seeing a lot of work still going on to get ready for the start of school on August 29.  |
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