The School Board came to Happy Camp. Happy Camp High School is a part of the Siskiyou High School District along with Mt. Shasta, Weed and McCloud. Mike Matheson, the superintendent comes down the river to visit out school but it isn’t often the whole school board comes to Happy Camp. They wanted to ask the students questions, which were similar to the questions, asked of the staff at the In-service on Monday. The answers to the questions would make up a sort of “State of the District” statement.
Several School Board members introduced themselves to the student body at an assembly and told of their interest in the school. They also asked for input on what the students would like to see added to the school. Some suggested Karuk language classes, more advanced placement classes of various kinds, especially in science and environmental studies. There was a request for more classes that would allow students to express creativity, such as music or drama. When the school board member asked if there was no drama at our school, the students said, “We have lots of drama in the halls, but no theater or drama classes.” A track for running races was suggested, but also a swimming pool, indoor and heated which would be expensive especially with the present high expenses necessitated by the continuing need to repair dampness problems in the north end of the school.
At present the students don’t enter the north end of the school except to go to the office. The teachers’ room, with copier, and the two classrooms at that end of the building are sealed off. The joke is that it is the start on a haunted house project, but the black plastic only allows traffic through a narrow corridor to the office. The students enter at the south end of the hallway. Classes that were held in room 2 and 3 are now reassigned to other classrooms. This has necessitated a great deal of flexibility on the part of the staff and students, but they are facing the situation with fortitude.
One of the School Board members mentioned how much they had appreciated the courtesy and good manners of the students at Happy Camp High. One even mentioned how one of the boys had gone out of his way to follow her to the door to open it for her wheelchair. It is so nice to know that our students have made a good impression on these adults who frequent other high schools also. We do have a wonderful bunch of students, 95% of whom accomplish so much good and are never in trouble. It is an exciting time of the year because we see the Senior Class preparing to leave our school and go out into the world. They are preparing for a trip to College of the Siskiyous as some students plan to attend there after graduation. There will also be a College Options trip to which some of the students will visit several colleges in California.
Next week will be a bunch of basketball games PLUS homecoming festivities on Saturday Feb. 5th. Monday the freshmen have decided everyone will dress in neon colors! Tuesday the sophomores have decreed everyone will wear a necktie. Wednesday is “generation day” thanks to the seniors. That means the freshmen will be dressing like babies, the sophomores like little children or toddlers, and the juniors like adults and seniors like, well, senior citizens. That should be easy to grey hair, spectacles, canes or walkers. Friday, February 4th will be Blue and Gold day plus a pep rally before the team leaves for another game. Saturday in the gym the homecoming court will be crowned. Prince and Princess for Freshman Class are Justin West and Alexia Peidra. Sophomore Class elected West Timbrook and Cheyenne Moore. Junior Class royalty are Brandon McCartney and Florence Peters. The seniors’ selections are Rony Reed and Shauniece Polmateer.
Thursday night after Happy Camp Elementary School had their program, the Seiad Elementary School also had a Holiday program. What a rollicking fun Western time we had!!! The students were in calico and cowboy hats with bandanas. The kindergarteners even had horses! They were of the stick variety, not live horses. They were quite appropriate for the song, about a Cowboy needs a horse.
Students came in and sat on hay bales which fit right in with the western theme. Their program had a lot of music, by band, choir and individual students, as well as stories and presentations. First the choir sang Deck the Halls. The Band played Jolly Old St. Nicholas and Go Tell Aunt Rodie. Wren Crapser and Aleesha Lange performed Shady Grove with the first and second grade dancers. A group played recorders for Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Kaleia Caston told the legend of mistletoe. Jordan McCartney preformed Snowman and Old MacDonald. Katreese Crawford performed Watercolors and Jingle Bells before the first graders and kindergarteners rode in on their horses.
After The Twelve Days of Christmas, Phoenix Stoner performed Santa’s Sleigh and Morning Prelude. Treva Crawford played an Old English Air and the band played Ode to Joy. Devin Jackson and Allison Head played Jingle Bells and Cyrus and Treva Crawford performed What Child is This?” The last song of the program was a fun piece, Merry Christmas Neighbor, by the entire choir. Then Santa arrived and all the babies first had an opportunity to sit on his lap, which some appreciated and some objected to!
It was fun to see how much the kids we don’t see often had grown. Jeffrey Kanawyer came up to say he had read the column about the proposed Siskiyou Crest National Monument in the newspaper. When they become mature enough to be reading the newspaper to learn about things, you have to be impressed at how they’ve grown up!
Saturday was a perfectly fantastic day in Happy Camp for the 11th Annual Kids Fair. The River Park, as always, was a beautiful venue for the event. If you got a little hot, there was plenty of water to splash down the waterslide to cool you down in a jiff!!
Tables were set up in the shade on the lawn for art and craft projects; wooden boxes or picture frames to decorate, butterflies to paint, and beads and trinkets to make fabulous works of art. This was compliments of the Siskiyou Arts Bus Project and the kids loved it!
Coloring Contest was won by Ashley Aubrey, Sarah Harrison, Beatrice Edwards, and Maranda Rasmussen. Dancers, my how these kids moved, made it difficult to decide upon winners. Prizes were presented to Justice (football), Chaance Rasmussen (high power squirtgun) and Sarah Harrison (ball and bat.) Caitlyn doing some really good dancing and “jump, to get the wiggle out!” so all the kids used up great amounts of energy!
Amber Curtis was putting alphabet and glimmering beads on a wooden box for decoration to show the kids like Madeline Davis who wre creating beautiful projects!
Annie Kramer, of Heal Therapy, sang the most cheerful and appropriate songs during the activities. It was such a pleasure to meet Annie, and her music was the perfect backdrop to all the action. Her music was enjoyed by the adults as well as the kids, especially “Puff the Magic Dragon!” They even sang a special song to Smokey Bear…and guess who showed up for his picture!
If you got hungry, Cliff Stockton was at the grill preparing hot dogs, while Carol Sharp dished up cups of fruit. There was also a nutritional display with Michele Harris combining fresh strawberries and peaches and other delicious ingredients blended together.
Vickie Waddell had little tooth holders for the first lost tooth as well as toothbrushes and other products to keep the children in good dental health. Vickie represented the Karuk Dental Clinic. Children who wished to sit still long enough could have a tattoo painted on an arm. Adults were usually the ones sitting in the shade.
Forest Service staff had some games going, a relay with a fire hose to get these future firefighters trained. They were awarding ice cream cones!! Kyle Stockton managed the bean bag game and awarded prizes to the best throwers of beanbags into Bigfoot’s wide open mouth. Craig Reece had another game going for the kids, but they soon became too warm for the playground equipment and regular games and headed for the water slide!
All in all, the 11th annual Kids Fair was fun for the kids, their families and those of us who enjoy seeing kid’s smiles! Thank you to the Family Resource Center, Karen, Nadine and Alicia and Rachel and all of the other volunteers who were such great troopers and made a fun day for all!
The total, 100%, senior class of Happy Camp High School applied for college admissions. As a result, they were awarded funds for the class account. Shown here are Maryabb Munson, College Representative, making presentation to some of the seniors: Krystal Whittaker, Sean Hacking, Trea Cohen-Kurtzman, Andrew Bley (Student Body President) and Violet Stearns.
Alan Dyar and John Kufner present $38,000 check to Mike Mathieson SCHSD for the gym floor at Happy Camp High School.
One problem arose while the gym roof was off and it rained. The floor and things were covered with tarps but somehow the rainwater got under the tarp and resulted in a very badly warped floor. Now our beautiful hardwood gym floor was 51 years old, but it was a beautiful smooth playing place before the warping. The warping would have been difficult to deal with in physical education classes. But a new floor estimate came to $101,532.00. That is a lot of money! There wasn’t money left from the Q funds, and they have to be used strictly for projects that are covered with the legal description at the time of the vote. So what was to be done about the gym floor???
A dinner fund raiser brought in $716.92. An Indian Tacos fundraiser made $456.75 by Tamara Barnett. The Cycle Oregon people came to town and not only did the students haul luggage two days (unpacking and packing up the next day) which made $2,000. The adult workers, Lori Jones, Alan Dyar, Buster Attebery, John Bain, John Kufner, Karen Derry, Rob and Christina Baker, donated their tips which came to $594. The High School Teachers earned some funds for the students benefit and earned $10,000. There was even $110 from a fifty/fifty raffle. Many other supporters from the community began offering donations, $100 from John & Linda Kufner, $100 John and Ruth Bain, $250 from Alan and Carol Dyar, $50 from Cindy and Dan Falkenstein, and $1,000 from Parry’s Market. The Kevin Nolen, CRM Group gave $500 and the Happy Camp Volunteer Ambulance put in $500. A very special lady, DeeDee generously donated $38,000 check even tho’ she doesn’t live in Happy Camp. All together we have had many people working together to whittle down the price needed for that brand new gyn floor.
Think of it as an investment in the sports team for the next fifty years! How can they all learn sports without a good gym floor? The old one lasted over fifty years so perhaps the new one to be installed will be there when you come to see your grandchildren play.
What are your kids doing for the summer vacation from school? I was reading that Sasha and Malia Obama’s fabulous summer vacation includes foreign travel, the Eiffel Tower, Rome, the Pantheon and the Kremlin, concerts, and being free from school routines. They also spent time volunteering at Fort McNair in Virginia, where the girls helped stuff backpacks with books and toys for the children of military families. But the presidential family limits their television and computers all day until just before bedtime, which is early for the girls even during summer vacation.
While we don’t have opportunities to tour Paris and Rome, I think that kids along the wild Klamath River have better opportunities in some ways. If you want to go away, there are Redwoods and the Pacific Coast to the West of us. They could go explore Oregon Caves just north of us, or the Cat Zoo in Cave Junction. Further up the coast there are the Myrtlewood Carving Factory and Prehistoric Gardens to explore.
Mount Shasta Museum has a display especially for the 100 year Centennial of the Boy Scouts of America. Yreka has the Siskiyou County Museum with many exhibits. They could also see museums in Fort Jones or Etna as well as the Kerbyville Museum. Have you been to the Willow Creek Museum yet, where they have a whole room added for the Bigfoot collection?
Best of all, on a hot day, kids along the Klamath have their choice of going to the Eddy or Clear Creek, or the mouth of Elk Creek for great swimming in clear cold water! They can go rafting or kayaking with their families or just drift boat for a lazy summer day on the Klamath. A student in Cave Junction used to bicycle (not motorcycle) over Greyback to Happy Camp for many years which seemed to ,me to be a great accomplishment!
They could set up a tent and camp out, either in the backyard or, as they grow in maturity and experience, progress all the way to backpacking the wilderness areas We live in the heart of Wilderness Areas so they can go any direction and find more wilderness to hike and backpack through! Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail has always been a wishful dream. Wouldn’t it be fun! The younger set can hike up Town Trail and look down on the entire town of Happy Camp.
We have a museum all about the Karuk culture to see — right in Happy Camp!! And if you haven’t visited the Forest Service Information Center, they are sure to enjoy seeing the fish (real live fish!!) and the mountain lion, and learn more about our forest. We have a beautiful River Park where they can practice disk golf or walk the nature trail.
The Cub Scouts have been busy working on collecting for a nature center: rocks and stones, tracks and just the sort of thing that young boys love to investigate as they discover the beautiful world we live in. One of these days we will find a place to keep all their displays and collections and that will be great fun for the kids! Vinson Brown’s, How to Make your Home Nature Museum was the inspiration for their collections, and in years to come it will help them to earn merit badges in all sorts of fascinating areas! They are also working on getting photographs and learning to operate a camera this summer. It is a good thing to know, since they practice the leave no trace camping, or as the scouters call it leave nothing but footprints, ways in the forest. Rather than collect things, collecting a picture of the beautiful things they have seen leaves them for the next person along the trail to see and enjoy as well.
The Happy Camp Branch Library is open fewer hours and days this summer, but is still a good place to choose a book that will interest your young (or older) readers. If you haven’t read Dear Madam or Land of the Grasshopper Song you are sure to enjoy these classics from this area. A wonderful story of life a boy growing up in Happy Camp is the The Klamath Treasure: The Adventure of Euclid Plutarch Hammarsen If you grew up along the wild Klamath River you will feel like you know Euclid and participated in many of his adventures, perhaps because the author, Trisha Barnes, did just that!
When I was dealing with a disabled van this summer, strolling down to Evans, I found a really great book, a real fish story. Springer’s Quest: Life of a Pacific Chinook Salmon by a former teacher, Nina Gee. She has written the story of this salmon that hatches and endures exciting adventures both in the creek to the river and in the ocean before returning up the Salmon River to spawn. I wondered about some of the vocabulary for youngsters, but the kids knew the words that I didn’t, so it is sure to be helpful to them in studies back at school. You don’t have to tell them that, of course! I learned a few things in a less scientific format than the information could have been presented which makes it all the more interesting for the young folks and the rest of us too.
Have a wonderful summer of doing things, going places, and summer reading along the wild Klamath River!
The Happy Camp Cub Scouts met for the monthly Pack meeting. The theme for this months program is Scout Buddies!
Awards were also presented for recent Pack activities. August was a busy month with the Raingutter Regatta and riding in a boat for the Bigfoot Jamboree Parade. First place in the Raingutter Regatta was won by Jeffrey Kanawyer and second place by Frank Davis. Maddie Davis won the non-scout category when the families were also allowed to race sail boats they had made.
The boat for the parade was kindly lent to the Cubs by a kindhearted soul. Quentin Peterson rode with the boys and mascot “Dana.” Veronica Salvage drove the truck pulling the float.
Surprise! Upon arriving in the vicinity of Kelly Lake about twenty miles from home, the older boys, Pihneftuuf Elston, Christopher Riehm and Brandon McCarthy went to look around for a good campsite. Scoutmaster Dolly, who drove the gear pick up with the older boys, went down an incline to look out a potential site, slipped and fell.
That left only the three youngest boys, Cody Sindle, John Cook and Ryan Wilson, who just graduated from Webelos with me to assist her. Thanks to Charles Tello, who was camping in the area and helped us out! Then Quinten Peterson came and got the crew organized to get her safely to camp. The older boys returned to help so that was a big help. There was a rattlesnake a couple feet away from the trail that needed to be taken care of too
Our Scoutmaster was soon sitting in camp with her swelling foot elevated on ice until we could get her to the clinic. The boys fell to work setting up tarps and tents and soon a camp was organized. A campfire circle with downed wood collected by John, Ryan and Cody, provided cooking for hot dogs for lunch. Everyonce in awhile we’d have showers, but about the time we got another tarp up, it would cease. The boys had fun throwing each other in self defense moves taught by Q!
The boys also pitched in and made venison stew for supper. Under Robyn Eadie’s guidance, Alex and Abbye helped cut the potatoes. When Mia helped and cut her finger, Abbye provided band aid care. Neffers browned the venison. Steven Welin cut up the onion, the most unpopular job of the meal. The most popular part was s’mores around the campfire, with melody of “Does you Chewing Gum Loose Its’ Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?” and stories, (scary and made up with additions by each camper) around the campfire.
After a good night sleep, despite the rain and lightning off and on, the boys prepared a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes. Brandon cooked up the bacon. All those pancakes disappeared quickly. Boys ate the food they fixed with gusto!
Then it was off to the fishing derby. Surprisingly, the fish (1500 lbs of fish had been delivered Wednesday before) weren’t biting as well as the day before. Someone caught and released five the day before in a very short time. It is my theory that those released fish went and told the rest of the fish all about the hooks behind the bait!!!
Well, as you know, all the lightening of Friday ended up starting fires in the area, and all around northwest California . The Fire Camp was set up in Gail Zink Park for Siskiyou Fires. The Forest Service will be giving us updates on the fire situation but we have been very grateful that (except for last Sunday) the smoke hasn’t been awfully bad, but it still continues. We are grateful to the Firefighters who have come to battle the wildfires started by lightening!
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