An American Pie Parody Returns for West Virginia Teachers, and Tax Payers

As I was writing our Community Vlogcasts for Positive Actions this week, not knowing if I would get to go to work while waiting to hear if the teacher's strike would continue here in Morgan County, well... here in West Virginia..., all the news of unions, PEIA, teacher's salaries, health coverage, WV public employees, tax payers,... it all got me thinking about a little parody I prepared nearly five years ago.  

Here is my revised version, now sadly #2 version, of American Pie, utilizing a little liberty with the "levee" and hoping we all will start "thinkin' past tomorrow."

Sing along with me.  Come on....I know you know the melody!

 A long, long time ago

I can still remember how that teacher used to make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance

That I could make those students dance

And maybe they'd be happy for a while

But now May 8th makes me shiver

With every Facebook post I quiver

Bad news on the doorstep

I couldn't take more more ed-

itorial in the Morgan Mess

When I read about the other side

But something touched me deep inside

The day the teachers cried

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my School Board to the Levy

But the Levy was dry

And the ole Sheetz boys were drinkin' coffee and high

Singing this'll be the day that they cry

This'll be the day that they cry

Did you vote for the Levy then

In the 50's it was when

Morgan County they began

Do you believe in your success

Can schools save us from the rest

And can you teach me how to do with less

'Cause I saw you spendin in the store

You both bought brand news shoes and more

Man, I want some of those too

I was a lonely tax payin' broncin buck

With bills and kids in a Suburban truck

But, I knew I was out of luck

The day the levy died

I started singin'

Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my School Board to the Levy

But the Levy was dry
Banks left town, with others not far behind

Singing this'll be the day that they cry

This'll be the day that they cry

For five decades, we've been on our own

Now, May and his teachers strikin' all alone

But that's not how it might soon be

With the levy gone jobs at the Dairy Queen

will be all our kids have seen

Said a voice that came from you and me

Oh, and while the King was looking down

And Brooks tried again to steal His thorny crown

The courtroom was adjourned

Kate's verdict was returned

And while Lenin read a book on Marx

The band still practiced in the park

Parents sang dirges in the dark

The day the levy dies

We'll be singing...

Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my School Board to the levy

But the Levy was dry

And the ole Sheetz boys are drinkin' coffee and high

Singing this'll be the day that they cry

This'll be the day that they cry

I met a mom who sang the blues

And I asked her for some happy news

But she just smiled and turned away

I too have bills at the sacred store

Where my kids need fed like yours before

But the man there said the levy wouldn't pay

And in the streets the students screamed

The teachers cried, and the parents dreamed

But not a word was spoken

School buildings all were broken

And the three men I admire the most

The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost

They caught the last train for the coast

The day the levy died

And they were singing

Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Have we learned anything?

With the Levy gone dry?

And the ole Sheetz boys still drinkin' coffee and high

Singing this'll be the day that they cry

This'll be the day that they cry

WESTEST and Tummy Aches

Seasons come and seasons go, right?  Just as the Christmas holidays roll into winter which eventually brings us Easter with the budding Spring, not long after for those of us subjected to the West Virginia public school system, comes...the WESTEST.  (da, da, dahm -- go the ominous kettle drums!)

The WESTEST 2 is a criterion referenced summative assessment.  It measures how well a student demonstrates competency on the West Virginia 21^st Century Content Standards and Objectives.  The test measures students in Math, Science, Reading/Language Arts and Social Studies.

Here in Morgan County, West Virginia, (and elsewhere), standardized testing has become a device that measures much more than our children's competency.  A local, heated debate over funding education, the WESTEST has evolved into a representation of both teacher performance and administration's management of our school system.  Scores have been quoted, numbers manipulated, and stories told that piture our county to be "dumber than rocks." For weeks, my three Morgan County Students have rolled out the door to school bemoaning the oncoming and unavoidable exercise - the WESTEST.

This school year, our youngest hottling, Levi, will undergo his first experience to take the West Virginia Educational Standards Test.  And he is NOT happy.  Does this happen at your house too?  "WESTEST and Tummy Aches!" occur daily!  Stress, sleeplessness, and loss of appetite?  Why, why, WHY?!  As much as we reassure him that he will be just fine regardless of his WESTEST outcome, he continues to fret this week's assessments.

Even so, he cried a few days ago when they were scheduled for WESTEST Practice.  Really?!  And, don't get me started about last month's writing assessments.

This 48-year-old-grey-haired-PD bloggin-hott-mama-of-four has three students taking the test this school year.  Coming from a house of West Virginia roots, we have college graduates, a sister already with an MBA and honors, a soon-to-be-brother-in-law with a Masters in Economics from American University, and a couple of nerdy parents with University of MD BS and UMass BA degrees. I continue to push my Morgan County students out the door this morning much happier than Practice and Writing Assessment Days.

I wish everyone would quit harping on this WESTEST and just get it over with.  The build-up is unbearable.  We are NOT "dumber than rocks" W. Va. rednecks here!  In fact, I'm sending two "Distinguished Scholars" back to take this crazy test this year along with a first time third grader.  (Check out these pretty cute "rocks" from Frozen!")

Morgan County is full of some pretty smart rocks out there!  I wish this levy conflict would see how terrible it has made the school year for our children and the conflict would crawl back under the rock it came from.  The levy election and WESTEST can't be over soon enough.

Vote "yes" on May 13th!

Thanks to the Natives

On the heels of last night's Oscars, I am bringing back a quick clip from 2012.  Listen closely as 30 sixth graders from Warm Springs Middle School Film Art Class cheer "Art Integration: Raising Student Assets!"

Look closely,... perhaps such a class, which utilized the techniques of film technology, math, reading, music and creativity (all closely designed to follow the West Virginia Content Standard and Objectives), just may be the impetus to produce a future red carpet Oscar nominee.

After all, Art Integration is designed to excite the mind while enhancing existing academic objectives.  Art Integration is a proven method from the U.S. Department of Education which is known to improve a students success in math and science as well as personal assets.

Not only did these 30 students participate in the creation and development of a film entitled "Where is the Love?", the the entire class of 160 children took part in it's development.  Their final creation has been viewed 695 times on youtube!  (Check it out here:  http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=where%20is%20the%20love%206th%20grade%20video&sm=1)  Not bad for a small town..

Why do I post this?  Well, because this "native" 48-year-old-grey-haired-PDblogging-hott-mama-of-four was given an assignment by the Morgan Arts Council to research Art Integration and present a proposal to the Board of Education.  Since 2012, hundreds of students have had the opportunity to work one-on-one with an artist from sculptors, dancers, actors, to musicians in the classroom with our school's Art Integration and Adopt-a-School programs.

This "native" grew up in the 1970's when the New World Theater visited our Berkeley Springs High School with then Theater Director, Glenn Wells (God, I miss that man!).

This "native" graduated cum laud in the 1980's with a Bachelors of Arts (yes, arts) in Theater from the University of Massachusetts.

This Morgan County "native" worked professionally in the 1990's in theater arts administration in Amherst, MA, Chicago, IL, and Frederick, MD.

Having returned home, being a part of developing Art Integration in my home county was more than just giving back to the community that instilled the importance of the arts and learning in me.  Watching the arts be attacked is heart breaking.

Also heart breaking is witnessing a 9 year old from a "native" family struggle with reading.  She shyly sits at the back table with a group of others having a difficult time understanding basic concepts.  I've been to her house.  I've met her daddy.  The arts would never, never be affordable for this economically challenged family yet even accepted by her close minded, (yes, I said "closed minded"...) father (at least I didn't say "d.a.r.n.").

When I passed her table, she looked up at me under unwashed, untrimmed bangs with eyes the size of small planets.  "Mrs. Hott"  she said, "did you know cheetahs are ex... ext...  extinct?"  Then she went on to read rare animal facts to me one syllable at a time.

She was participating in a endangered animal clay class with artist, Lynn Lavin.

Art Integration works.  I've seen it.  Research proves it.

With the failure of the levy which provided $5.8 million per year in Morgan County, not only arts programming has been cut.  The Morgan Messenger headlined on February 26th that "School board cuts 27 jobs, reduces days & duties for 173 school workers next year".   With three Hott children of my own still in school here, it makes me want to vomit.

Shame on the "natives" for not voting on the levy and creating this terrible mess.  And shame on those natives that moved away and stopped caring about Morgan County enough to call home and encourage those left here to vote for the levy.  Stop being amused by the conflict.  Stop being tired of hearing about it.  Start encouraging others to see the situation and dismal future of education in Morgan County without adequate funding.  We are not "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo".  Not yet.

The Morgan County I knew and loved is gone.

Thanks to the natives.

"For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it."  Ecclesiastes 7:12

A Love "Mission" in Morgan County

I am a mom of four living in Morgan County, WV.  Last week, while having dinner with some other mom friends from the middle school cross country team after a meet, I heard a very special story.  "Wouldn't it be nice to hear some 'good' news for a change?" we talked.  Well... listen to this.

Although only 100 miles west of Washington, DC, Morgan County is situated in a remote part of the world, sometimes as seemingly far away as a distant planet.  Our "WV Hills" in Morgan County feature large mountain ridges, winding streams, and acres of wild forest.  With a total population of only 17,535, it's communities are a diverse spectrum of families, similar to any small town, USA.  People here are proud and passionate.

Recently, Morgan County has been the center of some very negative news concerning the fall of the county school levy, a 50+ year local property tax which generates $5 million annually.  A terrible division has developed within the community.  Social networks like Facebook have exploded with heated debate over the children's future.
Not only divided by the huge 2,618 foot Cacapon Mountain range, the towns of Berkeley Springs and Paw Paw are equally as different as the residents opinions on the school levy.  Local folks are angry, upset, and worried about the future of public education in our small county.

But human needs remain the same.

"Let us not love with words or speech
but with actions and truth" 1John3:18

And in order for children and families to succeed, many require that their basic needs are met, not just adequate nourishment, but also safe homes and equally as important...knowing that someone cares.

It was at this hectic dinner that I was blessed to hear about the efforts of Mrs. Brenda Bailey, Mission Team Leader from First UM Church in Berkeley Springs, who organized the first ever "Paw Paw Mission Trip" for Saturday, September 28th. This busy mom coordinated an effort to unify this rural area through something so simple....random acts of kindness.  

Ava Slavinsky, only 5 years old, working hard!

Through word of mouth, Mrs. Bailey located 12 families in Paw Paw, WV, with needs.  From home improvements, handicap accessible ramps, to light construction, 125 volunteers traveled to Paw Paw early Saturday to build, paint, and assist their neighbors across the mountain.  The mission ended in a community children's Vacation Bible School and picnic.

Free Family Goodie Baskets

Sound like a heart warming story?  Then talk to Brenda.  For an event she first thought that only a few would participate, she had 12 complete crews consisting of families ranging in age from 5 to 75 that traveled some 35 miles over Cacapon Mountain to Paw Paw.   Brenda also shared about the mountain of goods gathered.  "The room was so filled with items I never expected...it brought tears to my eyes," said Brenda.  In addition to pictured here, the crews took building supplies, paint buckets, equipment, lumber, furniture, and more!

Listening to the outcome of the "Mission in Morgan County" at First UM Church and to see another busy mom manage to coordinate such tremendous efforts really restores my belief in this special community.  It shows us that people, regardless of their own hardships and differences, really can "love their neighbor" (see Matthew 22:40).

In closing, please take a sec and listen to this song.  For me, it summed up what happened in Paw Paw this weekend in the "Mission" in Morgan County.  You'll be blessed To Believe... and maybe share God's love.

To Believe "...that we'll see in one another the loving image of You."