Growing up in a big family has had a huge impact on me and who I have become. In my family, there seven of us living in a four-bedroom house, and I am one of the five kids in my house,…
Read more ›Guest Column: Diligence
In life, rarely is anything worth having easily or immediately achieved. Sure, you may experience an immediate reward from time to time—winning the lottery is the obvious example here—but you did not do much, if anything, to earn that reward….
Read more ›Valley Guest Column: Diligence
Diligence is defined as persistence, dedication, and hard work. Some may say these qualities are deep-rooted within individuals while others say they are acquired. It is my experience that they are both. People throughout our lives influence the paths we choose through their actions….
Read more ›Guest Column: Honesty
Honesty can seem like a simple concept. Merriam-Webster defines it as “fairness and straightforwardness of conduct; adherence to the facts; sincerity.” Or perhaps we are more familiar with it being “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” But,…
Read more ›Guest Column: Fairness
As a leader in the Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD) I often reflect upon those critical characteristics that have contributed to our success as an organization over decades. One of the most important, “fairness” is a character trait that is embedded in the core value set of the employees here at SVFD….
Read more ›West Plains Guest Column: Caring
The holiday season and caring go hand in hand. I feel it is a safe assumption that for many of us the act of caring comes rather naturally, and we rarely look at the act itself as something extraordinary. But in a world that can be harsh and ugly at times,…
Read more ›Guest Column: Caring
“A city council, business, and non-profit: Caring for the Community”
Margaret Mead said it well: “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever had.”
How then,…
Read more ›Guest Column: Citizenship
From our West Plains Chapter:
You may be a bit surprised as you walk down the hall at Davenport Middle
School today. What you will not see are many students in the classrooms, hallways, or
common areas….
Guest Column: Citizenship
My favorite color combination is red, white and blue. You will find all three colors in the flag of the United States of America, which is where I call home. The white in our flag stands for purity and innocence,…
Read more ›Guest Column: Responsibility
The Partners Advancing Character Education (PACE) trait for this month is RESPONSIBILITY, a many-faceted word, encompassing a wide range of moral, emotional, ethical and common-sense situations. But let’s start with the trite and not too informative dictionary definition. Responsibility: The quality or state of being responsible,…
Read more ›Guest Column: Respect
On my classroom door there’s a sign. It reads: “In my room I want you to feel empowered, connected, respected, valued, challenged and supported. How am I doing?”
Early on I direct the kids’ attention to it,…
Read more ›Guest Column: Gratitude
Gratitude by Tracy Russell.
“I just wanted to say a very special “thank you” to all the men, women, and families that have donated their money, time, food, clothing and other items to Union Gospel Mission….
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