PHS Homecoming Parade Marshall wears crown, rides pink fire truck

Palisade High School’s 2013 Homecoming Parade had two new looks last September.

            With lights flashing on the pink “Delaney” fire truck, and music from the PHS band wafting behind, the Parade Marshall Diana Vera wore a tiara while waving and smiling to the crowd.

Both entries in the parade symbolize how the community and school show their care, respect and honor of others.

The Delaney fire truck is on loan to be used by each of the fire departments in Mesa County to remind people of the awareness of families struggling with the effects of cancer, and to raise money to help them. Palisade had the truck for three events: Wine Festival, last Farmers’ Market and now for the PHS Homecoming Parade.

The Parade Marshall’s selection is given to a school personnel or community person to honor his/her efforts at Palisade High.

This year Dianna Vera, long time Spanish and now International Baccalaureate program teacher, was not expecting her selection.

“Usually it goes to someone who has retired,” she said humbly.

“And the crown was a nice gift from some former students,” she admitted with a smile.

She wore it proudly in the parade with her PHS sweatshirt, and when she walked on the football field to be honored at Saturday’s game.

Dianna Vera almost didn’t come back to school this fall.           

She had a rough summer break due to some major medical issues. After 18 years at Palisade High, this was the first time that she started the year part time instead of full time.

This conscientious, dedicated instructor worried about her Spanish I and II and IB students starting out the school year without her full attention and preparation.

“I came back full time just before Parent-Teacher Conferences, Sept. 12. I got to know my kids before I talked to their parents,” she said.

“My kids.” That’s the way Dianna Vera feels about all of her students. She creates a personal connection with each individual in her classes. She cares, and her students, past and present, respond to her attention.

Two weeks ago Dianna was selected by the student body to be this year’s Homecoming Parade Marshall.

“I was so surprised when Dave Carlo (Student Government Sponsor) came into my classroom and told me the news,” she said.

Within days two PHS graduates from last year, Pantha Grasser and Emilee Castleton, had lunch with her.

 Excited about Ms Vera’s honor, the two Colorado Mesa University students decided that they were going to get her a tiara to wear at Homecoming.

“I thought they were joking, so I said I wanted amethysts on it because that

 would look good with my silver hair,” she laughed remembering that statement. “Don’t spend your money to buy one,” she told them seriously.

They surprised her in her classroom with a hand-crafted silver filigreed crown, not tiny but tall tiara size, covered by purple stones.

Dianna Vera loved her homecoming crown from her students, and appreciated the special honor of being the Homecoming Parade Marshall this year.

Traveling Time -- November 2013

Well, we are off to Texas to see the Grandkids.
All my grandkids live in Texas, and I have not seen them since. . . forever, it seems.
I did see Jane (the oldest) in June, and I saw all five from Houston in October.
But this is my chance to see Ron, Peter and Susan.

Great start when I come in the house and see this cutie to greet me.

Think Pink in Pink October

A pink fire truck is pretty hard to ignore among the vendors, tents and crowd on Main Street Sunday afternoon’s last Palisade Farmers’ Market.

But there it was, an impressive fire truck, fully operational, water-pumping vehicle that had been repainted soft, soothing pink instead of red. In addition to the color and distinctive cancer ribbon designs, this truck had chrome script writings of the word “Delaney” placed statically on the front, back and sides.

The “Delaney fire truck” is on tour across the county. This is its 2^nd display in Palisade; the first showing was at the Wine Festival, and the pink firefighter will be in the Homecoming parade on Friday.

Designed and donated to be a symbol of courage and support to the cancer families in Mesa County, it was named after Delaney Clements, a local young girl who is a survivor of cancer and her family’s foundation “Delaney Donates.”

Palisade’s Fire Chief Richard Rupp and Water Board member Elaine Korver welcomed all Farmers’ Market visitors who came up to admire the big pink truck on Sunday, and both explained the purpose of the firefighters’ project.

“If you are a cancer survivor or have lost someone to cancer, you can write a message on the truck.” Elaine asked and then had to explain the Delaney fire truck project again and again.

“Some people knew about it, and they came to sign the truck that day,” she said.

One family talked about their special connection with Delaney Truck. Their daughter had been in the Children’s Hospital in Denver at the same time as Delaney.
“We are friends with the family because of Gracie,” Rusty Lloyd said as he and his wife, oldest daughter Elly, son Carter and two Lloyd grandparents from Kansas watched the middle daughter write her message.

      Gracie is a survivor of liver cancer, yet she is a bundle of 8½-year-old blonde energy who could not stand still. She was constantly dancing from foot to foot while waiting to know how and where to write her message.
       Consulting with everyone in her family what she should say, she then asked Elaine if she could draw a picture of herself next to it.

Gracie was happy with the results, but she impatiently twirled and talked before the family walked away from Delaney’s Fire Truck.

“She promised me that if we had the truck here next year, she would come back to sign it again,” Elaine said with a smile.

Another joyous survivor came to the Farmers’ Market, Lynette Pickering of Denver, came up all smiles to Chief Rupp and proclaimed, “I’m a breast cancer survivor. Can I sign the truck?”

“Of course, you can,” he responded before asking, “How long?”

 Lynette tossed her cute little cap to her husband Randy and revealed her short mass of re-growing hair.  With an even bigger smile, she replied proudly, “Five days free of chemo.”

Randy explained they came to the Valley to play golf for the weekend, if Lynette felt up to it.

She interrupted, “I’ve been golfing for three days and feeling fine.”

Now her husband was all smiles. “We didn’t think she could go that long.  She is tired, but still doing okay.”

Before they left, he took pictures of his wife posing with her short-cropped hair-do, standing next to her message of hope on the pink fire truck.

Not all the visits were happy, Elaine Korver said about volunteering at the Delaney Fire Truck all day, “It was hard. Cancer hits a lot of people. Some cancer survivors want to keep it private. Some people would read the messages or watch others writing, but they did not want to do that,” she said.

Gently she would encourage everyone to support and help people struggling with cancer by donating money or buying a shirt while at the pink fire truck or from any fire department in the valley.

      Elaine called Chief Rupp over to model the official Palisade Fire Department pink shirt that matched the truck, similar to what each of the county fire departments will be wearing in “Pink October.”

 “All firefighters will wear pink shirts with the same design on the front: ‘Courage and Support’ streaming on the cancer ribbon image over the words ‘Mesa County Firefighters,’ and the word ‘cancer’ will be falling into the nozzle of a fire hose.

“Each individual department logo will be on the back,” she said.

To raise money and awareness about helping cancer families, anyone can purchase a similar pink shirt with the logo on the front, but instead of one department logo on the back, that shirt lists all 11: Palisade, Grand Junction, Central Orchard Mesa, Clifton, Gateway, Platte Valley, East Orchard Mesa, Glade Park, Land’s End (Whitewater), Lower Valley (Fruita), and DeBeque.

This is the second year for GJ firefighters to honor and raise funds for cancer survivors and families.

Last year the Grand Junction Fire Department committed to help Delaney in her fight. Because her grandfather had been a firefighter, all the GJ firefighters wore pink tee shirts in October to show their support to all cancer patients.  That alone raised $9,000 in Pink October.

This year the Valley Fire Chiefs agreed to unite and expand their cancer awareness project, adding the Delaney Fire Truck.    Symbolic in color and size, this unique fire truck was donated by the Central Orchard Mesa Fire Department to the Grand Junction Fire Department.

Local organizations donated time and money to have it painted and customized in honor of Delaney Clements’ foundation “Delaney Donates,” and to be a symbol of hope, courage and strength to all cancer families. Now through October it will be on a fundraising tour to each of the county fire stations.

The pink “Delaney” fire truck will be in Friday’s Homecoming Parade, and then it travels to the Fruita Fall Festival.

This is not a typical appearance of a fire truck, but it leaves a powerful impression wherever it tours. Hopefully, its message will make everyone Think Pink against Cancer and raise awareness and funds for cancer research, survivors, family and friends.

Last two Funny Misconceptions about Moms and Back-to-School

Yep, the last two funny misconceptions. Remember I borrowed these from a blogger named Diana, so I can't take the credit (and really I don't think these last two are the golden ones that she wrote). 

So if you have or had kids back to school, this list should give you a smile or not.

#9: Moms don’t mind taking you to school if you miss the bus.

Your bus comes at 7:10 am….which means that you should be standing by the door at 7:05 am.

Not eating breakfast, chasing the dog around the house or in the bathroom, asking me to check your homework while I’m taking a shower.

Get it together! I don’t like running down the street in my jammies at 7:12 screaming “Please wait” or “If you stop I’ll show you my boobies.”

##

#10: Moms cry on your first day of school.

We do cry but they are tears of joy.

I have done my job.

I have successfully kept a human child alive for at least 5 years without doing any major damage.

Motherhood is the hardest job in the world!!

Sure, doctors save lives and CEO’s run million dollar businesses but…you teach a kid not to poop their pants and then you can say you’ve made the world a better place.”

Funny Misconceptions of Moms and Back-to-School

Misconception #8: Moms love after school activities.

      I don’t know who made up this idea of organized clubs and sports but they should be the ones in charge of carting your ass around.

      Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against all after school programs. I just wish they would offer it during hours that would work best for me so that dinner wasn’t at 8:30 at night followed by 4 hours of homework.

      Why not do it on the weekends and call it “after-hours activities” so mommy and daddy could actually go out one night and pretend that we have a life of our own.

      Don’t worry about us though I’m sure that me and “what’s his name” will be married a very long time.

Thanks, Teach --Another borrowed blog

I freely admit it. I’ve taken teachers for granted.

Sure, as a kid, you wanted the ones that weren’t too hard on you when you screwed up, or maybe
the ones who never noticed when you did.


As a parent, you merely hope they will turn your children into the smartest kids in town. We look at state rankings of schools and hope ours is smarter than that dumb school down the street. Because, by God, my kid needs to have a good job someday so I’m not supporting them till they’re 35.


I’ll admit it. When I get my kid’s report cards, or test scores, or whatever, I congratulate my kids for the good grades, and question the teachers about the bad ones.


Then, it hit me. When your 4 year old, who’s never been more than 8 feet away from you is dropped off at school for the first time, and you’re at work all day stressing about it, the teacher is the one with him, making sure he’s ok.


When your house is just so loud from your 2 or 3 kids being cooped up all summer, and you can’t wait for the house to be quiet again, the teacher is the one who happily receives them.


When a kid is having problems at home, the teacher is the one that comforts them and gives them a sense of normalcy.


When you get a call that the school is on lockdown, because of whatever craziness is going on in the world at that time, the teacher is the one who is there to comfort them.


When an EF-5 tornado is zeroed in on your kid’s school, and you are 10 miles away, helpless and hopeless to reach them in time, the teacher is the one who makes sure they are in a safe place.


When that same tornado, or even a crazy person with a gun, enters the school, and attempts to take the life of your child, and you wish you were there to jump in the way, the teacher is the one who does.


This is for all the teachers who I ever had, and every teacher my kids ever had, or will ever have. You may have never had to take a bullet for me, or protect my child from a falling wall, but it wasn’t until now that I realized, you totally would have.


I apologize for never treating you with the proper respect. The same respect we give our fireman and our policeman, should have been given to you.


Thank you for everything you ever did, and everything you were in position to do, but never had to.


Good job, teach.

Bo Wright

Continuing the Countdown of Funny Misconceptions of Moms and Back to School

Today you will notice that I added a little color to my text. Just to jazz it up, and I have given you two, not one, misconceptions. So enjoy.

#6: Moms like helping you with your homework.

What? I am scared out of my mind. I’m pretty sure that I forgot everything I learned in fifth grade by the time I was in sixth grade.

I have no idea what you are talking about most days.

I don’t really know my 12 times tables.

I read the cliff notes to all your summer reading, and I don’t know how to conjugate anything but I do know that song “conjunction junction what’s your function” if that helps at all.

And please don’t even say the words “new math” to me. What the heck was wrong the old one?

     ##

#7: Moms can’t wait to pack your lunch every day until we die.

I hate doing laundry.

Making dinner every night is the bane of my existence, so making your lunch every day for an entire year, in terms of “mom fun,” lies somewhere between brushing plaque off the dogs teeth and scheduling my annual pap smear.

Listen, as a child I hated what my mom packed me for lunch. But, like every kid before me, and every generation to come you will find a kid to trade with…I’m sure someone likes sardines.