Michella Davenport has hosted five foreign exchange students in her home. This year, she is hosting her sixth student, Johannes Pedal from Norway.
Now, as the new local international exchange coordinator (IEC) with the EF High School Exchange Year program, she will help pair families interested in hosting with a student. Mrs. Davenport will take over the position, which was last held by Barb Reisner.
As the new coordinator, Mrs. Davenport will help place students with families. She will screen potential families, and once a student is placed she will check in to make sure things go well.
Michella Davenport is working to place exchange students, like Johannes Padel, with local families. Johanness is the sixth exchnage student she has had live with her family for a year. She said she is excited about the opportunity to help other families become hosts.
“I am the first line of support for the family and the student,” Mrs. Davenport said.
Mrs. Davenport said the number of foreign exchange students in the area has dropped in recent years. She said it used to not be uncommon for there to be up to eight or nine students at St. Maries High School.
“Now we only have two or three,” she said. “I would love to see more.”
Mrs. Davenport said the students she has had the pleasure of hosting have been “great kids.”
“We live in a little bit of an isolated area and it’s a great way to introduce world culture to your families,” she said. “We had a girl from Ukraine stay with us and today my kids are paying attention to what’s happening over there. It’s not because they are interested in world news; it’s because it’s personal for them now.”
Mrs. Davenport said until she has some families who are interested she won’t start looking for students. She said a lot of work goes into making sure students and families are matched who share similar interests.
“The program I work with is very diligent about getting a good placement and a good fit,” she said.
Johannes said a family who hosts an exchange student should be “open-minded.” Mrs. Davenport agreed.
“The family should learn from the student and the student should learn from the family,” she said.
Mrs. Davenport said there are certain requirements a family is required to meet such as they must provide a bed for the student, three meals a day and one host parent must be at least 25 years old. Those who home school their children may host an exchange student, but the exchange student must attend public school.
Mrs. Davenport said families can host students for an entire school year or for only part of a school year, beginning in January.
“It can be stressful introducing someone new to your family, but the kids are great. And as host family you’re not on your own,” she said.
Anyone who would like more information about hosting an exchange student should contact Mrs. Davenport at 582-1586.
A national magazine has ranked St. Maries High School among the top schools in Idaho.
Additionally the school was ranked high amongst other high schools across the country.
St. Maries was featured in an article in US News and World Report as one of the best high schools in the nation. St. Maries ranked the 9th best high school in the state and placed at 1,572nd in the country.
Principal John Cordell is proud of St. Maries High School for being ranked the ninth best high school in the state by U.S. News. The school is featured in the latest issue of the magazine.
The magazine rankings include data on more than 19,400 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college. Ten Idaho schools were awarded silver medals and 45 received bronze medals. The state’s one gold medal school is Coeur D’Alene Charter Academy.
Representatives from the company informed Principal John Cordell that St. Maries was in the running for a silver medal at the close of the 2013-2014 school year.
“They called to verify some information and had us send them some additional data,” he said. “We found out exactly where we ranked when they published the article last week.”
To be eligible for a state ranking, a school must be awarded a national gold or silver medal. St. Maries received silver. Rankings are configured through a number of statistics including test scores, student participation in advanced placement and dual enrollment classes and socio-economic status.
“It’s really a feather in the cap for the whole community, because it isn’t just these students, but teachers, staff and community members and businesses that support our programs that have made our students successful,” Mr. Cordell said.
About 31 percent of the 312 students enrolled at the school are taking advanced placement classes.
“We’ve offered advanced placement classes for quite some time but over the years the percentage of students taking those and dual enrollment classes has increased,” Mr. Cordell said. “Our average is almost double that of the state’s.”
Mr. Cordell attributes the high participation to his teachers and staff who encourage students to enroll in the classes.
The local high school offers several programs such as health occupations courses, and classes on professional and technical skills. These programs and courses would not be an option for local students without the unique partnerships the school has with local businesses and area colleges, Mr. Cordell said.
“Students not only get traditional education in the classroom but get the chance to apply what they’re learning in the field,” he said. “Not a lot of schools are tied into their communities like we are.”
The school has continued to build upon their programs for about a decade and is able to expand opportunities for students each year.
“We are fortunate enough that we are the only high school in our little community and we have a community that is very supportive of our schools,” Mr. Cordell said.
Students at the St. Maries school also actively participate and do well in testing. Almost 79 percent of the student body that was eligible voluntarily took the ACT last year. The state average is less than 10 percent.
“We always have our students take the ACT because they do better on it,” Mr. Cordell said.
The judges also consider the obstacles that students have to overcome to achieve the standards that they have met. About 51 percent of the student body is considered to be economically disadvantaged.
“They use the number of students on free and reduced lunch to help gauge the challenges students at the school have had to overcome,” Mr. Cordell said. “They take that into account also when they come up with the rankings.”
Robert and Crystal Sperber traveled to Africa in July as part of a mission trip. This photo was taken while they were doing home visit’s in Rwanda.
Crystal and Robert Sperber hope there is another mission trip in their future.
The mother and son traveled to Rwanda, Africa for 10 days in July. And they are already planning to do it again.
“We would like to take a team this next spring,” Mrs. Sperber said. “So if there is anyone who might be interested they can contact me.”
The mission trip in July was the first for Mrs. Sperber and her son. Robert convinced his mother to go with because he was not old enough to go without a parent. At her son’s request, Mrs. Sperber decided to go.
The couple went with Asante, an organization that works to organize and assist with children’s summer camps similar to Vacation Bible School in the United States.
“Things were very different,” she said, “but the people were very open to visitors and very friendly. Everyone always waved and smiled.”
Mrs. Sperber said the country was “very safe.”
“Most people don’t expect that because they know about the genocide or other things happening in Africa, but we felt safe.”
During their trip, the Sperbers helped to clear a field where a church and some homes will eventually be built. They also helped with day camps at the schools.
“We worked with about 400 children,” Mrs. Sperber said. “They were in pre-K through sixth grade. But some were as old as 14 or 15 years old. They go to school when they have the money; it’s not based on age.”
Mrs. Sperber said the children were very interactive and “laughed a lot.” She said children would surround them even when they were walking through the streets. She added people were very respectful toward the mission group.
“When we helped clear the field, they came to work in their Sunday best while we were in work clothes,” she recalled. “They did that because we were considered honored visitors.”
She said the homes they visited did not have running water or electricity yet when a 17-year-old boy learned it was Robert’s birthday on the day they were visiting he gave Robert a bracelet for a gift.
Robert said he really enjoyed working at the day camps with the students and meeting new people.
Outside of the mission work, the Sperbers were able to visit the genocide memorial in the capital city of Kigali and also the Presidential Palace Museum, which served as the home of President Juvenal Habyarimana, who was killed at the beginning of the genocide.
Mrs. Sperber said the city of Kigali “was huge.”
“There are 11 million people in the country, which is the size of Vermont and so in the city alone there were 4 million people,” she said.
Robert said language proved to be a barrier and made the trip challenging at times. The food, Mrs. Sperber said, and the weather was good.
She said the family has plans to work with Asante to set up a scholarship fund to be able to send students to the university following their initial schooling.
“They don’t have anything for students after their primary and secondary education,” she said. “We’re going to work with them to put a program together.”
Mrs. Sperber said she is excited about the chance to go on a second mission trip. If anyone else is interested in going with a team next spring, they can call her at 651-6554.
A new twist to this year’s Paul Bunyan Days fireworks display is being kept secret and will not be revealed until the show.
This year’s theme, Circus Circus, promises to be the “best ever.”
Dennis Wheeler works on setting up his oriental food booth at city park Tuesday before the start of the Paul Bunyan Days celebration.
Several thousand people are expected to attend this most popular attraction of the weekend Sunday night at the football field in city park.
The event, which started as a picnic organized by the owners of the Gem State Club in the 1940s, grew quickly and had to be moved to city park. The Booster Club took over sponsorship of the event renaming it The Paul Bunyan Barbecue and Lumberjack Days in 1950. By 1953, 57 local businesses, 13 of which were bars, were contributing to the two-day event which drew a crowd of about 3,000.
It has more than doubled in size since then with four days of celebration that draw big crowds throughout the weekend.
This year’s Paul Bunyan Days weekend promises a full schedule of events and attractions including many of the regular favorites like the carnival, loggers’ competition, pool events, quilt show, parade and The Blue Ox (Idaho’s biggest topless bar).
The carnival, which opens Friday at 5 p.m. and wraps up Monday evening, will feature a variety of food and vendors, local community booths and plenty of rides. The Blue Ox is located on the tennis courts in city park and features games, live music and plenty of beer throughout the weekend.
Pool events take place Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Adults, youth and children will compete in various traditional events such as log burling, canoe jousting, the tightrope walk, etc. Registration begins at 11 a.m. and competition begins at noon. Parents must be present for youth and children to participate.
The 5K Karen Ebert Memorial Fun Run/Walk begins Saturday morning. Registration is available beginning at 8 a.m. in the parking lot of the high school gymnasium. The race begins at 9 a.m. Participants will run along the St. Joe River before returning to the school.
This year’s quilt show, themed “Timeless Treasures,” features more than 150 quilted items on display in the gymnasium at Heyburn Elementary. The show, organized by the Valley Piecemakers quilting club, will span two days. One club member was chosen to be the show’s featured quilter and will display several of her own pieces in a special booth this year. Tickets for the club’s annual raffle quilt will also be available at the event.
Grand Marshals Jack and Lorna Botts will lead the Labor Day parade down Main Avenue at 10 a.m. Monday. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. at Ken’s Custom Body Shop and the main thoroughfare will be closed to traffic for much of the morning.
In celebration of the city’s centennial the parade doubled in size last year. Organizer Mark Todd expects a good turnout again this year. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place in various categories. Spectators are encouraged to line the sidewalks with their families and gather candy thrown from parade participants.
The logging events pit amateurs against each other in various tests of skill involving everyday tasks of a logger on the job including an ax throw, crosscut, power saw, choker set, pole climb and ma and pa bed race. The overall winners get bragging rights, titles of top Logger and Loggerette and $50 cash. Entry is free.
In addition to traditional events, the St. Maries adult co-ed softball league will sponsor the Cory Stapleton Memorial Tournament Saturday and Sunday. Games will be played mush-ball style, meaning that all male teammates will hit a mushy ball, at the fields in Milltown.
Event booklets are available at various businesses around town and a booth is available at city park from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the festivities for additional information on the weekend’s events. Event apparel, including T-shirts and sweatshirts are also available for purchase at the information booth.
It takes a committee of between 20 and 40 volunteers to organize and run the event each year. An auction is held on Sunday morning in city park during the event each year to raise money to support both the following year’s event and to help fund various community projects and improvements.
A St. Maries couple that has been active in the community was chosen as this year’s grand marshals for the Paul Bunyan Days Labor Day Parade.
Jack and Lorna Botts will lead the Labor Day parade down Main Avenue at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 1. Registration starts at 8 a.m. at Ken’s Custom Body Shop.
Dale Hill, of the Paul Bunyan Days committee, said the couple was selected because they have been very active in the community. Mr. Hill also noted the fact that Mr. Botts spearheaded the Benewah County Veterans Memorial project.
“They were selected for all of the volunteering they’ve done. And another main reason is that Jack spearheaded the veterans memorial project and he got people behind that,” Mr. Hill said. “They are just an awesome couple.”
Born and raised in St. Maries, Mr. Botts graduated from St. Maries High School in 1955. Following graduation, he attended Idaho State College of Pharmacy where he met his wife.
Mrs. Botts, a Pocatello native, was studying education at Idaho State College. The two met each other through various social events on campus. They married in 1958. In 1960, Mr. Botts received his degree in pharmacy and Mrs. Botts pursued her masters.
For two years, they lived in Germany where Mr. Botts served as a pharmacy officer at Landstuhl Medical Center as part of ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps), which is a college-based program for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.
The couple returned to St. Maries in 1963. Mr. Botts returned to work for Mike’s Drug, the business for which he had worked during his high school and college years.
“I’d been offered a job when I got out and that’s why we came back to St. Maries,” Mr. Botts said. “It was a good offer.”
Mrs. Botts taught junior high in St. Maries and after raising their children, she returned to teaching. She taught physical education to high school girls.
During their time in St. Maries, the couple was active in Jaycees and Jay-C-Ettes. The couple worked through these groups to revive the Paul Bunyan Days celebration as well as to bring the Junior Miss program to St. Maries.
“Lorna was extremely active and in the organization for many years and she was one of the ones that helped bring the Junior Miss program to St. Maries,” Mr. Botts said.
The couple received many outstanding service rewards for their community involvement.
In 1979, the couple opened Jack’s Pharmacy and Gifts. Mr. Botts managed the pharmacy while his wife managed the store. They operated the store until their retirement in 1998.
Mrs. Botts said during their time they operated the pharmacy they enjoyed their customers and the people they got to know. She said that is one of the things the couple loves about St. Maries: the people in the community.
For the past few years, the couple’s main focus has been the completion of the Benewah County Veterans Memorial in Woodlawn Cemetery. Mr. Botts led the project, which received tremendous support from the community.
Lorna and Jack Botts are this year’s grand marshal for the Paul Bunyan Days Parade. They were selected for their many years of community service.
“I felt there was a need for veterans to be recognized in the community,” Mr. Botts said. “There was a lack of recognition for veterans in the area and I thought we should really recognize all those who have served.”
Mr. Botts said he hopes visitors to the area this weekend will have a chance to view the memorial.
“It will be the first Paul Bunyan Days it has been up,” he said.
Mr. Botts said he and Lorna enjoy the fireworks show and the parade. He said it is always “nice to see the activity in town.”
The couple said they learned they were chosen as the grand marshal for the parade a couple of months ago.
“We were thrilled and naturally very honored,” Mr. Botts said.
The couple has two children: David Botts, who lives in Minnesota, and their daughter, Lori Fautc, who lives in Nevada. They also have eight grandchildren and are looking forward to great-grandchildren in the future.
