Students Apply Postage With Brushes

You’ll never see these stamps on an envelope: a gopher waiting for the bus, an aerial view of a hopscotch ring, a shiny red Volkswagen beetle, and a brown-and-white cow.

But you can view these oversize stamps, ogle them, ponder them, on the south wall of the post office at 3120 S. Grand Blvd.

Jeannette Landry, a 17-year veteran art teacher at Sacajawea, thought that one way to brighten up the school’s next-door neighbor would be to decorate it with - what else? - stamps.

So Landry asked her class of 28 eighth-grade art students to design their own 2-by-2 foot stamps.

Linda Hunter, a secretary at the post office, explained the proposed project to her boss, station manager Fred Chapman.

“Last year we had some graffiti on the wall. We talked about it and we thought it would be a good project,” Hunter said.

Chapman was more than happy to honor Hunter’s and Landry’s request.

“We wanted a closer association with the school, so when the project came up, I thought it was an excellent idea,” he said.

“We prepared the wall. Sprayed it. Cleaned it. It’s better than looking at a blank wall,” he said.

The students made preliminary sketches, transferred their designs to the wall and began wielding paint brushes a week ago.

Students used exterior house paint to render their designs.

Most mornings they are outside and painting by 9 a.m., except for the days it has rained.

Landry said the idea to paint stamps on the wall came up after she participated in a class that advocated greater civic involvement on the part of students.

“We’re making the wall more beautiful; that’s great,” Landry said.

Anna Skochilich and Maija Baltins are working in tandem, creating two overlapping stamps that depict two kinds of butterflies.

The cost of this unusual stamp? Seventy-four cents.

“I like 4 and she likes 7,” said Maija, explaining the stamp’s unlikely price.

Anna and Maija are almost finished with their work.

“We had to erase some of it, but we should be done by the end of the week,” said Anna. “I think it’s cool. I want to come back when we’re older so we can show our kids.”

Genna Osborn has created a stamp with the image of her grandmother on it. Using a photograph of her grandmother as a young woman, she painted the stamp in soft sepia tones.

The portrait depicts a serious young woman with jet black eyes.

“That’s my grandmother, Rusha McClain. I just wanted to make my grandpa happy,” Osborn said.

“I’m finished with it. My grandpa came by with my mom and said he looked for it.

“I think he went inside the post office, but it’s there on the outside. He’ll see it.”

Hunter has watched Osborn’s stamp come to life on the once-blank wall.

“She must have been a very special woman to put her … on the stamp,” she said.

Sixth-graders to judge their elders

Sixth-grade students at Roosevelt Elementary School will help judge ninth- and 10th-grade science projects presented by students from Lewis and Clark High School at a science competition today at Roosevelt.

The competition is sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, which is also providing its own judges for the competition.

On Friday, sixth-grade students from Adams Elementary will also be asked to judge science projects presented by students from Ferris High School.

The contest requires students to work in groups of four to demonstrate a scientific experiment that can be duplicated by a sixth-grade student.

Students must first demonstrate their projects to the sixth-graders, and then the sixth-grade students must demonstrate the same experiment to a group of sixth-grade judges.

Projects will be judged on clarity in demonstrating a scientific principle or law, accuracy in documenting the procedure, observing all safety precautions, and staying within the group’s budget for materials.

South Side teachers honored

Several teachers in Spokane School District 81 received the Krista McAulliff Award (Washington Award for Excellence). South Side winners are: Sally Pfeifer, head of the English Department at Lewis and Clark; Michael Gilbert, teacher’s assistant at Chase Middle School; and Nancy Wolfrum, fifth-grade teacher at Moran Prairie Elementary School.

The award is given annually to teachers by congressional district. Of nine nominations, five awards went to District 81 personnel.

LC student takes rare honor

Lewis and Clark student Nadav Tanners is a 1997 Presidential Scholar. The recognition is given to only 141 students in the nation.

Scholars are selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities and involvement in school and community activities.

Tanners will visit Washington D.C., June 24-29. He will be presented his award at a recognition ceremony sponsored by the White House.

Ferris drama starts today

Ferris High School’s drama department will perform the play “Sisterly Feelings” in the school’s auditorium today through Saturday, each evening at 7:30 p.m.

The play costs $3 for adults, $2.50 for students and $2 for students who are members of the Associated Student Body.

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