Bryan teacher receives Humanities award
A fourth-grade teacher at Bryan Elementary School received an honor from the Idaho Humanities Council during an assembly last week.
Michelle Faucher-Sharples is the newest recipient of the Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities award for elementary school teachers.
Joined by her children, 4-year-old Micah and 2-year-old Charles Daniel, Faucher-Sharples accepted the award after she and her students from last year, now fifth-graders, shared memories from their trip to Boise last year. Faucher-Sharples and fellow fourth-grade teacher Nicole Symons helped their students last year raise money for the trip, which lasted four days and took them to the Statehouse for a tour and a look at legislative proceedings as well as to museums and other places in Boise.
“They got to live Idaho history that fourth-graders study in a book,” said Bryan Principal Joel Palmer. Palmer nominated Faucher-Sharples for the award, as did Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, and Jim Pierce, a parent of a student. All nominations praised Faucher-Sharples for her teaching of Idaho history and noted the Boise field trip.
“This was the first time that anyone on the Capitol staff could remember when a class from Coeur d’Alene had ever made a trip to tour the Capitol,” Pierce said in a news release from the Idaho Humanities Council.
Symons was also nominated for the award, and Ron Pisaneschi, chairman of the Idaho Humanities Council, said it was hard to choose just one recipient.
A few kids who went on the trip read essays about what they learned and what they’ll always remember.
“The best place to be in Boise is the Capitol building, because it is so, so, so beautiful,” said Sara Chalich, now a fifth-grader.
After getting her plaques Faucher-Sharples thanked the parents for being so supportive and trusting.
“Some of our fourth-graders hadn’t even stayed any place other than their house,” she said.
Along with a plaque, Faucher-Sharples received $1,000 to use personally, and $1,000 for the school, which she said will go toward the next fourth-grade trip to Boise.
Spring into Safety carnival
Students and parents interested in safety and family preparedness issues while having a good time should mark their calendars for the Spring into Safety carnival at Coeur d’Alene High School next Saturday.
Scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.., the event is a partnership between the Coeur d’Alene School District and 30 area agencies and business. The event will include indoor and outdoor displays related to safety and family preparedness, as well as seminars on Internet safety, fire safety, identity theft protection, child safety and school emergency response planning.
Outdoors, visitors will be able to tour the county’s new mobile command unit and the Kootenai-Shoshone Area Libraries’ new bookmobile, as well as the Inland Northwest Blood Center’s bus, firetrucks, patrol cars and other response vehicles. Southern Baptist Disaster Services will showcase its new shower trailer, and the Salvation Army will be serving free coffee and doughnuts from its mobile canteen.
Inside, adults and children can learn about all aspects of safety and family preparedness. Children age 11 and under will be given a “Passport to Safety” to have signed and stamped as they visit the various booths. Each child who has a completed passport will receive a prize.
A robotic bus will teach bus safety and something called a PFD Panda will talk to kids about water safety. Youngsters can visit “Germ City” to learn about proper hand-washing, and hear about DARE mascot “Retro Bill” who will schools in May.
Adults will learn what services are available locally and what they can do to prepare themselves and their families for emergencies or disasters, whether it is an ice storm power outage or pandemic flu. They can try walking a straight line while wearing goggles that simulate alcohol-impairment. Young parents can learn the latest on car safety and have their infant/toddler car seats inspected.
The first 70 families to come through the door will be given a Emergency Action Wheel as an easy reference guide to responding to emergencies.
Seating will be available for visitors to take a break and enjoy a carton of milk or juice and a breakfast bar, compliments of Citizens Corps of North Idaho. Lunch items prepared by School Food Services will be for sale at reasonable prices.
Seminars are scheduled to begin every 30 minutes on topics such as identity theft, Internet safety, fire safety, Neighborhood Block Watch and school emergency response planning.
Throughout the morning, Coeur d’Alene High Spanish teacher Mike Nelson will be announcing the winners of door prizes donated by area businesses and agencies. Adult door prizes include a weather radio, smoke detectors, an infant car seat, first-aid class registrations, book bags and other items. Children will be eligible to enter drawings for books.
Visitors are asked to park in the parking area south of the school building. Watch for the signs.