Writer Visits Classroom Via Teleconference

Students from Cheney’s Robert Reid Elementary School learned Tuesday that the distance between San Diego and Spokane County can be 3 feet, more or less, depending on how close you sit to the monitor.

Reid third-graders participated in a teleconference from Cheney High School to San Diego with San Diego-based Pam Munoz Ryan, author of numerous children’s books, including “Armadillos Sleep in Dugouts,” “Riding Freedom,” and her latest, “Amelia and Eleanor.”

The students have been voraciously reading her books because they love the way Ryan incorporates facts into her fiction, teacher Joanne Morgan said.

“The facts are a great way for them to learn more and have an enjoyable book experience,” she said.

The conference was conducted by projecting video onto televisions from each location to the other. The live video was sent over phone lines.

During the hourlong conference, Ryan told the children how she goes about writing books. At one point, Ryan even held up 13 drafts of a book she eventually published.

“When they had the opportunity to listen to the steps she went through, it really made them appreciate how much work they have to put into writing,” Morgan said.

Students asked the author questions and later were able to show her their own projects.

Actually meeting the author makes the students’ reading experience much more valuable, Morgan said.

The opportunity was arranged by Kay Pihl, an area textbook saleswoman who knows Ryan. When Pihl heard about how interested Reid kids were in Ryan’s books, Pihl set the teleconference in motion, she said.

The conference was sponsored by Pacific Bell Atlantic.

LC remnants will be in park

In one month, Riverfront Park visitors will be able to kick up their feet and relax on a piece of Lewis and Clark High School history.

In an effort to beautify and add interest to Riverfront Park, area architects and builders held a park bench design contest and selected three designs to install within the month.

One of the winning designs uses reclaimed pieces of the LC Annex, which was razed recently to make room for new construction. The historic school is currently undergoing a $40 million, two-year remodel and renovation project.

The demolition of the annex, originally the administration building, raised considerable opposition from historic preservationists and neighborhood advocates.

The back of the bench has been developed from an ornamental handrail and the seat from the school’s original cornice molding, which lined the edges of the roof.

Contest officials hope to place the bench near the park’s Carrousel.

The two other winning designs include a set of benches modeled after children’s wooden blocks, which will be located near the large Red Wagon, and a bench that incorporates the United States and Canadian flags, which will also be located near the Carrousel.

The project is an opportunity to replace decrepit benches with functional art, contest officials said.

“It adds a fun element to the park,” said contest director John McLean. “I think that Riverfront Park is really considered one of the city’s jewels, and what we can do to make it a special place is certainly exciting.”

The Riverfront Park Bench Project is a collaborative effort between the Spokane Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors to create designer benches for Riverfront Park.

McLean said all materials and work for the benches has been donated.

The benches will be installed in late April and will be unveiled around May 10.

Saxon listed in Who’s Who

A Ferris High School alumna, Francesca Salomone, has been named in the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges 2000 edition.

The publication honors outstanding college and university students throughout the United States.

Salomone is an Eastern Washington University student majoring in math education. She has been on the Dean’s List every quarter and is involved in Phi Eta Siga national honor society and in Students Educating About Life.

Salomone graduated from Ferris in 1997 with honors. While there, she participated in band, Future Business Leaders of America, French Club and the National Honor Society.