U.S. Historic Events Shrined On Mt. Spokane Wall
As part of their service program, members of the North Spokane Exchange Club recently presented Mt. Spokane High School with its own Freedom Shrine.
Sixteen plaques hang on a wall of the school’s commons area. Each contains a copy of an original historic American document, including the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Thirteenth Amendment, the Bill of Rights and the Star Spangled Banner.
“I think this set of historic documents will really have an impact,” said math teacher Bridget Monahan, who helped facilitate the Freedom Shrine’s arrival at Mt. Spokane as part of her internship last year. “It will give students a chance to gain appreciation for the documents and to see what the original documents look like.”
Freedom Shrines can be found locally at all Spokane high schools, at the county Courthouse and Spokane International Airport, members said. The shrines also are in thousands of locations around the United States.
Their purpose is to remind all Americans that their freedom is the result of the hard work and determination of the country’s forefathers.
“It’s so young people can see how our freedom was purchased for us,” said club member Jim Davis. “It’s a celebration of our good fortune, our gift of freedom.”
“It sends a very important message that we need to know where we came from,” added Mt. Spokane Principal Pete Lewis.
The North Spokane Exchange Club is a community service organization focused on making America a better place to live. The club’s national focus is the prevention of child abuse.
Members meet every Tuesday at 7 a.m. at Solicitor’s Corner, 6301 N. Division. All are welcome.
Balboa joins Operation Outreach
Balboa Elementary School students have been targeted by Operation Outreach-USA. This year, each student will receive two new books, while teachers will receive books for the classroom library and an array of support materials.
The mission of Operation Outreach-USA is to help teach children to love reading. It is supported by Dishman Dodge and Spokane Valley Sunrise Rotary, as well as hundreds of Daimler Chrysler Motor Corp. dealers and civic organizations throughout the country.
“We have a responsibility to our community’s future,” said Marlene Hollenback, co-owner and general manager of Dishman Dodge. “The best things we can do is to help this generation of young Americans become literate and responsible citizens.”
Schools cash in at NorthTown
Browne Elementary, Salk Middle and North Central High each won $500 in the “Be True to Your School” competition sponsored by NorthTown Mall and Pepsi.
Schools earned one point for each dollar spent at the mall. Browne collected the grand total of 18,212 points, which also earned it a computer, courtesy of Pepsi.
Salk won the middle school category with 7,371 points, and North Central won the high school division with 11,043 points.