Keeping the Faith

Over the course of the years, there have been times that I have questioned my faith. I think that this is something that happens to everyone. Even Mother Teresa had questions. The last few years in the Phoenix area, I have had a hard time with some of the philosophy that has come down to us from the Bishop. His conservative political agenda has been discouraging to me. I have always wondered what my mom would have done if this had been the case when she was alive. She had such strong political views as well as strong views about her religion. I know that I have had many discussions with my cousins about this. We are fortunate to have Franciscans in our lives who look at life so differently. I remember when I was in college in the 60's. It was the priests and nuns who were protesting the Vietnam War as well as championing the Civil Rights Movement. It seems that some of that has been lost recently.

Since I have come to Douglas, I have noticed a very different philosophy. Douglas is in a different Diocese from Phoenix. There is nothing overt that I can really point out. It just seems that there is more of an acceptance of differences in people and all of God's children.

I have said before that I thought the emotional part would be leaving the wonderful school I had been at with the great staff, families, and children. And it has been. However, being down here in Douglas has also been very emotional. I have posted about that before. But it has also been a spiritual experience for me.

When I first got arrived in Douglas, I received an email from Sister Ann Patrice. She was the principal of Loretto School when I went there over 45 years ago. I thought the world of her and had kept in touch sporadically over the years. Her email said:

Dear Sheila,

Art Atonna and Jerry Reidy very kindly let me know about your new position in Douglas Public Schools.

Congratulations on your new appointment! I am confident that you will fulfill this new challenge with wisdom, courage, and grace. Your generosity in leaving what I understand to be a comfortable and secure position to accept one that will have unique challenges, confirms in my mind that you have what it takes to make a difference in the lives of our children and families on the border. Most of all, your faith will be your firm foundation. God's children--and we all are that--deserve caring and effective leadership, which I know you will exhibit. I still have very fond memories of Loretto and the people of Douglas.

Sheila, I promise my prayers for you. Moreover, I will place your name in the Book of Intentions in St. Catherine Chapel here at our Adrian Dominican motherhouse. Please give my love to your family and save lots for you.

Peace, love and prayers,
S. Ann Patrice Remkus OP


I cannot explain how touched I was to receive this email from her. We have corresponded since and I feel privileged to have her in my life again.

Last week, my assistant superintendent and I went to the funeral of the husband of one of our district teachers. As we were driving down 15th Street, we passed St. Luke's Church which is the parish that our family has belonged to for over 55 years. The pastor was walking out with two other men. Bonnie, my assistant, said that one of the men was the Bishop of the Diocese of Tucson. She had met him when he came down to say the Funeral Mass for Rob Krentz, the rancher who was murdered down here last spring. The funeral mass was at the Douglas High School Gym and Bonnie was the principal of the high school at the time. We pulled over and went to talk to Bishop Kicanas and Father Gilbert. The Bishop remembered Bonnie. He was down here for the opening and dedication of an abused women's shelter that was just built here in Douglas.

So we took him and Father Gilbert on a tour of Douglas High School. The kids were so excited to see him and to see Bonnie. Staff members came up and introduced themselves. We went to a couple of classes and the high school students were incredible. We went to a culinary arts class and the Bishop told the students that he is a vegan and asked if they knew what that meant. They did. Right after that, we went to the special ed class with the more involved students. They also do some work with the culinary arts class. Several of the students knew Father Gilbert and were excited to see him. The kids were also glad to meet the Bishop. One student who had been drooling came over to say hi. His teacher wiped his mouth with a cloth and the Bishop walked over to him and shook his hand and talked to him!!

Needless to say, I was "blown away" by the whole experience. I called my Phoenix cousins to tell them about this and of course, called Teresa.

Today when I got to my office I had a card in my mail. It said, "Sheila, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to give me a chance to visit Douglas High School. Economic challenges have made your important job even more difficult. Our community needs strong educational leadership. Thanks for your service." Gerald Kicanas.

These two experiences have had a profound impact on me. I truly believe that things happen for a reason. I did not expect to see some of these reasons in quite this way. I feel blessed!

Yesterday when we took Cameron to Tucson after he spent the weekend here, we met Kerri, Judy, and our friends, Paula and Marty for dinner for Kerri's birthday. When Teresa and I left to drive back to Douglas, we saw the most beautiful rainbow with another one next to it that was faded just a bit. This rainbow was there for over an hour of our drive. It was so beautiful and I believe had a message.......

KEEP ON TRIKIN'

It has been almost a month since I moved to Douglas. We just completed our second full week of school. I continue to be very busy between the district and home. But it is a different kind of busy which is hard to explain.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't meet someone who had a connection to my mom or has one to Teresa or talk to someone that I have known most of my life. It has been an amazing journey. I was thinking about the hectic month of July when I came down two different weekends to interview for this position. I haven't interviewed for a job in over 20 years and before that I interviewed for my teaching job and took the first one which was Gilbert. I have done many, many interviews over the years but I was always the one doing the interviewing.

The first interview was with the Governing Board. After that, we met with some of the administrators in the district and then an open forum with teachers. The final interview was that Monday night at the Douglas High School auditorium. It was an open forum for the entire community. I must say I was a bit nervous for all of the interviews, but especially this one. In attendance to support were my family, my friend Susan, Gloria and Craig from Gilbert, and another friend from Bisbee.

The question came up about how do I relax after a stressful day. My response was that I had pugs and they are constant entertainment. But I added that I had just started riding a bicycle. I had purchased one in March and was riding quite a bit in Gilbert. The only problem that I had was that once I got on the bike, I couldn't stop until I got home because I couldn't get back on the bike very well. So I had a route picked out where I didn't need to stop!! I knew that if I came to Douglas, that wouldn't work as there are quite a few stop signs around. So I purchased a trike because it is just like a bike but I would be able to stop. I shared this with the community forum. As I looked in the front row, my friend, Susan, who has been my friend since we were 14 was laughing so hard that I thought she was going to fall out of her seat!!!

My theory is that I am who I am and I needed to let them see that I do have a sense of humor!! Anyway, the proctor from the Arizona School Board Association suggested that if I got the job that the pugs and I might be asked to be in the Homecoming Parade with me riding my trike. We will see---haven't been asked that question as yet!!! The only problem is my trike is red and Douglas High colors are black and gold!!!
On the Friday before school started, all of the district employees met in the high school auditorium. The first hour was a breakfast and mingling and visiting with each other. It reminded me so much of Gilbert when it was small. We then had introductions of new administrators and teachers. I had a half hour for my talk and those of you who know me know that I don't need much time to say what I want to say. I wanted to make sure that what I had to say would be well received and from my heart. I wanted the faculty and staff to know why I had come back to Douglas after all of these years.

Here is what I had to say that Friday morning:

Good morning and welcome to the 2010/11 school year. It is a pleasure for me to be standing before you this morning as the new superintendent of Douglas Unified School District #27. The last time that I was on this stage, I played the part of the titmouse in Alice and Wonderland and sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat." It was the first and only time that I have ever been involved in what might be called musical theater. As an elementary school student involved in choir, I had been asked by Sister Daria to mouth the words, so I won't be doing a rendition for you this morning!!!

I have to say it is so great to be back in my home town of Douglas, Arizona. My grandparents moved to Douglas in 1912 and purchased the house that I grew up in on 14th Street in 1918. It has been in our family for 92 years and I feel very fortunate to come back and live in this home. Even though my roots are in this house here in Douglas, we need to remember that our roots are in people, not places. The people of Douglas are what make this the wonderful community that it is.

I also feel very privileged to have been given this opportunity to be a part of this district. In the short two weeks that I have been here, I have felt very welcomed by so many of you. I have been so impressed by the dedication to the education of the children of Douglas that I have consistently seen everywhere I have been in the district.

I have met individually with each of our principals. In our discussions, I have told them that we at the district office are to be of service to the schools. Principals, teachers, and teacher assistants who work with the children are the key to student success. Our job at the district level is to make your jobs a bit easier.

Lee Iacocca, who was the president of Chrysler Motor Company, said that he believed that in a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would settle for something else. I believe that the best of us are teachers! In these difficult political and financial times, educators still do everything in our power to make a difference in our society and in the life of a child.

It is my goal as your superintendent to strive to take the very best care that I can of our teachers and classified staff so that you in turn can take great care of our students. Please know that my door is always open for each of you. I always try to put people before paperwork.

I firmly believe that kindness is good for our health. My former superintendent, Wally Delecki, who I learned so much from and who has been a mentor to me, always says that sometimes it is better to be kind than to be right.

It takes a united effort on the part of each person in our district to insure success. I want to get to know the district and I will need your help with this. I will be visiting your schools, classrooms, and departments during the year. I want to be able to interact and get to know you, as well as our students.

Helen Keller said that once she knew only darkness and stillness. Her life was without past or future...but a little word from the fingers of a teacher fell into her hand that clutched the emptiness, and her heart leaped to the rapture of living. This is why I am still an educator after many years. I still believe that I can make a difference in the life of a child. Each one of you in this room have made the difference in the life of a child and will continue to create a future for the children of the Douglas School District!

Together as administrators, teachers, and support staff, we will make this a positive year for all of us here in Douglas!!

As I have gone around the district or different places in Douglas, I have had many people comment on my speech. That means a lot to me!

This Friday is the Bisbee/Douglas Football Game here in Douglas on our new artificial turf in the DHS stadium. This rivalry has been going on since 1906 and is one of the oldest high school rivalries in the state. I am looking forward to the game and to the many events that I will be able to be a part of in the months and years to come!! And I need to "Keep on Trikin'"!!!!!

BREAKING NEWS....PEDRO THE PUG DEPORTED FROM DOUGLAS!

Pedro Pug, alias "The Barker," has been sent back to Gilbert for excessive barking. Pedro just couldn't contain himself in the short period that he was in Douglas. Everywhere he went, he had to bark. Innocent people walking down the street were accosted by his very loud and shrill bark. The cat in the backyard was chased out of the yard in a fit of barking. (Pedro couldn't figure out where the cat went and tried to get into the dry swimming pool to find the cat.)
He barked looking out the front window of the house. He barked upstairs in the middle of the night. There was nothing that would keep him from his undaunted task of being "The Barker."

At one point, it appeared that Pedro might have to go back on the Douglas/Agua Prieta shuttle and be left off at Denny's on I10. However, a fortunate circumstance found Pedro getting a ride in air conditioned comfort in a Honda Civic. Pedro was actually thrilled to go back to Gilbert with his boy, Cam!!

Taking Pedro's place in Douglas is Pancho. Pancho joins Lucy in this Douglas version of "Pug Survival." So far Pancho is acclimating very well. However, that may have to do with the bark protector that sits on the desk near the front door. It emits such a high pitch that only animals can hear it. This device did not arrive in time to save Pedro from deportation!

Stay tuned to late breaking news about the latest reality show......"Pug Survival!!!"

Who Says You Can't Go Home?????

WOW!!!!!! I can't believe that it is Friday, the end of an amazing week. I started my new job as Superintendent of Douglas Unified School District on Tuesday morning at 7:00 a.m. As is any job in education these days, "I hit the ground running" and never looked back. It has been a week of meeting new people and trying to learn the ins and outs of a new district.

I truly thought when I made this decision to apply for the job in Douglas and leave Gilbert, that the emotional piece for me would be leaving Gilbert El and the wonderful faculty, staff, parents, and children. And it was emotional. What I didn't know was how emotional coming back to Douglas would be. I have truly been amazed by the support of so many people here. I have received emails from former Douglas people living elsewhere letting me know how happy they are that I am the new superintendent. I have been welcomed by the district office personnel and the principals. Next week, teachers will be back and I will be so happy and proud to greet them. They do an incredible job in this district and they have my utmost admiration.

As I have gone around the district and have been introduced to people, I have had so many people tell me how much they liked and admired my mom. This has truly touched me as she has been gone for eight years now.

The pace of life here is so much different. Heavy traffic is no where to be found. The weather has been great--it has rained every day. The district office is 3 1/2 blocks from the house.

Today the district office personnel put on a barbecue lunch (you haven't lived until you have a barbecue in Douglas with all the wonderful Mexican food) for the new people and to say good-bye to a classified person who is retiring and also to the wonderful interim superintendent, Ray Borane, who has done this job for the last several months for a whole $1.00. Mr. Borane was superintendent for many years and was recently the mayor of Douglas. He truly epitomizes someone who gives back to the community. In four short days, I have learned so much from him.

I realize that this is only the first week and that there is always a honeymoon period, but I can honestly say that I AM SO GLAD I AM HERE. I hope that I can give something back to this wonderful community where I was raised and contributed so much to who I am today. I truly believe growing up in Douglas had a great impact in so many positive ways. I also believe that growing up here was instrumental in who all of my aunts and uncles who grew here became. They then handed this down to my wonderful cousins.

So here I am, living in the house I grew up and that Teresa was born in. My grandfather bought this house in 1918. That is amazing anywhere, but particularly in Arizona.

I also believe that my years in Gilbert working with dedicated educators has also impacted me in so many ways. Today I was looking for something to put on the Douglas website and I went to the Gilbert website. There was an article on the site about me being named superintendent in Douglas. I was truly touched by this.

I will miss all of the people who have meant so much to me for so long, but know that true friendships will last.

I am glad to be back here in Douglas, Arizona!! And I am proud that I was chosen to be their superintendent. It will be a new and exciting adventure--one that I never in my wildest dreams imagined would happen. I have always believed that everything happens for a reason......... I am feeling very good about this reason being something very important. I hope I am right!!

Saying Good-bye to my dear friend, Martha!

A week ago last Thursday, I was able to spend several hours at my friend Martha's house. Joe, Pam, her sister, and their three children were there as they knew the end was close. Martha would sleep for awhile and then would wake up and talk. She was amazing!

I left for a few hours and came back with dinner for the family. I stayed for about an hour and then was able to say good-bye to her. I knew it was going to be the last time I saw her as I was leaving for Douglas in the morning and knew she probably wouldn't last through the weekend. She hugged me for quite some time and I was able to tell her how much I loved her. It was very hard for me.

Early Friday morning, I got word that she had passed on. I drove to Douglas with a heavy heart. As I was driving into Douglas, there was rain and clouds all around, but the sun was shining above me. As I looked off to the left by the beautiful mountains, there was an incredible rainbow. For some reason, it made me think that this was a sign from Martha. It was beautiful.

Yesterday her memorial service was conducted at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale. Martha didn't want it to be a sad occasion, but truly a celebration of her life. And it was. I was so touched and honored earlier in the week that Joe asked me to speak at the celebration of this wonderful woman's life.

Here is what I said:

Sometimes a person needs to hear the life story of another more than they need food, water, or shelter to sustain their being. In our moment of acute grief Martha's story is one of those stories that bring us hope, courage, and wisdom that will sustain us in our future lives.

I was privileged to know Martha for the past 10 years as her principal at Gilbert Elementary School. Martha was passionate about education. She was constantly striving to learn new and better techniques to meet the diverse needs of her students, and she embraced the whole child.

When Martha was first diagnosed with breast cancer, her focus was to get well for her family and her teaching. She fought this awful disease for the remainder of that school year.

She came back to Gilbert El at the start of the 2009/2010 school year. This horrible disease continued to rampage through Martha's body and everything she did to try to stop it did not work. She went through treatments that take a toll on people both emotionally and physically. However, Martha came to school each day to teach her students. She said that she drew strength from them and they were what kept her going. When they walked through the door in the morning, her kids brought a smile to her face and a strength to her body and soul that allowed her to be an incredible teacher each and every day. Cancer NEVER got in the way of Martha's teaching.

Martha loved all subjects, but reading and writing were her true love and this showed. Her students wrote letters nominating her for Gilbert Teacher of the Year and they were profound and so insightful coming from fourth graders. What Martha taught her children was not just about academics, it was about strength and courage and love. She taught all of us who had the privilege of knowing her about strength and courage and love.

I love children's literature, too, and my favorite author is Carmen Agra Deedy and her book "The Last Dance." In the story, the grandfather tells his grandchildren that every human being has the right to three things in life:

To Dance. The great thing in life is not so much to dance well,
but whether one is willing to dance at all.

To Sing, even if you sign off-key. The crow has as much right to a voice
as the nightingale.

To Tell Stories. Those we love are never really gone as
long as their
stories are told.

Martha's stories will live on in the countless number of children who were blessed to have her as a teacher. They will live on in her colleagues at Gilbert Elementary. But most importantly, they will live on in her three wonderful children: Janaya, Joey, and Michael; her incredibly loyal sister, Pam, and her most devoted husband, Joe and their families.

I have learned so much from Martha in the last 18 months that I will take with me forever.

And so my dear friend, Martha:

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

The world is a better place because of Martha Hitzel. I will miss her dearly and always keep her in my heart. She has left three incredible children that she nurtured and raised to young adulthood. Her sister Pam was by her side for so much of this journey and I can only say that she has a wonderful husband and children who knew how important it was for her to be here with Martha. And Joe--what a shining example of the ultimate love between a man and a woman. I so admire him. I hope that in the days and years ahead, they find comfort in knowing what a wonderful person Martha was. I know that I will!

What happens in Vegas..........

What happened in Vegas, should stay in Vegas. However, I am going to do a post on a wonderful few days that we had last week. My Aunt Teresa turns 88 at the end of this month, so we decided to do a "Girls' NightS Out" to celebrate her birthday. There were 12 of us "girls" altogether with Kerri and Kate J. helping to reduce the average age to about 60ish! Thank heavens we had them to help with that!!

Going from Arizona were Judy, Kerri, Teresa and I, along with my Uncle Matt's daughters', Yaya, Pat, and Cecilia. Coming from California was another of Matt's daughters, Marion. Also from California, my Aunt Dot's twin daughters, Jan and Jean. And all the way from Georgia via Colorado and California, Matt's youngest daughter, Teresa Ann and her youngest daughter, Kate! What a wild group of women!!!

We visited a lot, had wonderful dinners, and went to see Jersey Boys. Of course, we lost money, too!! Teresa was in her glory with all of her nieces..... All of my Uncle Matt's girls were there. We reminisced about our families and all of the fun we had growing up. Many summers were spent in Douglas over the years. Matt's wife and the girls' mom, Gyp, died in 1980. Her 100th birthday was a few weeks ago. She was born in Bisbee before Arizona became a state--hard to imagine!!

If it hadn't been for Gyp, I probably would not have made it through my first year at ASU. I was so homesick and missing Douglas. Every weekend I went to their house and was treated just like her kids. When I was younger, I was a bit scared of her, but after a time I realized her bark was much worse than her bite!! She was a great lady and I will be ever grateful for the way she helped me during that first year when I was so homesick. She would have been proud of her family and how all of us have stayed together. Matt remarried after Gyp died (they had celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary). I truly think it was a tribute to her that he wanted to get married again. Matt died in 2006 leaving Glennie and his daughters. Yaya, Pat, and Cecilia have been incredible in taking care of Glennie. I have so much respect for what they do!

My Aunt Dot died not too long after Gyp. She would also be so happy that her family has stayed so connected to all of us. If she were around, she would be the life of the party in Vegas!! She was also born in Douglas in 1912 a few months after Arizona became a state! I miss those great ladies and hope they were all smoking a cigarette with my mom and looking down on us!!
I had a wonderful time as I know that Teresa did. We are going to try to have an annual event to celebrate her birthday somewhere!!

Our family is wonderful and I am proud to be a part of the Scott Family from Douglas, Arizona!!!!

Arizona Politics

Last night I attended and helped with a fundraiser at my cousin Yaya's house. The fundraiser was for a lady by the name of Lela Alston who is running for the Arizona House of Representatives. Lela was in the state senate for many years and is a very strong proponent of education in Arizona. Even though I can't vote for her because she lives in another district, it was a pleasure to be there to support her.

Yaya made enchiladas, beans, and green chili meat that were all her husband, Tony's recipes. (I must say that I think her enchiladas are even better than Tony's.) Kerri and some of the cousins were the bartenders and I helped Cecilia in the kitchen.

It was a huge success with well over 100 people there. It was great to see that people of both political parties could join together for education in Arizona. I truly believe that is what we are lacking, not only in our state, but in our country today. People on both sides of political issues need to learn to compromise and talk together. There is so much hate perpetrated by talk radio and television shows that I truly believe we have lost sight of working together for the common good.

The election that was held May 18 for the 1 cent sales tax is an indication that we can all still work together. It passed overwhelmingly. People came together and voted for education.

I remember my mother telling me that her dad always voted for public education even though all of his children went to Catholic School. My mom said that he believed that education was what made this country what it is. That is so true. Anyone in the United States can still get an education at any age. That doesn't happen everywhere.

The highlight of the evening for me was getting to see and talk to former Governor Rose Mofford. She was a good friend of my mom's and it was great talking to her. She spent quite a bit of time talking to Teresa. She was so glad to meet Kerri and asked me later if Margaret didn't have a grandson, too. I believe that she is in her 90's. She looked great and is "sharp as a tack."
All in all, it was a great evening. I love politics and it would be so easy to become cynical with all that is going on. I firmly believe that we can get past so many of our issues if we listen to each other and stop all of the hatred and spewing of ugly words towards each other. Maybe I am too optimistic--I truly hope not!!!!!