Headwaters2016

This is an NDSCS Publication brought you to by the Online Creative Writing class of 2016, and its

instructor, Sybil Priebe.

Editors: Autumn Jungwirth Guei Zleh Samantha Baumgartner Amanda Bartnick Caleigh Differding Milos Vranes Anna Starks Ell ie Krupich Jerome Ntakirutimana Sybil Priebe

Contributors: Samantha Baumgartner Larry Merbach Janine Viken Pacheco Sybil Priebe

“Feelings” Life can be a strange event, a variety of emotions. I do not know how to get through without spending time in some devotions. The agony of a mother’s cry when she's lost her precious child. The ache one feels, when words won't come, and our mind just races wild. "Helpless, nauseous, stretched so thin, whatever can one do?” The thoughts of one who wants to help the hurting just get through. Life can bring such massive, emotional devastation. My heart cries out, "Lord, help us with this gut wrenching situation.” From outside in that same moment, laughter as loud as it can be, that represents others living and that's as it should be.Heartache, death and sickness, what a giant toll to bear, but still we have to live and through this pain, we learn to care. In darkest times, confusion comes and then the flickering flame, that tells us there are hope and love, and comfort from the same.The strength we feel is not our own, of this I am so sure, the love of God surrounds and his love brings us a cure. We will feel pain, tears will flow, some days will be devastating. But through it all, if we allow, His love will be captivating. Prose Poem By Janine Viken Pacheco, NDSCS Alumna

Magnetic Poetry By Sybil Priebe,

NDSCS Associate Professor of English & Humanities

This magnetic poetry was created on the second floor of Haverty Hall. Stop up sometime and create your own poem! The magnetic poetry board is located on the east wall between rooms 204 and 205.

In response to a letter to the Editor complaining about the train whistle noise as a train passes through the town. “When I Hear the Train Whistle” When I hear the train whistle, it makes me think: If I hurry I can beat it at 6th street or 3rd or catch Lost time by doing the overpass. When I hear the train whistle, it makes me think: of songs about the “water tank” and “5ll pig iron,” And I realize a missing of times ago. When I hear the train whistle, it makes me think: of the sound of hissing steam, smelly black smoke, Loading coal for home and holding the horses steady. When I hear the train whistle, it makes me think: Of Mrs. Notbohm with children off to school. No lights, no gate, and she didn’t hear the whistle. When I hear the train whistle, it makes me think: Of friend Arny who could hear and play music. Lost in thought and missed the whistle that day. When I hear the train whistle, it makes me think: Of mass and speed and physics equations. And I wait, solutions favor the moving train. When I hear the train whistle, it makes me think. Poem By Larry Merbach, NDSCS Associate Professor of Math & Science September 30, 2009

“Stories in the Attic”

I put the record on Throughout the song I hear the static

These records all have stories Which I found buried in the attic

I found them in the corner

In old milk crates piled high They forced tears into my eyes

This is how my great-grandfather said goodbye

As I played these stories I wondered where he’d been

I imagined him happy With that dimple on his chin

The record stopped and static came

Silence overcame the room I put another one on and looked outside

All the flowers were in full bloom

Poem By Samantha Baumgartner,

NDSCS Student

Fiction Piece By Samantha Baumgartner, NDSCS Student

I’m a cat. I think I’m pretty with my light brown fur and black stripes that randomly are placed upon my

back. I used to roam the streets and sleep under park benches. I remember eating out of the garbage can behind a restaurant. I had a friend that I used to hang around with. His name was Tuna. (I never asked why that was his name). I wonder what he is up to now. I wonder if he is still going through that same garbage can. I wonder if he wonders about me. A knock at my window wakes me from my memories. It’s a small kid. She is sucking her thumb and carrying a stuffed animal that looks like it was drug behind a car. Her mom then squats down to the window and mouths something toward her, which makes the little girl smile. I know where this is going. They want me. I mean who doesn’t? I don’t want to go with them though. I can see that little girl grab my tail and drag me to her room where she will force me to cuddle with her or something like that. I’ve been through that once and I hated it. I acted badly after that and my first family brought me back. But don’t feel bad for me, because I quite like it here. The door behind me opens and I turn around. I see that little girl again. She is smiling ear to ear. It is going to kill me when I break her heart. Diane, a woman who takes care of me, lifts me up and starts petting me. She is talking to the girl’s mom. The little girl looks up at me with love and wonder. Diane then gives me to the mom. She bends down and lets the little girl pet me. I start to purr, it’s a reflex and I can’t help it. The little girl starts to pull my ear and I’m about to go crazy when the mom tells her to stop. The girl nods and starts to pet me with a gentle hand. I start to relax a bit more. Maybe they are ok. The mom starts talking with Diane, I can tell it is about me. I hear Diane tell her about me. She talks about how I roamed the streets (I like to mention that a lot because it makes me feel bad ass) and about the previous family that I lived with. I can tell the mom tensed up when she hears about what I did, but I purr louder and she starts to relax. I want to go home with them. I lick the girl’s hand and she starts to laugh. She looks up at her mom and tells her that I’m the one. I’m the one she wants to bring home. The mom talks to Diane a bit more. The little girl looks me in the eyes. She doesn’t say anything. She just looks me in the eyes. She smiles at me. The mom hands me back to Diane and I start to panic. Don’t they want me? I start to meow and Diane laughs. I want to slap her in the face. Why is she laughing? Doesn’t she see that this is the family that I want? I see the little girl walk away. I see that stuffed animal hitting her tiny legs as she walked away. I jump from Diane’s arms. I run toward the little girl. I run around people and keep my eyes on that stuffed animal. I can hear Diane call after me. I don’t care. I need to go home with them. The mom and little girl stop. The little girl and her mom bend down to the floor and I stop. The little girl picks me up in her small arms. Diane is now beside them. If she picks me up again, I will slap her in the face. Can cats do that? I focus my attention to the little girl. I look in her eyes. She looks back at me. I purr. The little girl kisses me and her mom says something to Diane. I tense. They are still talking, but I keep looking at this little girl. I just met her and I feel like we are best friends. I hear Diane says something about how she has never seen me like this before. She never knew I could run like that. I’m really going to slap this woman in the face. Then Diane takes me away from the girl. I start to panic again. But I see the little girl happy, which makes me happy. I start getting excited. Diane then takes me behind the counter. I know that when this happens someone is going home. I start to purr so loud that everyone laughs. The girl continues to look at me with love and I look back the same way hoping she gets my message. Diane then hands me back to little girl. She gives me one last pat on the head and the girl walks to the front door. The mom is behind us carrying food and everything I would ever need. The little girl then gets to a car and her mom puts the stuff in the trunk. I’m placed in the backseat and the little girls sit beside me in a seat that must be used so she can get a better look at the world as it passes by. The little girl then puts me on her warm lap. I

start to get sleepy. The car starts and the mom is singing along to the radio. The little girl starts petting me on the head. I fall asleep knowing that I found my place in the world on this little girl’s lap. That was ten years ago. That little girl is now 16 and I’ve seen her grow up. I was there when she started school and when she had her first crush. I was there when she told me secrets that she told no one else. I was there when she got her license and her very first car. She used to drive me around and sing to the radio. I was there when she had her first heartbreak and she wet my fur with her tears. I was there for everything. I’m lying on her bed. I can hear the rain hit the window. I hear a car door slam and I run downstairs or try to run, I’m getting old. I’m waiting by the door as she enters. She kicks off her shoes and gathers me in her arms. She takes me back up in her room and we lay on her bed. She starts telling me about her day. She tells me that prom is coming up and that she hopes that a boy she likes asks her to go. I would tell you who he is, but she swore me to secrecy. We lay there until her mom comes home and we go downstairs. They start making supper and the smell makes my stomach growl. I love how close they are. They are always happy. The last family I was with wasn’t. They would fight all the time. In this family there is barely any fighting. But the girl doesn’t have a dad, which makes me wonder. But they are happy, so I will be too. They eat at the table with me sitting under the table. They ‘accidentally’ drop food and I eat it, licking the floor clean. It starts to get dark outside, which is my cue to go lay on her bed and wait for her. She eventually crawls into bed and I sleep by her stomach. She pets me until she falls asleep. I always wait until she falls asleep before I go to sleep. Her mom comes in the room, which awakens me. She smiles when she sees me. I look at her and she pets me on the head. She kisses the girl on the head and walks out.

When the light shines through the window I know it’s a new day. Her alarm goes off and then the girl knows it too. The days go by like the previous one. They keep going like that until she gets older. Then that’s a different story. The girl is now 18. She is out later at night and usually brings her boyfriend back with her. They sneak up to her bedroom and she brushes me off the bed. She kicks me out of the room and I hear the door lock behind me. I lie down by the door and fall asleep. I will still protect her even if she doesn’t want me to anymore. Her mom and she fight more. I usually go to the window and look outside. During those fights I wonder where Tuna is and what he is up to. I wonder if he still wonders about me. Once the fight is over the girl slams the door of her bedroom. Those nights I sleep with her mom. The mom looks me in the eyes. She pets me until she falls asleep. Once she does I get up and lie by the girl’s door. It’s summer. I know because there is always sun shining in the house. I hear kids play outside and I watch them through the window. Just last week the girl wore a cap and gown. She smiled for pictures while holding a piece of paper. I don’t know what that meant, but she was happy, which made me happy. The mom and she hug a lot now, which makes me happier. I hear a car door slam and I slowly get to the door. I’m still there when she comes in. She kicks off her shoes and runs upstairs. I try to follow her, but I can’t go upstairs by myself anymore. She sees this and I see sadness enter her eyes. I try for her sake, but I can’t get up the first stair. She comes and gathers me in her arms just like she did all the years before. She carries me to her bed. She puts on some music and lies by me and sings softly to the music. I can hear the sadness in her voice. She is worried about me, which I hate. I want to always be there without her thinking that someday I won’t. A couple of months later she is packing her things up in her room. I’m confused on what’s going on. Her mom is helping her pack and they laugh together, which makes me happy. They keep talking about a thing called college. I don’t know what it is, but I want to slap it in the face. It’s making my best friend leave. A couple of nights later she is gone. It’s just her mom and me now. I wait for her by the door now. She gathers me up in her arms and carries me up the stairs now. I sleep by her now. I protect her now. That little girl is gone and I miss her. I look outside and I see leaves falling down. It’s starting to get cold because the mom bundles up every time she leaves. I can tell she is happy about something, which makes me happy.

The next day I hear a car door slam. I get to the door in time for her to get to the door. I’m surprised by what I see. It’s the girl. She’s back! She gathers me up in her arms. She starts to cry and I purr telling her it’s ok. She starts telling me everything. She loves college (which I figured out is a school where she spends the night at. Weird, I know). She tells me about a guy she met and she is bringing him home for Christmas. I can hear the love in her voice as she talks about him. She keeps talking to me and I listen to every word. Later that day she and her mom sit at a table filled with food. I sleep with her that night. She leaves in the morning, which makes me sad. She says she will see me in a month. I see sadness in her eyes as she leaves. I know I’ll be at the door the next time she comes through it. I’ll be waiting for her. The next month goes by fast, thankfully. White powder covers outside now. The mom put up a tree with lights and she placed boxes under it. I hope the girl comes fast because it’s harder for me to get through each day now. I‘m always tired and I can tell the mom is worried about me. She calls the girl often and I can tell they talk about me. One day I hear a car door slam and I hear her laugh. I get to the door as she opens it. I’m there. I made it. She sees this and picks me up. She starts to softly cry. A boy steps out from behind her. He sees me and smiles. He pets me, which I’m unsure of. The girl though leans into him and I know she trusts him, which makes me too.

That night is full of laughter. They open the boxes and give each other a lot of hugs. I’m getting more tired as the day continues on. The mom then makes the boy a bed on the couch. The man kisses the girl on the cheek before she picks me up and brings me upstairs. She sets me on her bed and gets under the covers. I lay by her. She pets me longer than she ever has before. She talks to me, as I get tired. Her voice gets tired and she falls asleep. Her mom comes in and smiles when she sees I’m still awake. She crouches down and I see her mouth, “thank you”. She kisses me on the head and pets me for a long time. She then leaves and I feel happy. I think about my life and how great it was. I think about how the girl has someone now to protect her. I’m getting tired and I fall asleep. The next thing I know I’m surrounded by white clouds. I feel alive again. I don’t feel tired. That’s when I know what happened. I left that world behind. I left that little girl behind. I’ll miss her, but I know she’ll be ok. I turn around and that’s when I see him. He comes running to me. It’s Tuna. We found each other again. Then everything fades to black. But don’t feel bad for me, because I quite like it here.

I AM STANDING IN MY LIVING ROOM

LOOKING OUT AT MY YARD. SEEING THE RESULTS OF THE DROUGHT THAT HAS

HIT US SO HARD.

I AM LOOKING AT THE IRIS’S, AND DAY LILLIES THAT SHOULD GROW.

THE BLOOMS THAT I HAD LAST YEAR, THIS YEAR THEY DID NOT SHOW.

I LOOK OUT AT THE GREEN SHARP LEAVES

THAT SHOULD BE COVERED NOW IN YELLOW. THE FLOWERS, THEY ARE MISSING, EXCEPT FOR ONE BRIGHT FELLOW.

THERE HE STANDS AND SHOWS THE REST THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO HOPE.

DID HE LET THE DROUGHT DEFEAT HIM, HIS BRIGHT COLORS TELL ME, NOPE?

HE STANDS AMIDST THE DRIED OUT LEAVES AND HE STANDS AS IF TO SAY: ”I WILL NOT GIVE UP, I WILL STAND STRONG AND PROUD,AND FIGHT FOR WHAT I

BELIEVE TODAY”

Poem By Janine Viken Pacheco,

NDSCS Alumna

Nonfiction Piece By Larry Merbach, NDSCS Associate Professor of Math & Science

Young Eagles Flight Program

“Hi, I am Larry Merbach and your name is?” “Jacob Aldrich”, was the reply and that is how I met the first youth that I was to introduce to the Young Eagles Program. It was on a Saturday morning in September at Casselton, North Dakota. Jacob and his father, Bob, had made the trip from Hawley, Minnesota to participate in the program. The weather was ideal for flying; cool, clear, and little wind.

The “Charles Klessig” EAA 317 Chapter was meeting at Casselton and some of the members had arrived early to give Young Eagles Flight rides to several young people who had contacted the EAA group two weeks before, but the flights then were cancelled because of poor flying weather.

Neal Kovash, the Chapter Eagles flight coordinator, met Jacob and I as we entered the FBO office and explained the program and who was to do what. First, we gathered in the planning room and Neal discussed the principles of flight and explained the forces at work that keep an airplane in the air. He talked about weights and balances and showed Jacob pictures of an airplane instrument panel and explained what the indications on the instruments meant.

Then it was my turn and with Jacob watching intently, I unfolded the Twin Cities Aeronautical sectional and pointed to the Casselton airport. Together we determined a route to fly and studied the chart closely to determine land marks that we could identify from the air. Then to the ramp to inspect the airplane, a 1965 Cessna 150. Jacob and I slowly walked around the plane. The elevators, rudder, flaps, and ailerons were each in turn pivoted and tugged on and each bolt, hinge, and safety wire that held them to the airplane was carefully inspected. Fingers were run around the edges of the propeller and the engine head area was checked for squirrel nests. The inspection door was opened to expose the rear part of the engine and the oil was checked, the magnetos counted, and the sump drained. Then with Jacob strapped to his seat, charts open, and headphones on we were ready to go flying.

Jacob set each switch and knob to its correct position and I yelled, “Clear”, out of the side window and pulled the starter knob. The engine sprang to life intensifying the level of thrill emanating from Jacob’s total being. Out to the run-up area, an explanation of each check and setting, a turn around to look for other planes in the air, and onto the runway. Jacob was quiet and yet I could tell that he was completely concentrating on what the airplane was doing and the feelings that he was getting through each of his senses. He appeared very happy. We climbed to 1500 feet agl (above ground level) to get a view of the surrounding area and yet stay below the Fargo TRSA (Terminal Radar Service Area). I pointed to creeks shown on the chart and asked Jacob if he could locate them on the ground, and he did. About ten minutes into the flight Jacob took the controls including the rudder pedals. He reacted smoothly to the use of the pedals and yoke and was able to accomplish a few coordinated turns. We spent forty-five minutes in the air and Jacob handled the controls for most of that time. He was able to keep the airplane straight and level and found his way back to the airport. We landed and were met by his father and Neal Kovash. Neal took pictures and I completed the paper work and presented Jacob with his Young Eagles Certificate. I was absolutely elated and had a most wonderful time flying with Jacob. Jacob and his father walked together across the ramp and it seemed to me that both were floating above the concrete. I met Jacob’s father again in December and he told me that he had followed up on the Eagles Flight and bought Jacob a flight lesson as a birthday present.

During the EAA Chapter meeting, the Young Eagles Flight program was discussed and it was decided that this program could be taken to different towns if enough pilots were willing to show up and do the flying. Wahpeton, North Dakota was selected for the first such venture which meant I was elected to contact the youths and organize the flights.

Sunday afternoon I was at the Wahpeton airport and talked to Cindy Screiber-Beck and Gerry Beck. Gerry is the FBO at the airport where he and Cindy run a machine and airplane repair shop and fill in their “spare time” crop spraying. (Gerry has accumulated several war birds which are in various stages of being rebuilt.) Cindy and Gerry were immediately supportive of the Young Eagles Program and agreed to help out in offering the program to the youth of the community. They volunteered food, punch, coffee and two airplanes with pilots. Before all of the planning was completed, Gerry agreed to give a ride in the TBM Avenger that he had rebuilt to one of the pilots who would be lucky enough to have his name drawn.

My biggest concern was to get enough young people to come out for the flights. I was planning to make posters and put them in the local schools and in store windows uptown. Certainly if ads were placed in the paper and I personally visited classrooms to promote the program, the young people would be interested enough to come out for a “free” airplane ride. On Monday Jean Lemmon, a writer for the local newspaper, called and said she had heard that a program involving youths and airplanes was in the makings and she wanted to know about it so she could write an article for her paper. That afternoon I met with Ms. Lemmon and gave her the Young Eagles Flight Program literature which I had received with my copy of Sport Aviation. I explained what we planned to do for the young people in the area, the date of the event, and my phone number. For a week I pondered on what was the best means of spreading the word to the young people who would be interested in flying. Ms. Lemmon’s article appeared in the Sunday paper. By Monday evening seventeen youths had called and signed up for the program. The local Girl Scout and Boy Scout leaders signed up whole troops. Elementary teachers in the school system made copies of the article and sent them home with their students to show parents. In the two weeks between the Sundays the article appeared in the paper and the Friday before the day of the flights, seventy-five young people had registered. Now my worry was getting enough pilots to show up and do the flights.

Neal Kovash in Fargo was contacted and told of the number of people who had registered. He agreed to do the ground school and to get pilots and airplanes to Wahpeton. Pilots who agreed to fly and showed up were Arne Schjeldrup, David Kragnes, Jim Rasmusson, Walt Vollmers, Duane Wething, Gordon Swanson, Gerry Beck, Dean Johnson, Adam Menze, Bernard Koch, Ruth Ann Koch, and myself.

When the parents called to register their children, the program was explained including a basic rule that at least one parent or guardian must accompany their children to the airport and remain at the airport until the flight was completed. Parents were told they could ride in the back seat of four-place planes. Some parents called to register their sons and apparently overlooked that the program was for girls also. Once reminded they also signed up their daughters. The flights were scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 1992. Four shifts were scheduled and parents were asked to have their children at the airport at 9:00am, 10:00am 1:30pm, or 2:00pm. On Wednesday and Thursday evening I called each parent back to verify the scheduled times. Two or three families could not make it at the last minute and were told they would be contacted at a later date. By Friday all that was left to worry about was that the pilots with their airplanes show and the weather cooperate. Actually I was to busy washing my airplane and completing last minute details to be worried. Whatever the next day brought that wasn’t in the plan would have to be dealt with the next day.

Saturday morning, I was at the airport by 6:30 am and positioned my airplane on the ramp. It was an absolute beautiful morning with clear blue skies, limitless visibility, cool temperatures, and a slight breeze down the runway. The weather was perfect! Gerry and Cindy were at the airport early doing last minute clean up and getting the punch, rolls, and coffee ready for the expected crowd. Hanger doors were opened so parents and youths could look at the different airplanes. By 8:15 most of the pilots were present and a briefing was held in the flight office. Approach and departure routes from the airport, flight routes, and a general overview of the Eagles Program including what was expected from each pilot was discussed.

By 9:00am the first group arrived for their ground school. They were taken into the briefing room and given a small cut-out wooden airplane which was used to demonstrate the principles of flight. Then the Eagles were assigned to a pilot who walked them through the preflight, settled them into the airplanes, and took off. Rick Hendrickson and Joe Keller contributed their time and escorted the parents and youths across the ramp, introduced them to the pilots, and took Polaroid pictures of each Eagle and the pilot. Of the seventy-five youths that were to participate in the program, sixty showed and fifty-seven went on a flight. Twelve pilots with eleven airplanes gave rides. Each pilot completed five or six flights. Flights lasted about forty minutes. The flight completed; the pilot filled out the Eagles Flight Certificate, wrote a note and signed the back of the picture, and presented both to the new Young Eagle. Cindy bought lunch for each of the pilots. The weather remained excellent all day and the afternoon sun did not bring bumpy air.

My first experience with Jacob was repeated with each young Eagle that I took up. And, it was evident from discussions between pilots that they had a wonderful time with each of the Eagle flyers. Every Pilot had positive moments to relate of the time in the air they shared with their Eagles. The pilots were impressed with how willing and capable most of the young Eagles were in controlling the airplane. Pilots, Eagles, and parents walked around with grins from ear to ear all day. One youth was overheard talking to his dad after the flight and saying, “This was the most fun I have ever had!” A pilot related the following story about one of his eight year-old passengers. As the airplane started accelerating down the runway the youth let out a giggle, as he sunk further into his seat he giggled again, and as the plane broke ground he whispered, “Far out”, into the intercom. Arne Schjeldrup from Felton, Minnesota had his name drawn for the TBM ride. (The excitement shown in Arne’s eyes was proof that you don’t have to be a youth to be a Young Eagle.) Coreen Stevick Hauz, from the Daily News, was on hand to take pictures and get a story. Pictures of participants were in the Sunday paper and a complete follow-up story appeared later in the week. Youths who had called for reservations, but could not make the flights on the scheduled Saturday, were called back and other dates were set. Jim Rasmunsson from Breckenridge, Minnesota and I presented the program to five more youths. This qualified me for the EAA Flight Leader Patches, which I have received, for participating in ten Eagle flights.

The Young Eagles Program is active today. According to the Young Eagles Web Site 1,968,400 young people have been given flights to-date, February 2016. And, I have had the happy experience of giving flights to over 250 of those youths. The Young Eagles Program is an excellent opportunity to bring community people, their youth, and the joy of flying together.

I REMEMBER LONG AGO, MOVING INTO TOWN, 6 YOUNG KIDS RAISED BY A SINGLE MOM, WE KNEW NO ONE AROUND. BUT THAT CHANGES FAST IN SMALL TOWNS, YOU GET TO KNOW EACHOTHER, AND IF YOU ARE BAD AND NEIGHBORS KNOW, THEY SURE WILL TELL YOU’RE MOTHER. AS TIME GOES ON, FRIENDSHIPS GROW, SOME GOOD AND SOME NOT SO GREAT. BUT I REMEMBER PLAYING NIGHT GAMES, AND STAYING OUT TIL LATE. THE NEIGHBOR KIDS WOULD PLAY KICKBALL, E VERYONE GOT TO PLAY, AND WE MET AT ONE HOUSE AFTER SCHOOL AND WATCHED BATMAN EVERY WEDNSDAY. WE PLAYED KICK THE CAN, HIDE AND SEEK, RODE BIKES ALL OVER TOWN. WE LOVED THE HILL AT THE PARK, IT WAS SO MUCH FUN TO RIDE DOWN. TENNIS COURTS, SWIMMING POOL, THE ZOO WITH THE MONKEYS AND BEARS, WE LIVED LIFE TO THE FULLEST, LIKE WE DID NOT HAVE ANY CARES. I REMEMBER CRAZY DAYS, OH, WHAT A FUN TIME WE HAD, SQUIRT GUNS WERE USED BY ALL OF US, THE GOOD KIDS AND THE BAD. GOING TO BEN FRANKLIN TO GET SNACKS FOR CATECHISM, A QUARTER WENT A LONG WAY BACK THEN, AND ALL BELIEVED IN PATRIOTISM. JORGENSONS VARIETY STORE, OH, I LOVED THAT PLACE, MY SIS AND I WOULD STOP IN AFTER SCHOOL, AND GET CHOCOLATE AND HOME WE’D RACE. WINTER TIME WAS JUST AS FUN, WAHPETON WINTERS WERE SO GREAT, SLEDDING DOWN THAT BIG HILL, AND ON THE FROZEN LAGOON WE’D SKATE. GETTING OLDER, GETTING JOBS, CRUISIN THAT LONG MAIN AVE.HANGING OUT IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE PAVILLION, THERE WAS SO MUCH FUN TO HAVE! BASKETBALL AND, FOOTBALL GAMES, PEP RALLIES, HOMECOMING AND MORE! BON FIRES, HAYRIDES, AND WRESTLING MATCHES, THERE WAS JUST NO WAY TO BE BORED! WEDDING DANCES, NEW YEARS EVE, GRADUATIONS TOO. EVERYONE WENT TO EVERYTHING THAT WAS JUST WHAT WE SMALL TOWNERS DO. HAVING COLLEGE RIGHT THERE WAS COOL, SO MANY NEW PEOPLE TO MEET. LISTENING TO MUSIC, JUST HANGING OUT IN THE HUB, AND SO MUCH FOOD TO EAT! THERE WAS A BOWLING ALLEY RIGHT THERE AT THE SCHOOL, NOW HOW AMAZING WAS THAT? THE FOOSEBALL AND AIR HOCKEY TABLES, THAT WAS WERE FUN WAS AT! SO MANY MEMORIES, IN THAT SMALL TOWN, SO MANY PEOPLE SO DEAR TO MY HEART, I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL THAT I WAS SO BLESSED, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE WAHPETON AS SUCH A GREAT START. Prose Poem BY JANINE VIKEN PACHECO, NDSCS Alumna

Today my heart is thankful for, oh, so many things, For my stretchy pants, my big bad dog, for the joy that music brings. I am thankful that our mom raised us, to value simple things; Working, schooling, honesty, faith, the love that family brings. I am thankful for a good church where Jesus takes the reign, I am thankful for the fact that Jesus sees us through our pain. I am thankful for my Facebook friends, for those both far and near I am thankful that they post good stuff and fill me with much cheer. I am thankful for my hubby that he stuck with me so long, I love to hear his music; the way he sings a song. I am thankful for my children; they make my heart feel right. Every time I see them, it is such a special sight. I am thankful for my grandkids, they are my loves you know, God knew they were what we all needed so that our hearts can grow. I am thankful for my siblings, they have been a light to me, Without their presence in my life, where would my life be? I am thankful for my in-laws, they have proven to have much strength, My mother in law has a heart of gold and lives grace to endless length. I am thankful that my dear sweet dad has fought so hard to live, He has proven that he really has so very much to give. Family, friends, and strangers, cookies, laughter too, Letters, pictures, comfy chairs, and time to spend with you. My heart is full of happiness, I am grateful for my life, Mom, sister, grandma, daughter, friend, bad house keeper and wife. It all works together, to make my heartbeat right, I hope you all are happy and have a peaceful night Poem By Janine Viken Pacheco, NDSCS Alumna

“My Fairytale” My fairytale has nothing to do with knights on white horses or getting kissed out of a coma or finding lost slippers at midnight... No, my fairytale contains competent people, dogs that don't die, and easy yoga. My fairytale has nothing to do with frogs or mice or dragons. No, my fairytale contains Mac labs, free frozen yogurt, and lots of strategic ideas. Poem By Sybil Priebe, NDSCS Associate Professor of English & Humanities

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Headwaters2016.