See the complete story

We have printed the complete story at www.mitchellwebs.com/aje.htm.

The blog format was a little confining for a story this long, and for the number of pictures.

On the Road to Chalmette - Hermitage

The road to Chalmette from Columbus passes through Nashville, and you can't make that trip without stopping at the Hermitage - Andrew Jackson's home, a few miles outside Nashville.

I was greeted by guides from the Ladie's Hermitage Association dressed as the ladies dressed when Andrew Jackson returned from Washington at the end of his two terms as President of the United States. It was 1815 When Andrew Jackson, Old Hickory, led his troops to victory in the area near today's New Orleans is situated. The actual battle was fought very close to the site of today's Andrew Jackson Elementary School.

The Last few days before New Orleans

It has been a busy last few days with collecting donations and packing the van for the trip to New Orleans. The class is to be congratulated for the outstanding job they did collecting money and supplies to go down to the kids in Andrew Jackson Elementary. Outstanding was my word for the over $444 presented to me this morning to deposit in the bank and use to buy school supplies.
Now it is time to complete the packing of an overstuffed van, and get ready for departure on Friday. The schedule calls for meeting Mrs. Schultz's class at 8:00 am on Monday.

Getting Ready for New Orleans

Thanks to all the hard work from the class in raising money and donating supplies for Mrs. Schultz's class at Andrew Jackson Elementary in Chalmette, LA. The class has had two fund raising events at Granby Elementary: They made and sold Buckeyes, and raised over $100. Then, the whole school participated in "Wear you hat in school day," when the kids could wear hats (mainly in support of the Ohio State Buckeyes) in school all day, on the day of the national championship day. The catch was that it cost a one dollar donation to the Andrew Jackson Elementary Charity Fund.

Next week, I load the van with many, many cases of supplies for the school, and head for New Orleans to deliver the supplies. The school even arranged for me to stay a couple of nights in a FEMA trailer, the trailers in which thousands of survivors of Katrina still live.

Info on the school we are helping

Andrew Jackson Elementary is the result of the post Katrina reorganization of the schools in St. Bernard Parish (Parish in Lousiana is like our county, not a religious organization).

Prior to Katrina there were three high schools, three middle schools and seven elementary schools. Now there is one high school and one elementary school. The elementary is the one with which we are working. Andrew Jackson is housed in one of the former high school, and holds 2,000 students.

St. Bernard's Parish had 65,000 residents before the storm fifteen months ago, and today has 20,000. It was the hardest hit of all parishes, with no home, school, or business left unflooded or destroyed.

There are many deserving people and organizations in the area, but our fourth grade class at Granby Elementary wanted to connect with another fourth grade. There are eleven fourth grades in Andrew Jackson. It looks like we have found a group which is truly in need.

Compassion in New Orleans

This is a picture of hurricane Katrina just before the eye of the storm hit the coast. It was already producing havoc on shore with the high winds, rain and storm surge.

Severe damage extended over 100 miles from the path of the storm's eye.

This month our word for discussion is "Compassion" and we have an outstanding opportunity to be compassionate with a very needy group of kids. In New Orleans a little over a year ago, hurricane Katrina devastated the schools as well as the lives of countless thousands.

Working with the School Board in New Orleans, I have found a fourth grade class where student after student can relate the horror stories associated with the storm. 2000 elementary students are crowded into a former high school. Note the river wrapping around the area of New Orleans where the school is located, and Hurricane Katrina just about to hit land.

Mrs. Schultz's class is one of eleven fourth grades at Andrew Jackson Elementary School. (A in the map above) Having found Mrs. Schultz, I emailed a few questions about how we might help her and her class. This was her response:

Dear Mr. Mitchell,

"I love the idea behind Circle of Grandparents. Many of our students are now separated from family members that they used to live near by. Many families are still dislocated to other parts of the state or out of state. In St. Bernard, we have always scored lowest on vocabulary. I love the idea of incorporating vocabulary and character.

Now, what can I tell you about my class or myself? I have 22 students. I have some students who actually stayed behind for Katrina. One of my students hung
onto a tree for hours with his parents. Most of my students and myself are still not living in our homes.

We live in 8 X 24 foot travel trailers. The school provided all needed supplies for the students at the beginning of the year. However, now it needs to be replaced by the parents. Are you interested in provided school supplies like paper and so on?

After teaching for 24 years, I had so many teaching resources at my fingertips. I lost it all in Katrina. I had a printer in my classroom and computer software--gone! Let me know what if I am going in the right direction for you. I will then send a list of supplies needed.

Please know how much your thoughtfulness is appreciated. The only thing that has gotten us through this ordeal is the kindness of strangers like yourself.

With appreciation,
Donna Schultz

We will be working with Mrs. Dicke's class on Monday, December 18th to talk about ways we can show compassion to this class. I'll bet we have some great ideas!

Compassion

The word for this month is Compassion, and there are many opportunities to practice compassion during the holiday season. It is a time for giving, and giving does not only mean giving money or gifts. During our class session in December, we will be talking about the many ways that children can show compassion to others.

Melanie receives her prize

Yesterday, Melanie received a box of Buckeye Balls and two packages of Scarlet and Gray M & M's as her prize for being the only student to guess the exact sum of the OSU and Michigan scores. She also received a round of applause from the class.

Melanie Wins the Football Contest

We had a contest to see who could guess the total combined scores from the Ohio State-Michigan game, and Melanie hit it right on the nose. 42 plus 39 is 81, and that was her guess. You can see all the guesses at www.mitchellwebs.com/osu-michigan.htm.

OSU-Michigan Contest

During our class on November 15th, we kicked off a contest to see who could come the closest to guessing the total combined scores of OSU and Michigan at Saturday's game. The chart of the names and guesses are posted on the website at www.mitchellwebs.com/osu-michigan.htm.

There is a prize for the winner(s), so keep a close eye on the game.

Self-Discipline

Today in class we are going to discuss self-discipline. As a part of the exercise we will look at the idea of setting goals, and having the self-discipline to stick to a plan which will allow a student to reach his or her goals. I have some great quotes from the astronaut, Al Worden, who I met at the Kennedy Space Center during my recent trip there.

We are also going to try a few arithmetic exercises which should fun. Guess the total score of the OSU Michigan game (add both team's scores), and the one who is closest wins a prize. The second is to find out who would have more money at the end of a month, if one student received $10,000 per day and the other received a penny on day one but doubled the gift each day. Do you know?

Daytona Speedway and Kennedy Space Center

If you are a NASCAR fan, this is a great place to visit. You can take a tram ride out on the track, and get a real feel for what it is like. For an even more realistic feeling, go into one of the simulators in the exhibit hall. One will even turn you upside down if you flip the simulated car you are driving. (SEAT BELTS, PLEASE)

After visiting Daytona for a day I enjoyed visiting the Kennedy Space Center, which is about an hour's drive south. This is a picture of the Vertical Assembly building where they are presently getting ready for the December 7th launch of the Space Shuttle. It is hard to tell from the picture, but that flag is twenty-one stories tall!

My tour included a lunch and photo op with Astronaut Al Worden. He piloted the command module on Apollo 15, which was the first to bring the Lunar Rover to the moon. He gave a great talk, and it was a priviledge to meet him.

I was having trouble updating the pictures on the website, but all is better now. You can find the pictures from Kennedy combined with the shots from Daytona Beach at: www.mitchellwebs.com/daytona-kennedy.htm. The St. Augustine pictures are still at www.mitchellwebs.com/staugustine.htm.

Leaving St. Augustine

Today, I move on to Daytona Beach, but the pictures (some of them) are posted at www.mitchellwebs.com/staugustine.htm

Sightseeing in St. Augustine

Henry Flagler built this beautiful, Spanish style building as a luxury hotel in 1885. Flagler had become a successful businessman, making money in the grain business he started in Ohio. Later he became a partner with John D. Rockefeller and together they formed the Standard Oil Company. He became unbelievably wealthy.

On his honeymoon in 1884, he came to St. Augustine where he saw the business potential in the area. When the hotel was under construction in 1885, he bought the Florida East Coast railroad, and then extended it from Jacksonville to St. Augustine. Eventually he extended it all the way to Key west. The hotel finally closed in 1967. However, Flagler heirs donated the building and $20,000,000 to form the college.

I went on a tour of the building, and saw some beautiful architecture. All of the walls are rich, dark paneling. All of the hotel windows are made Tiffany, very famous for his glass designs for windows and popular glass shaded lamps. The windows in the schools cafeteria are insured for $33,000,000, and have bulletproof, hurricane-proof outer glass protecting them. This is one of the panels from those windows in the student cafeteria.

The hotel was the first to be built with electricity, and Thomas Edison, a friend of Flagler’s, designed the system. People were so afraid of the new technology, the hotel furnished staff people to go to rooms to operate the light switches.

I've taken over 200 pictures, and I hope to add a story to the website in a few days. So far, I haven't been able to take the time to work on the pictures. I thought it was going to rain today, but the sun came out. It's back to sightseeing.

I will be posting pictures from this trip at www.mitchellwebs.com/staugustine.htm.

A day in St. Augustine, Florida

The first thing I did after spending a few hours in St. Augustine was to extend my hotel reservation from three days to four. I can see that this wonderful town deserves plenty of time. I toured the town on the "tourist trolley" which gives you a guided tour to all the things to see, so you can then enjoy the sites one at a time. Then I went sailing on a 72-foot, topsail, schooner called Freedom. I've taken 160 pictures so far, and will share them with you as soon as I get some time. Right now, I have this one of me at the helm of the Scooner. This was great fun, after a morning of sightseeing.

I hope I can carve out some time to get many of the pictures on the website. Maybe tonight after dinner.

Grandpa Mitch on Florida Trip

Grandpa Mitch is on a trip to Florida, going to three cities that I have never visited before - St. Augustine, Daytona Beach and the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville. Each city has many interesting things to see. I hope you enjoy following along with me. I will be posting pictures on our website tomorrow - http://www.mitchellwebs.com/dicke.htm. Click on Grandpa Mitch's Trips when you get to the page.

Southwest Airlines flight took me from Columbus to Orlando, Florida, the site of Disneyland. I didn't stop there. I rented a car and drove east to the coast, arriving at St. Augustine about 6:30 pm. St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States, having been founded by Ponce de Leon during his quest for the fountain of youth. He discovered the area in 1513, and claimed it for Spain. Between 1513 and 1563 Spain lau;nched six expeditions to settle Florida, but all failed. Finally, King Phillip II of Spain sent his most experienced admiral, Don Pedro Menendez as Governor of Florida. He arrived off the coast on August 28th, 1565 on th Feast Day of St. Augustine. Eleven days later, he and 600 soldiers and settlers landed at the site of the Timucuan Indian village of Seloy. He quickly built a fort at the villiage and renamed it St. Augustine.

I’m lucky so far, because the weather is beautiful – clear skies and 70 degrees. I was able to eat outside last night at Harry's Seafood Grill, where I met a man and his wife who had just sailed their sailboat from Nova Scotia in Canada to St. Augustine. They had some great stories to tell.

More information will follow, after I tour the city today. It's only 5:45 am, and I'm waiting for the hotel restaurant to open.

Responsibility Class October

Today we used a fun project to teach the importance of understanding what is expected when one accepts a responsibility, and the importance of "doing what you said you would do" once you accept a responsibility.

We created a company with the goal of erecting a Tinker-Toy building in one minute. Everyone in the class had a job in the company from treasurer, purchasing agent, architect, sub-assembly manufacturer, construction, quality control etc. We also had suppliers and bankers who had a part.

Everyone needed to understand their part in the construction, before we began erecting the structure, and everyone did their job perfectly. We had our building up in fifty-eight seconds, and it passed the stringent quality control requirements of Mrs. Dicke.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS!!!

Trip to New River Gorge

We took a beautiful three-day trip to West Virginia this week to visit the New River Gorge. I've posted several pictures on the website at www.mitchellwebs.com/new_river_wv.htm if you are interested. This is a great place for a family vacation, and I hope you like the pictures.

Day Trip to Hocking Hills

I took a day trip down to Hocking Hills today, so I could take some pictures of the beautiful scenery with the Fall colors. If you would like to see the pictures, go to www.mitchellwebs.com/hocking_hills.htm.

It is a great place for a family outing - not to far from Columbus, FREE, and filled with caves, waterfalls, and hiking trails. It is great at any season of the year.

Flags made by the class

As part of the session on Respect, members of the class were given an opportunity to make flags of their own design. They could represent their family, the class, the school, a pet or virtually anything they wanted. All of the flags made were scanned into the computer and posted on the website at http://www.mitchellwebs.com/kids_personal_flags.htm, if you would like to see them. Ryan did some extra special work on his flag, which you can see on the website.

Responsibility - Word for Oct

This month we will be talking about responsibility, and I look forward to visiting with you. Today, if found an interesting website which had the following list of actions which will help you be a responsible person. What do you think about the list?

1. Be reliable and dependable; when you agree to do something, do it.

2. Take care of your own business. Don't make others do what you are supposed to do.

3. Take responsibility for your actions; don't make excuses or blame others. Use your head;

4. think before you act; imagine the consequences.

How to Add Your Comments

At the bottom of each posting, you will notice "Grandpa Mitch, the date, and the number of comments" on that topic. If you click on the word "Comments", a pop up window gives you a place to type your comments. Once you have typed your the comments, click on "Other" under the "Chose an identity", then enter your name or a screen name you would like to use. Finally click on Post. Please remember that your comments can be seen by anyone on the Internet. Good Manners Matter. Thank you.

Beautiful Lakes in Canada

This is Malagne Lake near Jasper Alberta. We enjoyed a day of hiking on trails next to the lake. Some people brought their canoes, and had lots of fun in the water. In the winter, Jasper is a popular ski resort town.

This picture is of Bow Lake, one of the beautiful lakes north of Banff, Alberta, Canada on the way to Jasper. Jasper was our second stop.

This is a picture of Lake Louise, a very famous place for tourists to stop when traveling in the Canadian Rockies. It is located about a half an hour north of Banff, Alberta, Canada. What looks like snow in the mountains is really a glacier. We were able to hike along the water's edge for two miles.

Respect for the environment and the national parks in every country will help preserve these beautiful places for future generations to enjoy.

Wild Animals in Canada

We saw many great examples of wild life in the Canadian Rockies. The Dahl Sheep or Mountain Sheep, Moose, Elk and Bear are shown below. The park rangers asked us to "Respect" the animals by staying at least 100 meters away. I was lucky to have a zoom lens on my camera, so the pictures make the animals look closer than they were.

This family walked right past our car, down the middle of the highway. I think some of them would have come to the car to eat, and that shows somebody was not respecting the rules which ban feeding of wild animals.

This group cut across the road behind our car, and I was able to get out for a shot just as they were jumping down a very steep slope.

This beautiful cow moose was 100 yards away, but never moved while we watched her for five minutes. Again, a telephoto lens is important for getting good wildlife pictures.

The elk was right on the edge of town in Banff, and we shot the picture through an open window.
You asked for a picture of the bear, and here it is. This bear was eating berries, just few hundred yards from the side of the road. We were traveling about twenty-five miles north of Banff, Alberta, Canada at the time, and I zoomed in with my digital camera.

We also tried to respect the environment by not leaving any trash while we traveled through or hiked in the wilderness. Campers have a saying "pack it in and pack it out." That means take everything out of the woods that you bring into it.

Respect Class - September

We had some great discussions on the topic of "Respect" last Wednesday. Much of my part of the session dealt wtih respect for our flag as a symbol of our wonderful country. Two pictures of the original American Flags were printed and handed out to all the students, information on the history of the flag, and everyone received an American Flag to take home.

We spent a considerable time discussing the night of shelling at Ft. McHenry which prompted Francis Scott Key to write a poem which provided the words for our National Anthem.

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

George Washington flew this flag over his headquarters before the official American Flag was designed. The upper left-hand corner was designed after the British "Union Jack" flag.

The first American Flag approved by Congress in 1777. Betsy Ross, who sat next to George Washington in church and did some sewing for him, was selected to sew the flag. She made many improvements in the rough design submitted by the "flag committee" including making it wider and changing from six-point to five-point stars.

I was very impressed with the knowledge the students brought to the class regarding the flag. Many students have relatives who are serving or have served in the military, and they were particularly knowledgeable about the traditions of the flag and how it is respected at military ceremonies. Two of the students had casket flags in their homes, from relatives who had served in the military and were honored with a military funeral.

During the second half of the class, the children presented their answers to two questions: Who do you respect, and why? (pick one person as an example) and What do you do to earn the respect of others. Parents, teachers and best friends led the list of answers to the first question, and following the "golden rule" led the second.

As a follow up, the kids are working on a fun project - they are designing and coloring a flag of their own. They will bring them to class next Wednesday, so I can pick them up. Then we will publish the best (which may be all) designs to our class website - www.mitchellwebs.com/dicke.htm.

Introducing Grandpa Mitch

This is my computer work desk, and I look forward to receiving comments from all the kids in the class. Many of you are probably way ahead of me in using Blogs, but learning new things is always fun. If you are new to Blogs, we can learn together. If you are ahead, you can teach me.

I'm looking forward to returning for my third year as a Circle of Grandparents volunteer in a Mrs. Dicke's fourth grade class at Granby Elementary School in the Worthington, Ohio. For the past two years, it was a pleasure to work with these wonderful kids teaching Citizenship and Character traits from the perspective of a grandparent.

Each month, Circle of Grandparents volunteers share their life experiences with their "adopted class" discussing the "word for the month" from a list as developed by the Partnership for Citizenship and Character in Worthington. Words such as Respect, Honesty, Compassion, etc.

The volunteer's remarks dovetail with the school's program to emphasise the word of the month. This year we are trying a Blog as a place to share ideas and receive feedback from the class. Let me know what you think, kids, and feel free to share your own experiences. the Bolg also provides a forum for parents to see into the program, and make comments and suggestions. Grandpa Mitch