Holy Spirit

This past Sunday we remembered the first Pentecost. When a mighty wind filled the room, and men of God were empowered to speak new languages and proclaim the resurrection Good News of Jesus. In Baptism, God's charges our lives with His spirit for good works and witness to His saving grace. Be empowered.

This will be my last blog. In fact, I am having trouble with the site. It suggests that I have spam on my blog and it needs to be reviewed.

Thank you parents, students, staff, and supporters of OLL. I am more than grateful for my time in your midst. You have welcomed me and shared the love of learning with me and our students. I especially want to thank Mrs. Marita and Ms. Shields for our partnership in the junior high. I will miss sharing each day with you, but we will always be friends. I am not leaving Ashland. In fact, I intend to spend more time with my parents so you might see me eating "lunch" out occasionally.

Since we are still in the throes of this school year, it is difficult for me to truly reflect and express my thoughts about my time here, but it has been a great gift to my life.

May God bless and keep all of you who read this....and the staff and students at Our Lady of the Lake. There is something special going on at this school, and I pray that you can make you and your family part of this adventure of faith.

p.s. 8th graders graduate on June 10th at the 6 p.m. Mass. Pray for our new graduates. Don't forget to order a yearbook too ($10). Included in this book will be a tribute to Father Conan, dedication to Father Frank, and photos of the Ashland Oredock. Thanks again.

Law and Gospel

Our faith has two components that seem at odds with each other: Law.... and Gospel. But in reality, we need both to experience both. The Law is a compass to guide our actions and inform us when we step outside of God's plan for our well-being. The Gospel offers forgiveness and a promise that our relationship with a holy God is intact even when we make mistakes or are "bad." May we find the right balance to live holy "commandment" lives in the knowledge of God's grace and mercy.

Grades 6, 7, and 8 have vocabulary this week. There are some changes due to field trips, etc. Grade 6 work is due Thursday. Also descriptive essays are due Wednesday.
Grades 7, and 8 vocabulary due on Friday. Cartoons will be presented in class on Wednesday.

Geography students are doing cabin/lake presentations. This is part of our study of freshwater to create conversations about the need to care for sources of freshwater.

FIELD TRIP Thursday: Grade 8 will travel to Minneapolis on Thursday. We will meet at the Junior High building on at 7 a.m. and head for the cities to the Twins/Red Sox baseball game. Please be sure that I have your permission slip and $20 for baseball ticket. Bring other money for food, beverages, etc. Should be fun! I think we may get back about 8 to 9 p.m. Join us in praying for safe travel.... for all OLL students on field trips.

8th grade: note other dates for yearbook, graduation reservations, etc. We have few days left of this school year. Thanks.

The Call is out....

We are called to be the sons and daughters of our Holy God. To bear His story of forgiveness and our story of faith that others may be drawn into his family. Let us hear the call and say "yes."


The call is also out to our junior high scientists to showcase their projects tomorrow in the gym. Please come and support these scholars and learn from their research. Mrs. Marita continues to provide instruction and support in this high-stakes assignments. Thank you for your part in their success.


I also had the chance to hear another call--bird calls. Our Lady of the Lake bird callers (Grades 4 and 5) made a good showing at the Visitor's Center Tuesday night. Congratulations to all who participated and the winners. Mrs. Marita and parents had worked with this group to develop presentations and costumes. The event was informative and enjoyable.

Thank you for helping our students stay strong academically in this final quarter of this school year. Please send any photos that you would like us to publish in the yearbook.

The Water is Fine

In geography we are finishing up individual country reports. These presentations have been informative as students picked countries they had a keen interest in. Our next study will be "freshwater" with a focus on Lake Superior. I appreciated Father Paul's musing on water (and a fountain) in this week's bulletin. Helps me to appreciate God's handprint on creation as well as his print on our lives. Jump in... the water is fine.

Grade 6 is off to island camp this morning. We will be praying for this outdoor opportunity to learn and have fun together.

Grade 7 and 8 vocabulary words this week are focused on our study of water and our English assignments with soliloquies and constructing a cartoon. This assignment is due Friday.... except Grade 7 will have their spelling test on Thursday.

FRIDAY is the science fair in the afternoon. Please come and learn from our scientists... and celebrate their good work. I know first-hand that Mrs. Marita has been cheerleading and instructing students for weeks on this high quality academic project.

Other events: bring in photos you would like in the yearbook this year. Also May 19th Greg Alexander will be here to do an art class with Grades 7 and 8. May 28th, 8th graders will do a trip to Mpls. to the Twins/Red Sox game. We are also waiting to hear dates from Bro. Tom for a day trip to the Iron River cabin.

As this school year winds down, we intend to keep teaching right up to the last days. The final day will be used to clean up classrooms, lockers, etc. Thank you parents for supporting the work we are doing here to education your children.

I am the bread of life

As part of Easter, we continue to consider Jesus and His words: I am the bread of life. As I was sharing with students the idea of the bread is the Eucharist, I realized the Eucharist is the entire sentence.... I am the bread of life. Jesus is the "I am" the "bread" and giver of earthly and eternal "life." Let us draw near daily, weekly, monthly, yearly to receive the .... I am the bread of life. This sacrament is food for our lives and for our souls.

Students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 shared their "color" poems: displayed on a palette. We celebrated the good words and visuals of our poets with applause and publishing their work on the bulletin board. Now we are working on "ice cream" poetry... flavoring our lines with tongue twisters and words of alliteration.

In Geography we are working on individual country reports. Yesterday Mrs. MaryBeth Monroe came from the Chamber of Commerce and told the students how to "market" your country... she used the marketing of Ashland as an example. Her instructions and advice were very helpful.

Don't forget to ask your students about their Science Fair project. Next week is the deadline for in-class presentations. Please offer your support and encouragement for this high-quality academic opportunity. Thanks so much.

Events on the calendar:
We are working on tickets for the Twins-Red Sox game on May 28th. We also want to do a field trip to Prentice Park, the Friar's cabin in Iron River, and perhaps an 8th grade luncheon. Also the yearbook is under construction so we need photos please. We will also bring some (or all) junior high students to Good Shepherd next Thursday for the National Day of Prayer. Hope you get to enjoy the smelt fry tonight! An annual ritual for many of us upnorth.

Power of the Cross

Yesterday students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 read and discussed Anne Spencer's poem: White Things. This poem was written during the Harlem Renaissance (late 1920's) and raises questions about how "power" is attached to race-skin color. With anger, Spencer takes events of the time to make a strong point. In class, we then talked about diversity and "power." These are hard questions that call for creative and new answers that all people may know justice and equity.

Jesus also walked and talked an unusual rendering of power- power of the cross. It often meant silence instead of defense, healing rather than hate, poverty rather than wealth, being last rather than being first. In this time in our culture where many are hurting and uncertainly seems more normal than certainty, may we offer quiet listening, healing, poverty of spirit, and a willingness to be last... and even misunderstood. True power transcends the trappings of this world, but rather is attached to an eternal way of living. Let Easter resurrect our resolve to be more like Jesus.

Grades 6, 7, and 8 are working on "color" poems. Crafting poetry helps us to better appreciate the beauty and the influence it has on our lives. After white winter, our lives are hungry for MORE color. Students are saying it with poetic verse.

In Geography, students will begin working on a country report of their choice. Tuesday and Wednesday we did activities related to Earth Day.

Thank you colleagues and students for your many birthday wishes. I felt deeply blessed by your expressions. With God's help, I look forward to another year of growing in relationships and faith.

Road to Emmaus

Today we heard the story of Jesus' encounter with disciples on the road to Emmaus. This narrative is amazing for so many reasons. The concern of the disciples, Jesus joining them, the invitation to stay the night, the walk of 7 miles, the breaking of bread, the recognition of Jesus, the statement did not our hearts burn within us... and then the disciples returning to Jerusalem (7 more miles that very night) to join others and share the news: He is Risen Indeed! May we do likewise. Tell the story to those around us, invite others to break bread, and pray we may all see Jesus and proclaim: He is Risen Indeed!

Welcome back students after an Easter weekend. I traveled to Seattle and had a good visit with our son, his wife, and our two lovely granddaughters. Our Easter worship together at St. Joseph Catholic Church was one of the highlights.

For English, we continue to analyze poetry: literary devices, the quality of words, the themes....
Students will share haikus and water-color posters on Friday.

In Geography we just finished up our unit on Sahara desert life. Time and time again we came back to food resources, heat of sun, and availablity of water and how these factors influence how people live. Students shared nomadic campsites, and folk tales.

Yes, we are on the eternal road of faith. Easter assures us that Jesus walks with us... and the outcome to this journey is secure. Join His church on earth to proclaim: He is Risen Indeed!
Happy Easter.