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*The Trans students produced a professional-looking and artfully crafted calendar for 2008. It's now available for sale for $7.00. Half the proceeds will be donated to the coummunity food bank, and the other half will cover production costs. Please contact Chiloe, our receptionist, if you'd like a copy. We've included a couple of the calendar pages so you can see what we're talking about.


Feb. 13,2008

We have another start to a beautiful day in Dixie (the nickname given to this region by early Mormon pioneers who envisioned a cotton growing economy similar to the one that once flourished in the "old south"). Temps are predicted to climb into the low 60's and melt a few more patches of snow in and around the area. (We had a dilly of a winter storm a couple of weeks ago, and the "desert rats" among us are happy about this belated warming trend).

A couple of weeks ago the trans students had a taste of what it's like to work on an assembly line, when all of us travelled to the local LDS food cannery for a few hours of canning beans for the needy who live within the five county area. Wearing hairnets, aprons, and gloves, each student was given a small repetitive task to perform, and instructed to stick with it until all the beans were canned. And, believe me, there were a lot of beans. It's this kind of hands-on volunteer service that teaches our students more about the meaning of "higher values," and what they "look like," than anything that's ever been published on the subject. Another, more ambitious student service campaign, which will last until the end of 2008 and beyond, is scheduled to begin next Saturday, 2/21. On that day, all available Trans students (those who don't have scheduling conflicts because of their off-campus jobs) will be going to Valley of Fire State Park near Lake Mead, Nv. for an entire day of helping Park officials with their landscaping needs. In exchange, the students will not only be privileged to spend the day in one of the southwest's premier state parks, but they will receive a souvenir or two for their efforts. Other nearby state and National parks have also expressed an interest in our "Have Free Student Service Will Travel" idea, and we're hoping to get a confirming email(s) from them soon.

Yesterday a few of our Trans students took in a half-day workshop at a nearby technical college in St. George. The event was dubbed, "The Reality Store," and it was designed for Washington county's youth at-risk population. Professionals from the community put together a program that was at once instructive, and most importantly, fun. Each of the students were told to visit a series of 12 booths which were set up to introduce them to different aspects of the "real world," and what they can expect to encounter when they're on their own. Each student then randomly received a slip of paper with a hypothetical profession written on it, and then challenged to make a monthly budget based on the average income for that job. One of our Trans students discovered he was a "groundskeeper," who made a monthly income of $990.00. He then had to go to each of the 12 volunteer manned booths and find out from each one what it would cost him per month for his "housing..."transporta-tion" ..."food," and so forth. Suffice it to say, he needed to get a "second job" in order to make ends meet. But he wasn't alone at the "Financial Aid" table. There were other young people like himself who had to get "second job." What was the clear message for these students? Get as much education and/or training as you can...and do it now! "65% of today's professions require some kind of training." I'm hoping more of our students will be able to attend "The Reality Store" the next time it's offered.

Other News: Welcome back, Tami! After nearly two months of convalescence, our unstoppable Lady Liaison has again returned to the fray with her customary smile and energy, making sure that each of your children's needs are being met in the way that you would expect them to be.

Remember folks, Parent Weekend is Mar. 7-9. Theme is "Shamrock at the Rock." It's a chance for all of you with a smidgin of green in your souls to start rehearsin' with us for St. Patty's Day!

Until next time,

Barry


April 30, 2008

Please don't ask me why we haven't had any Parent News lately. To spare us all some embarrasment, let's just say we had some "technical difficulties."

Let's see, where do we want to start? How about our last Parent Weekend in March? I spoke with Nanci and asked her if she could recall some highlights and this is what she had to say:

"It was the first time ever for our Native
American kids to "drum and dance" before an audience. The theme was "Shamrock at the Rock," and for dinner we had a traditional Irish meal, corn beef and cabbage, but no green jello, (thankfully!)."

I interrupted Nanci's waning nostalgia for the Shamrock show by asking her what she was planning for the next Parent Weekend (June 6-8). She said her theme was "Field of Dreams," and that she envisioned turning the back field on campus into a literal sand lot ball diamond, and using it for a Parent/Student team match-up. She would like the Trans students to serve the Saturday meal like real vendors do at major league ball parks, complete with peaked paper hats and waist-high food trays strapped around their necks.

Nanci also wanted me to tell you that one of our new staff, Xo Xiaoping on the Green Unit, has offered to start an aerobic dance class for the girl units. In addition to that, two other evening enrichment classes have been proposed. If everything works-out, one of the classes will be taught by an off-duty Washington County Deputy Sheriff who works at nearby Purgatory Prison. However, this class is not the kind of class you might think a Deputy Sheriff would teach. You see, this Deputy Sheriff happens to be a 61 year old woman who once danced with a professional ballet company for 23 years. Though admittedly past her prime as a dancer, her passion for dance is as strong as ever, which is why she wants to volunteer her time and talent to teach our young ladies the basics of that dance form. "You'd be surprised to know how much in common a professional ballet dancer has with the type of young woman who come to programs like your's," she remarked (or in words to that effect). I didn't think to ask her to elaborate on that statment at the time, but I'm wondering now if her own self-described passion for dance was anything like an addiction. But we'll save that question for another day. All of this to say, Red Rock's program curriculum is growing in culturally exciting directions!

Other news: Yesterday marked the first appearance on campus of a newly formed male unit. It joins with three others---Blue, Brick, and Steel---which have been functioning at near capacity now for the past few months. The name of the new unit is "Copper." The dozen boys who make up this new unit were drawn from the existing units as a way of lightening their respective loads. A sigh of relief from Staff and Students alike seems to best describe the reaction to this welcome change.

Recent off-campus service activities for our Transition Students included a day of chopping, shovelling and raking on the Arizona Trail, about a three hour drive from here. Beyond becoming acquainted with a variety native species of high desert wildlife, we may have also spotted a California Condor gliding off in the distance. It was a beautiful sunny day, but there is still some controversy as to which boys broke a sweat and which ones didn't The four Trans students who went with me (three from Brick, and one from Steel) were introduced to the realities of hard, "backbreaking" labor. However, after a few hours of it, they quickly got together and discovered new ways of leaning on a tool. (Perhaps they also gained a new appreciation for the value of a good education).

This coming Saturday we will once again be going out into the neighboring desert to do some volunteer clean-up work on the banks of the Virgin river.

Our mountain biking program is underway again after winding down for the winter. Two students from Blue Unit are eligible to go out riding twice a week, and they're loving it.

It's past dinner time. Hope to see you all for Parent Weekend. And don't forget to bring your mitts!

See you then,

Barry

June 24, 2008

If you were here for our last Parent Weekend, then you know that the entertainment part of our Saturday evening dinner show sorta...flopped. But not for a lack of effort! Thank you again, Nanci, for all of the time and energy you and your girls put into turning the west hall into a Field of Dreams, even if the dreams didn't turn out the way we had hoped. Also, thanks to the kitchen for adding to our rural Americana theme by serving up plate fulls of "meat and potatoes."

There was nothing disappointing, however, about the graduation that was held that same weekend. Four of our trans students received their certificates after successfully completing nearly a year of intensive PPC-centered treatment. One of the young men, from Brick unit, commented in his farewell speech about how his time at Red Rock had produced not only the kind of changes he felt would last him a lifetime, but how it had also given him a "second family" (of caring staff and peers) who had been there for him from the moment he realized he was ready for a "second birth."

The students on Transition have chalked-up l5 off-campus service activities since April of this year. We've "broken a sweat" doing everything from shovelling landscape rock at Valley of Fire State Park near Lake Meade, Nv., to recycling trash at Bryce Canyon National Park (which we turned into an overnight camp-out complete with tents without set-up instructions, a contest of who could eat the most smores, and stars peeking through the pines. What a great trip! But that's not all...eight students and staff will be heading out again this weekend for a two hour trek over a dirt road to Mt. Trumball, about 10 miles or so from a point looking down into the Grand Canyon. The BLM (Dept. of Interior) folks have asked us to help cut-out an invasive species of vegetation with the use of their fire tools. After a day of that in l00 degree temperatures, I'm sure they'll be ready to dive into an air conditioned all-you-can-eat buffet after we get back to "civilization."


By the time your child is ready to walk across the stage of the west hall to receive his/her graduation certificate, they'll have one more thing to be proud of...the blisters on their hands, and a better idea of what is meant by a "strong work ethic."

Our mountain biking program is on hold for the next few weeks...at least until I can get my right arm out of this cast. Hate to miss these early morning rides with my other riders, but that's the breaks.

Until next time...

Barry

I


January 14, 2008

Before we get into our '08 news, let me share a few December highlights with you.

*The December Parent Weekend (12/21-23) was judged a huge success by all who attended, and participated. Except for an administrator or two (whose identities will remain undisclosed), who were semi-chastened by Nanci (our tireless one woman PW production staff) for wearing blue jeans to the semi-formal dinner-show on Saturday night, everything else went off without a hitch. The meal was delicious, as usual. Thank you Marilyn, Raphael, & kitchen crew. FYI: I was informed by Shane, one of our talented staff, who was in charge of choreographing the dance numbers, that you can see the video of our student dancers on the U-Tube web site. Look for it under "Red Rock dancers." Hope to see another great turn-out at our next PW...Mar. 7-9th.


January news: Our trans students just returned from Brian Head ski resort on Saturday (1/12) after snowtubing their hearts out. It was a beautiful day at 9,000 feet elevation, over four feet of snow on the ground and lots of sunshine. For non-snowtubers like myself, the breathtaking views overlooking the vast red rock desert to the west was worth the trip alone. Plans for more "high-adventure"-type Trans activities are being made for the new year. Stay tuned.

*If you already haven't heard, Tami V., our beloved Parent Liaison, has been in the hospital for the past several days, but is now recovering at home with her family. Your prayers, emails, and cards are helping her to make the kind of gains we're all hoping for.
Please keep them coming.

That's it for now. Until next month...

Barry