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Photo courtesy of Mayme Ohnemus State Senator Gary Stevens read to the children of the Cooper Landing Elementary School. Outside Senator Stevens meets with teacher Tommy Gossard, Jane Behlke, Mayme Ohnemus, Virginia Cooper, and Shannon Meredith. |
By Mona Painter
Turnagain Times Cooper Landing Correspondent
Cooper Landing Elementary School teacher Tommy Gossard wrote about the school for the September issue of Cooper Landing Gem, the local Chamber of Commerce newsletter. In the last Turnagain Times Cooper Landing column, I missed a typo which gave the student body 123 kids. In reality, 13 children spread from kindergarten to eighth grade started school. One student moved back to Germany earlier this month.
State Senator Gary Stevens visited CLES in late August and read to the children the Dr. Seuss story about Star-bellied Sneetches.
The school gym is now open from 8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. for walking weekdays, and on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for playtime.
Teacher Tommy gives special thanks “to all those who planned and participated in the fourth Annual Kenai River Regatta. The donation that was made to the Cooper Landing School is greatly appreciated. A special thank you also to Susanna LaRock for organizing the Bean Creek Clean-up, as well as the clean-up during the softball tournament.”
Deb Carlson, Sandra Key, and Theresa Norris continue to work on local trails for hiking, mountain biking, and skiing later on. They are looking into a trail groomer to help break up hard packed and icy trails and to extend spring skiing time. Help is appreciated on the trails themselves and with paperwork.
United States Forest Service District Ranger Jeni Evans from the Seward District worked at the library on Sept. 7 and so was available to meet informally with community members and to answer questions and discuss issues. She hopes to make this a monthly visit. You can contact her by email at jenievans@fs.fed.us.
Cooper Landing Community Club Secretary-treasurer Phil Weber will chair the Sept. 27 meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the community hall due to the absence of the president and vice president. On the agenda are calls for recommendations for the disposition of the $20,000 grant funds from the State to non-profit entities and for capital improvement priorities for 2008. Cooper Landing Senior Citizens Corp. Inc. has asked for CLCC support for their new housing phase. Brief reports on recent activities of local groups, and regarding the cemetery, television reception, and games of chance are also on the agenda.
Thanks to Bill Fort and Duane Ohnemus for spotting and then fixing the problem with the fuel oil tank and the rigid copper tubing going into the stove in the community hall. The tank had settled putting stress on the line in which they replaced with flexible tubing.
Cooper Landing Museum is now open by appointment by calling 595-1248 or when someone is working there. Lorraine Temple will be at the museum occasionally for a week or so. Vicki Berry became the most avid volunteer this summer. She gladly filled in for regularly scheduled museum workers accompanied by her little dog Annie. Jarrett Berry is enjoying his leave from the Navy here in Cooper Landing and elsewhere. He’s climbed Exit Glacier near Seward and fished in Homer. He told his folks; Vicki said that it was like living in the Discovery channel.