The end of an era at Linderman

The last days of Linderman School as a single-grade oasis for students are winding down.

The unique school setup at Linderman - only seventh-grade students - ends at the conclusion of this school year. Next year seventh-graders will attend Kalispell Middle School.

It has been an interesting and rewarding 38 years for Linderman's single-grade setup. Housing only one grade made it, in the words of one longtime teacher, "more a personal school."

It was a school where students were allowed to grow up at their own rate, independent of the pressures of younger or older students. Teachers and students alike are almost unanimous in their glowing assessments and fond memories of Linderman.

A common refrain from former students: "This was the best year of my life in school."

The interesting back story to Linderman was that the seventh-grade solution was only supposed to be temporary back in 1969 - temporary until a new high school was built.

"Temporary" lasted a few decades longer than expected - until 2007 when that high school was ready.

So there are plenty of emotions wrapped up in the last days of Linderman, and we suspect the current graduating class will take many happy memories with them to the new middle school.

Army veteran Charles Baker Jr. talked to the Inter Lake this week about his experiences during the Vietnam War, and how grateful he was to receive an award recently that acknowledged the hardships he has endured as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange.

The United States used the herbicide to defoliate thick jungles during the war, and our soldiers were widely exposed to the chemical agent as well. Unfortunately, it proved to have long-lasting and debilitating health effects. Baker, for instance, suffers from chronic heart and lung problems that have left him 100 percent disabled.

The Order of the Silver Rose is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the victims of Agent Orange, who had to fight for government recognition for many years after their fighting in the jungle was over.

As we enter Memorial Day weekend, let's remember the sacrifices of soldiers like Baker, as well as the many others who did not come home at all from Vietnam or from the other battles they fought for their country.