No debate about this dynasty
A final-round rally on Saturday propelled Columbia Falls to another state speech and debate championship and into uncharted territory as a dynasty.
With the come-from-behind triumph, Columbia Falls notched its fifth straight Class A championship. That’s a feat no other Class A school has ever accomplished.
The victory cements Columbia Falls’ reputation as a standard-bearer for excellence in the Montana speech and debate world — the school has won nine of the last 11 state meets.
Congratulations are due to the coaches and students for another impressive achievement.
IMPRESSIVE FEATS are carried on all the time in another academic realm: high school music.
The next time you go to a school band concert or listen to the pep band at a game or watch a drum-line performance, appreciate the effort put in by the director.
At each of the valley’s high schools, it’s a one-man or one-woman show for a band director. Each of them not only teaches classes all day but often lead rehearsals before and/or after school and oversees a plethora of ensembles and groups.
And they also direct their young musical charges at a host of concerts. One high school band director estimates he’s at 70 public performances a year.
These hard-working teachers who are devoted to music and young musicians deserve our applause for the long hours and dedication that too often goes unappreciated.
THE LONG self-imposed silence of J.D. Salinger ended last week when he died at the age of 92. The famous author of “The Catcher in the Rye” had not published anything since 1965, and he lived in virtual seclusion for even more years than that. He wanted to be left alone, and for the most part he got his wish.
But the lifetime of silence is far surpassed by the living legacy of the few published books that Salinger left behind.
There is indeed something pure and crystalline about Salinger’s writing that has given it a longevity far beyond what might be expected for the rather mundane stories that he tells. One could almost say that he possessed something of the alchemist’s craft — the ability to turn ordinary experience into extraordinary literature.
What remains to be seen is whether Salinger’s literary legacy will expand now that he has left us. There have been reliable reports that Salinger kept writing religiously after he departed from the public eye. Indeed, one New Hampshire neighbor said that Salinger had claimed to have written more than a dozen novels.
If so, it is possible that the next few years could see a literary firestorm of publicity for the J.D. Salinger brand unlike anything seen before. No one will be happier to have missed it than Mr. Salinger. May he rest in peace.