Helping to make a difference
Bigfork students have gone the distance to help one of their own. More than 300 kids in kindergarten through eighth grade have been busy making art projects to raise money to help defray medical costs for 11-year-old Ember Fortuna.
Ember is battling cancer of the lymph nodes and a rare disease that has affected her immune system. She’s undergoing two types of chemotherapy and is expected to get a bone marrow transplant from her younger brother.
In a heart-warming show of compassion, the Bigfork students have created close to three dozen works of art — from quilts to painted furniture — that will be on display and auctioned off tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Bigfork Elementary School cafeteria.
These enterprising youngsters have put their hearts in the right place; now it’s up to the rest of us in the Flathead Valley to follow through and make sure their efforts weren’t for naught.
MORE EVIDENCE that the Montana education system is turning out superior students came last week from, of all places, New York City.
Kyle Smauch, a UM sophomore from Kalispell, and a fellow journalism student were recently honored on “Fox & Friends” for winning the Fox News College Challenge. The pair each won $5,000 scholarships and a $10,000 grant for the university for their news segment on the wolf-hunting controversy in Montana.
Schmauch is a 2010 graduate of Glacier High School, which no doubt also deserves some credit for his success. Oh yeah, and don’t forget: Schmauch started reading the newspaper every day when he was in the fifth grade! Now that is one smart kid.
A WATERY traffic accident last week was a case in point for the dangers of distracted driving.
The young man was texting on his cellphone when he drove his sports utility vehicle off River Road and into the Flathead River.
The driver, fortunately, was unharmed, although his vehicle was not. It required a five-hour water rescue for the SUV that had dropped to the bottom of the runoff-swollen river.
We’re glad this situation turned out OK for the driver, but his mishap should be a lesson that texting and driving don’t mix.