Artists, performers demonstrate skills

Area artists will be demonstrating “The Art of Art” throughout downtown Florence Saturday.

Artists will be demonstrating how they accomplish their works while working at several downtown businesses.

The artists will demonstrate ceramics and potter, painting, fiber arts, glass, jewelry metal, music, painting, photography and other skills from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to fine arts, performance art includes two performances by “2+2=5” and student recitals at Fremont School of the Arts.

Schedules are found posted throughout the downtown area. The full schedule is also available at www.florencecitizen.com.

The event is sponsored by the Florence Arts Council and cooperating downtown Florence merchants.

Re-2 teachers honored by students

By Michelle Marriott

Citizen staff writer

This year two Re-2 School District teachers will be honored for inspiring students at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Eighth Annual Teacher Celebration.

Fremont Middle School Teacher Juanita Monett and Fremont Elementary School Teacher John Wysong are among 11 southeastern Colorado teachers to be honored at a ceremony along with the students who nominated them May 4 at the university’s campus.

The teachers selected were chosen based on letters their students submitted to a contest sponsored by the university’s Teacher Education Program. In keeping with the contest’s theme, “Great Teachers Inspire the Minds of the Future,” students were asked to write about their most inspiring teacher. Eighth Grader Cortlyne Huppe and Fifth Grader Michaela Metcalf, the students who wrote the essays nominating Monett and Wysong, cited their teacher’s encouragement and patience as virtues that inspired them.

In her essay, Huppe explains how Monett made her look forward to a class on a subject she has trouble with. Monett is Huppe’s algebra teacher.

 “Mrs. Monett’s class is my all time favorite. It’s unbelievably entertaining. I look forward to it all day. I just wish I had it twice,” Huppe said.

In addition to Monett’s entertaining and humorous classes, she is also caring and patient, Huppe added. On one occasion Huppe stayed after school to seek assistance with an Algebra problem. Huppe worked for nearly an hour while Monett and her husband waited. Monett and her husband were planning to attend a party afterwards, Huppe explained in her essay.

“She never once asked me to hurry up, made that annoying sound people make when they want someone to notice something or tapped her foot. So once I finished, it dawned on me that I used up her time, not mine,” Huppe said.

When Wysong received his letter informing him of the honor, he nearly threw it away without opening it but thought it could be information regarding a student teacher he will be working with next year, he said.

“I thought it was very sweet that Michaela did that,” he said.

The thing Wysong appreciates the most is not the award but having a student acknowledge that he has impacted their life, he added.

Metcalf also was struggling with Math and one day when Wysong asked to see her after school she worried she might have to move down a Math class, she explained in her essay. When the school day ended Metcalf approached Wysong worried what he was going to say.

“I got tears in my eyes, but then I heard him say, “Michaela you’re not bad at Math. You just don’t have enough self confidence,” she wrote.

After that he taught Metcalf multiplication and division and spent every Wednesday after school studying with her.

Wysong won’t be able to attend the university’s teacher celebration ceremony because he and his wife are taking a diving class and will be spending eight hours in the pool. Despite their efforts they were unable to reschedule the class.

“I’m disappointed I don’t get to go,” he said.  

Penrose Centennial Committee meets

The Penrose Centennial Committee will hold another meeting May 5 at the Wells Fargo Bank Community Room to plan Penrose’s 2009 centennial celebrations.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. The committee invites all community members to attend the meeting and to help plan centennial activities, such as a quilt show, time capsule, old-fashioned Fourth of July, community concert, history exhibits, school reunion, driving tour and more.

Sherry Johns and Vern Roberts will present their PowerPoint presentation, “The Early History of Penrose and Penrose Schools.” Refreshments will be served and door prizes will be awarded.

In the 1860s the settlements of Glendale, Toof and Beaver formed along Beaver Creek. It wasn’t until 40 years later when people started settling the mesa, where Penrose now is. In May 1909, the post offices in the smaller communities were closed and a new post office was opened in Penrose. The community received its name after area residents petitioned to name the new post office Penrose.

The centennial celebration is sponsored by the Penrose Chamber of Commerce. For more information contact Johns at 372-9675 or Roberts at 372-6846.

Camerlo re-elected to top dairy post

Tom Camerlo, a dairy farmer from Florence, was re-elected to his sixth term as chairman of the board of directors for Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA). The election was held on March 19, at the conclusion of DFA’s 10th Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo.

Camerlo has served as DFA’s chairman since 2003. He is the chairman of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, serves on the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade and is on the board of Dairy Management, Inc. He has owned and operated Camerlo Dairy since 1963.

 “I am honored and privileged to serve as DFA’s chairman,” Camerlo says. “We had a successful annual meeting, and are eager to continue working on behalf of the 18,000 members we represent. The board looks forward to addressing new challenges and opportunities for DFA and the dairy industry this year.”

Camerlo was also appointed to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade, it was announced recently by Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer.

Camerlo was among those private-sector members recently appointed to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade (APAC) and six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees for Trade (ATAC).  U.S. agricultural exports are forecast to reach a record $101 billion for fiscal year 2008, up $10 billion from November's forecast and an unprecedented $19 billion above 2007.

 “America’s agricultural trade is a strongly successful part of our country’s economy producing food for millions of hungry people around the world,” said Schafer.  “Our producers stand ready to provide the best-quality products to overseas markets at competitive prices. Each advisory committee member brings expertise and unique knowledge ensuring that American farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses are competing in world markets with full government support and smart objectives.”

Congress established the advisory committees in 1974 to ensure a private-sector voice in establishing U.S. agricultural trade policy objectives to reflect U.S. commercial and economic interests.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative jointly manage the committees. Members of each committee will serve until Jan. 28, 2012. 

The APAC provides advice and information to the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative on negotiating objectives, bargaining positions and other matters related to the development, implementation and administration of U.S. agricultural trade policy.  The ATACs offer technical advice and information on specific commodities.

Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. is a dairy marketing cooperative that serves and is owned by more than 18,000 dairy farmers in 48 states. DFA is one of the country’s most diversified manufacturers of dairy products, food components and ingredients, and is a leader in formulating and packaging shelf-stable dairy products.

For more information, call 1-888-DFA-MILK (332-6455) or visit www.dfamilk.com.