The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

#1 Buddy Day- As a new teacher here, I was indoctrinated into this tradition through trial by fire as I was on recess duty that day. There I was on the playground with 60 or so elementary kids, just barely mastering all their names, add to that 60 or so Junior High/High School kids who I had no clue about. I feared it would be chaos, but that didn’t happen. What did happen was pure magic, and it happens every year during Buddy Day. The Big Buddies and Little Buddies have so much fun having lunch and playing at recess together that I would be hard-pressed to tell you which side benefits from the experience more. I’ve watched them gather them up into a big game of football or soccer, push them on the swing or just walk around and talk. And when they huddle up at the end of recess and do some cheers...it gives me goosebumps every time.

#2 The Fire Truck Rides- This is something that until you see it for yourself, and really until you have a child of your own that does it, you can’t fully understand it. It is another magical part of the day. Fire trucks and ambulances all over town filled to the brim with kids of all ages and sizes, it is a very American sight to see. To be honest my mom-side gets very nervous watching all the kids riding around on the fire truck, yelling at their friends, looking over the sides; but the fun side of me loves how excited all the kids are about it. They talk about it for weeks in class, and the stories they tell about it to the new kids, oh man….they’re legendary. It’s one of those unforgettable, bigger-than-life, childhood moments, and I can’t thank the fireman enough for orchestrating that for our children every year.

#3 Pioneer Pancake Breakfast- This was something brand new we added last year, but it had that same amount of magic that the rest of the day holds. The school board members served breakfast to all K-12 students last year at the Elementary school and wow, was it a great way to start the day. Everyone had so much fun and ate so much, we ran out of pancakes!

#4 Pep Bands, Sports Players and Fans- One of the reasons I love fall so much is that football starts again. There is just something about a Friday night football game on a crisp, cool, fall evening. And when the pep band plays and the fans cheer....it’s something to behold. This year I am also really looking forward to having a volleyball game on the same night. It may not be as crisp and cool inside the gym, but it will be just as enjoyable to cheer on those Pioneers, too.

#5 Purple and Gold- On Chili Feed day when I look out at the sea of purple and gold on the playground, at the pep rally, or at the football game; that feeling of pride runs deep inside me. Last year the Rotary so generously donated funds to buy every child in the elementary a Pioneer t-shirt. We handed them out on Chili Feed morning, and it undeniably increased their excitement for the day. We are blessed enough again this year to have the Rotary helping with the cost of buying shirts for all the Elementary students. Probably the Purple and Gold and all it symbolizes, pride in our school, pride in ourselves, pride in our community, is what I love the very most about Chili Feed Day. I believe in our town, I believe in our school, I believe in our kids and I believe that our Pioneers are the best around. I can’t wait to see you all Friday at Chili Feed.