Commun ty Matters Salina Presbyterian Manor
Colors for peace By Mary Bridges, Salina Presbyterian Manor chaplain
What memories do you have of the first day of school? I lived in the country and didn’t go to kindergarten. My family moved to town and first grade was really scary for me as I didn’t know any of the kids and I didn’t know how to ‘do’ school. Raising my hand to ask a question terrified me. The one bright spot in my first day of school experiences was always my box of new crayons. Just looking at the bright colors was exciting, and oh the endless possibilities of what I might create with them… Fear is at the heart of most of the problems that human beings have. The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is fear. Think about it for a moment and try to tell me any problem in the human heart that is not based in fear. In the summer of 1990, Binney & Smith, the makers of Crayola crayons, retired eight colors from their 64 crayon box and replaced them with eight brighter, bolder colors. The reactions to change – of retiring colors and using brighter colors – came quickly and primarily from adults. CHAPLAIN, continued on page 2
August 2015
Resident Leo Lake
Teacher, principal, superintendent, volunteer Leo grew up the son of a teacher in a rural area and helped his mother with school chores, such as sweeping the floors, starting the fires in cold weather and grading papers. He was pursuing business in college when a flood occurred and “wiped us out.” Money was tight and he found that he had enough hours to teach elementary school. He also found out he loved teaching. At 18 he married his wife, Dorothy, and the couple will celebrate their 65th Leo Lake anniversary this month. Over eight years, he earned a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in administration, while teaching in Great Bend, Abilene and Manhattan. He attended Kansas, Kansas State, Wichita State and Iowa State universities. A principal with exceptional organization skills mentored him and inspired him to go into administration. Leo became a teaching principal at the elementary level, an assistant superintendent in Russell for three years, then a superintendent in Hoxie and Abilene. He continued taking classes of interest life-long and especially enjoyed reading and creative writing classes. When asked the best way to learn, Leo said there is no one best way. Learning is very individual and students need be taught in the way that enables them to learn the most. Leo also said the thing he enjoyed most about teaching was the relationships with children, families and colleagues. Children he taught and their families still remember him. Colleagues were great sounding boards for strategies, shared information and helped with problem solving. Leo and Dorothy have three children, Randy, a teacher in Khartoum, Sudan; Rod (Charlene) who is a stay-at-home dad in Dallas; and, Jodi (David) who lives nearby in Abilene. LAKE, continued on page 2