Welcoming back Bigfork's student journalists

Alex Strickland

It’s been a while, but many Bigfork Eagle readers will remember a feature we debuted last year called “Decoding BHS.”

It is a page in the paper written, photographed and designed entirely by the staff of the Norse Code, the student newspaper at Bigfork High School. In the wake of last year’s school bond failure (the first time), it seemed logical, with the high school dominating community conversation, to let the institution’s students speak for themselves.

In the handful of issues last year’s staff gave us before graduation, they produced pieces ranging from examinations of political apathy among high school seniors to thoughtful recollections of childhood on the cusp of leaving home. They gave us, in short, great, meaningful stories. Meaningful journalism.

And so it gives me great pleasure to reintroduce Decoding BHS and with it an almost entirely new group of student writers. The student newspaper’s advisor, Charlie Appleby, has again been gracious enough to incorporate this partnership into his classroom, and I really believe the main benefactors are members of the community who get exposure to a group they might not otherwise have much to do with. These kids see a lot that the rest of us sometimes miss, and the issues affecting BHS are, in many ways, issues that affect the Village at large.

Please take some time to check out page B1 in today’s paper for the 2008-2009 staff’s inaugural edition. There will be more issues to come and we’re only too pleased to host them.

Ice is not so nice

Last weekend’s arctic blast left no doubt that Old Man Winter has arrived, and the unfortunate accident that claimed the life of a young Ronan man along Highway 35 should serve as a reminder of winter’s dangers.

The Eagle’s parking lot on Monday morning bore the tell-tale signs of someone spinning doughnuts and the first real days of icy roads were a veritable “Best of” bad driving last weekend.

Like riding a bike, winter driving seems to be something you never forget after you’ve practiced the technique. But that doesn’t mean the first time back after a year isn’t shaky, or that any of us are immune from the temptation to have one truly satisfying power slide.

We have four more months of it, though, so be careful.