Proof that one person can make a change

It's one of the small perks of this job that journalists get to talk to people that they might not otherwise. We can hang out after presentations and chat with the speaker or call up the official and actually, maybe, get a call back.

But it's rare for such a small paper to get a chance to speak with someone who has made a real, big difference in the lives of people all over the world. And last Friday in the Bigfork High School gym, I had such an opportunity.

When looking for inspiration, one needs look no further than Greg Mortenson, who's work has helped make the world a safer and more just place.

When Mortenson spoke about his work in Central Asia building schools to Bigfork students last week, he touched on the magnitude these facilities have in that war-torn area.

"The Taliban are more afraid of a pen than a bullet," he told the kids. And I have little doubt he is right.

In today's global War on Terror, or whatever it's called now, arming young people in these volatile areas with an education goes a long way toward making them less likely to arm themselves with an AK-47 and a jihadist cause.

Mortenson, an Army veteran himself, has been working for more than 10 years to build schools in the most rural parts of Central Asia, especially for girls.

Bigfork school children raised more than $1,000 for his Central Asia Institute and they could not have chosen a more worthy cause.

I hope his talk inspired a few of them to see that in our increasingly small world, nothing is as black and white as some would have us believe.

Saying so long

If you take a look at the sports section in today's Eagle, you'll notice that our sportswriter, Faith Moldan, is saying good-bye.

She's taken in more BHS sports than even the most devoted parents and become a familiar face to Vikes and Vals players, coaches and fans.

One of the biggest challenges at a small town newspaper is to consistently cover things in a way that keeps you in the good graces of the community and gets the story right. Faith, I think you would agree, has accomplished this balance for the duration of her time with the Eagle.

And though Faith may not be covering the community anymore after this week, she will still be a part of it. So if you see her around, buy her, well, a round. She deserves it.

—Alex Strickland