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Remembering special times and gifts

Cassidy Wiley

There’s something magical about waking up way too early on Christmas morning and discovering just what you asked Santa for under your tree. As a kid I remember going to sleep on Christmas Eve with butterflies in my stomach. I could never sleep beyond six before I would run out into the living room and laugh with glee at the gifts that had been bestowed upon my family and me by that mysterious character with the white beard. Through the years I’ve had so many wonderful gifts that it’s hard to choose a favorite. Yet the one that stands out the most was my very first CD player. I am a huge music lover and I remember the excitement of being able to play my very own CDs in my room. It was second grade. On Christmas Eve I opened a small box and inside of it there were two CDs: The Bangles “Greatest Hits” and Garth Brooks “Roping the Wind.” As soon as I saw these, I knew what was to come and I could hardly sleep at all that night. Favorite gifts are hard to forget. Here are some memorable gifts that some Glenwood Springs students have received:Secia KlockeSchool, Grade: GSHS, 12Gift: One Christmas I got a brand new, top of the lineSuper Nintendo from Santa the Clause! That was the best!Abbey BarnesSchool, Grade: GSHS, 9Gift: My computer.Andrew PearceSchool, Grade: GSHS, 10Gift: My World of Warcraft game and the Dragon Fairy expansion pack.John HobanSchool, Grade: GSHS, 12Gift: Probably my iPod because I use it all the time.Jamison GatesSchool, Grade: GSES, 3Gift: A remote control car.Jasmine NeurothSchool, Grade: GSHS, 12Gift: My telescope that I got last Christmas.Tim KlintworthSchool, Grade: GSHS, 11Gift: A Yamaha dirt bike.Jaime BosticSchool, Grade: GSMS, 7Gift: Digital camera and my dog, Rufus.Travis RamirezSchool, Grade: GSHS, 12Gift: The best present is love.Katie VarleySchool, Grade: GSHS, 11Gift: A new snowboard.Jessica ChavezSchool, Grade: GSES, 3Gift: Bratz dolls.Caitlyn FowlerSchool, Grade: GSHS, 11Gift: A necklace my dad gave me.Nicole FocklerSchool, Grade: GSHS, 12Gift: Ten years ago I got my dog, Holly.Christyna HenSchool, Grade: GSHS, 11Gift: The understanding that you are not alone andthat family and friends will be there no matter what.José CanoSchool, Grade: GSMS, 6Gift: A toy Jeep.Hannah NilssonSchool, Grade: GSES, 3Gift: Teddy bear.Nathan SalvucciSchool, Grade: GSES, 3Gift: Gameboy.Roequra RodriquezSchool, Grade: GSMS, 7 Gift: Computer.Sindia SalinasSchool, Grade: GSES, 3Gift: Bratz dolls.Gabriela MolinaSchool, Grade: GSHS, 12Gift: I once got a Barbie house full of furniture.Brie CarmerSchool, Grade: GSHS, 10Gift: A new snowboard with new boots.Julio RodriguezSchool, Grade: GSES, 3Gift: An iPod.As many know, Glenwood students were released from school for Winter Break on last Friday. With two weeks of free time (except for Calculus homework), everyone has a plan for break- even if that means sleeping in every morning!Rachel MuellerSchool, Grade: GSHS, 11Plans: I’m going sledding everyday!Breanna RichardsonSchool, Grade: GSHS, 9Plans: I will be staying home with family and playing basketball and riding my horse.Josh KasperekSchool, Grade: GSMS, 7Plans: I am going hunting.Shauna McWilliamsSchool, Grade: GSHS, 12Plans: I will be going skiing at Snowmass a lot andenjoying the season with my friends and family.Ashley PorterfieldSchool, Grade: GSHS, 9Plans: I am going to Denver, then flying to Missourito spend time with family.Cami MarconSchool, Grade: GSMS, 7Plans: I’m going to learn how to snowboard and lay around the house.Alondra PayanSchool, Grade: GSHS, 12Plans: I will be staying home with my family arriving from Mexico.Francisco MartinezSchool, Grade: GSES, 3Plans: My family is going to Denver.Kelcey GauthierSchool, Grade: GSHS, 12Plans: My plans are to stay home and play hockey!Judith FuentesSchool, Grade: GSMS, 7Plans: I will probably go snowboarding, ice-skating, and go see family.Kerry RippySchool, Grade: GSHS, 10Plans: I’m going to stay home, go to swim practice, and ski.Amber KightSchool, Grade: GSHS, 9Plans: For Christmas I’m going to stay in Glenwood and see some of my family. I’ll also go to break dancing class and hang with friends.Taylor NicolaSchool, Grade: GSMS, 7Plans: I’m going to take care of Mrs. Tennat’s chinchilla, Willy. I hope to go skiing also.Ladena BergSchool, Grade: GSMS, 7Plans: I hope I get to go see my grandma in Michigan.Idan GonzalezSchool, Grade: GSHS, 10Plans: Snowboarding and going to work.Madison SpenceSchool, Grade: GSES, 3Plans: I’m going to Hawaii!It wasn’t only the students who were excited to get out for break, but the teachers too! When reminiscing about her most memorable Christmas ever, Kathy Woodyard, a science/math teaacher at GSHS, laughed out loud and began to recount her memory. “I remember questioning the Santa theory in my mind but one year Santa came and left a huge mess in my house! Footprints, cookie crumbs, spilled milk and a crooked Christmas tree. I thought that that definitely had to be Santa. I never considered the damage a dog could do…”Here are some other humorous and favorite memories of the teachers of Glenwood Springs:Britton BoydSchool, Subject: GSHS, SpanishMemory: I was vacationing with my family in Mexico and my brother and I decided to take surf lessons in Sayulita. Linda Loman FlohrSchool, Subject: GSHS, PhysicsMemory: I was teaching in Papua New Guinea on a small island just south of the equator. I was invited to the convent for a Christmas dinner along with a few of the other teachers. I bought a live chicken at the market for our feast. I remember trying to make my own stuffing and missing my family and a more traditional celebration. But as the people at the table began to sing a Christmas hymn, I felt very much at home.Name: Mike WildeSchool, Subject: GSHS, ScienceMemory: The first Christmas with a baby in the house! The tree was in the playpen to keep our son, Taylor, from un-decorating it.Name: Kendra KaufmanSchool, Subject: GSMS, sixth gradeMemory: I was 15 and I came to Colorado for my uncle’s wedding. We were all sitting there during the ceremony, when the bride’s veil and hair caught on fire! Everything went up in a giant ball of smoke. It wasn’t funny then but we all laugh about it now.Name: LeAnn CampbellSchool, Subject: GSHS, EnglishMemory: When my husband was teaching in Venezuela, we were so homesick. On the plane home we watched some sappy Christmas movie and I wept the whole time! When we got home, we were so excited to see snow and be home for the holiday we thought a back country ski trip, a night in Kremmling and hot apple cider were the best things ever.Jenna CookSchool, Subject: GSHS, LibrarianMemory: My first Christmas at my in-laws house was completely different than what I grew up with. There were at least 50 people packed in the house with the biggest living tree I’d ever seen.Name: Guy BrickellSchool, Subject: GSHS, Social StudiesMemory: My most memorable Christmas was the first time my kids (Cody, Cassie, and Tiffany) and I spent time ringing the bell for Salvation Army and making Christmas wreaths for the elderly.Name: Lisa HartertSchool, Subject: GSMS, sixth gradeMemory: One Christmas morning, when I was about 15, my mom was really upset because she had no presents under the tree! All three kids, plus my dad, had “dropped the ball” and not taken care of her, after all the effort she put into making everyone else’s Christmas special. It was a hard lesson I’ll never forget: take care of the Mommy! Name: Carolyn GlasgowSchool, Subject: GSES, third gradeMemory: Christmas has always been a time for my family to get together. I have family in New York state, North Carolina, Vermont, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Since I live in Colorado, I have always cherished the fact that I usually get to see them all at Christmastime. This Christmas, try and make some of your best memories yet. After all, it’s the simple things like family and friends that make this season special. And with all of the beautiful white snow on the ground, we are sure to have Happy Holidays!


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