By Shelley Bennett
Despite the latest round of school closures and event postponements (I’m looking at you, LHS Winterfest), there is an abundance of good stuff in the good people around us.
The first one on my mind is our school nurse Cali Dardis. She is an amazing, organized, bundle of energy. Cali started at LHS during the summer of 2020. I’m sure none of us knew the wild ride she would be on.
But Cali does it all, from disseminating the latest guidelines from the CDC, CDE, and Cal Osha to the hundreds, no thousands, of Covid tests, quarantine orders, and contact tracing she has been charged with. I CANNOT imagine the paperwork she has to deal with!
Every Monday since Basketball season started, I send 28 teens to her to be tested and she does it with a smile in about 15 minutes. Cali cares about our students and it shows when she has to deliver the bad news. Because of that, she’s sometimes not the most popular person on campus and she’s also had to face the disappointment of students, staff, and parents.
I have seen her go out of her way to make sure a student was ok and following their doctor’s orders. Cali has developed a rapport with our kids and I am so thankful for her. I’m sure that all the nurses at local schools are doing this tough work this year, so if you haven’t already, thank your school nurse!
Next up is our newest teacher at LHS Ms. Gabi Geoia. Gabi is a class of 2017 graduate who attended Chico state and is currently working on finishing her credential in Social Science. As one of her former teachers, I am so excited that Gabi is back at Lassen and I know our students are in good hands. She brings new ideas and strategies to our Lassen family.
She is teaching U.S. History and says her goal is “to share [her] love and enthusiasm for history with [her] students.” Gabi is fortunate to work “with an awesome group, the class of 2023” and notes she is thankful for the support from staff, faculty, and administration. She is “excited to be giving back to a school that gave so much to [her].”
Finally, my friend and former SPD chief Kevin Jones gave up his Thursday last week to speak to my Criminal Minds classes. Jonesy is a great storyteller, and the class was totally silent as he talked about his 32 years in law enforcement in Lassen Co. They also laughed and appreciated his directive to “Don’t be stupid.”
Towards the end of his presentation, he asked each student what they wanted to do after graduation. From careers in the medical field to electricians, military jobs, and vet techs, almost every student had something in mind. Kevin implored students to do what they loved in the future.
He said many people expected him to follow in his dad’s footsteps and become a basketball coach, but he had a passion for law enforcement and was proud every day to put his badge on. Kevin said it was something he was “good at”.
Thank you to Cali, Gabi, and Kevin for showing me the good stuff this week. The love you have for what you do shines through and makes an impression on the rest of us.
Remember when news was ‘newsy’? When you read about weddings, family events and engagement announcements in the newspaper? If you have something that might be newsworthy, please submit it to [email protected] and I’ll do my best to include it here in “The Good Stuff.”
