NEWS FROM YELLOW SPRINGS

Hi everyone,

It's so good to hear about what you all
are doing. I thought I should update you on our
goings-on. I am finishing a second Master's Degree in
Special Education (my first Master's was in Art
Therapy). I have gotten interested in working with
gifted students after volunteering at Mollie's school
where she is in the gifted program. I lucked into a
job teaching gifted students at a middle school only a
15 minute drive from home and starting working August
20. I am actually finishing up my student teaching in
Special Education and teaching gifted at the same
school, so I am working with students at both ends of
the spectrum. I suppose I am taking after Gramma
Lassey after all! It is really interesting and I'm
enjoying it quite a bit.

Mollie is starting 5th grade this year and is really
looking forward to her year. Her school is a National
School of Excellence and provides a lot of great
opportunities for the students. She'll be going to an
overnight weeklong outdoor education camp this fall
with her 5th grade class, and will also participate in
the gifted program in math, fine arts, and reading.
She is crazy about Harry Potter and has read all the
books through twice. She is nearly through with the
7th book for the second time. She reads all the time,
in addition to Harry Potter, and has a stack of about
10 books that she is currently reading. At the Open
House to start school the principal told Saul that
Mollie had the highest score on the achievement tests
(you know we have to brag a little!). She will be
playing soccer this fall and has chosen to play the
flute in the school orchestra. It promises to be an
interesting year, as I'm sure is the case with all of
your children and grandchildren.

Saul continues to act as Chair of the Special
Education Department at Antioch University/McGregor
which is right here in Yellow Springs. You may have
heard that Antioch College, a somewhat famous and
notorious small liberal arts college located here in
Yellow Springs was closed down recently. Antioch
McGregor where Saul teaches is a separate branch of
the university, so all is well for us for now. And,
Antioch College may stay open after all as people all
over the world have donated money to keep it open.
Antioch was on par with Harvard many years ago, but
its reputation has gone down over the years. However,
many famous people have come through here including
Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s wife, so
there is a lot of support to keep it up and running.
There has been a lot of national media attention to
this over the past month or so. Saul stays very busy
teaching, advising students and administrating the
department. I work with a number of his former
students at my school and he is a much loved and
respected teacher.

We were in Montana over the summer, but spent our time
with my mother up at Flathead Lake. Her husband of
over 25 years passed away last December, so we had a
memorial service for him in July. His children came
from the east and west coast along with Maureen and
me. My family (Saul, Mollie, me) then spent a few
days on the island with my mother. The island is
still pretty much the same a s it always has been for
those of you who visited over the years. Flathead
Lake is truly a beautiful place. It was really fun to
do the same things with Mollie that I used to do as a
child - swim, skip rocks, gather rocks, read, cook on
the beach....We had a nice time.

Best to all of you. Hope all is well and keep in
touch.

Love, Dione