PearlDamour visits schools in all of the Miltons. In Oregon, we have been doing writing and performance workshops with Ms. Baneck’s middle school class based on the play MILTON. Here’s an interview with one of the students in that class –
How old are you?
I’m 12 years old, and in the 7th grade. I’m a student and attend Central Middle School.
What has changed in your town in your lifetime?
In my town there hasn’t been any drastic change in the last twenty years. The only big thing has been the weather. My dad told me that when he was a kid, there was sometimes six feet of snow!
What do you like about living in Milton-Freewater?
The one reason I’m glad to live in my town is because we are a supporting community. You will see a lot of people attending concerts, and plays. Also that people come together and help out other people.
What does does it mean to be a citizen of our country?
To me, the phrase “I am an American,” means that I am a proud citizen of my country. That this is my country, “the land of the free.”
In our workshops we ask students to think about who they are and where they come from. Here is a poem Nichole wrote in response to these questions:
Sometimes I see the crops swaying like the ocean in the wind.
Sometimes I am offered a cool glass of water after a hard days of work.
Sometimes I hear my pig squealing.
Sometimes I worry that the cougars will come and kill our animals.
Sometimes I smell manure on our farm.
Sometimes I feel my wet muck boots after a long hour or two of moving irrigation pipe.
Sometimes I taste a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.
Sometimes I wonder if my pig will make weight.