Thank you just is not enough!!
Wow – words seem so inadequate at a time like this when we have experienced such a loss, but by the grace of God, no one was hurt in the fire, and “stuff” can be replaced.
We really cannot name ALL those who responded to our needs on Saturday evening, as we were at Sid’s BBQ (and thank YOU for making sandwiches for the responders – we don’t even know how that happened ?? and found out that it was indeed OUR barn and meathouse that was on fire.
BUT –
to Dr. Romie Nicoletti (who had been vetting our cow/calf pair with Dr. Kent Hay ) who was the first to call 911
~ Mickey & Malea Schmidt and brother Bill – the first to get there & clear out the other trapped cows
~ And OF COURSE, the fire responders from Cuchara, La Veta and Walsenburg who certainly did risk their lives dealing with that kind of explosive fire
~ We Just Can’t Thank Enough.
AGAIN, (and unfortunately) our family is witness to the way this community comes out in FULL force on a 65 mph windy, freezing night, asking what they can do to help.
We WILL rebuild and we WILL be better because of this. God has been good to us and we will continue to turn to Him during the difficult times.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
~Maurice and Irene Heikes and family
La Veta, CO
Thank you from the Kreutzers
We want to thank our friends & family for the prayers, calls, food, cards, and prayer circles for Wade. He has two weeks to continue recuperating. We are so grateful to you all. ~Wade and Sabrina Kreutzer & family La Veta, CO You all are terrific! Thank you Bob, Gretchen & Brian!!! What an amazing spread the World Journal did for our library’s Two Peaks One Book program! This article alone could draw hundreds!!!! (well, maybe not that many, but a lot of people) from the whole area to join us for this community program series. We appreciate you all so much!
~Sandra Hackbarth,
Library Director La Veta Regional
Library La Veta, CO
Many Thanks!
To the Editor:
I see that you were able to print the seedling press release I sent to you this week. Thank you very much!
We appreciate your cooperation and assistance in furthering our mission toward helping both the residents and forests of Colorado.
~ Mark W. Loveall
Field Office Forester,
Southeast Area Colorado State Forest Service
La Veta Field Office
Commendation: Bree Lessar, La Veta’s School Superintendent:
Truly remarkable school administrators are to be valued, and Superintendent Bree Lessar is such an administrator. Beginning in 2004, Ms. Lessar came to our school as a social studies teacher. Now, 14 years later, she has served in the combined role of Superintendent and pre-K to 12th grade Principal for the past 7 years.
La Veta Schools have made substantial progress under Ms. Lessar’s leadership. Three years after her appointment as Superintendent/ Principal, La Veta Schools were Accredited with Distinction, the highest level of accreditation awarded by the Colorado Department of Education.
This year the La Veta Elementary School received the Colorado Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award largely as a result of the Reading Workshop introduced a few years ago by Suzanne Pierce and Ms. Lessar. La Veta has one of the highest graduation rates in Colorado with graduates succeeding in both college and career.
Over the years, Ms. Lessar has made many positive changes that have improved student outcomes in La Veta. Not the least of these improvements has been the recruitment and retention of new teachers and the support and encouragement provided for teachers’ professional development.
Our academic curriculum has been expanded and strengthened under Ms. Lessar’s direction.
In addition, the school’s co-curricular programs have thrived and grown. Our athletes “learn on the job” and are recognized for their excellent performance and sportsmanship.
Our Knowledge Bowl team competes at the highest level. Our FFA students are nationally recognized. We could not be more proud of our students.
Ms. Lessar certainly deserves a good portion of the credit, for it has been through her that the quality of the teachers and staff has remained at a consistently high level. Indeed, the leadership Ms. Lessar provides to the school’s support staff is not widely appreciated.
The school’s older buildings and buses are not in the best shape. But our custodial and driver teams under her leadership are why our schools are always well maintained and why our services are first-rate.
Recently the La Veta Board of Education voted unanimously to try to raise the monies to build a new school. This vote reflected the confidence that the Board of Education has in the quality of the school’s administration and teachers and its belief that La Veta’s students deserve the best possible start in life with an excellent education.
For the past year, Superintendent Bree Lessar has worked closely with La Veta’s Facilities Task Force to provide the support and advice needed to arrive at a well informed decision. Ms. Lessar’s contributions to this planning have been invaluable throughout the entire process.
Led by one of the best superintendents in Colorado, the La Veta RE-2 Public School District is in an excellent position to achieve its vision to be a “model for rural education in Colorado.”
~Board of Education,
La Veta RE-2 School District
Thank you to Bon Carbo/Spanish Peaks FPD
Dear Editor:
I live in the Ponderosa Hills development off County Road 40.2 in Las Animas County. On Saturday the Bon Carbo/Spanish Peaks Volunteer Fire Protection Districts toured our development as their monthly meeting. It was informative for all parties. They learned which roads to take inside our development to get to all our homes and where there are water supplies. They gave us specific recommendations about how to be safe, how better to mitigate, and generally how to help them help us. We are so grateful for the volunteers and for the time and effort they gave us on Saturday. It’s a good feeling knowing that they have maps of our development and know who we are and where we live. I encourage other developments to take advantage of their offer to visit. It could be a life saver!
I also gained a couple valuable home owner tips along with meeting some great new people. Thank you to the men and women who volunteer their time and risk their lives for us. And thank you Bon Carbo/Spanish Peaks Volunteer Fire Protection Districts for choosing Ponderosa Hills as your first development tour. Finally, to your readers: please remember that our volunteer fire districts rely on our donations. Be generous as they so generously give to us.
~Cindy Adams
Trinidad, CO
