Skip to content
  • Adventures
    • Olivia
    • Calvin
    • Everett
    • Andrew
    • Nathaniel
    • Andrea
      • Tales for Tuesdays
      • Things That I Think About
      • The Women
    • Wyatt
  • Archives
  • Cabin
  • History of Us
  • Artsy
  • Photography
  • Adventures
    • Olivia
    • Calvin
    • Everett
    • Andrew
    • Nathaniel
    • Andrea
      • Tales for Tuesdays
      • Things That I Think About
      • The Women
    • Wyatt
  • Archives
  • Cabin
  • Summer Wilding
  • History of Us
  • Artsy
  • Photography
High School
Adventures

High School

May 18, 2012 Leave a comment

Things I learned –

Mr. Williams was the one who first introduced me to Willa Cather. It was eleventh grade American Lit, in the second to last room at the end of the long hall in the humanities building, where we discussed pioneer spirit, the great divide, and innocence lost. And when I am feeling like I am about to buckle beneath the weight of my own prairie struggle, I return to her and the symbolism of a road bordered with sunflowers.

Mr. Ong taught me how to paint; and in this he had never-ending patience. He let my work run the gamut of quality, but gently pushed me to continue on, as if he saw that there was more I could do. And when I was a senior he wrote a letter to my parents and told them I could be a great artist someday if I only took the courage.

A part of me is still trying to find that courage.

Of course, Mr. Crane taught me how to expose film. He taught me about platinum print processing, the movements of a large format camera, and reciprocity failure charts. He also told me something of the great American war, told me stories, like legends, of a President who loved not only his America, but the Americans, all Americans, who were part of her legacy. The Civil War is still a favorite part of history for me, and Lincoln, still a holy man in my mind.

Mr. Bromley taught me the bird calls of every Utah species – a daunting task indeed. And I still remember the morning when I woke up and saw a Western Tanager perched just outside my window – so close I could reach out and touch it, and the thrill, the thrill I felt because I knew what it was just by looking at it.

And a few weeks ago when we watched “The Big Year” I thought of Mr. Bromley driving us in that yellow school bus all afternoon out into the Utah desert just so he could show us a Bald Eagle’s nest.

Mr. Harris, so calm, so collected, taught us about the oceans. He had silt he himself had collected the summer before from the very deep. He let me have some. I had earth that had never before been seen or touched. And when we went to the Monteray Bay Aquarium in California and I sat on the bench and watched the Jellyfish flow in the water like a ballet in blue, I really thought I might cry. I try to recreate that experience every time I visit my aquarium now. Somehow it’s just not the same.

Dr. Heuston expected us to read: a book a week for our American Lit (senior) class. Sometimes it was an easy read – Steinbeck’s “The Red Pony” or Salinger’s “Franny and Zoey” – other times it was heavy, long hours to complete the six hundred pages or so of “Atlas Shrugged” or others. We complained, but he was not swayed. He expected us to be well read, and he expected us to have intelligent thoughts about what we read.

But it wasn’t the books I remember most about Dr. Heuston, it was the physics. At some time during high school I became fascinated with the concept of time dimensions and real eternity. I asked each professor in the science department to explain the various theories, and they all humored me to a point. But I was surprised when they directed me to Dr. Heuston’s office to learn more. And so I sat across from him in his office one day as he answered each question, not talking down to me as a student, but encouraging my curiosity. Finally he turned to his own personal library and began pulling books off the shelf – three, four, five books on the subject of my focus. He loaned me the books from his own library so I could learn more. This single experience led me to love physics, and there was a time in college when I seriously considered declaring it my major.

I never had a class from Mrs. Heuston, the head mistress. Yet each time I passed her in the hall or walked past her office, she would stop me and ask me questions: about myself, my studies, my life outside of school. She was both eloquent and warm, sophisticated and approachable. She encouraged me to take my own mind seriously, she seemed convinced that I had something to offer, even when I had my doubts.

Mr. Watabe, Mr. Dolbin, Mrs. Woller, and Mr. Capener taught me math. Equations and formulas and sin’s and cosin’s – it was never particularly hard for me, but never captured my interest like other subjects. But I remember each class with a fondness as each teacher had patience with me, rehearsing again square roots and inverse solutions for X. And I am surprised how often I have used that knowledge in my everyday non-academic life. I have found that not only do I need the literal application of math in my life, but often the conceptual ideas are applicable as well.

Mr. Rosett who would curse at us in prose so that we didn’t realize the insult until later, and then we would just laugh. He quoted poetry and economic theory, sometimes in the same sentence. I remember a lecture he gave about Shylock and Jessica, and Shakespearean relationships. It’s strange, but that lecture changed my life. Mr. Ralphs taught us something of Greek Mythology, of Socrates, Sophocles and Homer. I quote inside myself the lines of the Odessey when ever I see a rosy-fingered dawn. Mr. Cottle taught us Contra Dancing, which in itself wreaks of geekiness, yet somehow his enthusiasm coupled with the two-to-one guy/girl ratio made that class a total riot!

And Ms. Sorensen, how do you even describe Ms. Sorensen? I did not have a course from her until Writing Colloquium & Bible Lit my senior year. But in her I found I true kindred spirit. She read to us stories of hermit crabs and told us the archetypes of creation and prophets. Yet with every lecture there was a real and tangible promise of hope – not only in the stories of the protagonists, but in our own lives as students and the futures we were on the cusp of facing.

I remember sitting with her at a table in first period, discussing the promises proved by God in the book of Job, and she told us: “Because it’s reading the damn scriptures in the damn bathtub every morning that gets you through it.”

And in that moment my heart soared. I wrote her words down quickly in my notes. And later I repeated the phrase to her. She looked annoyed, with me? with herself? for the starkness of the statement? But in that moment she opened my mind to something I had never considered before: that while we are taught from our births that our actions must be done with purity before God or they profiteth us not, what is often not mentioned is that we are not the ones who purify ourselves. Sometimes it is simply enough to go through the motions. Sometimes that is all that we can place on the altar, and in those times when we feel most unworthy, but most in need, those are the times when God can prove Himself and show His power in our lives.

Post navigation

Oklahoma!
First Fishing

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me

About Me

Andrea Christensen

Welcome to my blog! Here you'll find stories about our adventures and misadventures, musings about the gospel, journal entries about our travels, and shameless humble-brags about my five favorite people on the planet.

Stories from the Archive

Adventures ➤ December 22, 2006

Merry Christmas

We hope everyone has a holiday filled with the Spirit of Our Savior, and enjoys the blessings of a new year!

The Rest of the Story
Calvin ➤ January 21, 2019

Calvin is Sustained and Ordained to the Priesthood

On Sunday, January 6th, Calvin stood as the Bishop read his name to recommend him to be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood. I think my heart might have exploded out of my chest. I was...

The Rest of the Story
Nathaniel ➤ October 13, 2022

Draper Walking Field Trip

Nate-O had a walking field trip to see the sites of historic Draper. I was so excited to be a chaperone for the trip! We went to the Heritage Park where we learned about the...

The Rest of the Story
Everett ➤ October 10, 2022

Happy Birthday Everett!

Oh my heart is squishy and full. I love this kid just so. so. so. much. He’s in the throes of middle school, with all the horrible-ness that that is, and my heart regularly bleeds...

The Rest of the Story

Be happy. It drives people crazy.

Anonymous
4th of july 10 year 24th of july acrylic activity days adam aiden airborne alea alex allison titus alpine loop american fork amphitheater american fork high school amusement parks andi andrew angkor wat anna nash anne of green gables anniversary anticipation april fools aquarium arches argentina arizona art articles of faith art in the park art project art projects asher ashley winegar aspen grove autumn avery award winning babies baby baby announcement baby firsts baby kate backpacking back to school back to school dinner backyard bahamas balloons bangkok baptism baptisms for the dead barbeque barf baseball basketball bathroom beach because of him bell canyon ben bennett olson best friend beth bibs bicycle bike bike park bird birthday birthday bird birthday cake birthday party birth story bishopric black and white photography blanket fort blessing blog blood lake boating bob the pheasant book of mormon books bottle rockets boy scouts braces braydon reimann brazil brenda sim bride brielle reimann brighton mackey brock family cabin trip bronson evans brothers bruce springsteen bryan stewart brynn sjoblom brynn stewart bugs bunnies burp rags bush gardens butler 4th ward butlerville days butterfly byu cabin cabin projects cabin quilt california callings calvin calvin and hobbes cambodia camera campaign camping candace canoeing canyonlands capitol reef caribbean carl bloch carousel carrie charcoal charity cheesecake cheese factory chicken chicken tikka masala childhood children childrens museum china chloe mcglincey choir chore chart chores christensen extended family christianity christmas christmas card christmas eve dinner christmas Movies christmas traditions christmas windows at the grand christy reimann citrus classic skating cleaning clouds club college colorado colored pencil concert conference weekend consequences construction cookies corn chowder corner canyon corona virus costume cottonwood heights cousin andrew cousins cowabunga bay cowboy crater lake creative writing crib cruise cs lewis cub scouts culture d6 ward daisy dallas dance dance pictures danny dark sunshine darlene herzog dating david linford deacon deacon ball dead horse point death deck declan denver digital art digital collage dillon roberts disneyland dj sim dog doll dolphin dragon dragonfly wings drake fletcher draper draper 6th ward draper 8th ward draper amphitheater draper days draper elementary draper library draper park draper rec draper temple drawing dress dr larsen earings earthquake easter easter egg hunt eating out of the garden eclipse elder holland elder packer election elementary school eliza elliott westwood elm tree emily dowland emily elmer emily heisler emma shaw emmett ferguson emmett parker engaged estonia everett exercise fairies fairy house faith fall fall break fall color family family home evening family photography family pictures family scripture study family vacation farewell field trip fireworks first day first day of kindergarten first day of school fish fisher neil fishing fletchers florida flowers football for the strength of youth four wheelers freebie free design friends frogs frost date fsy funeral funny face funny stories gabe williams garden gardiner village garrett bell gay marriage general conference gerry trelease gingerbread houses goldendoodle gospel analogies graduation grand canyon grandma's salsa grandma brock grandpa brock grandpa herzog grand turk grapefruit gratitude great dane greendale growing children gutenberg hailey hale center theater halloween hamilton harry harry and lois harvey fletcher hawaii hawk hewett heaven heber hee haws heidi heidi christensen hello dolly heritage hidden lake high council high mountain cafe high school high school dance hiking history history of us hobbies holiday home home coming homemade gifts homemade holiday homemade ice cream home video honesty hope horse back riding horses hospital hot chocolate hot dogs house projects ice cream ichabod crane idaho ifa illustration infant isla fletcher israel ivy city jace reimann james james christensen jamie kirkham jared jason jaws beach jaxon engh jazz jdawgs jeff jena jena and lance jerusalem Jesus Christ jewel jill fletcher jimmy nelson jjazz jj pratt john engh john hall joshua tree tour journey joy jumping off the bridge kai jacobsen kambria kasbah kathe hollingshaus kaya kellie engh kennedy reimann kennedy space center kids activities kiera engh kimberley kindergarten kira scott kirtland engh kylie smith labor day lake tahoe lance landscapes larry las vegas lds doctrine leadership legacy legend of sleepy hollow legoland lemonade lemon galleon leslee letters and postcards lexi lgbtq+ library life with boys lincoln hewett lion house little america little texas lizzy gordon logan engh lois lonestar loss love love notes luke pinnock maceys macro photography main dish make it work making things mallory reiman manti marjorie hinckley marriage marsha smith maternity maverick max roberts meadow downs medford melinda mesa verde micah michael jackson middle school ministering of angels miracles miranda mission missionary Mo moab modesty mommy daughter monkey bars montage video monument valley morgen mormon battalion museum morocco mother daughter motherhood mountain biking mountains mountview park movies moving mrs page mrs sheri mtb mt rushmore mud muir woods museum of natural curiosity music natalie natalie lawson nate nathan sim nativity nauvoo temple navajo indian reservation neighborhood neighbors newborn newborn photography newport beach new roof new years eve nicole ferguson ninja norman rockwell nursery oakland oaklee oakley oakley rodeo Oil painting olivia open house orange ordinance ordination oregon oreos orthodontist owen jorgensen padres game pagent painting paper mache parker party paul braithwaite paxton woods payson temple pet photography phuket piano piano recital pillowcase dress pinewood derby pinterest pioneer day pioneer stories planning guide plants play playground poetry polaroid polaroid lift pool popcorn pop up book portfolio portugal potty training pregnancy preschool preschool graduation priesthood primary proclamation on the family proc week projects prom provo temple public transportation puerto rico pugh cabin puppy quail quilt rabbits race racoon rain storm reading real estate rec center recital reed jorgenson reese tillman remodel repentance ressurection reunion rick smith ridgecrest ridgecrest elementary riding ritual road trip rodeo rodeo queen rollerskates rollerskating romance rosario russia ryan kirkham ryan reimann sacrafice sacrament meeting talk salad salsa salsa contest salt flats salt lake salt lake city salt lake county salt lake temple san diego san francisco san francisco bridge santa scales and tales scavenger hunt school school parade school play scott sparks scout scout camp scriptures selfies self portraits service sewing sharing time sharon duke sheriff fluff fluff shop shopping short story shower sick sick babies side dish silver lake sisters six ski skiing sledding sledding at the cabin sly snakes snow Snow day snowflake snowman soccer soccor softball solar eclipse somerdowns somerdowns remodel south dakota spain spiritual insights spring break sprinklers st. george star student award state capital st george st thomas summer summer cd summer dress summer nights summerwilding summer wilding sunflowers sunny sunset superbowl surfing suspension bridge suzy doom swimming table rock tacos taco stand taekwondo tee ball teeball temple temple dedication temple photography temple square tender mercy tennis ten years testimony texas thailand thanksgiving thanksgiving point theater the book of mormon the bridge The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the covenant path the eel river the enghs the family dog the fergs the hendersons the herzog cabin the hiding place the holy land the jorgensens the kiersts the lake the lakers the last day of school the minivan the ocean the pool the redwoods the reimanns the river the romeros the shop the smiths the sorensens the sparks the stewarts the suburban the yellow house things we find in houses this is it this is the place park thomas thomas judds tiffiny reimann tiger time lapse timpanogos timp cave tinker bell traditions train trampoline trampoline park travel tree triathalon trunk-or-treat truth turkey tyler pierson u2 uintahs ultrasound uncle uncle bob unicorn mountain urumqi utah utah jazz uyghur vacation valentines vegitables virgin islands walking warburtons ward party washington waterfall waterford weber canyon wedding wedding anniversary wedding photography wedding vows weston wheeler farm whisperings of the spirit white elephant willa cather wind rivers winnemuca winnie the pooh winter wood carving wordpress worms writing wynn wynn & heidi wyoming yard yard projects year in review yellowstone yosef yosemite Young Womens youth Conference youtube zip line zoo
  • Get in Touch
  • Archives
  • Five Things
  • History of Us
  • My Favorite Things
  • Tales For Tuesdays
    • Tales for Tuesdays
  • The Women
  • Adventures
  • Recipes
  • Things That I Think About
  • Cabin
  • Art Projects
  • Cooking
  • Menus
  • Home Improvement
  • Photography
  • Uncategorized
  • Yard and Garden
© 2023 | All images on this website were taken and copyrighted by Andrea, unless otherwise noted.