Emme's 1st Grade Class in Arizona

Silly Faces

Nice

Naughty

We loved Ms. Layton!  She is a super fun 1st Grade teacher.  She came from teaching science in the junior high so she shared a lot of science with these guys.  Love her!

Being Silly

Crossing Guard

My first step in getting involved at school.   The monthly newsletter asked for volunteers to help at the crosswalk.  They used to let 6th graders but the district decided it was not safe and asked parents to step up.    So I volunteered.  After school for about 20 minutes you'll find me out front helping people cross safely!

The Ride to Alcatraz

Kevin's Mom and Dad (Kevin Sr and Linda) came to visit us from the Outer Banks, North Carolina

My Cute Family

Coming up to Alcatraz

The Island

These pictures are out of order but oh well.
 This is a real Tommy gun.  Joseph has some for his lego guys.  Had to get a picture!

This was all they were allowed when eating

Cool tunnel heading up the hill to the cell house

Nicole would be a great prison warden!

This is next to the showers.  They hand out your clothes, shoes, towels here.

Nothing but rows and rows of cells.  This was the "chosen" side of the prison.  This was the only place that you could see sunlight coming through the windows.  What a thought, not being able to see the sun.

The audio tour was great!  Lots of information and kept the kids attention.

How would you like this to be your home?  This was a great lesson for the kids to see that making good choices gives you lots of freedom.  Making bad choices and breaking the law takes away all your freedom.

D Block is where the really bad boys are.  This is where "the hole" is.  It is a cell that is completely dark and no bed or any kind of comfort.

The well-known inmates of Alcatraz

For the better behaved inmates they were allowed to paint and one man practiced crochet that his grandmother taught him

 This is where inmates could see visitors

I did walk in one of these cells.  It was the creepiest feeling.  A volunteer was there who showed us the mechanism to open and close these cell doors.  They made a big "slam" noise when they shut.  That's where the nickname "the slammer" comes from. 

Some interesting facts about the island of Alcatraz is that many families lived on the island while the inmates were imprisoned there.  They needed wardens and groundskeepers.  These men would bring their families to live there with them.  The cell house is on the top of the hill.  The families lived at the base of the hill.  The children would be boated across every day for school.  They said they felt safer on the island than they did inland.  They had quite the community.