Redding School District

One might have called it love at first sight except that when they first met Marie was blind.  Those that knew Ralph and Marie before they were together, marveled at the mutual attraction.  The attraction persisted, the relationship blossomed, and in fact, Marie’s blindness brought the two closer than they would have been otherwise.  Ralph became Marie’s eyes. 

When Ralph finally moved in with Marie people began talking.  Marie was always characteristically independent and scarcely required the attention that Ralph was heaping on her.   Ralph was also a loner and never showed this level of selflessness before he met Marie.  But still Ralph stayed by Marie’s side day and night.  Marie’s reliance on Ralph appeared genuine to all observers.  Ralph would gently guide her from place to place even if the surroundings were familiar to Marie.  When needed, Marie would call out to Ralph and he would hurry to her side to continue the loving guidance. 

Their already restricted lives became more so when Marie’s arthritis worsened.  She rarely complained but everyone could see that she was in pain.  Her pain seemed to hurt Ralph as much as her because over the coming months he stayed closer.  People stopped thinking of the couple as an odd pairing and eventually everyone mentioned them in the same likeness as they would of Romeo and Juliet. 

One starry evening in 1982, Marie’s sightless eyes closed for the last time.   Ralph cried for a while and became inconsolable.  He withdrew from the world and joined Marie shortly thereafter. 

There is a farm in Oklahoma where you might see the white crosses marking two graves.  Those that remember Ralph and Marie remember a relationship so deep it is hard for them to explain.  The thing is that they aren’t people.  Ralph, Marie’s constant companion, was a sheep and Marie was a Shetland pony. 

We are asked each and every day to step alongside our students and guide them within their journeys. Many of our wards do not require much from us except the companionship, mutual respect, and distant supervision as they discover the vastness of their world.  Others, on the other hand, are crying out for us to hurry to their side to continue a more detailed loving guidance.  This has always been and will continue to be the nature of educating the public’s children.  Thank you for pouring your love and kindness into our students.  I am also grateful to see how passionate our district is about seeking more knowledge about how to educate our students.  They deserve it.  Thanks for all that you do.

College & Career Signing Day 2019:

College & Career Signing Day is an event sponsored by Reach Higher Shasta to highlight and spotlight a group of high school seniors from Shasta County high schools who have made plans to pursue some type of post high school training and/or education.  We often see athletes get recognized at their “signing day."  Following this signing day tradition, we want to recognize students who have made plans for continuing education and training, wherever that may be.  This event is meant to bring some recognition and encouragement to Shasta County students who have made plans to improve their quality of life through college and/or career education.

Our goal for this event is...

· To make high school students and their families aware of the myriad of opportunities available to them

· To demonstrate our willingness to celebrate future plans with students from all walks of life and from all high schools, large and small, in our region

· To celebrate the diversity of post high school choices being pursued by Shasta County seniors

· To inspire underclassmen to put some thought into their own post high school plans

We invite you to join us on May 16th, at the Cascade Theatre as we recognize students from every Shasta County high school and highlight their college or career training choice they'll pursue upon graduation!

Event begins at 4:00 p.m.