May is a big month for recognizing people and groups. Two of the most popular celebrations include Cinco de Mayo, May 5; and Motherís Day, May 14. More of a commemoration than a celebration, Memorial Day, which honors our fallen military men and women, is May 20. Other observances include Star Wars Day, May 4; and National Teacherís Day, May 6, which should also be a national holiday, in my opinion. My youngest daughter is teaching first grade, and the amount of time, energy and creativity she expends on her students is mind-boggling. Our teachers deserve more than a day in May.As most of our readers know, Falcon School District 49 has been grief-stricken by the sudden deaths of two students and staff members, including an administrator, a middle school teacher and the head of D 49 transportation ó along with two other staff members who have died this year.Read D 49 CEO Peter Hiltsí column this month. He addresses the loss of Julia Roark, a zone leader in D 49, who was killed when a car hit her bicycle on Woodmen Road in April. The middle school teacher was killed in a skiing accident, and one of the students was killed when a drunk driver hit his car.The light in all of this is the response from this great community. People have come together to mourn and to help the families, as evidenced by our front page photo. I can only hope this communityís display of recognition for the pain the families and friends are feeling helps even one little bit as they grieve their loved ones.Life is never standing still. As dark as these tragedies, we are witness to the toddlers and little kids enjoying their Easter egg hunts at Banning Lewis Ranch and the Falcon Fire Protection District station in April. Life moves quickly.I know this news is going to disappoint many of our readers, if not all. This month is Kathy Hareís last book review. Kathy is retiring. Deadlines donít give you much leeway to pick up and travel anytime you want, and Kathy and her husband are avid travelers.Kathy has been with us for about 11 years. She started out as a reporter and found a niche in book reviews. However, as a reporter, Kathy was the rock of our paper. We could always trust that Kathy had a grasp on the happenings in Falcon, and we could count on everything she wrote as truth. Publishers and editors know how precious that quality is in a newspaper writer.Kathy has also been our go-to person for all sorts of information about Falcon. Kathy is well-known in the community and has lived here to witness every single bit of growth. She served on the Upper Black Squirrel Ground Water Management District board for many years.As you know, Kathy is an excellent writer and her book reviews will be missed. She will be missed, but she will always be part of this newspaper. I think we owe much of our success to Kathy. Safe travels, Kathy (and if you want to write a travel column, let us know)!Now, they are both a bit nervous about this because they have big shoes to fill, but NFH writers Robin Widmar and Jeff Bowles will be taking on the book reviews, alternating months. I have every confidence they will do well.Happy Motherís Day, and thank you to all of our military men and women. See you in June!– MichelleCORRECTION: In the April issue, we misspelled Marine Corps in the Face to Face column. We had it spelled Marine Corp, when we should have written Marine Corps. Sorry about that!
