Once upon a time there was a teacher named Mrs. Burke. She was a fourth grade teacher. She likes teaching fourth grade. She has a mentor named Mrs. DeBenedictis. Mrs. Burke teaches in the building, and she says that the construction doesn’t bother the class unless they’re banging on the windows. Mrs. Burke likes the trailers, but doesn’t like them in front of the building. She thinks that the trailers will come back if they are going to add more students. Mrs. Burke wishes that she could teach in the trailers, except on cold days, and she wishes everybody was in the building. She likes being in the trailers for meetings to get away from the noise, but is sort of happy she is in the building to be with other teachers.

Inside the art classroom, Garry Checki and Taylor Carlisle interviewed Mr. Culley. "Being in the trailers doesn’t bother me. It actually challenges me to find a new way to teach," he said. He has been to visit the new addition. Mr. McMahon, the head custodian, took him on a tour. "The pros of the trailers are you get to be in the weather, there’s more walking, it’s like my own territory. The cons are I feel disconnected from the staff. I don’t have a sink. Not many people come out here and visit so they don’t know what the art program is about. When I have to do an art show, I have to carry everything outside and be careful that nothing breaks."

When asked about being next to the music trailer, he said, "It’s great. It doesn’t make me feel isolated. Dr. Lineburgh and I get a lot of creative ideas." Mr. Culley also said, "Yes, I will miss the trailers because it’s kind of like a wake-up call for me. It’s my home away from home. But I’m not going to miss carrying the water back and forth."

We asked if the construction affected him, and he said, "No, it really doesn’t affect me, except that I will have to box everything up."

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In the afternoon of April 25, 2002, two girls named Bridget and Kelly interviewed a music teacher at Rushwood Elementary School. Her name was Dr. Lineburgh. Kelly and Bridget asked her eight questions. Would she miss the trailers? Dr. Lineburgh answered that she will because she will miss being outside. She said she wishes she were in the school because there would be more room. When asked about the ups and downs of the trailers, she replied that one positive thing was she could control the heat and air conditioning. Two negatives were that all of the children’s coats had to go on the back of their chairs, and the fact that she had to walk in and out of the trailers so many times.

Do you think there will be more trailers at Rushwood in the future? She said no, then said maybe if there’s more construction. When asked if the construction affected her, Dr. Lineburgh said only when the teachers had to park over near the playground. We asked how she felt about having the construction right behind her. She answered, "The first year I didn’t like having it, but then I adapted to it." We asked how she felt about teaching in such limited space. She answered, "The room is not to limiting, but I will have more room in the kindergarten class next year, where I will be."

We have just interviewed Mrs. Wasco. We’ve asked her a few questions and we discovered that her thoughts about the trailers were that it was a good idea to have the trailers because we needed the space and the bad thing to her about the trailers were that the kids had to walk in the rain to music and art. Mrs. Wasco thinks we will have trailers back at Rushwood because all the rooms are filled up and we need the space. She has been in all 4 rooms in the two trailers. Some days Mrs. Wasco wanted to teach in the trailers because of all the windows, but on those cold winter days Mrs. Wasco’s glad she doesn’t have windows. She is happy with the new addition, but she thinks it should be bigger, and if she had to pick between the new addition and the trailers, she would pick the new addition. The construction didn’t affect her, but now the teachers have to park in the back lot. She has been in the new addition and she thinks it is beautiful. She wishes she had one of those rooms, and she thinks it was a good idea to have trailers in the first place because we needed the space.

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When we were called to go interview her, I rushed for the book. When we got there we waited fifteen minutes. When Mrs. Dorsey came we asked six questions. We asked her if she has been in the trailers. She said, "Yes, for recess as an aide, and to help people." We asked her if she thought people would miss the trailers. She said, "No, because everyone should be in the building." When we asked if she would like to teach in the trailers, she responded, "Yes, because it is quiet and you can do just about anything you want." We also asked if she thought we should preserve the history of the trailers and she answered, "Yes, so other people know what it is like."

We then asked, "Do you think they should keep the trailers? Mrs. Dorsey thought no, because all the kids should be together, and that being inside would help students be a bigger part of the community. Finally, we asked about the ups and downs of the trailers. She said, "The bad thing about the trailers is the weather in the winter, and the good thing is they have four walls in each class.

At Rushwood there is a nurse that two boys interviewed. She said she thought there would be trailers again if the population grows as fast as it has been growing. Then she said the construction didn’t affect her because she is too far away from it. She said that people would miss the trailers because they have been part of Rushwood for a few years. Mrs. Carlisle has been in the trailers before because her son is there and sometimes people might be hurt or they might be sick. She said she would want to be in the trailers because it is calm and quiet, and not as distracting as it can sometimes be in the school. She doesn’t like to come out to the trailers in the winter because it’s cold, but in the summer she likes to come out because it’s warm and she likes exercise. She likes to help kids because she likes to see kids happy and it makes her feel like a mom to all of the kids.

Mrs. DeBenedictis, teacher

On April 22, 2002, Hannah Bechke and Alex Gale interviewed Mrs. DeBenedictis. She said she will miss some things about the trailers like walking back and forth on nice, sunny days, and she will miss the fact that we can make all the noise we want. She will miss the water cooler, too. However, she hates the fact that there are no bathrooms, and that we’re 230 feet away, and she said there’s not enough space in the trailers. She hopes the trailers will never ever be here again. She would rather see another school be built than for Rushwood to have a larger population. She said that the construction affected her class more last year than this year. She loves her dry erase boards, and hopes she can take them next year into the building. She now has a phone in her room. Next year she hopes she has one, too. The trailers have a lot of storage. She said that she likes her big desk and cushiony chair. She wishes the trailers were closer to the building and that they were bigger. She hates walking back and forth in the snow, the rain, and the cold. It’s okay in nice weather. She said the bees have come in the trailers before, and one even stung Mrs. Harrell and other students. They have to turn off the lights and wait for them to go away, and it takes away from class time. The weather is a hassle because she has to hold her umbrella and her books and keys. She thinks the trailers are good because there are less people in each class in the building. She said they tried to make them as nice as they could.

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An aide took us to Cluster D to interview Mr. Brooks. Erin asked the first six questions. Will you miss the trailers? He said, "I will only miss the trailers because of the closed classrooms." Have you ever been in the trailers? Mr. Brooks replied, "Three days a week for specials." Do you wish you were in the trailers? He said, "I wish I was in the trailers because it’s quieter, and the kids can pay more attention." What are the pros and cons of the trailers? Mr. Brooks answered, "I think the con is walking outside in the rain, snow, and for recess and lunch. The pro is the enclosed classrooms." Do you think the trailers will be at Rushwood again? He replied yes. When asked if the construction affected him, Mr. Brooks said, "Not one bit."

Sam asked the next five questions. Do you like the trailers? "I like them, I just don’t like the fact that there are trailers." Do you wish that the trailers were gone? "To an extent I do, but I guess they’re good for the time being. Thirty or forty kids per class would be hard. Have you ever had class in the trailers? "No." Do you think it is easier in the trailers? "Yes, less distractions." Do you think it is harder to stay quieter in the trailers or the building? "The building."

Once upon a time, in a school called Rushwood, two girls were trying to preserve the history of the trailers. They were interviewing a first grade teacher named Mrs. Jones. The girls were asking questions about the trailers. When they asked if Mrs. Jones would miss the trailers, they got answers like "yes, because it is fun to go out on a nice day, but the opposite on a rainy one." When asked if it would be hard to adjust, Mrs. Jones said yes. The girls also asked if while the construction for the new part of the school was happening, did it bother her. The answer was no, because it was so far away. They asked Mrs. Jones if she would have wanted to teach in the trailers while they were there and she explained, "No, because it would be hard for the first graders to be in there because they have to go to the bathroom a lot and get a lot of drinks." Then Mrs. Jones got asked if she thought the trailers would ever be at Rushwood again. She replied yes because she had gotten word that the kindergarten numbers are going to be big next year, and she doesn’t know what they will do with all of the extra kids.

The girls asked if people would forget about the trailers. Mrs. Jones said no, because it’s a part of Rushwood’s history. The last question they asked was, "What were the ups and downs of the trailers?" An up was that on a gorgeous day, it is fun to walk out the class, and a down was she thought the outside was ugly.

They thanked Mrs. Jones and went back to the trailers. Afterall, they spent their whole 4^th grade year in them.

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We asked Tyler if he would miss the trailers. He said in some ways, yes he would because it’s probably a cool place to be, and it’s cool if you’re in there because you could talk about it and nobody else would know about that. We asked if he wished if he were in the trailers. He said no because he likes the classrooms and he just grew accustom to them over the years. We asked how he thinks he would feel in the trailers. He said it would be cool because it would be different from everybody else’s, experience, but it would be hard to hold it if you had to go to the bathroom. You’d have to wait for the class. He said the ups of the trailers are you could do more stuff in some ways than you could in the clusters. The downside is the no bathrooms, and for going to your specials you always have to get your coat. Course if it’s a really hot day you can go outside for a bit. He said he would not like to do all that walking because it takes too long.

On Thursday, April 25, 2002, at 1:20 two boys named Eddie and Clay went to interview Mrs. Kretch. They asked ten questions about the trailers. Mrs. Kretch said that the downside of the trailers is that we don’t see those students a lot. She wishes everyone was in the building. She thinks though that the students in the trailers have adjusted really well.

Mrs. Kretch said that the construction has affected everybody at Rushwood, but that when it is all done she will be glad to be teaching in such a beautiful building. She said she had been in the trailers, which is rare for people in the building. Many of her students from last year are in the trailers this year. She said she would want to teach in them just for the experience, but she wouldn’t want to have to walk back and forth all the time in bad weather. Mrs. Kretch doesn’t think the trailers will be back.

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On Friday, April 26, 2002, two girls from Mrs. Harrell's and Mrs. DeBenedictis’ classes interviewed Mrs. Glorioso, a third grade teacher. The two girls asked, "What are the ups and downs of the trailers?" She said, " I guess sometimes when it is rainy and snowy, weather can be a problem, but it is nice to get fresh air." We asked, "Do you think trailers will ever be at Rushwood again?" She said, "I guess if we have another explosion in population where a lot of families are moving in, and Rushwood is not big enough we might need more trailers."

The girls then asked her, "Will you miss the trailers?" Mrs. Glorioso replied, "I think I will miss the trailers because the students that are in fourth grade really enjoyed being in the trailers and going outside. The fourth graders will probably miss them, too." Miss Glorioso said that she takes her students to music and art in those trailers, and has visited the fourth grade trailers. She does not know much about them, but she is looking for more wall space like in the trailers.

The two girls also asked her if the construction affected her. Mrs. Glorioso replied, "The construction really didn’t affect me. I do hear pounding sometimes, but it is not really too much of a problem." When asked if she liked walking her class out to music and art during winter, she said, "I do not mind it if the weather is not too bad in the winter. It is nice to get fresh air."

We asked her if she wishes she was in the trailers. She replied, "I think there are good things and bad things about the trailers. I like sharing a cluster with three other classes. When asked what she thought life was like in the trailers, she said it would be interesting to go back and forth. "Actually, teaching in the trailers would definitely be quieter than in the cluster.

By: Danielle Shepherd and Anna Coffman

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On April 30, 2002, two students from Rushwood interviewed local Rushwood teacher Mrs. Harrell. She thought carefully about the questions the two boys, Alex and Robbie, asked her. She answered, "Yes, I think people will miss the trailers because we’re special and different from the building. The ups of the trailers are you can spread out and not bother anybody else. The downs are ruining all those pairs of shoes. I think that they will only have trailers again if enrollment goes up too high. The construction does not affect us that much, and I am glad I went out to the trailers only so me and Mrs. DeBenedictis could team teach. I’ll miss the trailers, but it will be exciting to be part of the building. I am glad we’re going to the building because I miss the other teachers and students, and we don’t know what’s going on in the building always. The trailers look nice and cozy on the inside, and we have all the things we had in our classroom. On the outside they look kind of like an army barrack."

On Friday, April 26, 2002, Stephanie Meyer and Elysia Steigert interviewed Mrs. Little. "Will you miss the trailers and why?" asked Stephanie.

"No," answered Mrs. Little. "I’m not going miss the trailers. They were somewhat of an eyesore. This is such a pretty building and to have the trailers stuck out in front detracted from the appearance of the building. On the other hand, those children who were in the trailers really enjoyed being in them. And it reminded me somewhat of the story of The Boxcar Children. It’s sort of your own little world. And that’s what would have appealed to me as a child. But not as an adult. So…I’m glad that the trailers are going."

"Do you wish you were in the trailers and why?" asked Stephanie.

"As an aide I’m glad that the trailers are going, like I said before, because not only are they an eyesore, they are a burden to the children and teachers that have to go back and forth if they have to go to the bathroom. They were removed from the community of the school itself, and I like to have everybody together. As far as my childhood point of view, I’d probably enjoy being separate from everyone else," Mrs. Little answered.

"Does the construction affect you?" we asked. She said it hadn’t affected her. "What are the ups and downs of the trailers?" asked Elysia

"My up part is I think it is good exercise for my body to go back and forth," Mrs. Little replied. "I also enjoy the seasons and the snow, rains, and sunny days. The down part is a lot of time is wasted and I’m on a pretty tight schedule."

"Do you think that there will be trailers again at Rushwood?" Elysia asked Mrs. Little.

"With the way the population is growing in this area, I’d say yes, more trailers or another elementary school."

"Do you think that other people will miss the trailers?"

"I think that the teachers will miss the trailers because they have their own little community there to teach. I think they’re going to miss them. But new students will know nothing about them. So I don’t think that they’ll miss them."

"Have you been in the trailers?" asked Elysia.

"Yes, I’ve been in the trailers," replied Mrs. Little. "In my opinion it’s comfy and cozy. For my purposes though, it is not enough room."

Mark Hartman and Tim Marsek went to the lobby to interview Mrs. Shepherd on April 22, 2002. They asked the question, "Do you think people will miss the trailers?" They thought the answer would be positive, instead it turned out negative. She said no because she thought walking in and out to go to places (building, specials and bathroom breaks) was a waste of time. The second question was, "Did you like the trailers?" The answer came out and Tim and Mark were surprised because in the first question she said she didn’t like it, but this time she said she liked it because it was more quiet and confined, and but didn’t like it because they were excluded from the rest of the building.

They were one-third of the way done. Question number three was, "What are the ups and downs of the trailers?"

Mrs. Shepherd responded, "The ups are it’s quieter and there’s less noise, and the downs are it’s hard walking from place to place and not having bathrooms. It’s a waste of time commuting from the building to the trailers." When asked if she thought there would be trailers again at Rushwood, Mrs. Shepherd said, "No. I’m not certain how many people will come to the area." Mrs. Shepherd liked visiting the trailers. She said, "It seemed that you’re more focused and you learn very well in the quiet."

"If you wanted to teach would you teach in the trailers?" Mrs. Shepherd said she would, but walking in and out of the trailers and not having restrooms would frustrate her.

We have interviewed Mrs. Bardoun, secretary of Rushwood Elementary, about the trailers. She started off saying that she has been in the trailers before because Mrs. Harrell and Mrs. DeBenedictis (teachers of the trailers) invited her in before. Also, because she went to see the music and art trailers. After that, she said she’d like to work in the trailers because it seems like a cozy spot to work. She said the construction affected her because in the summer, they used a machine to pound the ground, and it shook the whole building. Then she said that she did and did not want the trailers to leave. She wants the trailers to leave because it will be safer for the kids. Everyone will be inside the building. No, because there will be more room with them. One could be used for extra storage. Then she said she would prefer the new part of the building because the kids will be safer. After that she said she would and would not always want to walk outside from the trailers. Yes, because in nice weather it would be nice to take a walk. No, because she wouldn’t like to take a walk in bad weather. She said it’s hard to say if trailers will come again because more students might come, but we might get another building. Finally, she wants the new part of the building because we will have more room for more kids.

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Gary and Ian interviewed Mrs. Soukup on April 30, 2002. They were asking questions about the school trailers, and what she thinks about them. They walked into the building at 1:20 PM, during their SSR time, to interview her. She thought the trailers were nice inside and out. She knows what they look like because she went in them before to talk about the school store. She said that on a nice, beautiful day she loves walking to the trailers, but on rainy, snowy days, she does not. She also said, "I miss the fourth graders in the trailers."

On April 23, 2002, Kevin Grzymkowski and Brent Hillen interviewed Mrs. Chaloupka at Rushwood Elementary. Kevin and Brent asked her questions like "Will you miss the trailers?" She said no because it is easier working in the building. I think she thought the trailers were okay. She also said she loved her job. She has been working at Rushwood for about eight years. She wishes she had been in the trailers more, especially to visit Mrs. Harrell and Mrs. DeBenedictis, but she said that it’s hard going out to the art and music trailers in the rain and snow because she has to push her student’s wheelchair out there. She would rather have everyone her in the building. She said we might need trailers again the way the area is growing. The construction has also affected her with parking. She has to park in a different place.

One day in Rushwood Elementary, two kids, Jaimie Patterson and Kylynn Lapsley, from the trailers, were getting ready for their interview about the trailer’s history. They interviewed Sam in her classroom in Cluster D. "Do you know how long the trailers have been here?" Sam thought they were here two or one years. When asked what she thought the ups and downs were of the trailers, she answered, "The ups are it’s more quiet. The downs are you have to wait to go to the bathroom, and have to go inside with somebody.

When asked if she would want to be in the trailers, Sam replied that she wouldn’t when it is rainy or snowy cause you get wet and cold, but she would like to be in them because some of her good friends are in there, and she doesn’t get to see them much. When they all get off the busses the trailer kids have to stand by the wall, and the others have to sit at the tables, so they can’t even talk then.

She was also asked if the construction affected them in the building. Sam said that it was distracting sometimes, and when they were using tar, you could smell it in the library.

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Mrs. Beville does not like having the trailers here, but said they were ok for awhile since we had no space. She wants everyone in the building. She hopes they won’t be here again, and that if we ever get overcrowded, they will come up with another solution. Mrs. Beville said the construction has really affected them. Everything in the building has to be packed: her office, Mrs. Bardoun’s office, library, and all the teachers’ classrooms. They are installing a new heating and air-conditioning unit, and will be doing a lot of work on the roof. The teachers will not be able to work in their classrooms during the summer, and Mrs. Beville and Mrs. Bardoun will have to move into the trailers for the summer.

Mrs. Beville loves walking back and forth, as long as the weather is nice, and it’s not rainy, snowy, or cold. She thinks people will miss the trailers for awhile because it was a unique experience; however, after all people are back in the building, it will really be Rushwood’s history. She has been in the trailers for a variety of reasons. She will be in them for a long time when they move the office there for the summer, so then she will really know what it’s like.

Mrs. Beville said at times she wished she could have been out there because it’s peaceful and quiet, and she could have gotten all her work done. She also felt bad for the four teachers out there on cold, rainy, windy days. She believes that if she taught out there for awhile she could really understand all that those teachers went through. This summer she will!