Editor’s note

Back-to-school is a time of new beginnings. Bless the backpacks that hold so much hope, and the kids who carry them to new possibilities. Bless the teachers who care for the kids, enough to accept a “soft freeze” contract with a vague promise that things will get better next year. Bless the administrators, who carry on with insuffi cient resources. Grant them all courage to learn with confi dence and to live without fear. Give them a good school year. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and publisher

Cover photo by Amy Bishop