Letters

The Lewis and Clark Bicentennial celebrations in Idaho and across the nation commemorating the Corps of Discovery's trip from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back are not simply celebrations of a miraculous journey ("Discoveries in Learning," Summer 2003). The events being held through 2005 pay tribute to the indomitable American spirit: Our collective ability to use intellect, physical strength, ingenuity, and plain old-fashioned courage to reach a goal despite daunting obstacles. It's about mastering something completely new and using that knowledge to educate others.

The members of the Corps of Discovery exhibited bravery, creativity, and the desire to educate themselves, a president, and a nation, as they explored this land—so vast and foreign to them—so many years ago. Traversing parts of Idaho in the early 1800s isn't that difficult to imagine. All it takes is a drive in a late, unseasonably wet and chilly September on Highway 12 from Lolo Pass down the Lochsa River. Exploring this largely undisturbed section of Idaho, one sees the beauty and feels the solitude of what the Corps of Discovery saw and felt as they drifted down the river, maneuvering around boulders and fallen snags. All around, solitude hovers at the edge of the bright sunlight—a shadowy reminder of vulnerability and human frailty in the face of untamed wilderness. The words of William Clark, penned while camped along the Lochsa in September 1805—near today's Powell Ranger Station—could have been written in our lifetime. "The mountains which we passed to day much worst than yesterday the last excessively bad & thickly strowed with falling timber & Pine Spruce fur hackmatak & Tamerack, steep & stoney our men and horses much fatigued."

This part of our history deserves particular attention. We learn more and more about that amazing journey as scientific methods of research improve through technology. As we learn to use advanced technology, we embark on our own journey of discovery. The federal Lewis and Clark Rediscovery Project has assisted K-12 students in the quest for practical application of technology in the classroom. Thanks in part to the Technology Innovation Challenge Grant, students in schools all along the Lewis and Clark route have been able to employ innovative learning practices through the use of Internet Web site research and creation, CD-ROMs, and development of locally created curriculum projects. In Idaho, six school districts (Kamiah, Lapwai, Lewiston, Moscow, Orofino, and Potlatch) received grant money this year to pursue projects supported through the Lewis and Clark Rediscovery Project.

While many of us may worry that we don't have the physical stamina to complete a trip of such magnitude, we do have that same spirit of creativity and quest for knowledge. The Lewis and Clark Bicentennial gives us an opportunity to use tools of the future to learn and to teach others about the past. In America, education is the key to excellence and opportunity. Two hundred years ago, Thomas Jefferson and our government sponsored the exploration of territory that was unfamiliar to U.S. citizens and uncharted by Western science. Today, we continue that quest. While the uncharted territory of technology and the Internet is not geographic, it presents substantial challenges and extraordinary educational opportunities not unlike those experienced by a group of brave men, one woman, and a child 200 years ago.

Libraries Make a Difference

I just wanted to let you know how impressed I am with your fall 2003 issue of NW Education ("Nexus of Knowledge"). I have been waiting a long time for an educational periodical to devote an entire issue to library media specialists. Thank you for publishing this excellent resource and for taking the time to verify the fact that library programs can make a difference in the life of students.

Nadine Roys
Library Media Specialist
Lakewood High School and Middle School
Lakewood, Washington

A Quest for Knowledge

Libraries Make a Difference