LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 14 remained from Pre-K through sixth grade, after which they traveled ten miles south to Old Forge to attend the Town of Webb High School. They competed fa- vorably with their new classmates, and many Inlet students earned the title valedictorian or salutatorian, which Jean's husband Don Bird was named in 1956. Sue, Jean, Letty, and Reggie joined colleagues to build a community of companionship and learning pos- sible only in a small town like Inlet. The school provid- ed a safe haven for its members, but it prepared them to venture beyond sixth grade. Boys and girls, even- tually men and women, who attended Inlet Common School felt its pull and benefited from its strength long after they "graduated." Sue, Jean, Letty, and Reggie comprise a small but memorable cadre. Jean calls them "one era in the long line of teachers – strong women all." Inlet Common School brought many of them into their own. They earned a new position of respect and esteem in the community that endures today. "I loved Mrs. Bird and Mrs. Haynes," said Adele Murdock Burnett, who spent all of her grade school years at this school and is now Director of Tourism at Inlet's Information Center. Teachers did more than instill lessons…and love... to their students. They demonstrated that adults could learn along with students, could model resilien- cy and hope. They reminded small children that the grandmothers they saw shoveling roofs, the mothers they saw digging rocks out of stubborn lawns, and the aunts they saw struggling to make ends meet during the off-season, could and would persevere. These teachers nurtured endless possibilities in themselves and in their students - endless abilities and endless creativity. The daydreams in which each student indulged at their lakeside desk when they peered out the window stayed with them forever as lasting mem- ories. Today the Inlet Common School provides area for many endeavors. It is home to the Inlet Community Garden, which includes a garden in the front yard plus twelve raised beds in the lower lawn. The garden features grow towers, a worm garden, and a mush- room-growing space in the basement. One of the classrooms has been transformed into a Wifi Work- space open to anyone needing a semi-private remote office. There have been several classes held in the school, including painting, ceramics, and card-making. The school parking lot has also been repurposed. It has two electric vehicle charging stations and offers commercial space. Currently Banks Farm sets up a market every Tuesday afternoon, all year long, offer- ing fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, baked goods, honeys, jams, and more. All of this is made possible with help from the Inlet Area Community Task Force (IACTF), which works closely with the Inlet Com- mon School Board of Education. Information about IACTF is at www.inletareataskforce.com. t Teachers' Years at Inlet: Sue Beck: 1967-1972, 1977-1986 Jean Bird: 1971-1998 Letty Haynes: 1972-1996 Reggie Chambers: 1982-1987 All photos were provided by Suzanne Schnittman.

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