January 27, 2005

LIMA-They say one good deed deserves another.

But last December, that was the last thing on the minds of the eight high school seniors at Lima High School.

Without a bit of hesitation, they’d decided to give the $5,000 they’d raised since eighth grade for their senior trip to a longtime teacher who’d just learned she had advanced breast cancer.

They weren’t looking for recognition. They were even a bit reticent about talking to anyone about their decision. The students didn’t want to take the focus away from the teacher.

But the word got out and their story touched people from all over the country.

After Ben Yarbrough of Lima established “Operation Seaside” – named for the Oregon town of Seaside where the students want to travel – donations of cash, services and even tickets to major sporting events began to pour in.

At last count, Yarbrough said $8,335 had been donated to the students from as far away as Florida and New York City. And that doesn’t include the free airline tickets donated by a Twin Bridges’ man, the $1,000 knocked off their motel rooms or the free tickets to the Portland Trail Blazers.

“It was just such a good deed that people felt compelled to recognize them for it,” Yarbrough said.

On top of their trip to Oregon, the eight were invited to travel to Salt Lake City on a separate weekend in March for a chance to shoot a few hoops with the Utah Jazz before watching their game and then enjoy a bit of professional hockey the next day.

“It’s just been so amazing,” said Tahnee Stosich, the senior class president. “It was a complete shock to all of us when they first told us we may still be able to go on our trip.”

Half the class from this tiny little town in extreme southwest Montana has never seen the ocean.

“It’s going to be a new experience for them,” she said. “I remember my first time seeing it. It’s something you never forget.”

On top of that, they’ll all have the opportunity to meet members of the Utah Jazz basketball team.

“We’re so excited about that,” said Stosich. “For three of us – that’s our favorite team. When they told us, it took our breath away.”

“It’s just been amazing for so many people to step forward to help us and Mrs. (Karla) McGraw,” she said.

That help came in a variety of different ways.

For instance, right before Christmas, Dave Marsh of Sheridan spoke to an assembly of Beaverhead County High School students in Dillon. He told them about their peers in Lima and said they could help out by doing a fundraiser of their own selling cookie dough.

“I knew it was going to work out when I asked how many would like brochures and saw all the hands go up in the air,” Marsh said.

The Dillon students sold almost a ton of cookie dough over the next few weeks and raised a little more than $3,000 to help out the Lima students and their teacher.

“They did a great job,” Marsh said. “It seems like every day we read about kids getting into trouble. We always hear the negative, but when things like this happen, you know that our kids really have a lot of good in them, especially these kids in Montana.”

Friday was set aside by the Beaverhead County Commission as Lima High School Senior Class Recognition Day. Commissioners recently traveled to the school to present the eight with plaques and the resolution that set Jan. 21 aside to honor them.

“It’s not a monetary thing, but that recognition was equally important for them,” said Dianna Slater of the Lima School District. “They really didn’t expect any of this…people have just responded in way no one could have predicted.”

“It’s opened up a whole new world to them about relationships between people,” said Tim Dehl, Lima school superintendent. “It’s a lesson that most people don’t learn until they’re much older. It’s just been a great education for them.”

“Their trip is going to be far better than anything they could have imagined,” Dehl said. “Gosh, it’s been fun to see this all come together.”