The dusty floors spotted with puddles of oil. The pungent odor of steering fluid and gas. The grease stains that seemed to appear anywhere and everywhere. The long afternoons and late nights lying under some monstrosity of equipment. These are the things that started me on my path. I was seven years old when I started helping my dad in the shop. My job as his assistant included holding flashlights, retrieving tools, and answering the phone while he was stuck underneath a vehi

**EDITORS NOTE** He’s steady and unwavering. The most dependable of people when you need him. His character is mature far beyond his years. Finding these qualities in someone can be tough enough in an adult, but to find them in a teenager in some places can be unheard of. I enjoy bragging on the “kid crop” from North Park because we truly do raise great kids here. Today’s young man in no exception. He is one in a million and a true cowboy at heart. Jacob Wintermote is r

I was born in Gunnison, CO, lived in New Mexico for a year or so then moved here when I turned two and have grown up here in Walden. I would spend a few weeks every summer in Gunnison, but I'm always right back to Walden. When I was younger my role for the ranch was whatever chores my dad gave me. In the spring, during calving I would go tagging with him. Whenever a baby (calf) needed to be pulled I always wanted to go and watch and help. We would move pairs whether it was n

Take a moment and think about the place you live in. What are important aspects in people’s lives? What makes people want to pull together in their community? This pull to unite in a community is called a sense of community. A sense of community is a very important aspect of life. (I encourage you to get the Jackson County Star to read the “inside” of this essay. Editor Note) North Park gives me a connection and a meaning to life. In school, we start building connection

A Blue and Gold celebration of a different kind is happening this week as the North Park FFA celebrates National FFA Week. The national theme for this year is “Transform” which is very fitting for this group of service oriented members. Our local chapter is unique because 47 of the 52 high school students that attend North Park High are enrolled in Agriculture Education and the FFA. That’s a 90% success rate in a district that continues to see declining enrollment. Six years