8 - Sunday, November 10, 1991 - North Shore News THERE’D BEEN an in festation of spitballs. By Syd Stone Contributing Writer Spitballs are like locusts or any other plague. They come in seasonal cycles. Students discover the concept of spitballs and play with it like a kitten with a new toy for a while, then lose interest.- In the meantime, like any other pest, the spitballs were causing big problems in Miss Mollie Nye’s Grade 8 social studies class. Spitballs are insidious, because they are particularly hard to catch. Every time Miss Nye turned her back the room was thick with fly- ing white little spheres, yet when she turned around the air was clear. Consequently, we thought we were much smarter than she. Especially since this had been go- ing on for some time, and today was by far the worst episode. I was amazed at how she could sweetly teach the class, seemingly oblivious. She was simply letting the evi- dence pile up. Suddenly, at the end of the class, she spun, and, as if sceing for the first time the spitballs that covered the floor like a_ light snowfall, grew furious. Unlike many teachers Miss Nye was always calm, good-natured, above the crowd. I'd never seen her so mad. I’ve never seen her mad at all, What was worse, she had every right, considering the mess we'd created. She then grew grave and said this was very serious. Clearly for the rigours s of winter driving, with our special “winterize” services Molly Nye’s way she’d be consulting with higher authorities. We were ordered to appear at three o'clock for an indeterminate detention and await the outcome. As one of the numerous culprits, I never spent a more miserable day in school. I cursed the day I'd rolled my first spitball. I imagined conferences being held with the principal and other officials on the matter of my ex- pulsion. Bumping into other un- indicted co-conspirators in the halls | knew they were suffering the same terrors. We returned to her classroom at three o'clock and cleaned up the carpet of trodden spitballs like the cursed dogs we were. Then the tension set in as we had to wait in the miserable silence, hands behind backs, like prisoners con- demned to the firing squad. 1 felt sure that, at any minute, the entire school board would walk in and expel us en masse. That was the gravity she'd managed to impart. Finally, she confirmed our worst fears by telling us what little hounds we were and that this sort of nonsense got you kicked out of school. Yet she somehow gave the im- pression that it was she, Mollie Nye, who'd actually fought on our behalf. Then she gave us demerit marks and released us. We were almost weeping with relief. This was the work of a master statesman. Without resorting to any sort of unpleasantness she achieved exactly what she wanted. And it worked. The next day she returned to her pleasant, casy-going manner with an utterly reformed social! studies class. Towards the end of my time with her, Miss Nye pulled me Trouble-free performance, year after year, is one of the traditional benefits you enjoy when you drive a Mercedes-Benz. To get the best out of your car, and help retain its value, regular expert ser- vicing is essential ... service that only authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers can offer. Insist on genuine Mercedes-Benz Service and Parts! Get ready for winter now. Please call soon to make your appointment. MERCEDES-BENZ CANADA INC. 1375 Marvine Drive, North Vancouver 984-9701 aside. | was graduating to another school. She said that 1 ought to become a social studies teacher. No teacher had ever said any- thing like this to me. Maybe she was only trying to raise my self- esteem, or perhaps she really meant it. Maybe both. It made me feet like a million bucks, that I actually had a mind to think with, and I’ve never forgotten it. In retrospect, it’s advice ! probably should’ve taken back in 1965. What 1 didn't know back then was that Miss Nye had alrzady been patiently helping the children of North Vancouver, day in and day out, for a very long time. Since 1950. Or tirai she’d been born and raised in the first home ever built on Lynn Valley Road, by her father, where she lives to this day. On Nov. 18, 1991, couver District Council will be wrestling with the idea of naming the tiny service road to Karen Magnussen Arena, opposite her home, after her. The problem is that Miss Mollie Nye may be officially incligible simply because she’s still alive and walking. The rules say she has to be deceased, unlike Karen Magnussen, for whom the arena is named. Th & “Artists for. Kids”: Image size 14°x21" North Van- © The real problem is that road- naming is reserved for extinct pol- iticians and industrialists, with the occasional Olympic athlete thrown in. Ultimately an industrialist is measured by how much money he takes. And in the long run, the measure of a politician's success is often how much credit he’ can take. Someone once said that if you commit a small crime you'll go to jail, but if you commit a big crime they'll name a Street after you. Yet one thing is for sure: North Vancouver District Counci!’s poli- cy is to encourage, and reward, public involvement and personal contribution to the community. So by their own policy the important thing is to give credit to people who give, not take. By all accounts, Mollie Nye has given her 78 years, since she was born here, to helping make many thousands of North Vancouver's children into reasonably responsi- ble adults. She’s given everything she’s got to North Vancouver, and taken nothing. That makes naming the smalt service road to an obscure skating rink after her seem like short shrift indeed. if we're really interested in perpetuating her example, we'd \p ‘Fine. Arts Fadenment name Lynn Valley Road after her. | Right now Lynn Valley Road isi just a dull geographical designa- tion — a line between two points.} What we really want, as a com munity, is to drive it and think o someone who spent her life giving Iii to the community — not taking. HB Driving up Mollie Nye Way would deliver a kind of physical proof that the selfless giving toga the community is a very goodi thing for us to do. Each time we passed up or down we would experience it, as would our children. a Perhaps some of the 5,000 or sof North taught over the years would be in-J terested in supporting this idea. Think of it as giving back a little of what she’s given you. ar What a great message. What a great lady. : I drive what’s now called Lynn Valley Road every day. Have done for years. I’ve seen Moilie Nye beavering away in her garden since she’s stopped teaching, and two things have become obvious. . She doesn’t know how muchf§ she’s done for North Vancouver. And I feel deeply guilty for not fig ever having stopped and said hello, and thank you. You can bet “7 Tast «: in. © 1991 Robert Bateman “GREAT BLUE HERON” an exclusive handmade original lithograph by ROBERT BATEMAN edition 290 $2400.00 + faxes AVAILABLE. ONE TIME ONLY. vo OVEMBER 14,-1991° 7:30pm ~ North Vancouver Schoo! Board Office 721 Chesterfield Avenue for information contact: Bill MacDonald, Visual Art Consultant 987-6657 Vancouver students she’s Bag