Meet your teachers

School district gives warm welcome to new staff

"In the external scheme of things, shining moments are as brief as the twinkling of an eye, yet such twinklings are what eternity is made of -- moments when we as human beings can say I am proud of you, I forgive you, I am grateful for you. That is what eternity is made of: invisible, imperishable good stuff."

These words of the late Fred Rogers, best known for his long-running show, Mister Roger's Neighborhood, were the encouragement that DeSoto County School Superintendent Adrian Cline posed to the new teachers at the DeSoto County School District during a luncheon at the Historic Parker House Bed and Breakfast Friday.

The lunch was prepared by Kay and Leonard Higley, owners of the bed and breakfast, and served while the new teachers were on a break from their orientations. Tammy O'Donnell, Ray Klejmont, Betsy Sorrells and Debbie Halvorson coordinated the three-day workshops. The DeSoto County School District holds these trainings each year to make the new teachers' transition into the district is as smooth as possible.

The new teachers were given a break from their school preparations to allow them to attend this luncheon and to meet Cline.

To ease the transition phase, each new teacher is paired with a mentor at their school. They also receive plenty of support from the community. As part of this support, the following business representatives donated items to help with the workshops: Diane Jones and Michelle Potter of First State Bank, Dick Rupert and Cindy Earl of Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union, Houghton Mifflin and Don Knoche of State Farm Insurance, and Gina Edwards, who provided bags for teachers.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.