By Johnna Arnett Prater
Royalton, Kentucky
The group of students from the Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati came to visit our area recently weekend and had a great visit.
Moeller is an all-male Catholic High School in the Marianist tradition. Dave Campbell, a former University of Dayton [UD] student who, in 1987, was a part of the UD summer Appalachia program that comes to Salyersville every year, and later became a teacher at Moeller, has been bringing groups of 12-15 students to Magoffin County for 38 years. He, along with two other former UD students that also came to Salyersville with UD’s summer program, and teachers at Moeller, Eric Eble (2004 group) and Peter Gettings (2012 group), brought 12 handsome and very respectful young men with them. This group of young men are mostly from urban areas, and get a look at small town, country living and the beauty of eastern Kentucky. This trip gives them the chance to slow down and soak in the customs, food, and personality of our area and its people. Dave, Eric and Peter, falling in love with the area and the people says, “The program has always been well received by the students and gives us an excuse to come back and visit.”
The UD summer program has been a big part of this area for many years and there have been a lot of the students from UD who have formed bonds with the families in our area. Dave has had the opportunity to see multiple generations of some families here grow and prosper. The University of Dayton rents a house in Magoffin County that the Moeller group usually stays there when they visit, though it has no running water, cable, wifi, or most of the conveniences we all are accustomed to. Recently, UD purchased this property that they have been renting for decades and are planning upgrades, and the area is also undergoing extensive road work, so this trip they had to hang their hats in David, Ky. The newly-built facility at David is a far cry for having to use the UD outhouse, and having no AC or running water, etc. at the UD house. I think the teachers felt pampered, but still missed their beloved old house and all the memories it contained in and on its walls.
While here on their long weekend, the group instead of having their heads down, looking at screens, gaming or watching Netflix, spent their time doing much more hands-on things that some are not used to. They visited the local nursing home and talked with the patients, met with local artist Jessica Salyer at the beautiful Half Mountain Battlefield Park, and did nature sketches down by the creek, attended the Sorghum Festival in West Liberty Ky, and broke bread with many locals at our Senior Center. The object of our dinner is to spend time with as many residents as possible. Who better to fill the students in about our county, its history, its flavor and how very unique it is but the senior residents who have stories spanning the last 70+ years!
My husband Lester Prater and I have had the fortune for many years now to host the Moeller group to an Appalachian welcome dinner each fall and sometimes in the spring, as well. We serve food from this area and this year we were blessed to use the Senior Citizens Center at the Community Center to do so. Marlene Howard, the center’s long-standing director, for the last 4 years has allowed us to come together in their community room and it is perfect for our dinner. We have local guests that join us to speak to the boys and tell them about their lives here. On Saturday night, Russell Sparks, Walter Fitzpatrick, Gayle Coffey, and Willie Wallen joined Lester and myself to answer any questions and tell our many stories and experiences both personal and historic in a round table-style over dinner. One local person sits at the table and breaks bread with 3-4 of the students while casually talking and sharing for about 30 minutes, then they switch to the next table so the students have the opportunity to talk to all four of the residents who bring very different views and experiences to each table. The menu consisted of some food the students have not had and a couple they were familiar with, just cooked a different way: chicken and dumplings, soup beans with ham bones, real mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, corn bread, peach cobbler, and a whole bunch of homemade rice crispy treats, prepared by Lester, Gayle, and myself. The opinions on what each student liked best varied, but I think the peach cobbler may have been at the top of the list. My new buddy, RJ, told me he doesn’t like beans and I told him he hasn’t had them like this and try just a little bit. A bowl later he loved them!!
This year’s group consisted of a mix of freshmen through seniors who were very excited to be here and told us about many different things from college, to sports and events this year at Moeller they were looking forward to. There were 30 people in attendance Saturday night, 15 from Moeller and 15 from Magoffin. The community room at the senior center was full of conversation, laughter, and good will. It is so refreshing to watch these young men try new foods and to see them mesmerized by the stories they are listening to. I’m not sure who took more pleasure from this wonderful experience. The Senior guests, students and teachers all left bellies full and so very happy. Every one of them expressed how much they truly enjoyed the food the conversations and the community found that night. All in all, the Moeller weekends are our favorite yearly events that Lester and I are so fortunate to be a part of. It really feels great to see how much knowledge is shared and enjoyed by all, Moeller and Magoffin. In the big picture, we are all students and we are all teachers and having a platform to share all of it is amazing. We cannot wait to get the next call from Dave when he says, “it’s that time, again,” and we can spend more time with Moeller’s students, teachers and our good friend Dave, showing them how wonderful our area truly is. I hope that UD has the upgrades to the property done by the time that Moeller sends another group because it is also a huge part of what these young men take from this trip.
When I think of myself at their age, I remember some of my own experiences that I will truly never forget and that shaped my journey into adulthood. I hope that, for them, this trip will also be something they never forget and has made an impact on how they see the world and their future as well.
