The Perennial Parrot Newsletter

                              The POLYTECHNIC
              CORNERSTONE PROJECT



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           POLYTECHNIC HIGH SCHOOL CORNERSTONE
                     dEDICATED OCTOBER 25, 2014
                                 Cornerstone Donors
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I am the Polytechnic High School Cornerstone,
and this is my journey

written by Marianne Eichenbaum

I am the Polytechnic High School Cornerstone, and I have been in more corners than you can imagine. I have quite a story to tell:

A beautiful building called Polytechnic High School was erected in 1914. I was proud to be the Cornerstone of this school. I saw young people come and go, laugh and cry, fall in love, and yes, I saw a little mischief now and then. I proudly held down the corner for 73 years, until one day when a wrecking ball came and took my beautiful school from me.

Some people came and took me away. I was in a house in San Francisco, and they just stuck me in a corner, and there I was, lonely and forgotten. I missed my school and I was hoping that someday I would be brought back to my home.

One day, a Policeman, a Man named Bob and a Lady named Dagmar came to the house and wanted to take me with them. The people refused to let me go, until Bob paid them $1,000. The Lady, Dagmar, was very happy and excited to take me home to a town called Saratoga. It was a friendly place. Dagmar cleaned me up, and I guess she thought I was cold because she put a blanket on me. She came to visit me often, and her touch told me that she really loved me.

Then a day came when Bob and Dagmar packed everything up, including me, and moved to a place called Grass Valley. I was OK with that, and it was a nice place. I was just happy to be with my family sitting in their garage, in the corner, with my cozy blanket over me. I still missed my home in San Francisco, but I had a good corner to stand in for many years to come.

One day Dagmar got sick, and soon she passed away. It was a very sad day for Bob and his family, and I was wondering what would happen to me now.

Then came a day I overheard Bob talking with a friend to come pick me up. A Man named Rich came to my garage, and talked with Bob. He promised that he would try to take me back to my home in San Francisco. Rich took me home to a town called Gilroy, and after a struggle, he was able to put me on a rolling thing, and propped me against a tree. I now was in the countryside. Rich’s wife, Marianne, called me lovingly the “Tombstone,”but I did not mind; after all I was now able to see the trees and all the animals. Some deer came to visit me quite often and even lay down by my side. A little dog named Bugsy came to visit me too, but he never piddled on me, for which I was very grateful.

One day Rich and Marianne had a little party. People came and I heard them talking about me. They stood by me, and took many pictures. I felt very important and I was happy to hear that they wanted to take me back to my home in San Francisco. I was happy and proud to see that so many people have missed me, as I missed them. I began to hope again.

Now the time has come and a Lady named Carol plus some of her high school friends have been working very hard on getting me back to my home. Although my beautiful building is gone, I hope to once again stand proudly with my name for everyone to see: The Polytechnic High School Cornerstone.

I am depending on my long-ago, still young-at-heart, friends for my dream to come true.

Hail Polytechnic...long live thy name

               If that brought a tear, wait until you hear it rendered in
professional storytelling style by team member Laurel Anne Hill.

                                                                  Polytechnic Cornerstone Story
                                                 by Laurel Anne Hill (ITunes Podcast))
                                                                                                                            OR
                                                                 Polytechnic Cornerstone Story
                                                           by Laurel Anne Hill (Podcast mp3)

                Laurel Anne's creative audio rendition also includes our
                   Polytechnic Fight Song ("Join Hands for Polytechnic") as
                                                                                      background music.

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                 MAY THE PARROT BE WITH YOU
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