Outside, the grounds were immaculate with tennis courts but no large field for without boys, she guessed a rugby field wasn't needed. She was taken across the grounds to the boarding block that was modern with no more than four girls in a bedroom while senior students each had their own room. These were all quite personal with pictures, soft toys, computers, televisions and other personal items making them like any teenage girl's room. Also in the block was a mini-hospital with two girls in beds there. She spoke to them and found they were both overseas students, one from India and the second from Australia. The girls chatted away and made Karla feel, for perhaps the first time since her arrival, that the school was occupied by real kids and not robots from some bygone era.
Back in the administration area she was introduced to the school manager who answered any questions she asked. Even though the school was smaller than Joseph Ward, the principal's salary was actually higher, due to overall responsibility for the boarding establishment being included. There was also a principal's residence on the campus but the woman said it hadn't been used in that capacity for twenty years. At the moment, two of the teachers who had been recruited from United Kingdom rented the house.
Karla said all the right things, thanked Annette and drove away, more depressed than delighted. Half an hour later she decided to visit Joseph Ward and found the friendship and warmth jump at her as a couple of girls saw her and rushed up.
"Why didn't you bring Sophia, Karla?" one of the girls said with a laugh. "We haven't see her for ages."
"I will next time," Karla promised and walked, smiling towards the administration block.
This was like coming home and at that moment she knew that Joseph Ward Junior High was where she wanted to remain. Come next term, this was where she would return. Why would she want to be anywhere else?
Her mobile rang.
"How was it?" Ryan asked.
"Depressing," she admitted. "I'm back at Joseph Ward now?"
"Why?"
Karla laughed. "Appreciating what a wonderful life we have and why I am not about to change it for the foreseeable future. Can I bring you home something for lunch from our cafeteria?"
The End
This is the final novel in the trilogy about Karla and Ryan and her teaching career.
The earlier novels are: -
Book 1:- Wisps of Cloud tells of Karla’s first principal’s position at a small rural school where Ryan grew up.
Book 2:- Wisps of Snow is where Karla is asked by the Ministry of Education to help in a run down rural area school that caters for all levels from Year 1 to Year 13 pupils.
Ross’s homepage and catalogue:- http://www.rossrichdale.com
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Did you love Wisps of Wisdom? Then you should read Wisps of Snow by Ross Richdale!
Now a successful principal of a city school in Wellington, New Zealand, Karla Spicer is called in to help as a Change Principal at Tuckett Area School in a remote South Island district. This small school takes pupils from Year I to 13 but has a falling roll in the high school section, an apathetic principal, Don Trow and a divided board of trustees. The Ministry of Education is considering closing the high school section and downgrading the school to take just primary pupils (Year 1 - 8) pupils.
Karla and her husband Ryan move south and begin to cure the school's problems. Ryan is a computer programmer who finds that the school is heavily in debt because Don Trow is faking online accounts and is betting on an Russian casino. He has run up huge debts and they want their money. By running down the PTA account he has paid off most of these debts but had not taken into account huge interest rates, nor the fact that the casino is run by an international terrorist organisation named Haqq Nar meaning True Fire in English. They want more than their money and are about to make an example of Trow.
When Karla tells Trow she has knowledge of his illegal activities, he reluctantly agrees to cooperate in her efforts to help the school. Programmes are changed, slack teachers made to improve and the the pupils become one co-operative unit rather than two mini-schools on one site. Ryan also takes on a part time position as school bus driver with his tiny bus travelling through the remote hinterland north of the school. Karla is also asked by the Ministry of Education to help at two other small schools in the area with teacher or board of trustees problems.
Karla is curious when two businessmen arrive in town by helicopter and head for Trow's office. She intervenes just as Trow is about to be shot but is herself wounded. The would-be assassins escape but do not abandon their bid to make an example of Tuckett Area School.
Ryan is near the end of his school bus route when his bus is hijacked. Five children and himself are flown by helicopter to a remote mountain hut but the kidnappers have no intention of letting the children and himself survive. Ryan and the children are just pawns in a sinister plot to get a Haqq Nar cell established in New Zealand.
How do Ryan and the students survive? Can Karla cope when she realises that not only the police but the secret service and military are involved in rescue attempts? Have all her efforts in helping Tuckett Area School been in vain because of this crisis?
Read more at Ross Richdale’s site.
Also by Ross Richdale
Emerald Eyes Trilogy
Emerald Eyes Destiny
Emerald Eyes Mist
Emerald Eyes Pyramid
Our Ancient Ancestors
When the Longships Came
The Druid's Daughter
Meztli - Sacrificial Maiden
Kyla's Fate
Our Romantic Thrillers
Blemished Jewel
Jana Adrift
Broken Silence
Eagle's Claw Lake
Snow Bond
Blossoms in the Wind
Terra Novels
The Truth About Terra
Terra Incognita
Wisps Trilogy
Wisps of Cloud
Wisps of Snow
Wisps of Wisdom
Standalone
Solar Search
Acid Air
Embrace the Fog
Cosmos Quest
Azure Sea Gold
Alien Hybrid
Crystal Souls
Countess In Exile
Anu Factor
Into the Wormhole
Time Portal
Like Twigs in a Storm
Omega Seed
Catalyst
Long Valley Road
Armlet
Claire
Liberty & Opportunity
Transmigration
Shadows Behind
Wind Across the Playground
Arising Magic
Generation 7
The Other Mrs Hayes
Stretched Horizons
Behind the Fire
Watch for more at Ross Richdale’s site.
About the Author
After a career as a teacher and principal of mainly small rural schools, Ross Richdale lives in the small university city of Palmerston North in the North Island of New Zealand where he writes contemporary novels and science fiction. He is married with three adult children and six grandchildren.
His interest in current events and international incidents serve as a backdrop for many of his novels. Ordinary people rather than the super rich super powerful or violent, are the main characters in his stories. His plots also reflect his interest in the rural lifestyle as well as the cross section of personalities encountered during his years as a teacher.
Read more at Ross Richdale’s site.
Ross Richdale, Wisps of Wisdom
Wisps of Wisdom Page 23