High Desert Grange HAPPENINGS By Suzann Gilliland Peterson
National Grange Award goes to Ruth Miller Few of have the ability to draw a straight line much less design a flyer, a poster, or a social media post. Ruth Miller, graphic designer for the High Desert Grange, enthusiastically does all of this with very little effort. Born in California but raised in the Chicago suburbs, Ruth grew tired of the city life and moved to Elko where she lived for ten years. Fernley was her next stop, albeit it brief. In 2012, she and her family relocated to Fallon where they discovered the High Desert Grange.
The High Desert Grange is a familyoriented organization that focuses on community service and offers many opportunities for learning. Their Lego Robotics program was the steppingstone for the Miller family’s entry into the organization. She, her ten-year old daughter and nineteenyear old son love Legos, so three years ago they became Grange members and immediately signed up for the program. Ruth quickly filled a need to “tune up” the Grange Legos laptops used by the students. One thing led to another and she found herself designing flyers, handouts, and Facebook posts for the organization. She even improved their website and is now its administrator. 40 FEBRUARY 2021
Because of her unique creative abilities, Ruth was recently awarded second place in the 2020 National Grange Publicity Item Contest. The contest is open to all Grange organizations and it requires entrants to submit a publicity item that promotes the Grange. This item can be a flyer, poster, advertisement, short video, radio commercial or announcement, a social media post, a press kit or media release, a shirt, a button or other wearable item, or anything else that promotes the Grange. She found out about the contest from The Patrons Chain, the official newsletter of the National Grange and, with encouragement from fellow Granger Gloria Montero, decided to enter her work. She submitted all she had designed for the High Desert Grange in the twelve months prior to the deadline, including a very detailed brochure that features Grange members doing what they love. In addition to her second place ribbon, her efforts secured a cash prize of $100.00 for the High Desert Grange. Ruth’s talents are a testimony to the fact that a person doesn’t need a degree to be a designer. Mrs. Miller has no formal education in graphic design. In fact, she says, her abilities were earned with the guidance and encouragement of her grandfather and her uncle. Her grandfather, a magazine editor, gave her tips, tricks and suggestions for posterboard layouts for school projects. Her uncle taught her about photography and how to frame a good picture. In high school, she became involved with her local public access cable TV station where she discovered she was an excellent camera person. Over the years, her talents have blossomed.
When asked what inspires her designs, she said, “I keep in mind the audience and how the product will be used. From Facebook posts to printed brochures, I follow the same idea – keep it simple, easy to read, and eye-catching.”
Earning second place and representing the Grange and Fallon was an honor for Ruth. She was proud to show her creations but was surprised to place. Competition came from the many Grange clubs throughout the country. This contest was not her only experience with the National Grange. She is an amateur webmaster and has reached out to the National Grange for help on web design as well as for help with resources for graphics. She says that everyone she has ever been in contact with from the National Grange has been amazing.
Working with the High Desert Grange has brought many personal rewards for Ruth and her children. They have made many friends. She finds Grange members amazing and very supportive. She has also found resources and knowledgeable people from whom she can learn as she plans a long-desired garden. The High Desert Grange has made a positive impact on Ruth’s life. “I’m proud to be a part of a group that contributes to this community and offers opportunities to learn new skills,” she said. She feels more a part of our community through her Grange membership.
To see Ruth’s contest submissions, visit www.nationalgrange.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/12/2020-In-House-2ndHigh-Desert-Grange-22-NV-TrifoldBrochure.pdf
Plants donated to Logos Christian Academy Cool, aromatic, gnarly, aggressive, opposing pairs, hint of menthol. Do you know what this is? It’s a plant. Does that help? OK. It’s mint!
Mint has many uses, including culinary and medicinal. But did you know that it can help boost a child’s test scores, reduce childhood symptoms of ADD, and promote good health in children by purifying the air? Studies have shown that plants improve a child’s mental and physical well-being. Inspired by National Grange President Betsy E. Huber’s September 11, 2020 article titled “Digging into the School Year” in The Patrons Chain, the High Desert Grange recently donated a dozen young mint plants to Logos Christian Academy in their hometown of Fallon, NV for use in their pre-K through eighth grade classrooms. According to the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture, classrooms with plants have many positive effects for both students and educators and are an important component of creating a healthy classroom environment.
High Desert Grange is a familyoriented organization focused on community service. What better way to serve the community than to assist in the healthy development of its children? Kristi Olivo, Grange member and second grade teacher at Logos, delivered the plants with the help of Granger and Logos fifth grader Ally Mackay, her pre-K brother Jade, and
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their second grade sibling Ash. Kristi’s delight in delivering the plants was evident as she recounted the event. “It was great to know that with our plants we were going to help classrooms purify the air during this time of COVID-19. Schools need a way to keep their air pure and we were able to help with a low cost solution by providing mint.” She went on to say that the mint plants were happily received by the teachers and the students were excited to have the plants in their classrooms.
If plants inside the classroom are beneficial for the health and wellbeing of students, imagine what health benefits an entire outdoor garden would have! In her article in the Sept. 14, 2019 edition of Psychology Today, Susan McQuillan MS, RDN, talks about the “11 Ways Plants Enhance Your Mental and Emotional Health.” She pulls from data analyzed by researchers Charles Hall and Melinda Knuth at Texas A&M University and published in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture. Their research “supports the notion that living in or near green spaces, and spending as much time as possible in both natural settings and cultivated gardens, can improve mood, reduce the negative effects of stress, encourage physical activity and other positive behaviors, improve cognition, reduce aggression, and enhance overall well-being in people of all ages under many different circumstances.” Ms. McQuillan went into greater detail: “Specifically, the researchers found that people who surround themselves with plant life and other forms of natural beauty, indoors and out, experience emotional and mental health benefits that have a positive impact on their social, psychological, physical, cognitive, environmental, and spiritual well being.” Some benefits include reduction of stress and depression, stronger memory retention, and higher levels of creativity, intellect, productivity and concentration in schools and workplaces. With the level of stress many students are under, especially with COVID restrictions, adding plants to not only the classroom but also to the home sounds like a prescription for greater well-being for all who enter.
Last year, Mrs. Olivo and her class had the opportunity to germinate and grow some peas. Reflecting on the experience, she said, “Having plants in the classroom was very exciting for my students. More that that, though, it really brought www.progressiverancher.com
