Contact Mrs. Dirks: pat.dirks@bvsd.org

I am the eldest of five children and was born in my Grandmother’s house in Preston, Idaho. Yes, Preston, Idaho of Napolean Dynamite fame. My grandmother insisted that I should be born at home, but after that experience, my mother decided all the rest of my siblings would be born in the hospital. I was raised in Ogden and Roy, Utah. School and church activities were the things I was most interested in during my school years. I attended Weber State University and graduated with an Elementary School Teaching certificate and a minor in child development. I married my wonderful husband and friend at the end of my junior year in 1967, but he wasn’t able to be with me when I graduated, since he was serving in the Army in Viet Nam. I am happy to report that he came home to me safe and sound.

I taught special education and then first grade until I was blessed to have twin daughters. At that point I decided to become a full time mom. Later, we had a son Dave. When the children were very young we moved to Horseheads, New York for my husband’s job. It turned out to be a wonderful community and a great place to raise kids. I was involved there in many things including church activities, local little theatre productions, volunteering and later working as an aid in the local elementary school.

While my husband was in the Army, we were stationed at Ft. Carson for a short time. We always wanted to return to Colorado, so when his work gave us the chance, we jumped. Shortly after we moved here, we became empty-nesters. I volunteered at a local elementary school in the library. When I decided to return to work full time, I wanted it to be as a librarian. I returned to school and got my Masters in Library Science from the University of Colorado. Through a series of serendipitous events I landed at the best place in the whole world – Superior Elementary.

We have 7 grandchildren (5 in Utah and 2 in Indiana), so most of our spare time is spent traveling to spend time with them.

Zodiac Sign:
Favorite Singers:	Barry Manilow
Favorite TV Shows:	Whose Line Is It Anyway and Funny Home Videos. They make me laugh out loud.
Favorite Hot Drink:	Stephen’s Rasberry Chocolate Cocoa
Favorite Teacher:	Mrs.Harris, third grade. Not so much for what she taught, but she made her students feel comfortable and safe.
Favorite Actors:	Steve Martin and Kevin Costner
Favorite Athletes:	John Stockton and Steve Young
Favorite Vacation Spot:	anywhere with grandchildren
Favorite Authors:	Jan Brett, Beverly Cleary, and David McCullough
Favorite Color:	Purple
Favorite Food:	Mexican
Favorite Sport:	Lacrosse
Favorite Movie:	Dances With Wolves
Favorite Holiday:	Thanksgiving. A lovely, relaxing day to be with close friends and family.
Favorite Board Game:	Trivial Pursuit
Favorite Dessert:	Cherry Pie
Favorite Zoo Animal:	Elephants