[ f o r c e s   o f   n a t u r e   :   a b o u t ]

Rosemary Anderson, Coach

Never in my life would I believe it could happen to us! Shortly after buying our first home, I had a run-in with a “natural disaster”. It was raining all day and evening, a very unusual occurrence in sunny and dry San Diego, California. I was abruptly woken by the bark of our cocker spaniel puppy, which was also very strange since she had never really barked before. I raced out onto our balcony and could not believe my eyes - five feet of our backyard had slid down the hill and into the neighboring yard. Neighbors were slowly waking up and walking outside in their pajamas, sleepy-eyed, astonished to see the loss of their backyards. What had happened? All the moisture from the rain had soaked the land so much that it just finally gave way, resulting in a landslide. The houses at the bottom of the hill were caked in mud - what a filthy way to start the morning! To cope with the disaster, we had to work with our neighbors to lay out black plastic to prevent any further erosion. Our neighbors collectively hired a civil engineer who told us that due to the heavy rainfall and the weight of the ice plant on the hill, we experienced this natural disaster. Now a little about myself… My nickname is "Mom" and that is exactly what I am. I have been Mom or Mrs. A. to many students while volunteering in the community and in my son's schools for over fourteen years. For five years I have Head Coached winning Science Olympiad teams at the middle and high school level and am currently advising on a Regional and State level. I have experienced the ThinkQuest journey for five years now and appreciate Advanced Network Services for allowing non-teachers to coach and for assisting students with their college financing. I enjoy working with students and love to help by providing tools and resources for them to succeed. With this ThinkQuest project I was able to advise and challenge our team trying to help make this website a valuable educational and fun experience. Hiking, camping, photography, collecting beanie baby bears, painting and being with my family are my favorite pastimes. I love nature and over the years have come to respect its incredible force. Enjoy your visit here and may you learn and interact and let the force be with you!

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