Father honors daughter’s educational efforts with sculpture

Lincoln Elementary School 5th grade teacher Andrea Andrews had to be coaxed into the school’s courtyard with a bit of subterfuge as recess adjourned at approximately 10:30 a.m. Monday.

Recently, Andrea’s father, Jim Andrews, hatched a plan to commission local chainsaw carving artist Anthony Robinson to carve a five-foot-tall Bigfoot statue out of a redwood tree from their property in Montesano.

Monday morning, the tarp-covered statue sat in the school’s courtyard awaiting an audience for its unveiling. As Principal Jason Ihde and his colleagues positioned the 5th grade students for the presentation, Andrea was surprised as her father, Jim, stepped into view.

After a few moments and a round of applause from the students, father and daughter removed the tarp revealing an age and culturally appropriate statue of a Sasquatch complete with skateboard, sunglasses and a travel mug. Jim commissioned the sculpture as a Christmas present, but decided to wait and reveal the gift at the school for the benefit of the students.

“Definitely a surprise, I had no idea,” Andrea Andrews said.

Andrea Andrews said the idea to use Bigfoot as an entry point to teaching students about lawmaking and effecting change through legislation was born out of a desire to teach writing and civics.

“I was trying to find a way to incorporate civics into writing,” Andrea Andrews said. ”I was able to take the research portion of the Bigfoot legend, then turn around and [have them] write me a five-paragraph essay on whether or not they believed in Bigfoot. Then we were able to take that to the next level, which was writing letters to our county commissioners to try to get laws approved. [The students] love it.”

According to Andrea Andrews, a handful of counties have adopted Sasquatch protections thanks to the efforts of her students.

“We’ve had Grays Harbor approve it, we’ve had Clallam County approve it, we’ve had Mason County approve it, and we’ve had Jefferson County approve it,” Andrea Andrews said. “Depending on the county, it’s either a proclamation or a resolution.”

Jim Andrews said the gift is meant to recognize Andrea’s hard work.

“She’s done a lot to deserve this, this is Dad’s payback,” Jim Andrews said. “[The students] love her, absolutely love her. They get a kick out of this. It isn’t to promote Bigfoot. The lesson is if you want to make changes, speak up, write your legislators, work in the legislative system, and changes can happen.”

“We’re presenting a gift from a father to his daughter recognizing some of the work she has done as a teacher,” Ihde said. “She has worked with our 5th grade classes for several years on presenting legislation, and working with the government, and different communities to enact policies and laws related to Sasquatch. It’s something that’s meaningful to her. It’s one of her passions, she weaves in the civics and government into the 5th grade lessons.”

It took Robinson, the proprietor of Native Beach Art in Copalis Crossing, roughly a week to create the sculpture.

“Mr. Andrews is a local legend in my area, he got a hold of me a couple of months ago,” Robinson said. ”When he said ‘I need a Bigfoot for the 5th grade,’ when the client comes to me and says ‘I’m thinking what if?’ My imagination goes into overdrive. You need a skateboard, you need crazy hair, and you just need a 5th grade Bigfoot.”

Now, Andrea Andrews’ 5th grade students at Lincoln Elementary in Hoquiam will have a constant reminder, a real, physical representation of the very thing they’re trying to protect as they learn how to do just that.