10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016
Local
BHS’s new principal
starts first year here
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BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Baker High School has
begun a new year with
its new principal Greg
Mitchell.
Mitchell grew up in Kel-
so, Washington. He began
his career in education pri-
marily as a theater teacher,
teaching acting in different
camps and a few years at
Binghamton University in
New York. He has been
in education for 20 years,
twelve of which he was an
administrator.
Mitchell attended Wil-
lamette University as
an undergrad and also
received his MAT doing
student teaching in the
Salem district. He earned
his MFA in acting in New
York where he taught act-
ing as part of his graduate
assistantship, teaching as a
graduate assistant teacher
for a few years.
He was hired as a guest
artist at Cornell University
in New York where he
taught and performed in
their theater productions.
A few years after being
at Cornell, he went into
regular public education
in Salem for eight years
as a language arts teacher
and drama director before
he received his Leadership
Administrative Certifi cate.
Mitchell then moved to
Lebanon as a vice principal
for a year.
“That’s when the
budget crunch hit in the
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Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
BHS Principal Greg Mitchell.
early 2000s when we got
slammed and they were
laying off all the assistant
principals. I was the only
assistant principal left that
they still had in the dis-
trict,” explained Mitchell.
“I was at the middle school
and then they eliminated
my position.”
After his time in Leba-
non, he went to Glencoe
High School in Hillsboro
for eight years as a vice
principal, where he did
curriculum and instruction.
Mitchell was the principal
at Central High School in
Independence for three
years before coming to
Baker.
Mitchell is working on
a needs analysis for the
high school, fi nding what
the staff wants to see as
primary things to work on
and where they want to go
with the high school.
“We know we want to
serve the community,”
stated Mitchell. “We want
to be in alignment with the
district offi ce’s goals and
vision for being the center
of economic vitality for
the region. I’d like to see
us continue to grow and
providing a support to our
kids so that we are training
a viable work force for the
economic development in
our community. I know
there’s been a lot going on
with that and so however
we can serve, that’s what
we want to do.”
The high school is
currently in the double
digits with their test scores,
above the state aver-
age. They are looking to
improve the math scores,
which are lower than the
others.
“We’re doing pretty well
and I’m pretty happy to be
here,” Mitchell said.
Community Bank awards $16K for good grades
The sixth year of Com-
munity Bank’s Earn While
You Learn Program has
set an all-time high in cash
awards paid to student-cus-
tomers for their academic
success. For the 2016 pay
out period, 730 students
in the Eastern Oregon and
Southeast Washington area
cashed in on their good
grades. Community Bank’s
student customers earned a
total of $15,910!
Since the bank’s
program began in 2011
earnings have steadily
increased. In the fi rst
year of the Bank’s Earn
While You Learn Program
just fi ve years ago, 190
students were paid $3,895.
A total of $6,975 was
paid to over 275 student-
customers in 2012. A big
increase occurred the fol-
lowing year with $11,173
paid out in 2013; $11,939
to 531 students in 2014.
Last year $12,581 went
to 576 students. This year
nearly $16,000 brings the
program’s grand total of
academic award money to
$62,473.
The Baker City branch
awarded $754 to 36
student-customers.
The program is designed
to encourage students in
their academic success
by awarding Commu-
nity Bank Youth Savings
accounts customers for
their good grades. During
the months of June and
July, all Community Bank
branches accepted end-
of-the-year report cards
from students in grades 1st
Wicked
Ways
Submitted Photo.
Emese and Axel Marvin of Baker City
through 12th. For every
top grade in a main school
subject (A-, A, A+ for
middle and high school,
and S+, E, etc. for grade
school) that appeared on
the report card, Communi-
ty Bank deposited $1 into
their Community Bank
Youth Savings Account.
The Earn While You
Learn Program is an an-
nual reward of $1 per top
grade, up to $50 annually
per student, with payments
given for the whole school
year in June and July.
Tickets are just $25 each.
Buy yours today at the front desk of
The Geiser Grand Hotel or online at
www.theBakerCountyPress.com
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