2_____________________________________ News______________________________ February
District board members team up to select new superintendent
E mily R eed
It's the end of an era; after
17 years as the superintendent
in the district and 43 years
as an educator, Dr. Roger
Woehl announced his
retirement effective July 1
of this year. Although the
position does not officially
become vacant until summer, .
deciding to retire now gives
a new superintendent time to
relocate, should they live in
another state. By March 4, a
new superintendent will be
named and on July 1, he/she
will start employment in the
West Linn-Wilsonville School
District.
The search for a new
superintendent started in
early November, when the
school board posted a survey
on the district website to
identify the public's opinion
on qualifications that the
applicants must have to
be considered. The survey
ran through the month of
November. Once it was closed,
the board then approved the
qualifications.
"In a superintendent
search the public can be
involved at several stages of
the process." Greg McKenzie,
search coordinator, said.
"In the case of WLWV two
community summits were
held in October where the
questions about expectations
and qualifications were posed
to the audience."
Diane Gauthier, art teacher,
attended the focus group
held at WLHS. "It was quite
evident in the meeting that
Greg McKenzie wanted to get
as much input as he could,"
Gauthier said.
Qualifications proposed
and approved by the board
included leadership qualities,
such as a drive for excellence
in education and an ability
to create a collaborative
environment in the district.
The qualifications included
that a candidate be a good
listener, approachable,
inspiring and an innovative
thinker, among others. "It
is important to me that the
new superintendent has a
background in education.
As a teacher in this unique
district I have the opportunity
to continue my own learning,
and hone my craft of teaching.
Gauthier said. "I never lose
sight of what it feels like to be
a learner. I appreciate that our
district's goals are guided by
a philosophical perspective,
one that honors teachers and
students as human beings who
are living and learning as a
community."
Photo courtesy of Tara Dubois
The School Board holds a public summit about what qualifications
are important in looking for a new superintendent. This was the first
step in a multi-step hiring process to replace Dr. Roger Woehl when
he retires in June.
The application process
began on Dec. 13 and closed
on Jan. 28. Applicants could
go online to the district
website and fill out an
electronic application. The
questions ranged from basic
employment and education
Theater takes on companion pieces "Almost,
Maine" and "Our Town" for spring production
E ta S antoro __________________
’"A lm ost, M ain e’ is a
b e a u tifu l show that is
"The reason this play is so
fantastic is because W ilder
One night Melissa Cozzi,
sophomore, stands on the
stage in the romantic comedy
"Almost, Maine" as the
heartbroken Glory. The next
night she’s Emily Webb—
the brightest student in her
school, and the lead in "Our
Town."
"It’s like going to a different
class and switching from one
subject to another," Cozzi
said. Cozzi is one of the many
actors who will be performing
in both casts of the plays
which will run alternately.
Most of the cast is in both
shows. According to Ashley
Welp, junior, both plays are
considered to be some of the
greatest pieces in the theater
world and compliment each
other with their similar
themes and plot lines.
"It’s a different take on a
theatrical process of a show,"
Jessica Murray, theater arts
program director, said. "It’s
a good experience for the
actors."
"Almost, Maine," the
newer of the two plays,
follows the lives of several
couples in a fictional town in
Maine. The play consists of
a compilation of duo scenes
and explores the lives and
connections people make
during one single moment
in time. Several of the cast
members are paired to work
on their scene. This has
been nicknamed "couples
counseling" by several of the
performers in the show.
becoming more and more
popular with high school and
college," Welp said.
"Our Town" by Thorton
Wilder is more well-known
and often read in high school
English classes. The play
uses these everyday mundane
things to make a point about
life in general. The point of
it is recognizing the bigger
picture and the smaller
moments that make life so
wonderful," Welp said.
Photo by Alex Houston
Caroline Hitesman, junior, and Louie Hogan, senior, practice their
couples scene during a dress rehearsal for the play "Almost, Maine.
The play consists of a series of mostly two-person scenes and will be
run alternately with a second play, "Our Town."
takes place in a small town
in New Hampshire and
consists of several scenes
of the everyday lives in
two different families. The
play centers around George
Gibbs, played by Michael
Johnson, senior, and Emily
Webb, played by Cozzi. Louie
Hogan, senior, who plays the
stage manager, narrates the
piece and remains on stage
for the entire play.
history, to the applicant's past
work in education as well as
a separate application where
the candidate discussed
the influence of mentors on
their leadership Style. The
application itself seemed to be
"It’s considered an
American masterpiece. It’s all
about imagination," Murray
said. "Our Town" doesn't
require extravagant sets,
costumes or props.
Opening nights are Feb. 18
for "Almost, Maine" and Feb.
19 for "Our Town." The plays
will be performed on alternate
days up until March. Tickets
cost $5 for students and $8 for
adults.
the first clue that the school
board was committed to
finding not only an educated
person, but one who was well-
rounded and experienced as
well.
The next step is to screen
the applicants. The school
board gathered a "screening
committee" to help separate
the possible applicants from
those that didn't fit with
what the district needed in a
superintendent. This process
will start in early February and
continue for a week.
On Feb. 17, the board will
begin to conduct interviews
with the candidates that
passed the screening interview.
Finalists will be chosen on Feb.
19.
At the end of February and
beginning of March, a second
round of interviews will occur
to further determine who will
become the superintendent.
The school board will
visit the district where the
candidate currently works and
talk with people who have
worked closely with him/her.
They hope these visits will
provide a different perspective
of the candidate and to learn
more about them.
"I think the process is very
thorough and thoughtful. We
are just part way along in the
process so it might be good to
answer this closer to March,"
Kathe Monroe, Director of
Fluman Resources, said. "I
am very impressed with our
consultant, Greg McKenzie.
He is someone who knows a
bit about our district, is very
thoughtful in his process and
very thorough. He has a great
deal of integrity and that is
important when engaging in
an endeavor as important as
selecting a new leader for this
great school district."
Speech and Debate Team welcomes
new head coach, seeks m em bers
C lara A ltemus & M adison L eek -
With a new coach, Brian
Gutowski, and many new
members, the team has
big plans for the coming
season, including sending
many students to the state
competition. The team's
participation has increased
but the biggest change is the
addition of Gutowski and
the loss of three year coach
Annie Kaiser, Performing Arts
Building Coordinator.
"I am only serving as
an adviser," Kaiser said.
"If he (Gutowski) needs
questions answered regarding
district procedures or about
tournaments."
Over the past couple of
years, the Speech and Debate
Team has been important
to the students who have
lead the team into the many
competitions.
"Our Speech and Debate
Team is comprised of highly
intelligent and dedicated
students," Kaiser said. Among
them, three stand out for
their dedication to the team:
Alexander Koehler, Sierra
Bangs and Justin Altemus,
seniors. This year though, they
have decided not to compete
with the team after many
people have left.
"In middle school, I liked
Mock Trial so I thought this
would be fun," Bangs said.
After attending Tigard High
School for two years and
participating in their speech
and debate team, she has
enjoyed her transition to West
Linn's. "I liked the family
feeling from being part of a
team."
"(The team) is an
opportunity for students to
develop their intellects and
speaking abilities through
competitive debate and
speaking events," Kaiser said
of the all day competitions.
"Usually leaving at 6:40 a.m.
on a Saturday morning and
getting back to the high
school around 9 p.m., some
tournaments are two days
long." In each competition,
each student has the ability
to choose what they would
like to participate in. Some of
the categories include student
congress, radio commentary,
public debate, impromptu and
prepared pros. Last year, West
Linn sent three students to
the state finals for speech and
debate and hope to have more
compete this year.
"The goal of the team is to
gain experience through the
season and have members of
the team make it to the state
finals," Gutowski said. Their
first competition was on Jan.
15. Even with the new arrivals
and changes to the team, only
one participant attended. Elise
Brown, sophomore took third
place in Radio Commentary.