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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2010)
free december2009 april13 2010 V E R N O N I A’ S reflecting the spirit of our community free volume4 issue7 Mist School: The Little Schoolhouse New Law Provides Insurance For All Oregon Children That Could Registration Assistance Now Available in Vernonia By Scott Laird The Mist Grade School, part of Vernonia School Dis- trict 47J, is as close to an old- fashioned, one-room school house as you’re likely to see these days. With sixteen total students in grades kindergarten through five, the school has a family atmosphere that is unique in most of today’s educational systems. Teacher Joanie Jones lives across the street from the schoolhouse and her hus- band’s great-grandmother and grandmother both attended the Mist Grade School. Half- time assistant Coni Hodgson also works as the custodian and groundskeeper and lives just a mile down the road. Volunteer par- ents come in and teach music and physical education and help with reading and other studies. Older students help younger stu- dents with lessons, at lunch-- even learn- ing to tie their shoes. With two classrooms and a library that doubles as cafeteria and indoor recess room, it’s not exactly a one- room schoolhouse. But it sure is close. “This school is really about a group of people working together daily to learn,” says Jones. “It’s the kids, it’s the parents, it’s the community members all working together. And we’re all here because we like it.” The Mist School has been in ex- istence since before 1900. The current building was built around 1920, with an ad- dition added in 1980. Vernonia’s Washing- ton Grade School Principal, Aaron Miller, oversees the Mist School. The schoolhouse is sixteen miles outside of Vernonia and is considered a “remote school,” according to Miller, with the District receiving extra fi- nancial support for having a remote school which makes the whole operation feasible. Head teacher Jones grew up in Hood River, went to college in eastern Or- egon in LeGrande, and has been teaching in the Vernonia School District for fourteen years-- eleven of those at the Mist School. She never envisioned working in a small school setting like she is now, but that quickly changed when she came to District 47J. “When I moved here, I always thought I wanted to work in the Mist School,” says Jones. “I just loved the atmosphere-- it was quiet and just a smaller school.” When Jones started at Mist, there continued on page 11 “Meet the Candidates” for Columbia County Commissioner Thursday, April 15th, 7PM at the VCLC inside 8 robinson for congress 12 vhs spring sports 20 easter egg hunt The “Oregon Healthy Kids Program,” legislation signed into law by Oregon governor Ted Kulon- goski last year, is now in effect. The Healthy Kids Program offers free or low-cost health care coverage for Or- egon children who don’t have health insurance. Even kids with current health conditions can enroll. Assistance is now available through the Columbia County Wom- en’s Resource Center (CCWRC) to get local families and children signed up for the plan. “We’re extremely excited about this program and this oppor- tunity,” said Debbie Snook, Execu- tive Director of the Vernonia Medical Center, who is coordinating outreach for the program into the Vernonia community. Brandi Huntzinger of CC- WRC will be in Vernonia on April 30th to help people with enrollment at the Vernonia Community Learn- ing Center from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Please call Brandi at (503) 397- 7110 or email at brandih@ccwrc. com to schedule an appointment. Huntzinger will be also be available at other times, but is scheduled to be in Vernonia on the last Friday of each month to offer assistance. Eligibility is mostly based on income and coverage lasts for one full year and can be renewed each year. The program covers health care needs including medical, den- tal, and vision care; regular checkups and preventive care; prescriptions and medical equipment; and mental health and chemical dependency ser- vices. Coverage will be through two regional providers: PacificSource and Kaiser. According to Snook, the local Vernonia Providence Clinic ac- cepts PacificSource coverage. To qualify, children must be age eighteen or younger, live in Oregon and be legal residents, and household income can’t be above 300% of the federal poverty level, which is $66,000 for a family of four. For households with an in- come of less than $44,000, coverage is free. There is a Low-Cost option for households between $44,000 and $66,000-- they receive a subsidized premium of 85-90%. “This is just a win-win situa- tion for everyone in town, our schools and our councilors, our local Health Clinic, our local pharmacy, and espe- cially our kids,” said Snook. For more general informa- tion about the Oregon Healthy Kids Program, you can go to www.oregon- healthykids.gov or call (877) 314- 5678. For specific questions about Columbia County, you can also con- tact Brandi Huntzinger at (503) 397- 7110. For specific questions about Vernonia, call Debbie Snook at (503) 720-5542. Birkenfeld Store and Café: A Country Store That’s Still Surviving By Scott Laird The Birkenfeld Store and Café, also known as “Birky’s” has been around since 1910. That’s a long time for a country store to be in op- eration, especially in this day and age of super- markets and fast food restaurants. At the Birken- feld Store, there’s a sign in the window that tells a brief history of the building-- the store was at one time the local Post Office and housed a dance hall/ movie house upstairs. Birky’s is still around as a country store, with the prerequisite liquor shelf and other neces- sities. But current owners Michael and Wendy In- graham are finding new ways to drum up business and bring in visitors. Live music on weekends has returned to Birkenfeld, just like in the old days, Mike Ingraham helps a customer at the Birkenfeld Store and Cafe. and there is now an expanded 1,000 square foot deck where you can eat and drink in nicer weather and Wendy make everyone feel at home in the store and and maybe even catch a glimpse of an elk herd grazing in the cafe and dropping in for an evening of music feels the pasture. almost like a house party. “We’re kind of strange in that we try to do a little The Ingrahams took over ownership of the bit of everything out here,” laughs Mike. “There aren’t Birkenfeld Store from Jack Haslett in 2004. “Wendy too many stores around that also do live music.” Mike came home one day continued on page 9