12
schools
march13
2012
PTA Press
Extra!! Extra!!
Read All About It
By Melissa Zavales
PTA Vice President
ick at 971-258-9994, or Melissa Zavales at
503-329-3173.
Hello fellow Vernonians…What
an exciting week we have had. A big shout
out to the VHS wrestling team for their
awesome skills at state wrestling!! Also
another big shout out to our VHS boys bas-
ketball team for their 4th place at State. We
would also like to applaud our VHS band.
The amazing group of students and par-
ents really stepped it up this last week and
participated in the state basketball tourney.
Applause came from all over Oregon for
our band. Kudos to them!!!
We had a fabulous time selling
Valentine’s Day candy grams. They were a
huge success this year with 273 being sold.
Kids of all ages enjoyed giving a friend,
relative, and/or someone special a little
something. Thank you to all whom partici-
pated.
It is almost time for Easter. With
that being said we the PTA are hosting our
annual egg hunt a Hawkins Park this year.
A little birdie has told me that the Easter
Bunny will be stopping by. If you would
like to donate some time helping us orga-
PTA IS PROUD TO BE VERNONIANS! nize this annual fun event please attend our
We are working very diligently on next PTA meeting Thursday March 15th at
the new school fall carnival. We are meet- WGS library at 7:00 PM
ing to organize, plan, and delegate respon-
sibilities. We have a carnival committee
I would like to end on this note.
that meets regularly and we would love to We are a community that makes things
have more community members. Any in- happen. So many volunteers help to make
put you may have is a vital asset to ensure Vernonia a place to be proud of. The team-
the best School Carnival in the history of work between students, faculty, business-
Vernonia. Please attend our next meeting es, parents, and community members is
Thursday, March 15th, 7:30 PM at grade phenomenal. Without all of us working
school library. You do not have to be a together Vernonia would not be the town it
member of the PTA to help with the car- is today. Thank you to all. Please share in
nival. If you would like to help, but can’t that spirit and join your local PTA because
make a meeting, please call, Camrin Erry- “We Can Make Things Happen!!!!!”
Boosters Buzz
It’s Spring Time—Play Ball!--
Baseball, Softball and T-ball will be
starting in early April, so it’s time to
dust off that glove and bat and start
practicing!
Volunteers Needed—Speaking of
playing ball, volunteers are needed
to help prepare the temporary field
on Lone Pine Road for the upcoming
season. Contact Brooke Morrison
at 503-726-8427 if you are willing
and able to give some time to help
provide a good quality field for the
kids this year.
Boys Basketball Wrap Up—the
parents would like to say thank you
to boys basketball coaches Todd
Sullivan and Jay Holmes for a great
season! “We saw lots of improvement
this year!”, said one parent.
Next Booster Meeting-- March 14
at 7:00 PM at the Washington Grade
School Library.
Vernonia Soccer Club News--
Challenger sports will be returning to
Vernonia this year for soccer camp.
You can register online at:
https://registration.challengersports.
com/FindACamp/FindACamp.
asp?IdS=0002C0-C7BD830
&Method=CampSession&K
ey=1697380|1|20516&~=
Our
Club
website:
h t t p : / / w w w. e t e a m z . c o m /
vernoniayouthsoccer/news/
Vernonia Youth Soccer will
be giving away 2 free full day camp
registrations (ages 8-12 are eligible to
attend the full day camps). We want
the players to write a letter (1 page
max) describing what they like about
soccer and their experiences playing
thus far. We’ll have a panel of judges
select two lucky recipients. Deadline
is March 31 st .
Look for us during the St.
Paddy’s Day Parade in Vernonia.
Vernonia’s Voice is published twice each
month on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday.
Look for our next issue March 27th.
VHS Forestry Class Update
The Vernonia High School
Forestry Class has been working on an
invasive species project to identify and
take inventory of invasive species in
the riparian zone along Rock Creek, the
Nehalem River, and Bear Creek, all near
Vernonia.
“These are all places the class
can walk to from campus,” says Forestry
Instructor Byron Brown. “We’re in the
process of mapping the presence and
percentages of each species, so that we
can monitor the rate and speed of their
spread.”
Brown says the class has
done some background research on
the presence of local invasive species,
especially Reed Canary Grass, Scotch
Broom and Himalayan Blackberry-
-how to identify, how they spread,
Kanan Olsen (above) and Bridger Stewart
(right) of the Vernonia Forestry Class plant
trees at the Jewell Elk Refuge in conjunction
with the Upper Nehalem Watershed Council
and Oregon Fish and Wildlife.
environmental and economic
impacts, and various methods
of control. “We have taken
pictures and are creating slide
shows with the information
we’ve learned so far and
detailing the extent of the
problem.”
The class is working
with professionals from
Longview Timber, OSU
Forestry Extension and the
Upper Nehalem Watershed
Council to help with the
project. “Eventually we’d like
to present the results of our
project to them,” says Brown.
The class has also begun
monitoring water temperatures and
water levels at several specific sites
in upper and lower Bear Creek, and will
continue to monitor and keep records
through the rest of the school year and
into next year. The class will be adding
water quality testing for Ph, alkalinity,
dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus,
nutrients and turbidity. Brown says he
also plans to add stream reach mapping,
photo monitoring and macroinvertibrate
inventory to their watershed studies.
Brown also mentioned another project
the class has undertaken this year. “Our
free firewood project for senior citizens
is over for this year,” says Brown. “We
hope it helped some people. Thanks
again to the donation by Mike Pihl.”
In addition Longview Timber
generously donated a huge amount of
firewood that the class is cutting and
splitting to sell for a fundraiser to help
buy equipment and supplies. The prices
are $40 a pick-up load for those who
come by and pick it up themselves,
and $50 if the class delivers it. Brown
says he is looking for someone from the
community to help with this project.
“Deliveries are harder for us now since
track season started,” says Brown who is
the head coach for the VHS track team.
“If someone wanted to volunteer to help
us with this, we’ll compensate them for
the gas.”
