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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 2012)
14 schools november27 2012 Meet the Exchange Students Victor Garcia-Cortes is a junior from Spain where he lives near Madrid and is living with the Castro Family. Victor played running back and kicker on the Logger football team this year and is trying out for basketball and plans to run track. He says he has traveled around Europe and to Mexico and the United States where he visited Florida, Boston and New York. Victor says that Verno- nia is big compared to his very small home town in Spain. He says he likes all the trees around Vernonia and how he and his friends can walk to do things. Victor will return to Spain to finish high school. He plans to attend college but is not sure what he would like to study. Hanna Hoffer—is from Germany near Munich and is living with the Gump Family. A senior, Hanna is on the VHS Cheer Squad. She will try out for bas- ketball and says she would like to play softball in the spring. This is her first time visiting the United States, but her host family has already taken her to visit Boston. She has also traveled to Italy, France, Austria, Croatia, and Slovakia. Hanna likes that Vernonia is so small. “Here, everybody knows each other which is kind of nice.” Hanna also likes that she can walk almost anywhere she wants to go. Hanna will return to Ger- many and finish high school and then second largest city in Norway and is liv- ing with the Rethwell family. Silje is a senior who ran cross country this sea- son and is trying out for basketball and VHS foreign exchange students (left to right) Victor Garcia-Cortes, Silje Jacobsen, Lukas Tartler, and Hanna Hoffer. will run track in the spring. Silje has traveled to Croatia, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, and the Czech Republic. She has also visited the United States before and saw New York, Hawaii and Las Ve- Silje Jacobsen—is from Bergen, the gas. Silje says Vernonia is quite differ- hopes to go to college abroad, maybe even in the US or in Great Britain. She would like to study architecture or may- be International Studies. School Based Health Clinic continued from front page and teachers is that we don’t do the everyday school nursing—handing out band aids, that sort of thing-we do what you would take your kid to the doctor for,” says Sherrie Ford of the Public Health Foundation of Columbia County. “What that does for parents is, it reduces them getting that call from the office, once they have already arrived in Hillsboro for work, to come back to pick up their kid and then back to Hillsboro to the doctor and then home.” Ford goes on to ex- plain that a SBHC program saves parents commuting time and they keep kids in class longer because they are only sitting in a waiting room for moments when school staff can call them out of class when the nurse practitioner is available. A part-time school nurse, along with trained school district staff will continue to be on campus to handle day-to-day needs, like dispensing medications, but will work separately from the SBHC. All records will be kept separately. Ford is a member of the SBHC Planning Com- mittee and is the SBHC Program Manager for the Pub- lic Health Foundation. The Public Health Foundation is the public Health service for Columbia County. Ac- cording to Ford, the Public Health Authority is granted by the state to each county government who then have the option of providing it themselves through a depart- ment or contracting it out. In Columbia County those services had been contracted to the Columbia Health District, which was recently dissolved. It is now con- tracted through The Public Health Foundation of Co- ent from where she is from, but says she likes it that it is so small and that people know each other. Silje plans to return to Norway to study in high school one more year and then start University to become an engineer or maybe just spend some time traveling. Lukas Tartler is a senior from Germa- ny about 30 miles north of Munich and is living with the Ward Family. Lucas played tight end and linebacker for the football team this year and is trying out for basketball and hasn’t decided be- tween baseball and track in the spring. Lukas says he thinks he has seen a bit of Europe having visited every country that borders Germany as well as Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Slovania. This is his first trip to the US. Lukas is from a town about the same size as Ver- nonia, but he goes to school in a much bigger city. “For me that is new,” says Lukas. “What I really like is that people are so friendly—they are open and will show you everything.” Lukas says he will finish high school and then attend University, hopefully in the US, where he would like to study something techni- cal or science related. lumbia County, a non-profit 501 (c)(3). “It’s all the into consideration when planning for the clinic was same staff and the same structure but the governance taking place. One policy decision was who exactly has changed,” explains Ford about the change from the would the clinic serve. The decision was made to in- Health District to the Health Foundation. clude all siblings of students in the school district and There are two other SBHCs in Columbia Coun- continued on page 19 ty-in Rainier and St. Helens. The Public Health Foundation of Colum- bia County is the sponsor for Rainier and the Vernonia SBHC’s. Funding for the program comes from the state through the Public Health Founda- tion. As the sponsor, Public Health can raise income by billing insurance and grant funding has also been se- cured. A sliding scale is available for families without health insurance coverage, but Ford says no student will be denied service because of an inability to pay. As the sponsor, Public Health also contracts with Oregon Health and Sciences University for the provider and assumes the medi- cal liability and medical oversight. The school district provides the fa- Vernonia High School Alumni Once again challenged cility. the VHS Varsity in the annual Alumni Volleyball Game. The The Planning Committee game raises funds each year for the Zach Rumboltz Memorial has been instrumental in creating Scholarship Fund. This year the 2012 Varsity squad left with the policy framework for the SBHC. bragging rights after defeating the Alumni 2-1. Several key policy issues were taken Alumni Volleyball Game KNIFE (and other edged tools) SHARPENING SERVICE DROP-OFF & PICK-UP at Made In Vernonia, 805 Bridge St. 503-429-7342 Owned and Operated by Don & Kim Wallace Phone (503) 429.2617 Kitchen Countertops Fax (503) 429.0941 Fireplace & Furniture ABSOLUTE@AGALIS.NET Tubs & Vanities www.absolutemarbleandgraniteinc.net
