schools
march5
Schools Update: Becoming a Public Charter School
By Aaron Miller
In looking at ways to continue the Vernonia
School District’s (VSD’s) rise from the flood, a steering
committee has been convened to explore the potential
benefits of becoming a Public Charter School.
This committee is made up of parents and
community members, as well as school district business
partners, board members and employees. The steering
committee’s task is to develop a charter school proposal
for the VSD School Board to consider for approval in
late March.
According to the Oregon Public Charter School
Handbook, charter schools are created to:
• Increase student learning and achievement
• Increase choices of learning opportunities for students
• Better meet individual student academic needs and
interest
• Build stronger working relationships among educators,
parents and other community members
• Encourage the use of different and innovative learning
methods
The Charter School Steering Committee met
Wednesday, March 4 in the Vernonia Schools Library.
The two main topics on the agenda were developing
innovative program ideas for curriculum and
instruction, and the initial drafting of a charter proposal
to present to the VSD Board in March.
There are some potential concerns being heard
from the community that are also being discussed by
the committee. These include concerns about how staff
contracts and agreements would be affected, as well
as concerns regarding what type of curriculum will be
used, and how academic programs will be changed.
The intent of the district is to maintain our
current contractual agreements with staff. There may
be some flexibility in having community and business
partners help with instructional duties for certain
classes or parts of classes, but this will not come at the
expense of our current teachers.
Innovation in the classroom is a major
component of any charter school proposal. A VSD
charter would be looking to build on the good programs
currently in place, while developing new avenues
of instruction that will benefit our students’ future
educational and employment opportunities. We are not
looking at implementing some crazy new curriculum.
We are looking to implement strong academic programs
that have a positive impact on our students and their
futures. This will be a topic for discussion at the next
Digital Arts Classes Offer College Credit
Vernonia High School is offering
dual credit for students who enroll in
either of two new Digital Arts classes.
Students can take Video
Production I and Graphics for Multimedia
with Digital Arts instructor Doran Lower
and receive both high school and college
credit simultaneously. College credit is
through Portland Community College
(PCC).
“The idea of these classes is, not
only to have other electives available
in our school, but also to provide our
students with the opportunity to receive
free college credits before they actually
leave high school,” says Lower.
According to Lower, both
classes are being made available as part
of the high school Career and Technical
Education (CTE) program. Funding to
establish the program came from PCC
and the Vernonia School District CTE
Grant. The CTE grant purchased a new
Creative Cloud 2014 Adobe Suite of
software for Lower’s computer lab.
Lower is an approved dual credit
instructor through PCC. Once enrolled
in the high school class, students can
register for PCC credit and then have
eighteen weeks to complete the work
required for the ten week college course.
Lower inputs grades for students into the
PCC system.
Both courses are worth four
college credits each. This year Lower
offered Video Production I during the
first semester with nine students, while
Graphics for Multi Media is being
2015
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meeting on March 10 th .
If this charter school concept will be beneficial
for our students and community, I will lobby the board
for its implementation in the 2015-16 school year.
If it is not the right fit, if the committee or board
doesn’t find this option to be of use for Vernonia, or it is
not in the long-term best interests of our students, then
we will look at the application process as an exercise
in school improvement planning. If it works, it works.
If it does not, we will use the input from the process to
provide direction for improvement through our existing
programs.
Becoming a charter school could be a great
way for the Vernonia School District to continue to
develop its academic programs, provide teachers with
funding for improvement of instruction and help ensure
the long-term financial stability of our local education
system.
If you are interested in attending a steering
committee meeting, or would like more information
regarding the VSD’s charter school exploration
process, call Superintendent Miller at 503-429-5891.
The steering committee’s next meeting will be in
the Vernonia Schools Library starting at 6:30 PM on
Tuesday, March 10. The public is welcome.
offered during the current semester and
has seven students enrolled. Lower says
he plans to offer both classes again next
school year and is hoping to have more
students enroll.
“I’m hoping to get more
students interested next year,” says
Lower. “These classes might sound
intimidating to some people, but they’re
not as intimidating as they might sound.
There’s a certain level of expectation
but if someone wants to do it and put in
the time, effort, and work they can be
successful.”
In Video Production I students
learn about shooting with digital
camcorders in full high definition,
focusing on using manual focus, angles,
and exposure. They also work in editing
using Adobe Premier software.
Senior Makayla Adams took the
Video Production class last semester and
used the skills she learned to help her
complete her Senior Project. “I really
enjoyed the class,” says Adams. “We
created our own video, filmed it, learned
how to edit it, learned about different
camera angles and lighting, and learned
how to use the computer program to put
it all together into a seamless video. I
liked it because it felt professional and
we weren’t talked down to. We were
treated like we were mature and would
be able to get the work done. It felt like
a real college class.”
Vernonia Students of the Month
February 2015
Riot Eriksen
Grade 1
Rmot ms known as a hard workmng and all-around
great kmd. Hms teachers say he ms an organmzed
student who lmstens and follows dmrectmons and ms
also very respectful. Rmot says hms favormte subject ms
math. He plays T-ball and says he enjoys helpmng
take care of the three fammly dogs.
Hailey Reynolds
Grade 6
Hamley ms a student who her teachers say always
completes her work, arrmves for class prepared,
and has a great attmtude. Hamley says her favormte
subjects mn school are math and phys ed. She
plays soccer outsmde of school and enjoys playmng
wmth her dog Jack and her new puppy Monster.
Autumn Sorenson
Grade 10
Autumn ms known for bemng a responsmble student
who follows ups on her commmtments. She was
also descrmbed as “kmnd,” “thoughtful,” and “conge-
nmal.” Autumn ms the Sophomore Class Secretary/
Treasurer and plays volleyball and softball. She ms
also part of the hmgh school leadershmp class. In her
free tmme she enjoys hangmng out wmth frmends.
Sponsored by State Senator Betsy Johnson
