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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 2015)
schools october15 2015 Schools Update: School Surplussed Items With the completion of a new wood shop on the Vernonia School District (VSD) campus, there are several large power tools that have either been replaced, or are no longer needed in our new compact space. When items such as these are no longer needed, they are “declared surplus” by the VSD Board and are put up for sale through a bidding process. These, and a few other surplussed items will be available for viewing and bidding on Friday, October 23 between 10am – 1pm at the Vernonia School District wood shop located below the VSD house at 1201 Texas Avenue. Any persons wishing to bid on items can do so at this time. The sealed bids will be opened between 1-1:30pm, on the 23 rd , with the highest bidder being awarded the sale. All sales are final, and delivery of the items is the buyer’s responsibility. Items up for bid include: • One HP 1250 Fax Machine w/ six black and one color cartridges • Two Pioneer Table Saws – Model pnr16-457 • One Delta Drill Press – Model 17-900 • One 2-ton Floor Jack • One John Deere Lx176 Riding Lawn Mower • Twenty – Twenty Gallon Gator Plastic Tree-Watering Bags These items will all have minimum bids attached to them. If you are interested we hope to see you at the sale on Friday, October 23. In addition to these items up for bid, the VSD also has a large amount of fill dirt available. If you are interested in obtaining some of this fill, please contact the District Office at 503-429- 5891. School Board Report At the October 8, 2015 School Board Meeting: Board Accepts Krahn Resignation – Long time Board member Jim Krahn submitted his resignation effective October 9, 2015, which was accepted by the Board. Krahn is no longer a professor at Oregon State University and has made himself available to substitute teach in the Vernonia School District, making him ineligible to remain serving on the School Board. Krahn served on the School Board from 2001-2005 and again from 2008 until his resignation. The Board agreed to accept applications until November 1, 2015 and appoint someone to fill Krahn’s vacant position which expires on June 30, 2017. The program is located in the school building, with two students receiving instruction in the former District Administration office. Building Reports – High School/ Middle School Principal Nate Underwood presented the Board with a breakdown of individual class sizes and told the Board he thinks students are more evenly distributed this year, although some classes are still high (Mr. Ware’s Algebra II and Mr. Whiteman’s Chemistry both have 35 students, Mrs. Ward’s 7 th grade Social Studies has 34 students) and some are still very low. Underwood also informed the Board that a new middle school leadership class has been formed. He also presented the Board with a list of the members of the High School Student Council and the 2015 Homecoming Court. Grade School Principal Aaron Miller provided the Board with attendance figures from the Open House on September 17. He also told the Board about the annual Salmon Watch event, where students visit a property along Rock Creek to learn about water quality, the salmon life cycle, plant identification, and riparian zone health and restoration. The event included students from the VHS forestry class, as well as staff from ODFW, Stub Stewart State Park, and the Upper Nehalem Watershed Council. Enrollment Down – Superintendent Aaron Miller told the Board that enrollment numbers are down from what was predicted at the beginning of the school year. Miller told the Board there were currently 550 students enrolled, which was confirmed once the school was able to count students actually attending and after receiving transfer requests from other schools at the start of the school year. Miller had initially reported to the Board at their September 10, 2015 meeting that enrollment was at 601 students to start the school year, but did note that a final and accurate count still needed to be completed. Economically Disadvantage Report – Superintendent Aaron Miller provided Board Approves Budget Adjustment – the Board with a report on the number of The Board approved Resolution 1516- Economically Disadvantaged Students 01, which dissolved the Charter School that qualify for Free and Reduced Meals Fund and revised the adopted budget. in both Oregon and the Vernonia School The District did not receive funding District. Families can register for the for Charter School status, so that fund program through the District office and was unnecessary. The revisions to information is confidential. In Oregon the budget fixed a clerical error in the in 2014-15 53.7% of students qualified food service fund and the beginning for the program, in Vernonia 50% of fund balances from the 2013 and 2014 students were qualified. budgets. Public Comment – Scott Laird asked Board Hears Presentation About the Board, regarding the shooting on Special Education – The Board heard the school campus in Roseburg, to an enthusiastic presentation from consider implementing a community new Life Skills/Special Education mentoring program for students to help Instructor Casandra Hylton. Hylton provide positive adult role models for invited the Board to visit her program youth. which currently has seven students. 13 School Board Member Vacancy Announcement The Vernonia School District herby notifies the community of a va- cancy on the Vernonia School District Board of Directors. The term vacated by Jim Krahn effective October 9, 2015 will be filled by appointment for the re- mainder of the term expiring June 30, 2017. To continue service to the stu- dents and patrons of Vernonia School District this position requires election in the spring of 2017. Any persons interested in be- ing considered shall complete an ap- plication and submit to the Vernonia School Board Secretary, Barb Carr, at the School District Office located within the Vernonia School Building or mail to 1201 Texas Avenue, Vernonia, OR 97064 by November 1, 2015. To qualify to be a school board member, one must be a registered voter and have resided within the boundaries of the Vernonia School District for one year. The Board will consider all ap- plications and will make their appoint- ment at the next regularly scheduled School Board Meeting on November 12, 2015. Application and materials can be found on the School District website at www.vernonia.k12.or.us or by calling 503 429-5891. VHS Adds Girls Wrestling This is an exciting time for Vernonia High School Wrestling! The 2015-2016 season marks the inaugural season of GIRLS WRESTLING as part of the wrestling program. The team has had female wrestlers in the past, but this season the schedule will include all girl tournaments as well. This is a huge step forward for the wrestling program and well- timed since a proposal to the OSAA is being submitted this year to add Girls Wrestling as a varsity sport! Coach Chris Barnes will coach the boys and girls as one team with girls wrestling girls and boys wrestling boys during practices and in meets. Girls are welcome to participate in co-ed tournaments but it is not required. Wrestling is currently the fastest growing women’s sport in the USA at both high school and college levels and is also an Olympic sport. Southern Oregon University added Women’s Wrestling for the 2015-2016 season and they have hired Portland State Alumnus and 3x National Champion Tony Champion as the head coach. The exciting part of this is that it adds another women’s scholarship sport to the Oregon University System. If you are not tall enough for basketball but would like to participate in a winter sport, choose wrestling this year! The season begins November 16th and there will be a preseason meeting the last week of October. Vernonia Students of the Month September 2015 Kortnie Adams Grade 5 Kortnie has a positive attitude and is always willing to lend a hand. She excels in her assignments and goes the extra mile. She comes in early in the mornings to help pass out papers and file things. She enjoys creative writing, playing basketball, and coloring. Mariah Southern Grade 8 Mariah is new to the Vernonia School District, arriving last spring. She says her favorite subject is math and is enjoying learning algebra this year. She is playing volleyball and likes to read and babysit in her space time. McKenzie Titus Grade 12 McKenzie is a key player on the Vernonia Lady Loggers volleyball team and was the Homecom- ing Queen . She is part of the leadership class, helping plan student dances and other student body activities. She says her favorite subject is health. Next year she hopes to attend PCC and travel around Europe in the summer. Sponsored by State Representative Brad Witt