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
