schools
VHS Senior Projects
Ben Skanes worked with Ben Fousek at
the Upper Nehalem Watershed Council,
learning about Geographic Information
Systems (GIS). Ben worked to correct
Upper Nehalem Watershed map data in
five large areas, and produced an accurate
data layer that the Watershed Council
can use on their riparian restoration
projects and culvert assessments. Ben
says he created over 29,000 features
during 27 hours of work. Ben says he
learned that GIS work requires a strong
programing background and the patience
to do tedious tasks.
Joud Khaled is an exchange student
from Palestine living with the Westlake
family. Joud and all the other senior
exchange students did not complete
an entire Senior Project, but created a
display board and gave a speech about
their home country. Joud described
some of the holy places in Jerusalem,
talked about other important landmarks
in her country, like Bethlehem, the
Joud Khaled
Dead Sea, Jericho, and the Old City
of her hometown Nablis, famous for
its arches and architecture. She also
explained some foods and meals native
to her country and displayed a traditional
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outfit, called a toub, worn by girls for
ceremonies and dancing.
Quentin Skanes managed a blood drive
at the Vernonia Schools on June 24 and
helped collect 21 units of blood for the
Red Cross with his project. Quentin
says he did everything to coordinate the
project from start to finish and that it was
really fun. He worked to advertise the
event, recruit volunteers, register people
at the time of donation, and worked with
the Red Cross to make sure things ran
smoothly.
QuentinSkanes
Brad Ely built an automatic
watering system that could be
used in gardens or greenhouses.
Brad purchased and built a kit that
uses a motion sensor to determine
whether soil is wet or dry and can
open a relay and turn on a water
valve if needed. Brad says he
spent a lot of time researching
and rewriting code to run the
program and experienced several
issues that kept his project from
functioning correctly. He diligently
worked with his mentor Leslie Seibert to
try and overcome the obstacles.
Mariah Miller baked treats that she sold
at the Christmas in the Country Bazaar
to raise money for Rafael House, a
domestic violence shelter for women
and children in Portland. Mariah
explained that Rafael House was
founded in 1977. It is in a confidential
location and has ten family rooms and
one room for single women. They also
offer transitional housing services.
Alexis Scott worked with family
friend Kim Marshall and learned about
cake baking and decorating. Alexis
helped make the cake for her mother’s
wedding celebration and the cake for
her sister’s Sweet Sixteen
birthday party. She says
she learned about different
techniques for decorating and
also some secrets for baking a
good cake. She also learned
that having deadlines is more
stressful than when she is
baking for fun.
Haily Fennell is working on
creating an illustrated visitors
map of Vernonia for the
Chamber of Commerce to help boost
tourism. Haily hand drew images of
structures in the community and then
used Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
to color and enhance the images, as well
as add additional features to her map.
Haily Fennell
Haily has not finished her map but says
she intends to have it complete before
graduation. Haily says she would like
to work in the fields of digital art and
digital design.
Jared Medearis combined his senior
project with his Eagle Scout project and
managed a cleanup at the covered play
shed at Spencer Park. Jared worked with
the City of Vernonia and organized work
crews to clean and repaint the basketball
court, remove weeds around the area,
replace a section of fencing, clean the
children’s play structure and place new
bark chips in the play area. Jared said he
learned leadership skills, including how
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Food for Fines Fundraiser
Vernonia Public Library
February 1-15, 2016
Bring non-perishable food or personal care items to the library and
$1 in fines *
will be forgiven from your account in exchange for each item.
A few suggestions:
c canned fruit & vegetables
c cereals c rice c beans
c protein rich foods
c personal care items
c baby diapers or wipes
c toilet paper
All donations,
including money paid on fines
during this time period,
will be donated to Vernonia Cares.
*Fees for Lost or Damaged items can not
be waived in exchange for donations.
Vernonia Public Library • 701 Weed Avenue • 503-429-1818
Absolute MARBLE
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