schools
july7
2016
11
Schools Update: Vernonia High School College Credit Opportunities
By Peter Weisel
During the 2014-15 school year
Vernonia High School (VHS) began
offering more opportunities for students
to earn college credit. A pilot project
was launched and about 25 students
earned Portland Community College
(PCC) credits at no cost to them, a
value of $500-600 per class. English
Composition – WR 121 was the most
popular, followed by College Algebra
(Mth 111) and a smattering of other
courses. Usually a college course can
replace a high school course requirement
– a situation referred to as earning Dual
Credit.
This year (2015-16) VHS set
out to increase the number of college
course offerings, and a program called
Willamette Promise was a significant
help with that. Several VHS teachers
completed trainings which upon
completion allowed them to teach our
students at the college level. College
credit is then granted from Western
Oregon University.
Mrs. Willard’s Spanish students
were a smashing success, earning over
200 credits in 5 different college Spanish
courses! Mrs. Riley’s students were also
successful, with several earning credit in
General Biology (BI 101). Next year
we plan to expand Willamette Promise
supported college courses in the areas
of Language Arts, Science, and Math.
Students will be notified of all existing
and new Willamette Promise related
offerings when they return in the fall.
In addition to Willamette
Promise courses, several of Mr.
Lower’s Digital Arts students seized
the opportunity to earn college credit in
PCC courses he delivered at VHS. Mr.
Lower taught PCC courses on Video
Production and Digital Multimedia. Mr.
Lower has also been working hard this
year in preparation to greatly expand the
PCC courses students can take from him
beginning in the fall of 2016.
These new courses will include:
Introduction to Web Design, Beginning
Website Design, Beginning Photoshop,
Beginning Keyboarding, Keyboarding
for Speed/Accuracy and Basic Computer
Skills/Microsoft Office.
We are excited to be able to
better compete with larger districts, both
by offering more college level rigor and
by having our graduates enter college
with several credits already earned.
Doing so reduces their college costs
and moves them toward earlier college
completion.
Please stay tuned to The Voice
for more college news as it unfolds at
VHS in 2016-17.
Peter Weisel is the Counselor for grades
7-12 at the Vernonia School District. He
can be contacted at pweisel@vernonia.
k12.or.us or (503) 429-1352.
Community Action Team: Making Homes Safer
few months before becoming quite ill.
As her health declined so did her mobil-
ity. It wasn’t long before she was lim-
ited to moving through her home in a
wheel chair. For three years the wheel
chair prevented her from getting to any
part of the house except the kitchen and
living room. Because the door opening
was too narrow, Rogers could not get
to her bedroom, and more importantly,
the bathroom. She recalls that her home,
“was not livable before CAT came in to
help me.”
Rogers’ therapist at Colum-
bia Community Mental Health reached
out to see if there was something CAT
could do to help make the home liv-
able. Through the Lend a Hand program,
Rogers’ life and health was transformed.
The CAT team took out a cabinet, linen
closet and ancient gas furnace so the
hallway and bathroom entrances could
be widened to accommodate the wheel
chair. They also installed a raised toilet
and grab bars that help Rogers navigate
the bathroom safely. Because they had
to remove the furnace, they installed a
ductless heat pump that also cools the
home in the summer. Rogers is comfort-
able and no longer feels trapped in her
home. She even has creative plans for
the newly opened space. Because of her
health challenges Rogers still spends the
majority of her time at home. However,
now she can enjoy watching the count-
less birds that visit her feeders and beau-
tiful flowering bushes from every room
in the house. She has reconfigured the
kitchen a little so she can reach the im-
portant things: her teas and spices, and
her vast supply of bird seed.
While the Lend a Hand program Just in the last 20 years of rehab projects
was able to help make Rogers’ home CAT has served over 500 homeowners.
wheel chair accessible, CAT also called
One of those clients is Gene
in its Weatherization program team to Hoffman* who purchased his St. Hel-
address issues with the
ens house about three
home’s ineffective heat-
years ago. He went
ing system. In the winter
through the conven-
the home stayed so cold
tional home pur-
that there was ice on the
chase process, but
inside of the windows; in
the inspector missed
the summer it felt like an
several
important
oven. After conducting
problems that have
a thorough energy audit,
made home life dif-
weatherization specialists
ficult and unsafe for
installed insulation under
him. He shared that
the home and above the
before CAT’s help he
ceiling, added a highly in-
was afraid to touch
sulating roof, repaired the
anything attached to
electrical wiring for the
the house for fear of
Gene Hoffman
water heater, replaced all
it breaking off in his
the windows, and sealed the home tight- hand. The entire plumbing system had
ly. They even added a fan in the back of been cobbled together under the house
the house that automatically keeps the air without proper drainage; the toilet was
circulating throughout. The goal of the not connected to the plumbing, so he had
Weatherization program is to increase to bring in a portable toilet; the water
health and safety while reducing energy heater was dangerously old and the fur-
costs for low-income households. Of the nace didn’t work at all; there were tears
weatherization upgrades Rogers says, in the worn carpeting that were a trip
“There is no comparison. Now I’m al- hazard; and the front porch was missing
ways comfortable, day or night, summer steps. He had already stretched his fixed
or winter. I am so very grateful for the income to purchase the house and was
work CAT did for me.”
not in a position to pay for the necessary
Most of the home-related servic- repairs.
es offered by CAT are available to low-
CAT’s Housing Rehabilitation
income households, whether they rent team came in and, according to Hoff-
or own their home. This is true for Lend man, “put the house like it should have
a Hand, Weatherization, and Healthy been to begin with.” Hoffman financed
Homes. For the Housing Rehabilitation the work through a zero percent interest
program however, only home owners are loan. Repayment of the loan is deferred
eligible to receive assistance with health until the title of the house is transferred
and/or safety-based repairs or upgrades. due to sale or refinance of the home or
e rm
an
DM
D
Vernonia
Dental
.
Dr
r
h
C
ph
o
t
is
M
er
.
h
S c
eu
622 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064
phone (503) 429-0880 -- fax (503) 429-0881
continued from front page
the homeowner dies, so it doesn’t add a
monthly burden to a client’s bills.
CAT’s team completely gutted
the bathroom and remodeled it with all
new plumbing, fixtures and flooring. He
also got a new kitchen sink. The team
replaced the carpet with a sturdy and
attractive laminate floor that has also
relieved some of Hoffman’s breathing
symptoms. In addition, CAT construct-
ed a ramp at the front door that allows
Hoffman to enter and exit his home
more safely. Similarly to the weather-
ization assistance also provided to Rog-
ers, Hoffman’s water heater and furnace
were replaced, a new roof was installed,
and insulation was added. Hoffman is
happy to say his house is, “worth living
in now.”
There are two more related
Community Investment programs to
help make homes safer and more afford-
able to heat. Furnace repair or replace-
ment is available to households that
meet the energy assistance requirements.
The Healthy Homes program provides
repairs and remediation measures that
improve a home’s environment for high-
risk low-income families and individu-
als who have respiratory conditions or
mobility issues in their home.
To find out more about CAT
Housing Rehabilitation, Healthy Homes
and Lend a Hand programs, please con-
tact Dayle Shulda at (503) 366-6552.
For Weatherization program informa-
tion, please call Kim Buhrer at (800)
325-8098.
* Names and identifying details have
been changed to protect the privacy of
individuals featured.
Need more room?
See us for the lowest prices GUARANTEED!
Debit/Credit now accepted
5x10 $39
10x10 $69
10x20 $99
RV Storage $149
Outside storage available
Totally fenced and gated
Padlocks available
58605 Nehalem Hwy South • P.O. Box 292
Vernonia, Oregon 97064
(503) 429-7867
10-6 Tue-Sat
12-4 Sun
