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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2017)
schools february16 2017 13 Schools Update: Roboteers and Volunteers Bonding Together at Vernonia Schools By Debbie Taylor VES 1st and 2nd Grade Teacher Vernonia Elementary School ROBOTEERS-- tinkering engineers and collaborating problem solvers in the making, or just kids and adult volunteers having fun together; either way, it’s all good! Every Thursday after school, the VES Science Club meets with 85 students from the Vernonia and Mist communities in grades K-5 to explore the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through the explorations of robotics and programming. The idea and means for the program came together when VES principal and superintendent Aaron Miller obtained a grant through Northwest Regional Educational Service District to support an after school STEM program and then asked me if I would be interested in mentoring the program. Having had experience mentoring a robotics club, my retired engineer husband and I jumped at the chance to provide a STEM opportunity for a K-5 team in Vernonia. The grant, along with generous donations from Robot Mesh, supplied the club with VEX IQ Super Robot Kits, FLOWOL programming software, and Lego’s WeDo 2.0 robotics and Learn to Learn kits. The grant and Robot Mesh donations provided enough equipment for the 85 eager students that signed up for the program to work in teams from 2-5 per group. As impressive as the list of resources is, al- lowing for a small kit-to-student ratio, even more im- pressive is the list of human resources that came to- gether to ensure success. Even though Dan and I were excited to bring the STEM Robotics club to fruition, we would not have been able to support 85 fi ve to 11 year olds without the group of dedicated community volunteers. Thank you to the 16 super-heroes that com- mitted to investing in our community’s youth. We can still use more however! If you would like to come and play, or have resources you would like to donate to sup- port the continued growth and sustainability of the program, please contact me The NED Show Vernonia Schools Honor Roll VMS Honor Roll Principal’s Honors 4.00 Clarissa Coburn, Cody Hathcoat, Emma Hahn, Emma Neufer, Gabriella McAdams, Jayden Hartman, Jenna Romaine, Kortnie Adams, Kylie Haney, Meghan Lemay, Megan Zavales, High Honors 3.99-3.50 Bailey Nordahl, Carly Bergren, Conor Lemay, Jared Armes, Jessika Marine, Larissa Vandehey, Sky Williams, Torey Tolonen, Tyler Riddell Honors 3.49-3.25 Abby Blair, Alyssa Mclaughlin, Audrey Hill, Brooklynn Walters, Grace Groshong, Kaylee Bartolomucci, Lanaya Clapshaw, Natalie Groshong, Remington Winningstad, Tyron Clapshaw Honorable Mention 3.24-3.00 Emily Mendelsohn, Hailey Reynolds, Megan Jenkins, Sadie Gump, Seth Scheuerman, Sydney Smith, Trinity Stenerson, Wilber Masog Progressive - Raised GPA .5 or more Alden Watts, Emily Mendelsohn, Hailey Reynolds, Jared Armes, Pete Crystal, Sailor Mitchell, Wilber Masog, Zoie Wells VHS Honor Roll Principal’s Honors 4.00 Abigail McGuire, Ashley Jackson, Brook Naron, Chase Tolonen, Clay Sullivan, Dakota Willard, Grace Costley, Haley Lindsay, Jacob Butcher, Jessica Butcher, TREE SALE RAIN OR SHINE Saturday 21 species (approx. 10,000 seedlings in inventory) including March 11 ‘Elite’ Douglas fir, western red cedar, noble fir, Fraser fir, 8:30 AM- giant dogwood, 1:30 PM Kwazan cherry, Pacific Pride passionate (Lawrence Oil) hydrangea, Hwy 30, St. Helens and 14 others. Some bag COLUMBIA COUNTY quantities. SMALL Prices from $1.50 WOODLANDS Arrive early. ASSOCIATION Questions: (503) 556-8800 or (503) 397-5997 Proceeds support best manage- ment forestry practices in Columbia County. at dtaylor@vernonia.k12.or.us. Fast forward--one of the many benefi ts and ob- jectives of the Elementary Science Club is to generate a group of interested and skilled youth that will feed into the middle and high school FIRST Robotics programs mentored by Camrin Eyrrick and Jeff Ely. We are for- tunate that Vernonia Schools is able to offer STEM Robotics for our community’s youth, a worthwhile endeavor that cultivates curiosity, problem solvers with tenacity, and critical thinkers designing solutions through perseverance and patience. It’s all good and it’s happening at Vernonia Schools thanks to a community that bonds together to engage our youth in 21st century endeavors. Joshua Rice, Joyce Everett, Kale Sullivan, Katherine Goodman, Lauren Ely, Lauren Glass, Mackenzie Fassold, Megan Rice, Morgan Harral, Payton Wolf, Rebekah Barnes, Savannah Norman, Storm Henson, Tristan Adams, Whitley Tolonen High Honors 3.99-3.50 Aja Ota, Alura Byler, Alyssa Amet, Amanda- Rose Sicard, Brendyn Mullikin, Casey Hathcoat, Cassandra McFalls, Cassidy Whitton, Courtney Barklow, Devon Bergren, Hepner Forster, Jackhenry Masog, Jaidyn Dennis, Jessika Goodman, Kaitlyn Eyrrick, Logan Buchanan, McKenzie Willard, Megan Ely, Melissa Kish, Michael Holmes, Nickolas Bennett, Odessa Roberts, Sean Coffey, Sofi a Wolf, Tyler Wolf, Vivianna Bustamante, William Scheuerman Honors 3.49-3.25 Elijah Bozied, Autumn Sorenson, Ben Fleck, Brett Jones, Calvin Clapshaw, Cloe Rylands, Derek Johnson, Johnathan Levenseller, Kameron Olsen, Kiley Merx, Leigha Dolan, Madison Zavales, Olivia Shelnut, Pearl Cook, Seth Cutright, Starr McKinnis, Honorable Mention 3.24-3.00 Abram Martin, Alex Wegner, Aubrey Leach, Benjamin Schulte, Blake Clark, Cierra Premo, Elizabeth Brewer, Gabriel Hart- Roberts, Georgia Smith, Hayden Cieloha, Jakob Handegard, Jarod Shaw, Jenna Watson, Jessica Williams, Kendra Stefan, Alexa Cook VERNONIA C H I RO P R AC T I C C L I N I C, I NC. VernoniaChiro.com Lee-Ron Chan and his friend NED presented an engaging and motivational assembly to Vernonia Grade School students on February 13. Chan used a variety of props like yo- yos and balloons, along with magic tricks, to impart a message based on the acronym NED, (Never give up, Encourage others, Do your best), while also inspiring students to pick good role models and learn from their mistakes. Vernonia Students of the Month January 2017 Joshua LaBelle Grade 1 Joshua is a hard worker and a focused learner in school. He likes to help others and always has a smile on his face. Joshua says his favorite subject is reading and that he likes going to the library. He plays soccer and baseball. At home he plays video games and likes to help take care of the family dog Copper. Ryan Potter Grade 7 Ryan has made great improvement in his school work this year by showing good effort, partici- pating in class, and taking responsibility. His teachers say he has a great sense of humor and is a “pleasant student to have in the classroom.” Ryan says his favorite subject is math and he plays clarinet in the band. In the summer he likes racing his car at the track in St. Helens. Joseph Dombek, DC (971) 248-4055 Now Accepting New Patients 610 Bridge Street • Vernonia, OR 97064 Chase Tolonen Grade 12 Chase is an Honor Roll student who says his favorite class is Modern Problems. He plays varsity basketball and is a teacher’s aide for Ms. Ward. He is part of the School-to-Career program and works at True Value Hardware. He plans to attend Oregon Institute of Technology next year and study medical imaging. Sponsored by State Representative Brad Witt
