14
schools
april20
2017
School Board Report
At the April 13, 2017 Vernonia School
Board meeting:
School Board Meets in Mist – The
Vernonia School Board held their April
meeting at the Mist School in an effort to
include more community members from
the School District. The meeting was
preceded by a community forum, hosted
by the Vernonia School Bond Committee,
to answer questions about the upcoming
School Bond on the May 16 election bal-
lot.
Board Accepts Two Resignations – The
Board accepted the resignations of teach-
ers Judy Gingerich and Kelley Murphy-
Shaw. Gingerich has been a teacher for
39 years, 26 of those in Vernonia. In her
resignation letter Gingerich stated “...the
emphasis on data, benchmark outcomes,
and curriculum development has caused
fatigue,” and noted that “Often, the time
spent in an excessive number of meet-
ings and Professional Development has
had no positive impact on my teaching
abilities...” Murphy-Shaw noted in her
resignation letter that, “Every year teach-
ers are asked to do more and more with
less,” and “...time spent with my family
is more important at this point in my life
than spending countless hours creating
lessons and doing professional develop-
ment coursework.” She added “...the di-
rection of education has turned, and I’m
not so sure I agree with the direction it
is going.” Both resignations take effect
June 30, 2017.
Board Approves 2017-18 Instruction-
al Calendar – The Board approved the
recommended Instructional Calendar
for 2017-18 which includes 157 Student
Contact Days. The first day of school is
September 6 and the last day is June 8.
High School Graduation is scheduled for
June 2, and 8 th Grade Promotion for June
5, 2018.
Board Appoints Murray to Budget
Committee – The Board appointed Kel-
lie Murray to the Budget Committee.
Finance Report – District Finance Of-
ficer Marie Knight reported to the Board
the Ending Fund Balance has been steadi-
ly improving throughout the year, due in
part to the State School Fund coming in a
little higher than expected and because of
a spending freeze instituted by Superin-
tendent Aaron Miller in November.
Winter Sports Report – Athletic Direc-
tor Gordon Jarman told the Board this
past winter sports season was “the most
successful Winter Sports season, over-
all” since he has been with the District.
He said the VHS boys basketball team
took 6 th in the State Tournament and the
girls basketball team qualified for the
State Tournament after finishing 2 nd in
their District. The wrestling team won
the District Title and sent six wrestlers
to the State Tournament and coach Chris
Barnes was named Coach of the Year for
the District.
Jarman told the Board in Middle
School sports, Justin Ward coached both
boys and girls basketball and mentioned
outstanding players Levi Richards, Wy-
att Jones, and Nick Costley for the boys
and Brooklyn Walters and Jayden Hart-
man for the girls. In wrestling, Jared
Gilbert was the new wrestling coach and
outstanding wrestlers were Luke Bozied,
Pete Crystal and District Champions
Brandon Depue, and Wyatt Jones.
Superintendent Report – Superinten-
dent Aaron Miller updated the Board on
several grants the District has secured,
including a county-wide grant through
CareOregon for resources for Trauma-
Informed Care and Adverse Childhood
Experiences; a grant for the Youth
Transitions Program which is being
reviewed; the two-year Oregon For-
mative Assessment for Students and
Teachers (OFAST) which was accept-
ed; and the Kindercamp grant which
was accepted and will include fully
equiped backpacks for all kindergarten
students.
Miller told the Board the Dis-
trict will post announcements for two
open elementary teaching positions
and the high school science teacher.
Miller told the Board volun-
teer work on the softball and baseball
fields at the school campus continues.
He said baseball will not use the field
this year, and that volunteers are build-
ing dugouts for the softball field.
Building Reports – High School/
Middle School Principal Nate Under-
wood introduced instructor Jim Krahn
who explained that his Project Based
Learning class is hosting Unity Week
from April 17-21 that will include
guest speaker Phil Boyte on April 19-
20, presenting “Breaking Down the
Walls.” Krahn said Boyte will work to
train about 30 students on Wednesday
evening to be leaders during his pro-
grams with the entire student body on
Thursday, empowering students to cre-
ate a positive and supportive campus
by interacting with a cross section of
their peers.
Underwood also updated the
Board on the Middle School promotion
projects, where 8 th graders presented oral
reports on United States Presidents.
Underwood said a small group of
students will be traveling to Washington,
D.C. as part of the Close-Up trip.
Underwood congratulated VHS
senior Kaitlin Eyrrick who was accepted
to New York University and was also
named First Seat clarinet in the Columbia
County Band.
Underwood also briefly dis-
cussed a contest the art classes are par-
ticipating in to decorate a pair of Vans
shoes.
Elementary School Principal
Aaron Miller updated the Board on work
related to the OFAST grant and told the
Board the grant proposal for next year
was accepted, which will allow teachers
to continue this training.
Miller told the Board that staff
members attended a Professional Learn-
ing Communities training on March 20.
Miller told the Board all K-5
students will go on a half-day field trip
to Stub Stewart State Park on April 28,
funded by the State Park Foundation and
some students’ grandparents. Students
will hike, learn about forest stewardship,
and work on outdoor art projects.
Miller told the Board the config-
urations for the Elementary School next
year will be Kindergarten - one class, 1 st
grade - one class, 2 nd grade – one class, 3 rd
grade – two classes, 4 th grade – one class,
4 th /5 th grade blended – one class, 5 th grade
– one class.
Miller told the Board that the
Barbee family, who are new to the Mist
community will be installing a Little Free
Library in front of the Mist School for ev-
eryone to take or leave a book.
Mist School teacher Joanie Jones
told the Board that her 5 th grade leader-
ship team have chosen the Mist Mountain
Lions as the school mascot.
Jones told the Board about some
clean up of old trees from the school
property and thanked the Mist-Birkenfeld
Fire Volunteer Association and other vol-
unteers who helped with the debris clean
up and donated the wood to those in need
in the community.
Bustamante Receives
Horatio Alger Scholarship
Vivianna Bustamante, a senior at
Vernonia High School, has been named a
2017 National Scholar and was awarded
a $25,000 scholarship from the Horatio
Alger Association of Distinguished
Americans.
Bustamante is just one of 106
National Scholars to receive the Horatio
Alger scholarship this year.
Bustamante attended a confer-
ence to welcome all National Scholars
to the program in Washington, D.C.,
where she spent five days from March 29
through April 2. The conference includ-
ed college readiness seminars and other
works sessions, social events, a visit to
the U.S. Capital and other monuments,
an address by Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas, and a formal dinner
and Induction Ceremony.
Since 1984, Horatio Alger
Association Members and Friends
have been funding need-based college
scholarships to support deserving young
people overcome their adversity and
pursue their dreams through higher
education. So far the Association has
awarded more than $125 million to
approximately 20,000 students.
In addition to undergraduate
scholarship support, the Association
offers a number of services and
opportunities to Horatio Alger Scholars:
• Financial Aid and Scholarship
Counseling
• College Readiness Tools
• Support and Referral Services
• Mentoring Programs
• Alumni Association
• Graduate School Grants
To be eligible to apply for the
Horatio Alger National Scholarship,
applicants must meet the following
criteria:
• Be enrolled full time as a high
school senior in the United States and
progressing toward graduation
• Plan to pursue and complete a bachelor’s
degree
• Demonstrate financial need
• Be involved in co-curricular and
community service activities
• Display integrity and perseverance in
overcoming adversity
• Maintain a minimum grade point
average (GPA) of 2.0; and
• Be a United States citizen
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