18
schools/classified ads
december21
2017
Schools Update: The Season of Giving
By Arron Miller
As the season of giving is
upon us I am reflecting on all the
giving I am so fortunate to wit-
ness every day in the halls of our
schools. Mixing 550 students and
90 staff members together each
day can bring a lot of challenges,
but more frequent than the chal-
lenges are incredibly compassion-
ate acts of kindness that give me
hope for our future.
Here are a few examples:
• A fifth grade self-manager help-
ing take care of kindergarteners
who need help with opening their
milk.
• HS Leadership students leaving
notes of kindness and recognition
on other students’ lockers.
• A staff member noticing a posi-
tive interaction between two stu-
dents and providing a reward tick-
et to acknowledge that behavior.
• A Middle School teacher no-
ticing a student who was down,
checking in with them, and leav-
ing them with a smile.
• Our Sprouts parent group so-
liciting classroom gifts for each
teacher in the building.
• Former, retired teachers volun-
teering their time to read with chil-
dren each week.
• A stream of students coming in
to get a piece of candy at the DO,
but also staying to chat with staff
for a few minutes about their day.
Positive Relationships are key to
our kids’ success!
• A student on the playground
helping a hurt student to the office.
• A basketball player working
with another player to develop a
skill.
• Students saying “You can sit
with us,” in the cafeteria after no-
ticing that someone was sad dur-
ing lunch.
• Students saying to their teach-
ers….. “I love you.”
What gifts these are! We
are so lucky to be in a profession
where we get to witness the magic
of youth, and the wonderful people
they are, and are becoming. Thank
you to the community for sharing
your children with us each day. It
is truly a gift that we appreciate!
If you have any questions
or concerns regarding any other
School District happenings, please
call at (503) 429-5891.
VHS Winter Sports Report continued from page 16
on the season so far and are cur-
rently ranked #12 in OSAA.
The Loggers posted a 64-
57 win over non-league Portland
Christian on December 7, and then
kicked off league play with a solid
83-41win over City Christian on
December 12.
The Loggers fell at Knap-
pa, the #2 ranked team in 2A, 69-
48 on December 14, but rebound-
ed with 61-49 win over Neah-
Kah-Nie on December 16.
The Loggers will play in
the St. Paul Tournament over the
holiday break, with games against
Monroe on December 21 and Lost
River on December 22. They re-
turn to league play with home
games on January 3 against Faith
Bible and Nestucca on January 5,
and travel to OSAA #1 ranked Co-
lumbia Christian on January 9.
After struggling early in
the season with losses to Kennedy
and Portland Chrisitian the Lady
Loggers have won three straight
league games, defeating City
Christian 43-23, Knappa 34-23,
and Neah-Kah-Nie 45-17.
The Lady Loggers will
Girls Basketball – The Lady also compete in the St. Paul Tour-
Loggers are off to a good start in nament over the holiday break,
Northwest League play this sea- with match ups against Monroe
son, posting a 3-0 record and sit- on December 21 and Lost River
ting in first place as they head into on December 22. They return to
the holiday break. The girls have a league play with home games on
4-3 record overall and are current- January 3 against league rival and
ly ranked #12 in OSAA rankings. #2 ranked Faith Bible, and Nes-
tucca on January 5.
They travel to Co-
lumbia Christian on
A Trusted Name in Funeral Service
January 9.
Angel
Memorials
Headstones
Fuiten, Rose & Hoyt
Funeral Home & Crematory
Granite Markers & Monuments
971-344-3110
Jeff & Kathryn Hoyt
Ten Years Later
Ten years after the flood, Vernonia’s recovery is
still not complete. During the recovery well over $30
million dollars were spent to complete mitigation projects
throughout the community.
The Senior Center and Vernonia Cares Food Bank
are the final pieces to the Vernonia Flood Recovery story.
While Vernonia Cares continues to operate in the American
Legion Hall where they were flooded in 2007, the Senior
Center was demolished at the same time as the schools,
and has been without a permanent home. The Seniors
leased the Vernonia Community Learning Center from
the City to house their thrift store, and meet once a week
at the American Legion Hall. The City of Vernonia has
secured $2 million in CDBG (Community Development
Block Grant) funds and will break ground in the spring of
2018 on the new home for Vernonia Seniors and Vernonia
Cares, a joint facility in the Rose Avenue Project that will
complete Vernonia’s recovery.
Meanwhile, each winter Vernonia residents con-
tinue to closely monitor river gauges on Rock Creek and
the Nehalem River whenever heavy rains start to fall.
While many Vernonia homes no longer sit below the flood
levels of 2007, the businesses in the downtown corridor
near Rock Creek remain vulnerable, as do a small number
of residents. Vernonia Cares now has an elaborate evacua-
tion plan in place, which was activated two years ago when
high water surrounded their building during heavy rains
on December 7-8, 2015, that caused landslides, blocked
roads, and overflowed local rivers and streams. Flood wa-
ters again threatened homes and businesses, and slowly
crept up across the sports fields at Spencer Park, briefly
reaching Bridge Street, where, at the corner of Washing-
ton Avenue, a sign with a red line indicates the high water
mark from 2007.
While the details of the long and complex recov-
ery the Vernonia community navigated during the last ten
years become cloudy and fade into memory, Vernonians
are reminded daily of their immense rebuilding effort
when they see the raised homes, the empty lots, and the
new facilities they worked together to construct.
Vernonia School Board Meetings are held on the
second Thursday of each month. The next School
Board Meeting is scheduled for January 11
at 6:00 pm in the Schools Library.
2308 Pacific Ave.,
Forest Grove
503-357-2161
741 Madison Ave.,
Vernonia
503-429-6611
Vernonia, Ten Years After
the Flood: Part 2 – The
Recovery continued from page 9
FOR SALE
2 Lots For Sale, 0.23 acres each
Columbia County tax account #22580
& #22584. $32K each. Contact (503)
624-8665 or (503) 997-2262.
Family Owned & Operated
HELP WANTED
Formerly Prickett’s Mortuary
Certified Medical Assistants needed!
Full-time positions at Tillamook
Medical Plaza, Vernonia, and Banks.
Competitive wages and benefits.CMA
and BLS certification preferred. Apply
online at: AdventistHealth.org/trmc/
Locally owned in Vernonia
Serving NW Oregon
All Cemeteries Accepted
Order drawing at no charge online
Forest Grove Memorial Chapel
503-357-3126
www.angelmemorialsheadstones.com
To sign the online guest book or to send a
condolence to the family go to
www.fuitenrosehoyt.com
Vernonia
Veterinary Clinic
Small and Large Animals
HELP WANTED
careers
9-1-1 COMMUNICATIONS SPECIAL-
IST Columbia 9-1-1 Communications
District (C911CD) is conducting a hir-
ing process for full-time 9-1-1 Dis-
patchers (Communications Specialist)
to join our training program as limited
training slots become available. Log on
to www.columbia911.com and click on
‘Careers’. For any questions call (503)
366- 6976.
NEW LOCATION
Need more room?
See us for the lowest prices GUARANTEED!
Debit/Credit now accepted
Open
Mon, Wed & Saturday
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Call for Appointments
(503) 429-1612
Or 24 hr. Emergency Number (503) 397-6470
700 Weed Ave. Vernonia, OR
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
Fresh Roasted Coffee
espresso • baked goods
Open Every Day at 6:00 am
10-5 Tue-Sat
12-4 Sun
825 Bridge Street
503-429-0214
