october17 2019
free
VERNONIA’S
volume13 issue20
reflecting the spirit of our community
Opportunity Rooms Offer
Alternative Discipline Model
School District is taking a
positive and caring approach
to students with behavior
issues
By Scott Laird
The Vernonia
School District (VSD)
is broadening its pro-
gram to find better ways
to deal with discipline
issues in the classroom
and on the school cam-
pus.
The Opportuni-
ty Room, OR for short,
is a place where teachers
can send students who
are causing disruptions
in the classroom so they can get refo-
cused on learning, and a place where
students can go to self regulate. This
year the District has split the Opportu-
nity Room into two sections, OR I for
students in the Elementary School and
OR II for middle school and high school
students.
“These are students for whom
classroom interventions haven’t worked
– things like asking the student to get
back on task, moving their desk, those
types of things,” explains Rachel Wil-
coxen, the District’s Vice Principal for
K-12 who is in charge of discipline.
“So, if it’s time for them to take a break,
they go to the OR.”
This year OR II has a certified
instructor in the room – former middle
school language arts teacher Justin
Ward – along with two instructional as-
sistants. Ward works with teachers to
make sure students in OR II get lessons
to work on while they are out of the
classroom, so they are
not missing too much
instruction.
He also
works with parents to
address behavior issues,
and with students to
help them take respon-
sibility for their actions
and find ways to make
better choices in the fu-
ture.
Students spend as
much time as neces-
sary in the OR so they
can get back on track and be ready to
learn. Wilcoxen says usually students
do not go back to the class they were
sent from, but wait until the next period
before they return. In-school suspen-
sions are also served in the OR, along
with students who have earned a lunch
time suspension for being excessively
tardy or absent.
“In the past this would have
been considered the detention room,”
says Wilcoxen. “But our goal is not just
to punish them, our goal is to find out
what the lagging skill is and figure out
what we can do to help them be success-
ful in the classroom. This gives kids a
chance to get back on track instead of
having their behavior derail their whole
day.”
continued on page 6
The Nehalem Divide Tunnel
The hidden tunnel is just one
historically significant site
along Columbia County’s
Crown Zellerbach Trail
By Scott Laird
nomah Channel at Chapman Landing
near Scappoose to the outskirts of Ver-
nonia. The trail is currently undergoing
a series of upgrades, initiated by the CZ
Trail Advisory Committee, that include
trailhead improvements and interpre-
Vernonia and the surrounding
region is loaded with historical sites
of interest, especially sites pertaining
to logging, railroads, and early pioneer
history. The Vernonia Pioneer Museum
and Columbia County’s Historic Court
House Museum in St. Helens, both doc-
ument the vibrant history of the region
and are great resources for anyone inter-
ested in learning more about Columbia
County’s fascinating legacy.
The Crown Zellerbach (CZ)
Trail is a 25 mile hiking, biking, and
horse trail which runs from the Mult-
tive signage and displays that will fo-
cus heavily on the historic significance
of the logging and railroad operations
along the trail. Trail improvements are
being funded through grants awarded to
the County by Oregon Parks and Recre-
ation Department and Travel Oregon.
Casey Garrett is the Director
of Parks and Facilities for Columbia
County and is a member of the advisory
committee. Garrett says there will
be six designated trailheads with
parking areas, kiosks, and interpretive
signs, with several other historically
continued on page 14
Voices From the Mill Pond Cover Photo Winner: Kari Anne Budge
Beginning in February, photog-
raphers heeded our call and submitted
images for the coming book about Ver-
nonia, Voices from the Mill Pond. One
photo would land on the book’s cover.
Over a hundred fabulous images
poured in, and when the submission peri-
inside
10
where do you
read the voice?
12
vhs fall
sports report
12
9/11
memorial march
Photo by Debby White
od ended, it was time to choose a cov-
er. Important elements were the pond,
of course, but also the photo’s compo-
sition. Orientation and size mattered.
Would the title and subtitle be clear
against the colors? Was
the visual activity in the
photo subdued enough
to complement the text?
And was it an absolute-
ly gorgeous photo in its
own right?
Ve r n o n i a ’s
Voice and Hands on
Art are delighted to present the cover
of Voices from the Mill Pond. Kari Anne
Budge sent in this exquisite photo that
met every condition. It was the perfect
Photo by Cassandra Armstrong
choice for the book.
We would also like to acknowl-
edge two photographers whose submis-
sions came in a close second. Thank you
to Debby White and Cassandra Arm-
strong for their stunning images.
The 180-page book of photos,
writings, and artwork from Vernonia
residents will be available locally and on
Amazon in early December. The perfect
gift for the holidays.