Schools
January 21
2021
11
Schools Update: Youth Reengagement Pilot Project
By Jamie Hamsa
This pandemic has been a challenging time,
with one of the multitude of effects being students
falling behind in academics. In October 2020, Verno-
nia School District (VSD) has responded to parent,
student, and community concerns by pursuing spe-
cific funds and developing a response plan to address
this issue through Oregon Department of Education’s
(ODE) Youth Development Division (YDD) Reen-
gagement Opportunity Grant.
On December 10, it was announced that Ver-
nonia School District was not only awarded $120,000
for local efforts but an additional award as a partner
with Northwest Oregon Works for $290,000 towards a
regional effort across Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln, and
Tillamook counties.
The Youth Reengagement Grant Pilot will
serve youth age 14-21, who are three or more credits
behind their perspective peers to reach academic suc-
cess. ODE released funds January 4 and the pilot proj-
ect duration will run until June 30. The pilot program
will implement the evidence based program, Check &
Connect.
Vernonia School District Superintendent Aar-
on Miller shared that “the grant will provide much
needed supports for our students who are struggling
with school, whether due to Distance Learning, or
other issues. This will be a great resource for our staff
working to return students back into our schools, and
actively engage them in their learning and the devel-
opment of their futures.”
Check & Connect is a nationally-recognized
program with proven success. Of the dropout preven-
tion interventions reviewed by the U.S. Department
of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse, Check &
Connect is the only program found to have strong evi-
dence of positive effects on staying in school. Check
& Connect is a model of ongoing, systematic interven-
tion and support to promote students’ engagement at
school and with learning.
All eligible students and their families will be
invited to voluntarily participate in this opportunity.
Check & Connect works with students by building a
persistent, positive, and trusting relationship with stu-
dents and their families to facilitate home-school col-
laboration.
Each student participating in Check & Con-
nect is assigned a trained mentor from existing school
staff that take on a unique, specialized role. Check &
Connect mentors seek to build long-term, sustained re-
lationships with participating students and families by
providing weekly, individualized support for youth to
reach their academic, career, and wellness goals.
The Youth Reengagement Pilot will build on
existing programs, services, and resources within the
home, school, and community to best connect youth
to address targeted needs. Mentors will also assist in
connecting youth, as needed, to social service agen-
cies, career, trade, apprenticeship, and volunteer op-
portunities from businesses. Once enrolled, we will
use a two pronged approach for reengagement and re-
tention: remove barriers and incentivize participation.
Each mentor will work with students and
families to identify barriers to access and engagement.
These barriers could include: lack of transportation,
technology needs, lack of money for food/clothing/
rent/childcare, mental/physical health needs, employ-
ment, etc.
Student participants will also have access
to incentive funds to recognize sustained participa-
tion and celebrate accomplishments of individualized
goals. Incentives will be aligned to student-identified
areas of interest or motivation and will be designed
to build positive associations with goal attainment and
persistence.
An additional component of the program is
going beyond forming positive, trusting relationships
with adult mentors but also reducing isolation and in-
creasing peer connection through building capacity to
offer access to student tutors.
Students that have demonstrated academic
success across differing grades and subjects of need,
not enrolled in the Youth Reengagement Pilot, will
have the opportunity to apply for a paid position. They
can build their resume and receive necessary training
to provide tutoring to students enrolled in the Reen-
gagement Pilot.
The VSD is deeply committed to building a
youth-centered program that is responsive to and re-
flective of the needs of our students and families with-
in a short duration to inform continued efforts past
June 30, 2021. To that end, we have designed a pilot
program that will seek and elevate student and family
voice as we work to develop, improve, and refine our
sustainable program model. The program will employ
an asset-based approach that honors the contributions
and strengths of participants. Throughout our work,
we will seek to remove barriers to access and engage-
ment for students and families.
For more information to participate as a stu-
dent or assist in efforts as a community member or
local business, please contact Jamie Hamsa, Director
of Social Emotional Health & Wellness, jhamsa@ver-
noniak12.org or at (971) 248-5101 or Rachel Wilson,
Vice-principal Vernonia Schools, rwilson@vernoni-
ak12.org (503) 429-1383 or (503) 429-1333 x 1383.
School Board Report
At the January 14, 2021 School Board
Meeting:
Brown, which should make it easier for
students to return.
Return to In-Person School – Super-
intendent Aaron Miller told the Board
that the District is continuing to plan for
returning to in-person school on Febru-
ary 8 for K-2 students and for K-5 stu-
dents at Mist School, but it will depend
on the state metrics and the county num-
bers. He said once those first students
are back, the rest of the elementary stu-
dents would join them in two weeks,
and then middle school and high school
would return two weeks after that. He
said middle and high school students
would only attend in-person school for
two days each week and would have
three days at home. Masks and physical
distancing will be required. Miller said
he does expect a reduction to the state
metrics to be announced at a January 19
meeting scheduled by Governor Kate
Board Appoints to Fill Vacancy – Af-
ter interviewing and discussing two po-
tential candidates, the Board voted to
appoint Amy Cieloha to fill vacant posi-
tion 3. Following the vote of the Board,
Cieloha took the oath of office and took
part as a Board member for the rest of
the meeting. The term will expire June
30, 2021.
Board Accepts Staff Resignations –
The Board accepted the resignation of
high school social studies instructor By-
ron Brown, and graduation coach Dana
Hyde, both effective June 30, 2021.
School Board Recognition Month –
Superintendent Aaron Miller thanked
the members of the School Board and
recognized their service to the commu-
nity and School District, as January is
School Board Recognition Month.
Student Presentations – JoLee Gra-
ham, Lorrie Shipley, Makenlee Espi-
noza from Mist Grade School shared
information about their Native Ameri-
can studies.
Public Comment – Juliette Safier,
President of the Teachers Union, asked
that when the District, Board, and com-
munity talk about students starting
school back in the building that it is not
referred to as “back to school.” Safier
noted that students and teachers are al-
ready in school and have been work-
ing very hard since beginning to attend
school virtually.
FOR TOWING EMERGENCIES
IN AND AROUND THE
VERNONIA AREA
Police and County personnel are required
to use a rotation of available providers,
UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY ASK
for a service by name.
REQUEST TOWING SERVICE FROM
Vernonia School Board Meetings
are held on the second Thursday of
each month. The next meeting is
scheduled for Thursday, February
11, at 6:00 pm. Please check the
District’s website for updates/
changes: www.vernonia.k12.or.us
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