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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (May 17, 2017)
Page A-4 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, May 17, 2017 Page 2 Dome School Times, Takilma, Ore. Wednesday, May 17, 2017 Upper elementary examines exciting elements of our year Flies Up, Football, Baseball, Jail Break, 7 up, Platypus, Four Square, Treasure in the Forest, and more!” – Noah, Age 10 “We went Ice Skating—me, Lillianna, Alu and our whole class! I fell a lot but then Clarysage taught me to go slow and I went slow and got pretty good at it! I used one of the ice walkers to help me go faster! By the time we left, I was pretty good at it and I didn’t want to go!” – Deva, Age 9 “I thought our Redwoods field trip was fun! I really liked running on the trees with Noah and the rest of our class! I liked riding to and from the Redwoods because I like the scenery it looks really nice. We had a scavenger hunt in the Redwoods where we had to find burn scars, nurse logs, nesting birds, Redwood sorrel, banana slugs, and other cool things. We had a picnic by the Smith River. Me and my friend Noah and little sister Kamy and Albert and Cooper and some other kids all ate lunch under a tree—the same place that we ate lunch together the year before that!” – Wyatt, Age 10 “I really liked the Bike-A-Thon! Chela did the best… she rode 35 miles! A first grader named River did the second best and rode 33 miles! I only rode 30 and a half miles, but it was really fun. We cooked rolls and granola bars in cooking class for the Bike-A-Thon. We camped at the campground and my dad brought his bus! Also, Math was really fun this year! We played lots of math games like bagels and snake eyes, the handshake problem, and close to 10,000. We played lots of other cool math games, too!” – Sarodah, Age 11 “Sculpture class is really fun! You (Photo by Kimiko Maglio) The Elementary class poses after a rehearsal for their upcoming perfor- get to make whatever you want! We made dinosaurs, swords, and more! I mance of Alice in Wonderland. As in other classes, this week our Upper Elementary program reflected on the journey that was the past year. Here they share highlights: “This year we made a life- sized baby African Elephant! The Zulus (6th-8th graders) started with making a graph outline of the elephant. Then Kimi took it home and when she brought it back to school it was made into a wooden armature in the shape of our elephant with legs! We taped on lots of newspaper to shape the elephant in the way we wanted. Afterwards we paper-mached it lots of layers. Then we painted it to make it waterproof! It was fun!”– Fern, Age 13 “We had an overnight backpacking trip at the big meadow on Hope Mountain. Before we left we were given a nature scavenger hunt sheet with many cool things to look for. We hiked up in the morning. While we were up there we practiced our play ‘Master Man.’ We also filtered water out of a stream, the students set up camp, dug our scat holes, and tied up our bags to protect them from bears. We did sit spot nature drawing. We played capture the flag and then after dinner we played tag until late at night. We got back in the middle of the next day.” – Rio, Age 13 “Everyone unlocked their inner poetry and writing zen in writer’s workshop. We mastered haiku, couplets, diamonte, odes, triolets and more! This year we each made three five-paragraph essays. The first was a persuasive and students had the choice to do either Dogs VS Cats or Star Wars VS Star Trek. Dogs and Star Wars won. The second was an informational essay about Wangari Mathaii, an African environmental activist. The last was a narrative. I wrote about a young crippled man who turned into a zombie and then was finally happy because he could see and run.” – Rory, Age 12 “In the game Sharks and Minnows I used to fall a lot, but then I got good at it. One game, I was really fast—so fast—and no one could tag me. I like playing lots of other games on our playground, like Capture the Flag, Sharks from Mars, Soccer, Marco Polo, Red Light Green Light, Freeze Tag, Zombie Tag, Three Having Fun in the Sun (Photo by Katherine Roncalio) Our preschool class enjoys a break during a recent nature walk in the woods. made a lizard, cars, and a BMX word sculpture! Terry is a good teacher!” – Dylan, Age 10 “My favorite books to read at school are the Harry Potter series and ‘The Diary of a Wimpy Kid’! Those are fun. As a class, we have ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,’ and we are planning on reading ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ next, then ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’! We are all reading ‘Wild Wings’ right now. Do you think reading is fun? Or would you rather just watch the movies? I think it’s best to read the books first and then watch the movies! Reading is fun for everyone—well, for most people, and it’s especially fun for me!” - Felix, Age 9 “OBOB, Oregon Battle of the Books, was a BIG accomplishment. We read 16 books throughout the year and then competed at the Regional Battles. There were so many other teams in our age group that 5 teams would get eliminated on the first round! I was very nervous, but our team made it through the first round! We didn’t make it past An Open Letter to the Community To All of the Friends and Family of the Illinois Valley and Takilma: Did you know that right from the beginning, in 1983, when the Takilma Community Building (TCB) was just being completed, even then they knew that the building needed classrooms. The building was never intended to be mostly a school; it was meant to meet many of our community needs. Thirty-four years ago these classrooms were already part of the big picture and the deeper pull woven into the threads of our community building was this: We need a place to come together. After three years at a steady clip, clearing land, gathering supplies, deconstructing other buildings, fundraising, and most importantly building the building, the first phase of the project was, much to everyone’s relief, complete. The building as of October 1983 didn’t look exactly like the TCB we see today; there were was still more to come. As the momentum of the school was burgeoning, those who had worked so tirelessly to bring the project to fruition took a well deserved break from such immense projects. The building was successfully housing the toddling and playing and blossoming young seeds of the community. The classrooms would come in their own time. Soon enough, so everyone thought. In 1995, under the administration of Oshana Emerald the building project saw a renaissance. The office, Amethyst room, and front porch were added. The school still needed classrooms and already the weekly shuffle of putting the school away for weekend events had become a less than popular after-school pastime. But the budget certainly didn t call for it; there were still more pressing projects to attend to. By 1999 Dave Toler was working the after-school program and writing grants. He was fortunate and talented enough to access what at the time seemed like huge sums of money (Thank you Clinton Era!) and the commercial kitchen and walk-in cooler were added, as well as a handicapped bathroom and a new janitorial closet. These were huge improvements to the school’s infrastructure. But still, we needed classrooms. Fast forward to 2014. The need to make the TCB accessible to more people for more projects is clear, as well as simplifying our ability to gather together. This is what has attracted so many fine folks to our precious valley. We know how to celebrate one another, how to come together in good times and in bad, to laugh and sing and sometimes cry as a community. By now the weekend shuffle of putting the school away is disruptive to kids’ education, as well as hindering to what our Community Building is capable of offering. A new era of enthusiastic board members know and believe that now is the time to build the classrooms, expand our scope and vision, and simultaneously improve how both the Community Building and the Dome School operate. And one year ago, in May 2016, we broke ground! So here we are in the very real Now. Although the project is once again well under way, we still need classrooms! (Which translates to: we need more money!) Although so much progress has been made, the reality is that we are still only part of the way there. The Building Committee has raised nearly $100,000 from individual donations and fundraising events. We have also received more than $35,000 in in-kind service donations. As well we have received $82,500 in grants, much of which, unfortunately, we will need to return if we don’t complete the fundraising. Which means that unless we raise that final $70,000 or so, we not only lose those grants, but will owe a penalty to the contractor. So right about now we are pulling out every trick in the fundraising book. (See: www.domeschool.org/campaign.) We are working hard and harder to bring this long-standing goal to fruition. Once again we need to call on our community for help, and remind us all of why we are here, and the ties that bind us all to this vision, whether or not we are aware of it. This community has shaped our lives. I can guarantee it has made each of us wiser, more competent, more aware and in touch. It has given us life-long relationships and priceless memories. It has raised our children just like any good community should, maybe even it has raised our husbands and wives. It has soothed our souls, ruffled our feathers and made us look at ourselves. This community has shaped our contexts of what is possible and shown us all for better or worse what it means to be part of a community. These gifts are priceless in this world. Our ability to love and support each other and our children, talents, gifts and visions is priceless. When this building project first began more than 34 years ago, its momentum skyrocketed through all of the obstacles because everyone wanted it so badly and the bigger vision was held by all. Part of our job right now is to inspire the greater community to see how this community building can be of use to each of us, and how to help this vision be held once again by all of us. Here are examples of what the space could be used for, and how this project can support the visions and health of many: Emergency Center/Shelter ... After-School Center ... Parent Co-op for Junior High ... Community Certified Kitchen for business use ... Weekend workshops ... Funerals and Weddings ... Yoga Classes ... Dance Classes ... Music/Drumming practice space ... Music Venue ... Theatrical Performances ... Dinner Theatre ... First Aid/ CPR Classes ... Meeting/Conference center ... Senior meals ... Internet cafe ... Potlucks ... and much more ... The completion of this project could substantially add to the local economy and culture. It needs each of us to understand the quality this can add to the lives of all of us. Please remember the values and ideals that led you to the Illinois Valley, as well as the hopes and dreams. The connection and community you were seeking and the amazing people who changed your life that came from here. Please remember that this community building is at the heart of so many of the things we hold so dear when we remember what we love about this place and these people. As Dr. Suess and The Lorax so eloquently put it, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” With Hope and Gratitude, the second, but it was still a huge accomplishment not to get sent home right away.” – Lily, Age 13 “This year we did a lot of plays in theatre! To name a few, one of them was ‘Talk’—it was about a farmer who thinks he’s going crazy because everything starts talking to him, another one is ‘Tapiwa’s Uncle’— it’s about a girl’s uncle, who is a bushman in Africa, who moves in with her family and helps around the house, making food like caterpillar stew. It’s so fun and awesome acting and performing!” – Lillianna, Age 10 “I really liked sculpture with Terry. He taught me how to make a bust. Lily made a really good one with really nice hair and Fern made a lot of daggers and let me decorate one of them. I made the coolest axe ever and Terry said he would bronze it with bronze glaze and it will look amazing. I have made seven busts, but two of them broke and it was sad. Rory, Finn and Rio made some awesome sculptures and Finn’s were the best (he said I had to say that). So, you know, mine were the best.” – Chela, Age 12 SAVE THE DATES Graduation / Open House - May 25. Dinner at 5pm (provided), Performances & Ceremony at 6pm. Hope Mountain Barter Faire - June 23, 24, 25. Lake Selmac County Park. All-School Picnic - May 26. Green Bridge, 11am-2pm. Potluck. Please register for 2017-18 by June 30. Deliver deposits to school office or our table at Barter Faire. Stephanie Moor Thank you so much to everyone who helped make the 2016-17 school year a success. Have a great summer!
