Image provided by: Vernonia Public Library; Vernonia, OR
About Vernonia freedom. (Vernonia, Oregon) 1978-198? | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1981)
VHS Timberline—Page 3 VHS Timberline part 2 Kindergarten provides education, discipline, creative outlet By Tracv Wilkerson and April Durst Remembering, experiencing and looking ahead to the kindergarten systems of yesterday, today and of tomorrow, we can judge how school has and will continue to mature over the years . Remembering Thinking back twelve years, I can remember the good old days when I went to kindergarten with my pals. Entering the room at 8t35 am, we all put away our yellow rain slickers, galoshes, rain hats, coats, sweaters, scarves and mittens. I was in the morning, session, and although we only went to school for half of a day, it always seemed like a whole one to me. Mornings were wonderful, we used to start the day off with twenty minutes back in the toy kitchen or with the blocks and trucks. Then we would get out our scissors and paper and cut out and color different pictures to take home to put on the refrigerator. Recess was a fun time to run through the basement and scramble over the jungle gym. Back in the classroom, we had story time, in which there was always a contest to see who could be the quietest. After that came nap-time (which always seemed unnecessary). Wake-up time was the most fun. The person who was the quietest got to be the wake-up fairy, and go around and wake everyone up. About half-Way through the school day (two hours), the teacher would bring out a box of graham crackers and cartons of milk for everyone/ Then as the day was drawing to a close, we made one last trip to the sandbox. As we left the kindergarten room, we met the afternoon class on their way to their half a day of adventure. Experiencing Kindergarten today isn't all milk and crackers. ' Students come to class prepared for learning and learn more than just how to use crayons. A major reason for their increased preparedness is that parents are becoming more involved in their early education. They receive pre-school packets from the district education coordinator which include different lesson plans for each day of the month. Pre-school children learn skills like counting, become familiar with colors and the seasons of the year, and learn their alphabet before they are even enrolled in kindergarten. ‘Another helpful learning experience,’ said Mrs. Ginger Johns, WGS kindergarten teacher, ‘is television. Shows like The Electric Company and Sesame Street give children a head-start on counting and alphabet skills.’ Because they are more prepared, kindergarteners can become involved in more advanced skills, like reading. They learn to read, spell and print at the same time by using worksheets that help them associate each letter with its sound while printing it on paper. After the children learn to read, parent helpers come to the class to listen to them and assistthem. Mrs. Johns also has aides from the high school. There are many facilities available for the children. A listening center, at which the children listen to tapes of stories and follow along with the words in corresponding books gives them greater aid with their reading skills. In the small library, they may check out books, listen to story tellers or watch films. Other subjects that the children are studying include math, science, health and plant life. They are encouraged to do artwork, also, since it develops hand and eye coordination. Working at the carpenter’s bench with hammers and nails, jumping rope, painting, singing, learning poems and other activities that they participate in help the children learn and have fun at the same time. If any of them need special assistance with speech or language difficulties, it is provided by either Mrs. Carmancita Vigil or-Mrs. Cheryl Fitzsimmons, In this way, the children become familiar with working with several different teachers. Special activities for this spring will include taking walks around Vernonia, visiting parks and the museum, and trips to other places of interest. Encyclopedic^ After this, students will move on the psychological analysis, based on Freud’s views. Recess will have a new meaning for these new kindergarten geniuses. Instead of a brief run over the jungle gym, a complete diet and physical training program will be offered. Returning to fourth period, the young tots take it easy for a while with a class in home-economics. This includes cooking, budget planning and designed clothes for the future. Of course that will be taught to the boys only. The girls will be tinkering with the engines and motors of their fathers’ $10,000 space machines or designing plans for their own new floating carbo-hydrolic buggies. After fourth period, it is time for the teacher to pull her cot out from the wall and conk out for thirty minutes in preparation for the second half of the day. Minutes before the noon bell rings, the students are sitting on the edge of their Seats. When it does ring, they are off and running to the cafeteria for the daily meal of meat loaf, carrot, pea,mashed potatoe, and milk supplement and their vitamin capsules including a, b, c, d, e flat, and b natural. After this healthy meal break, they go back to the classroon for their last two classes. Fifth period consists of computer and robot programming for students who plan to take advanced computer design and structural analysis in first grade. For those who don’t, it is a period of combined English and twenty-seven other languages, a must for communications majors. „ Drama class, the last subject df the day, is as much fun for the children as it is for their combined teacher/director/producer. These young actors and actresses portray the favorites from the olden days including Eric Astrada, Jerry Lewis, Richard Pryor, JBruce Dem, John Davidson and for those with good history books, the Fonz. Remembering, experiencing and looking ahead one cam see dramatic differences in kindergarten. As food for thought, just think what high school will be like in the year 2000. Looking Ahead Kindergarten in the year 2000 may be a Very surprising and enlightening experience. Taking six classes during an eight hour school day will more than likely by part of the new advanced kindergarten program. Upon arriving at school at 8:00 am, the children will immediately hang their anti pollution suits in the closet and begin their first course of the day; trigonomical calculus for advanced students and Algebra III for those less gifted. Geometrical algebraic chemistry will be taught during the second class hour. Third period will consist of memorizing either a section from ¡the Webster's Collegiate Dictionary or Colliers' I Support your local golf and i track teams. Attend their I next meets. David Carter takes a flving leap into the sand pit of the long jump arena at a recent meet. • : ° - o o gQ_0 5> 0Q000 0 0 0-0 OQOQQQOQOQOQOQOO 0 0 0 Q Q QQOO 0 OO_gQj0pO,.OOOQ 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0? Golfers off to a good start By Thorgen Brown • VHS golf team is off to a good start this year with three first place finishes, one tie, and two losses. Two seniors, five juniors, two sophomores, and five freshmen make up the team. An interesting change from last year is the membership of four girls. ‘I’m glad to see that girls are out for the golf team, and sticking with it,’ said their coach, Mr. Greg Brown. Medalist for VHS at the first home Mrs. Ginger Johns helps a kindergarten student with her association skills. match was Thorgen Brown, with a score of 41. Steve Grady and Dave Battrick tied at the second match with 86. At LaSalle, Thorgen Brown was the medalist again, with a score of 37. At Tillamook, Steve Grady was the medalist, with a score of 83, and again at the fifth match at Seaside, with a score of 80. Thorgen Brown was the medalist at Lutheran, with a score of 79. ‘Some of the scores were good, but they could be improved, especially at home,’ said Coach Brown. Track team 'improving in all areas' By Vickie Pitt VHS Track Team has participated in several meets since the season began nearly a month ago. Approximately 30 students are out for the team which is coached by Mr. Ron Remsen (running events) and Mr. Terry Nimz (field events). ‘The team this year is a well-rounded squad in both events and age,’ said Coach Remsen when asked how he felt about the team. ‘Everyone is improving in all areas.’ Knappa High School was the site of the first meet of the season, on April 7. Both teams placed second out of a field of four schools. Second meet was the Kennedy Invitational at John F. Kennedy High School in Mt. Angel. It was a Saturday meet that lasted from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Nine schools participated in the meet at which the boys’ team placed fourth and girls’ team placed sixth. Junior Brad Gardner, of Vernonia, was chosen Outstanding Boy Athlete for the meet. He placed first in the javelin and discus, and second in the shot put. The Third meet was at Portland Christian on Tuesday, April 14. Warrenton, Vernonia and PC were the teams that competed. The VHS Boys’ team placed second behind PC and the girls placed second behind Warrenton. VHS track team travelled to Seaside* Thursday, April 16, to compete in a four way meet. Both teams placed fourth. Thursday, April 23, the Vernonia teams went to Rainier High School to compete in a three-way meet. The teams who participated were Rainier, Knappa, and Vernonia. Results of the meet were not available due to the malfunctioning of the Xerox machine.
