The SpokeSman • TueSday, SepTember 27, 2022 A11 RECORDS / COMMUNITY PET OF THE WEEK TRUCK OF THE WEEK Name of truck: The Mighty Greek Location: 818 SW Forest Ave., behind High Desert Music Hall Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday; closed Mon- days and Tuesdays Owner: Irini “Carlene” Kari- malis-Kitchin and Ava Karima- lis-Kitchin Opened: May 2020 Type of food: Greek About the cart: The Mighty Greek is a family-run food cart, launched at the urging of Irini’s daughter, Ava. Irini found the truck — formerly a pretzel cart in Sisters — on Craigslist and bought it without telling her husband. After attending some pop up events in 2020, the duo fully launched the cart in May 2022, taking up residence outside High Desert Music Hall. Your first order should be: Irini recommends the traditional Greek gyro. It’s plenty filling with the pita, she said. But she encourages people “with a heartier appetite” to try the mighty gyro — bigger portions all around. Fun fact: Irini is also the owner of Central Oregon Adult Foster Care in Redmond. But she feels like her life is com- ing full circle with the food truck. Her father was a Greek immigrant who was murdered when she was young. He had his own restaurant in California. “I’m happy that I can offer this to the community,” she said. “But it’s a bittersweet thing.” Meet Aspen! Aspen is a tiny tot of a pup who was brought to Bright- Side as a stray and now is searching for her forever home! Aspen is a very so- cial and friendly puppy who loves attention, play time and naps. Because Aspen is such a young puppy, an attentive adopter with time would be beneficial for her to be the best pup she can. She is a sweet and person- able pup who has so much time and potential to live in many kinds of homes with proper patience and training. Aspen is still a puppy and if you’ve never owned a puppy before, we ask you to do some research to make sure you are ready for the com- mitment. Puppies are wonderful members of the family but require lots of time and dedication so they can flourish and live happy, adult dog lives. Districts report declining participation in state tests BY BRYCE DOLE CO Media Group Student participation in state stan- dardized tests is declining in some Central Oregon school districts, rais- ing concerns among district officials who say this makes it more difficult to measure and compare perfor- mance and take action to improve their schools. Some district officials argue that so many parents are keeping their children from taking the test that the data is virtually meaningless. Data from the state’s English lan- guage arts, math and science tests help districts assess student educa- tional progress and target shortcom- ings in the education system. The state uses this data to prior- itize funding and other support for schools. The Legislature uses it to inform policy. Perhaps most import- ant: the data can inform the public about how well schools and districts are performing. But an Oregon law signed by Gov. Kate Brown in 2015 made it easier for parents to keep their children from taking the state tests, despite a federal law requiring that these tests be administered. Data released Thursday by the Or- egon Department of Education sug- gests that many parents across the state and region are declining the test, particularly at the high school level. Less than 60% of high school students statewide took the state math and reading test, and only 63% took the science test, according to 123rF state data. A state advisory committee rec- ommends that at least 80% of stu- dents should be taking the test for the data to be useful in making decisions around budgeting, policy, profes- sional development and more. Half of the Central Oregon districts reported participation rates at or below that threshold, according to state data. What’s more: every regional school district but one — Culver — reported participation rates that were below the federal government’s requirement of 95%, the data show. “It’s down,” said Colt Gill, the state’s education boss, shaking his head. “It’s a challenge. It’s down. And participation matters for this assess- ment. I think it’s central in helping us improve the outcomes for all Or- egon students for us to have a broad understanding of how our schools are doing.” In the Redmond School District, about 38% of families opted out of the assessment this year. In the Crook County School District, about 23% of families opted out. In the Sis- ters School District, that number was about 20%. In Bend-La Pine Schools, it was about 17%. “I think the numbers are concern- ing,” Gill said, when asked about those rates. Gill said the state is working with districts to find ways to promote the value of these tests and encour- age families to let their children take them. He emphasized that the tests serve more as a check on the system rather than an indicator of student abilities. The data released this week was the first snapshot of student learning reported through the state assess- ments since the pandemic began. Redmond Superintendent Charan Cline voiced concerns on Tuesday that declining the test was becoming normal in regional schools. He said of the decision to allow parents to opt out: “I think that’s a real mistake at the state level.” Proponents of the measure em- phasized parental rights and the stresses of test taking as the reasons why there should be the option to skip the tests. Cline acknowledged that these tests are difficult and take a lot of time, but noted that, in addition to being a way to measure performance, ratings based on these test scores can help inform parents about where they can live that will ensure their child gets a good education. “Everybody needs a measurement to work against,” Cline said. Joel Hoff, Crook County School District’s assistant superintendent, echoed some of Cline’s concerns. He and other regional adminis- trators noted that these test results are hardly reviewed by colleges and universities. But he said the data can help schools see where they need to change tactics to help students. “If all these students are opting out,” he said, “then we’re not prepar- ing kids.” █ Reporter: 541-617-7854, bdole@bendbulletin.com Police Log The Spokesman will update items in the Police Log when such a request is received. Any new information, such as the dismissal of charges or acquittal, must be verifiable. Arrests Thurs., Sept 15 12:12 a.m. SW Wickiup/SW Canal. arrested: Cody burton dale, 32, redmond. Charge: duII 1:39 a.m. SW 35th St. arrested: Christopher anthony, 36, redmond. Charge: disorderly conduct II 9:09 a.m. SW Forest ave. arrested: elizabeth roberta mullong, 40, bend. Charge: Theft of services ($100-$1,000) 2:18 p.m. SW rimrock Wy. arrested: Juvenile Female, 14, redmond. Charge: assault IV 2:59 p.m. 300 block SW rimrock Wy. arrested: dustin I T das, 41, redmond. Charges: Coercion, ha- rassment 4:30 p.m. SW Lava ave. arrested: kyle elliott rosengren, 19, red- mond. Charge: menacing 5:45 p.m. SW Xero St. arrested: Gregory allen Cruz, 30, redmond. Charge: In-state warrant Fri., Sept 16 12:16 p.m. nW 7th St. arrested: Vaughan riley krueger, 27, red- mond. Charges: Fraud use of credit card, uumV, Theft III 1:57 p.m. W antler ave. Shots fired. no arrests. 10:10 p.m. SW evergreen ave./nb hWy 97. arrested: mark andrew Jones, 49, bend. Charge: duII 10:46 p.m. SW elkhorn ave. ar- rested: michael matthew masters, 44, redmond. Charges: Felon (ex Con) in possession of firearm, Carry concealed weapon Sat., Sept 17 6:13 a.m. SW 8th St./SW Glacier ave. arrested: Caleb Siaki Saulo, 28, red- mond. Charge: duII 12:03 p.m. ne maple ave. arrested: Ian edward humbird, 26, Canyon City. Charge: probation/parole vi- olation 4:08 p.m. SW pumice ave. arrested: Justin bernhard Sales Jr, 22, red- mond. Charges: In-state warrant, harassment 9:59 p.m. ne 11th St./ne hemlock ave. arrested: Stachelle dawn Wil- lis, 43, redmond. Charges: unlaw- ful entry vehicle, Carry concealed weapon 9:59 p.m. SW Canal blvd. arrested: Jonathan ray dean davie, 43, red- mond. Charges: In-state warrant, possession of burglary tools, uumV, possession of stolen vehicle, Felon (ex Con) in possession of firearm Sun., Sept 18 12:26 a.m. nW oak Tree Ln. ar- rested: daniel T beasley, 32, madras. Charge: uumV 3:05 a.m. 400 block ne poplar ave. arrested: oscar mendez, 30, red- mond. Charges: Coercion, assault IV, harassment 8:15 p.m. S hWy 97. arrested: John Gaudelupe Loera, 68, klamath Falls. Worship Directory Adventist Roman Catholic Seventh Day Adventist 945 W. Glacier Ave., Redmond, OR St Thomas Roman Catholic Church 1720 NW 19th Street Redmond, Oregon 97756 541-923-3390 541-923-0301 Sabbath School 9:30 am Worship 10:45 am Baptist Highland Baptist Church 3100 SW Highland Ave., Redmond 541-548-4161 Lead Pastor: Lance Logue Sunday Worship Services: Blended – 8 & 9:30 AM Contemporary – 11 AM (Worship Center) hbc Español - 10:30 am (Youth Room) *9:30 AM & 11 AM live- stream at: www.hbcredmond.org How can hbc pray for you? prayer@hbcredmond.org Father Todd Unger, Pastor Mass Schedule: Weekdays 8:00 am Saturday Vigil 5:00 pm First Saturday 8:00 am (English) Sunday 8:00 am, 10:00 am (English) 12:00 noon (Spanish) Confessions on Wednesdays From 4:00 to 5:45 pm and on Saturdays From 3:00 to 4:30 pm Advertise your worship listing today! New advertisers get 2 weeks free. Call 541-617-7823 to place your ad today! Charges: duII, assault III Tue., Sept 20 2:56 p.m. Se 1st St. Shots fired. no arrests. Wed., Sept 21 10:07 a.m. SW rimrock Wy. ar- rested: yeni Gonzalez-Castro, 18, redmond. Charge: assault IV 4:15 p.m. SW highland ave. ar- rested: Zarian Ipo mcmanus, 36, bend. Charge: Criminal mischief (+$1,000) Thefts reported from Sept. 15-21 on the following blocks in redmond: nW 19Th ST SW eLkhorn aVe SW 1ST ST nW kInGWood aVe nW Canyon dr SW parkWay dr nW 6Th ST SW rImroCk Wy nW oak Tree Ln SW bLaCk buTTe CT/SW 23rd ST SW 6Th ST SW yeW CT SW aIrporT Wy nW doGWood aVe nW bIrCh aVe ne 7Th ST SW odem medo rd SW 28Th ST SW ForeST aVe Burglaries Tues., Sept 18 7:21 p.m. reported in 300 block nW hemlock Ct. no arrests. Mon., Sept 19 2:46 p.m. reported in 1500 block nW 8th St. no arrests.