SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 24
SECTION A
MAY 27, 2016
$1.00
MHS boosters fund gym fl oor makeover
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
McNary High School's
Athletic Booster Club (ABC)
has another big project in
the offi ng this summer: a
renovation of the school's
gym.
The
project
includes repainting
all three levels of
the
gymnasium
and refi nishing the
main gym's fl oor to
include a McNary
“M” logo.
The fi nal cost
of the project is
expected
to
be
somewhere between
$25,000 and $32,000,
and is set to begin in
June.
McNary's ABC is
kicking in $20,000
toward the overall
cost of the renova-
tion, and it means
the group's upcom-
ing dinner and auction is all
the more important.
This year's benefi t is slated
June 4 at the Log House
Garden at Willow Lake, 5655
Windsor Island Road N., in
Keizer. Tickets are $35 per
person, $360 for a reserved
table for eight or $500 for a
sponsored table. Tickets can
be purchased at mcnaryabc.
com. The event begins with a
social hour at 4:30 p.m., and
tickets include dinner and a
bidder paddle for silent and
oral auctions.
Danielle Bethell, ABC
president, said the gym
renovation project came
about largely as a result of the
successful turf project.
“We developed a great
relationship with Salem-
Keizer
School
District
through that project, but we
also realized that the outside
of the school had been getting
most of the attention,” Bethell
said. “We approached the
school district with a proposal
for the gym and were able
Pluasu suu FLOOR, Pagu A11
“Wu approachud
thu school district
with a proposal for
thu gym and wuru
aplu to maku it
part of thu annual
fl oor rufi nishing
that would pu
happuning anyway.”
Students
honored for
turnarounds
— Daniullu Buthull,
McNary Athlutic Boostur
Clup Prusidunt
Supmittud
Iris Fust in thu pooks
have included forming a
new parks district, similar in
concept to both the Keizer
Fire District as well as several
parks districts around the state,
Lawyer said the PAC set an
initial goal of using a utility
fee for funding. The goal
would be to create enough
Pluasu suu PARKS, Pagu A9
Pluasu suu TUITION, Pagu A9
Photos py Eric A. Howald, Parkur Kuhrut and Duu Mooru
Parks Board uyus funding options
Board members Matt Lawyer,
Jim Taylor and Donna Bradley
was recently formed to take
an in-depth look at the issue
and to come up with potential
ideas for more parks funding.
The city has approximately
$350,000 in the budget for
parks each year, including two
full-time employees, to take
care of Keizer’s 19 parks. Since
the funding comes from the
same general fund that pays
for other services – mainly
the Keizer Police Department
– Parks Board members have
twice in recent years looked
at ways to fi nd new revenue
streams.
While options explored
Celts reap
benefi ts
of free
college
tuition
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
When the McNary High
School class of 2016 takes
the graduation walk June 10,
about one out of every 10
students will have qualifi ed for
two years of free education at
one of Oregon's community
colleges.
The Celts are taking ad-
vantage of Chemeketa Com-
munity College's Scholars
program, which offers students
with a 3.5 grade point average
or better the opportunity to
attend the Salem-based school
free or two years, and a new
program, Oregon Promise,
which offers any student grad-
uating with at least a 2.5 GPA
the opportunity to attend any
of the state's community col-
leges free for two years.
According to Chemeketa's
James McNicholas, the school's
recruitment manager, McNary
typically leads Chemeketa's
tri-county area in the number
of students applying for, and
accepted to, the Scholars
program. With 43 students
qualifying in 2016, this year
is no different, but the Celts
also led in Oregon Promise
applications and acceptance.
That is by design, said
Julia Tejeda, a McNary offi ce
specialist, who has made it a
mission to get information
about the Scholars program
into students' hands for the
past four years.
“Instead of just advertising
it to the student body,
we decided to call down
every student who met the
qualifi cations to the offi ce
and talk to them individually,”
Tejeda said.
Students were presented
with applications to fi ll out
and Tejeda answered any
questions. Even when students
balked at completing yet
another college application,
Tejeda pushed forward.
“We have a lot of students
that have a plan, but I
encourage them to complete
the Scholars application, too,
because even the best plans
have a way of falling through,”
Tejeda said.
Instructional
Assistant
Cathy Walker spearheaded the
effort to get Celtic students
signed up for the Oregon
Promise scholarship. When she
started at the school this year,
TOP: Mulody Ruitzur and Chancu Davunport wait for thu start of thu Iris Fustival paradu. LEFT: Funtastic umployuu Runu
Clappur strikus a dramatic posu. RIGHT: Briana Runua purforms in thu Kuizurfrust Tunt Friday, May 19. For moru photos, suu
pagus 2-3, and visit thu Kuizurtimus Facupook pagu.
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
Ways to bring in more parks
funding were tossed around
during a lively 90-minute
discussion at the May 10
Keizer Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board meeting.
A Parks Advisory Commit-
tee (PAC) consisting of Parks
PAGE A5
McNary nuw gym fl oor will fuaturu thu school's "M" logo and duupur pasulinus.
Pedestrian
obstacles
studied
if grant
gets nod
PAGE A6
Sperle
commits
to PSU
Vikings
PAGE A10
Duran 2nd in
300 hurdles
PAGE A10