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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2016)
JULY 8, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5 KeizerCommunity KEIZERTIMES.COM Ochoa taught kids from all over the world Fred Ochoa tried three other careers before one stuck. And now after 28 years as a teacher, including 21 in the Salem-Keizer School District, the last fi ve at Cummings Elementary, he is retiring. “I’ve had enough,” Ochoa said. “Teaching is real tough.” After college, Ochoa was fi rst a park ranger in Texas, where he grew up. “It really wasn’t Walt Disney,” Ochoa said. “I was cleaning restrooms and putting up with patrons and all that.” He was then a weapons systems operator and offi cer in the Air Force for six years before becoming a drug store manager at Walgreens, where one of the pharmacists’ wife was a teacher. “That’s how I fi rst got the inkling,” said Ochoa, who liked the idea of having summers off. “It was a real selfi sh reason but it turned out 28 years later, it was much more than that, and really we needed the time off, I found that out.” Ochoa went to night school for a year and a half to earn his teaching certifi cate. After seven years in Texas, he moved to Oregon in 1995 to take a position at Myers Elementary in West Salem. “We sold everything we had and burned everything we couldn’t sell and drove cross country,” said Ochoa, who helped start the bilingual program at Myers. After 16 years, budget cuts transferred him to Cummings. “It punched me in the gut but I needed a change,” Ochoa said. “It’s a different community, a different scene, a different staff, different everything. I got pretty used to it after a couple months.” Ochoa taught fi fth grade English as a second language students. “I was brought up in a Spanish-English home so that helped me a lot, really break down barriers so the kids almost immediately take to me,” he said. “I just spoke their language. Their culture was my culture. It was my language. Once you wedge that in there, it’s easy to get the kids to listen and learn.” While English and Spanish are the most common languages in the Salem-Keizer School District, students speak 83 different languages. Ochoa said he even had a student from Yemen last semester. “Somebody’s got to deal with them,” he said. “And even if you don’t know the language, at least you’re taught some techniques to kind of slowly bring them in. With the refugee crisis around the word, they’re showing up. “They tend to be some of the best learners, too, because they have a purpose in life and so do the parents,” Ochoa said. “You get some of the best backup from those families.” Ochoa has also taught kids who come from poverty and dysfunctional families. Of his 28 students, he guessed maybe 10 have two parents. Ochoa said the positive feedback is what has kept him going all of these years. He plans to wait a year before making his next move. “We’re going to sit tight for one year and let the dust settle and I’m just going to enjoy By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley Fred Ochoa is retiring after 21 years in the Salem-Keizer School District, including the last fi ve at Cummings Elementary. He taught fi fth grade English as a second language. getting up at 9 [a.m.] and having coffee and saying ‘what do you want to do today?’ We’re looking at Nevada because being from south Texas, it took me about 10 years to get used to the gray out here.” Ochoa plans to substitute teach two days a week to stay in touch with the staff at Cummings. Museum hosts kids camp Deepwood Museum & Gardens is hosting its second year of Kids EDventures in July and August. Each day of the week is a different theme, and each week will offer a new set of topics focusing on various areas of history, art, culture, and science. Space is limited, pre- registration required. Register online at deepwoodmuseum. org. All programs are held between 10 and 11:30 a.m. at Deepwood Estate, 1116 Mission Street S.E. in Salem. Cost is $8 for members and $10 for non-members per activity. Art and culture days are slated for July 18 and Aug. 8 and 29. Children will explore other countries through hands-on activities, food, and music in the historic home and solarium Tuesdays (July 19, Aug. 9 and 30) are hands-on history days. Children learn about history through pictures, music and hands-on crafts and activities. Nature EdVentures are Wednesdays (July 20, Aug. 10 and 31) and strive to ignite curiosity through fun activities. Marion County Fair July 7-10 The Marion County Fair returns to Salem this weekend. The fi ve-day extravaganza at the state fairgrounds began on Thursday, July 7, and contin- ues through Sunday, July 10. Among livestock shows, competitions ranging from cameraphone photography to adult coloring, and a host of regional music acts, offerings this year include Walk on the Wild Side, allowing visitors to get up close and personal with some of the planet’s big cats, camel rides and the Rough Stock Rodeo, featuring some of the best bull riding, barrel racing, bareback and saddle bronc riding in the North- west. Reckless Kelly is the head- line act Saturday, July 8. High Valley is the main act Saturday, July 9. For the full line-up and schedule, visit www. co.marion.or.us/CS/Fair. Tickets are $5 for youth and seniors and $9 for adults. Parking is free. On Friday, July 8, visitors who wear their Awesome 3000 T-shirts will get in free. On Sunday, anyone younger than 12 gets in free. Sam Goesch CLU, Agent Sam Goesch Ins Agcy Inc 3975 River Road North Keizer, OR 97303 Web: SamGoesch.com Bus: 503-393-6252 1211999 State Farm , Bloomington, IL WorshipDirectory These Salem-Keizer houses of worship invite you to visit. Call to list your church in our Worship Directory: (503) 390-1051 John Knox Presbyterian Church JOIN US FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP 452 Cummings Lane North 393-0404 8:30 am • 10 am • 11:30 am • 6 pm PEOPLESCHURCH 4500 LANCASTER DR NE | SALEM 503.304.4000 • www.peopleschurch.com Celebration Services Saturday Evening 1755 Lockhaven Dr. NE Keizer 503-390-3900 www.dayspringfellowship.com Rev. Dr. John Neal, Pastor Worship - 10:30 a.m. Education Hour - 9:15 a.m. Nursery Care Available www.keizerjkpres.org Jason Lee UMC 820 Jeff erson St. NE Salem OR 97301 9:00 am Dr. Jon F. Langenwalter, Pastor The church with the purple doors 10:45 am Worship at 9:30 am • Child Care Available 6:00 pm Children’s Programs, Student and Adult Ministries Father Gary L. Zerr, Pastor Saturday Vigil Liturgy: 5:30 p.m. Sundays: 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. La Misa en Español: 12:30 p.m. Sunday Morning and 503-364-2844 Faith Lutheran Church 4505 River Rd N • 393-4507 Sunday Schedule: 9:00 a.m. Children’s Church 9:15 a.m. Adult Bible Study 9:30 a.m. Children’s Activities Pastor Virginia Eggert 10:30 a.m. Worship with Communion
