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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2018)
PAGE A2, KEIZERTIMES, AUGUST 31, 2018 KeizerCommunity KEIZERTIMES.COM From Berkeley to Clear Lake New principal wants students to feel safe By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes Artonya Gemmill, Clear Lake Elementary’s new prin- cipal, was planning on going to graduate school for psy- chology when she got a job as a live-in nanny for two boys with special needs. “I knew I wanted to work with kids in some capacity,” Gemmill said. “I just fell in love with teaching.” Gemmill, who grew up in Southern California and got her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of California in Berkeley, went back to school to get her mas- ter’s in education from San Francisco State. After fi ve years teaching at an elementary school in Cali- fornia, she followed her then husband, a Keizer native who attended the original Clear Lake Elementary, to Oregon. “He convinced me to move up here and I just kind of fell in love with Oregon,” Gemmill said. “Once I was di- vorced, I wasn’t moving back.” Gemmill’s fi rst job in Or- egon was as a special educa- tion teacher at an elementary school in McMinnville. She then accepted a position with McKay High School, work- ing with students with serious emotional behaviors. She blended right in. “I think the part that was the biggest hurdle for me to overcome was the fact that I looked like the students,” Gemmill said. “Things they would not normally do in front of an adult they would do, not realizing I’m a teach- er.” Inspired by her principals in California and McMin- nville, Gemmill decided to get into administration. With the principal at McKay as her mentor, Gem- mill enrolled in Salem-Keiz- er’s inspiring administration program. Taking classes at Willamette University in the summer and evenings, Gemmill be- gan working towards her ad- min license. When Willamette closed its school of education, she fi nished at the University of Oregon. After three years as a high school administrator at West Salem and two at South Salem, Gemmill became the principal at Brush College Elementary in West Salem in 2013. Being in an elementary school is where she belonged. “I knew that I’d always wanted to go back to being at the elementary school level but I also knew that I needed to get some experience as an administrator,” Gemmill said. “It’s where I wanted to be but it just took a couple of years to get back into the elementary school mindset.” Gemmill, who lives in South Salem with her 13-year-old son, wants to build relationships with par- ents and students. “I tend to be the type of person that pretty’s outgoing,” she said. “I like to be inclu- sive. I like to just make sure KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley Artonya Gemmill comes to Clear Lake Elementary School in Keizer after fi ve years as the principal at Brush College Elementary in West Salem. that people can feel safe and comfortable coming into the building, that students can feel safe being at school and not feel like I’m not friendly.” She wants to spend more time listening and learning about Clear Lake before mak- ing any changes. “I don’t necessarily want Secure your identity– shred your documents Join us for a free community Shred Day and food drive. New n io Locat to rock the boat right now because I don’t know what things are like just yet,” Gem- mill said. “Whatever’s work- ing, let’s continue to make it stronger and whatever’s not working, let’s go back to the drawing board and see what we can do to make this more effective. I’m not coming in a bulldozing everything, not my approach.” Clear Lake Elementary’s fi rst day of school is Wednes- day, Sept. 5. We are Everything Except Overpriced Simple Cremation $875 Inexpensive Burial and Funeral Options Saturday, Sept. 15 Pre-Planning Available 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. On-Site Crematory Volcanoes Stadium Parking Lot 6700 Field of Dreams Way NE, Keizer, OR 97303 Secure, convenient shredding 4365 RIVER RD N, KEIZER 503.393.7037 Se habla español Bring up to three boxes of outdated documents to our Shred Day for hassle-free, no-cost shredding. Just drive up and drop off your documents at the Volcanoes Stadium Parking Lot on September 15 until 1 p.m. or until the shred truck is full. Open to the community. What to bring BAND DAY 2018 McNary Band & Colorguard Old checks, charge receipts, credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, monthly statements (fi nancial and utility) and more. FOOD Bring a nonperishable food item to donate to the Marion-Polk Food Share. Visit oregonstatecu.com/shred-day for more information. Saturday, Sept. 8 is Band Day! The McNary Band & Colorguard would like to invite the people of the city of Keizer to help participate in Band Day. Please be on the look out for students in your neighborhood collecting refundable cans and plastic bottles. The band will also be stationed at McNary High School to accept bottles, cans and fi nancial donations. The money raised will kick off a year of competitions, concerts and education. Your support in the past is greatly appreciated. Help this year’s band students reach their goal and achieve excellence. If you’re not going to be home on Sept. 8, please leave a bag of refundable cans and/or bottles on your door step marked for McNary Band. FOR MORE INFO VISIT M C N A R Y H S B A N D . O R G
