PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, APRIL 29, 2022
AVID validation celebration
By JOSHUA MANES
Of the Keizertimes
The McNary High School AVID program
staff had reason to celebrate on Thursday, April
21, when they were officially named an AVID
national demonstration school.
“The recognition is like a public acknowl-
edgement that what we do here in Salem-Keizer,
and McNary in particular, is really world-class,”
Salem-Keizer Public Schools AVID district coor-
dinator Barb Bamford said. “It really is the best.
Our data proves it, what our kids say proves it,
what we see in classrooms proves it.”
The staff gathered in the McNary library with
sparkling cider, donuts and music in honor of the
accomplishment.
Principal Erik Jespersen said the validation
was the culmination of a seven-year journey.
Jespersen has been at McNary for eight years,
and said that first year was about building
morale and general systems. With those in place,
McNary was able to begin the work of becoming
the world-class school that Jespersen envisions.
“Our systems were all embedded in this
work with AVID and now we’re seeing the fruits
of that with closing access gaps with all of our
students, high graduation rates, amazing schol-
arship amounts, beautiful CTE spaces that fully
integrate with one another and with our school,”
Jespersen said. “This was all part of the master-
plan and today’s the day to celebrate that.”
The years that it took to get to this point might
have been extended slightly with the pandemic.
According to assistant principal and AVID
administrator Heidi Tavares, McNary was pre-
paring for its mock validation in March 2020.
The buildup from 2015 to 2020 had to come to
a halt.
“The staff and everybody had to put a pause
on it because of COVID,” Tavares said. “This year
it has been getting students and staff back up to
where we were.”
But powering through the pandemic and get-
ting to this moment may make the accomplish-
ment more impressive.
“To have a high school that is an AVID
national demonstration site really shows that
even in the pandemic we kept our focus on build-
ing strong cultures, having rigorous instruction,”
Salem-Keizer Public Schools superintendent
Christy Perry said. “The systems that they had in
place prepared them for the moment of the pan-
demic. But to get the recognition is really import-
ant because we know how hard our educators are
working across the district.”
The validation, good for three years, means
new responsibilities and expectations for
McNary.
Showcases for the AVID program will be
held to demonstrate the program to schools and
individuals that have an interest. And they won’t
always be scheduled in advance.
“It really means our doors are open,” Tavares
said. “At any time they can call us and say ‘Hey,
this school really wants to come in and see what
AVID looks like.’”
Bamford believes the status brings additional
expectations not only from the school and AVID,
McNary, SKPS and AVID staff pose with the AVID national demonstration school
banner they received on Thursday, April 21, in the McNary library.
Photo by JOSHUA MANES of the Keizertimes
but also from the community.
“You’ve said it’s a good school, you’ve said
you’re doing good things for kids, now you have
this title for the next three years,” Bamford said.
“It can’t just end today, you have to be ready for,
not just for people to call for a visit, not just for
us to set up a showcase for people to come see
it, but also just for people to pop in. It sets a level
of expectation from our community. ‘You’re a
demonstration school, I expect my kids to get a
certain education or a certain level of care when
they come to this school.’”
After the three years, McNary will need to be
reassessed to keep its status as a national demon-
stration school.
Obituary
Nellie “Lorraine” Gesner
April 18, 1937 – March 29, 2022
Nellie “Lorraine” (Standish) Gesner
April 18, 1937 - March 29, 2022 and Royal
Dolph Gesner March 15, 1936 - April 4,
2022 passed away, just six days apart.
Lorraine was 84, and Royal was 86. Those
who knew them knew their devotion
to one another. Royal and Lorraine
were married for 65 years. They met at
North Salem High School. Royal, always
interested in mechanics and engineering,
rode a gas powered bicycle that some
made fun of, but it made Lorraine smile.
After school, they would walk side by
side to the local ice cream shop. It was the
beginning of a love story that lasted 70
years. Lorraine and Royal were married
on July 6, 1956. They started their family
and began to build a life for themselves,
settling in Keizer, where they lived out
the rest of their days. They were devoted
members of The South Salem Friends
Church, and active philanthropists,
donating to many charities throughout
their lifetime. Together, they had four
children, David (Reneliza), Gregory
(Tangelee), Mark, and Rebekah, all of
whom they are survived by. They are
also survived by Royal’s sister, Ellen
Clifford, 10 grandchildren, and 10
greatgrandchildren.
Lorraine worked in the Claims
Department at SAIF, the State Accident
Insurance Fund, for 11 years. She was
also an active member in her community
&
as a Cub Scout, Blue Bird and Camp
Fire leader, a registered Daughter of
the American Revolution, a member of
the Red Hat Society, an avid bowler, a
seamstress, craftswoman, and lover of
games like Rook and Mahjongg. She
was known for her sense of humor and
teasing nature, always in good fun. Her
greatest joy was her family, and she will be
remembered for her unabridged devotion
to her children and grandchildren. One
of the many ways her warmth will be
remembered is by the hundreds of quilts
At the end of the initial validation process,
the school was given a set of recommendations,
Bamford said. Those recommendations become
the goals for the next three years, when a valida-
tion team will return and look at the program
through the lens of those recommendations.
To keep their title as a demonstration school,
McNary will have to show they have made the
steps outlined in the recommendations.
“It means they’ll have to work even harder to
maintain that status,” Perry said. "But also I think
what we do as leaders is say ‘Okay, now what’s the
next thing? How are we going to be even better?’
We always want to continue to learn and to grow.”
Submit an obituary by sending an email to: kt@keizertimes.com
Royal Dolph Gesner
March 15, 1936 – April 4 , 2022
she lovingly made and gifted.
Royal was best known for his ability
to fix anything with mechanical or
electrical parts. He had a quiet, helpful
nature; always offering to be an usher
at church, greeting people with his
soft, kind grin. He was steadfast and
headstrong, although, a goofball at heart.
He worked at Boise Cascade for more
than 40 years, taking only two sick days
his entire career. He was determined to
provide the very best for his family, and
he never wavered. Royal loved to sing in
the church choir, tinker on anything that
needed fixing, to record home movies,
and to garden. He loyally planted
flowers, to Lorraine’s liking, in the heart
shaped flower bed, in their backyard. His
greatest devotion was to his wife.
In later years, Lorraine and Royal
continued to donate their time to their
church, volunteering their talents and
time whenever possible. They traveled,
went on cruises and spent as many hours
as possible with their grandchildren.
They loved socializing at the Senior
Center and visiting their family out of
state. When Lorraine became ill, Royal
devoted everything to her. He was her
sole caretaker until the very end. Their
love for each other was illuminated
during this time. When Lorraine passed
away, it was only two days after her
memorial that Royal had a heart attack.
In some of his last words he said, “I
want to be with my wife.” Surrounded
by family, he hugged each person to say
goodbye, and now Lorraine and Royal
are eternally together, forever, with their
Father in Heaven.
Services for Royal will be on Saturday
April 30, 2022 at The South Salem
Friends Church, 1140 Baxter Road SE.
Salem, OR 97302
Donations in Lorraine’s memory can
be made to the Salvation Army. Her
memorial was held on April 2, 2022.