3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017
THE WORLD IS THEIR OYSTERVILLE
Young scientists
learn the proof
is in the process
By PATRICK WEBB
For EO Media Group
OYSTERVILLE, Wash.
— There’s been a whole lot
of learning going on this sum-
mer at the historic Oysterville
School House.
But students from the first
class in 1907 likely would not
recognize much of it.
Science has been on the
agenda for the last three
weeks as a dozen peninsula
fourth-graders have learned
about maps, tracking, coding
and even space travel.
The Oysterville Science
Academy is the brainchild of
retired teacher Diane Buttrell,
an eight-year peninsula resi-
dent. Her passion is encourag-
ing students to learn about sci-
entific content by grounding
them in the best processes to
conduct research.
Some 40 years ago in Port
Huron, Michigan, while But-
trell was teaching third grade
she became convinced that
students would be better
equipped if they learned pro-
cess over content. “It is the
‘how’ of science. I taught it
and I loved it, but the educa-
tional system was all about
teaching content,” she said.
“But process is the basis of all
learning — it’s the acquisition
of knowledge.”
Three summers ago, she
founded the annual Science
Academy. “The opportunity to
have a connection with youth
Patrick Webb/For EO Media Group
Visiting teacher Gwen Brake enthralls the students at the Oysterville Science Academy
highlighting connections between mathematics and nature. Students pictured, left to
right, are Veda Hudson, Avalon Hildebrandt, Maddie Wilkin, Carter Humphrey, Penelope
Linbocker and Sage Smith. Find more photos of the academy online at DailyAstorian.com
at my age is a real treat,” she
said.
Teacher Garrett Knoll, a
master’s degree candidate at
Western Washington Univer-
sity in Bellingham, was hired
to instill in the youngsters
the six elements of scientific
learning: observation, pre-
diction, investigation, mea-
surement, classification and
communication.
Scientist-approved
The curriculum is based
on materials provided by the
American Association for
the Advancement of Science,
designed to improve student
achievement and literacy in
science and math.
Each session began out-
side with a flag salute as stu-
dents donned their scien-
tist “uniforms” — white
lab coats and name tags —
then spent four days each
week stretching their analyt-
ical skills. Nutritional snacks
and breaks for active games,
including tag and hula hoop,
were encouraged in the pro-
gram, which is a collabora-
tive venture with the Boys
and Girls Club of the Long
Beach Peninsula. Students
attended free; parents and vol-
unteers took care of transpor-
tation. The academy benefited
from a major assist from the
Ocean Beach School District,
which provided lunches. All
other expenses were covered
through donations.
Buttrell commended the
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The program had an added
dimension in its third year.
Graduates from prior years
were so keen to return that
Knoll recruited a dozen of
them as his teaching assis-
tants; Buttrell added Fri-
day sessions for the older
kids to enhance their science
learning.
Those taking part included
Westin Billeci, an incoming
fifth grader at Hilltop School.
Returning to the program he
enjoyed last year was a treat.
“This is pretty cool,” he said.
“My favorite thing was learn-
ing about rocks, and making a
birdhouse was great fun.”
This year’s dozen new
students shared his enthusi-
asm. “I like the drawing best,”
said Jace Linthhakhan. “I am
learning a lot.”
As sessions progressed, the
walls of the schoolhouse were
adorned with selections of
student artwork — all pieces
offering science as their core.
These included self portraits,
which began with students
measuring the width and
height of their eyes and apply-
ing that distance as a baseline
to properly display their other
facial features.
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varied guest speakers who
lent time and expertise. “This
community is so unique in
that there are people who have
accomplished great things and
they are eager to share what
they know,” she said.
Adults providing this
enrichment included George
Lupfer, Zachary Forster, Kim
Patten, Tom Downer, Susan
Raymond, Clayton Nich-
ols, Steve Romero, Madeline
Kalbach, Patrick McKibben
and Frances Makowski. Field
trips included Leadbetter State
Park, Ocean Park Library and
Jack’s Country Store; in one
highlight, Kristi Freese led
students on a tracking expedi-
tion which revealed evidence
of porcupines and rabbits.
Another visiting teacher,
Gwen Brake, challenged the
students last week to think
about the way their daily lives
are coded. She showed dia-
grams of traditional shop-
ping bar codes and QR
(quick response) codes, those
smudgy-looking
square-
shaped coupons that can be
scanned with a Smartphone.
After speaking about frac-
tals, which demonstrate
how mathematics appears
in nature, she rattled off the
Fibonacci number sequence,
0-1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34-55,
and asked if anyone could
explain it.
Maddie Wilkin was quick
to catch on. “Oh, I get it,”
the young scientist said con-
fidently. “You take the first
number and add it to the sec-
ond, then add the second and
third number.”
Brake, a teacher with
Ocean Beach schools’ Penin-
sula Active Learners program,
was suitably impressed. “Yes,
and it is a way we can decode
nature,” she said, launching
into an explanation with flow-
ers and other visual aids.
Spirited and vivacious,
Shelley’s mottoes are
“Play’s the thing” and
“Game on!”
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I am paying for this advertisement to inform the public that the Port of
Astoria is forever giving up public control of Tongue Point, a deep-water
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agreement in private, behind closed doors, and did not even include it on the
Port’s published meeting agenda to let the public know about it.
Once Tongue Point is taken away from public ownership, it is gone forever
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The Tongue Point giveaway was already agreed to in secret prior to the
last Port meeting, then simply rubber stamped by a majority of the Port
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Tongue Point and forever keep it in public hands. At no time did Port staff
publicly bring in interested third parties to discuss a potential partnership
with the Port. At no time was the Port’s legal counsel available to explain the
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If the public is not outraged at the Tongue Point giveaway to private
corporate interests, and being cheated out of your right to be heard, you
should be. The Port Commission’s next meeting is Tuesday, August 22,
at 4 p.m. I realize that this time is difficult for many of our citizens to
attend, but you can also have your voices heard by sending letters or emails to
the Port of Astoria, 10 Pier One, Suite 308, Astoria, OR 97103,
admin@portofastoria.com. At a minimum, you should demand the Port
to pay for an appraisal of Tongue Point so everyone can honestly know what
the Port will be giving away to private corporate interests.
If anyone cares that the Port is forever giving up control of a public
deep-water dock with rail access at the mouth of the Columbia River, and
doing so to benefit elite private individuals, send your letters, emails, or show
up and make your voices heard. Don’t let the Port Commission cheat you out
of your right to be heard, or cheat you out of the public investment and long
term future of a public deep water dock with rail access at Tongue Point. I
feel that as a public elected Port Commissioner, this transaction should be
fully discussed by the taxpayers and citizens of Clatsop County, this is not a
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