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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2015)
B2 Hood River News, Wednesday, March 11, 2015 CASCADE Observations By PEGGY DILLS KELTER The ‘Classified’ are critical C LASSIFIED in the world of government most often refers to something that some- one doesn’t want us to know about. In the world of public education, the word has a decidedly different meaning, referring to a group of people who literally are the backbones of schools. These amazing folks, from custodians to instructional assistants, cooks to bus drivers, are too often overlooked when praise is given out. This last week, officially known as “Classifieds Week,” teachers and admin- istrators in our school dis- trict tried earnestly to let our classified staff know just how much we love them and count on them to educate and protect our stu- dents. At the school where I work, we made silly signs, baked savory and sweet treats, handed out lottery tickets and wrote notes thanking these staff members. Our gifts can’t even begin to ex- press our gratitude for their work. Here are a few of the things our classified staff members do on a daily basis: supervise hundreds of kids on the playground, teach long division to small groups, clean up vomit, help struggling students unlock the code to reading, change diapers, stanch bloody noses, referee soccer, find lost coats, teach keyboarding, field hundreds of calls from parents, apply ice packs to recess injuries and translate parent/teacher conferences. For their hard, sometimes heroic work, they are paid an average of $10-$15 an hour. ■ Last week was not only Classifieds Week at our school, but also Arts Week, a four-day experi- ence for kids that also tapped the creative re- sources of our classified staff. More than 20 peo- ple offered instruction in a myriad of media, and students were able to elect a particular artist with whom they wished to work. From Arts in Education in the Gorge we had teaching artists specializing in clay, handmade books, drawing, bucket drumming, music composition, fused glass and music appreciation. Our own staff members offered collage and printmaking. A 4-H cooking class rounded out our group of 10 offer- ings. In addition, we had extra enrichment activ- ities, staffed almost entirely by our classified staff. Though they may teach reading or work with our high needs students during a regular day, during Arts Week many of our classified employees taught science, crafts, and more. Fi- nally, other classifieds offered invaluable assis- tance to our visiting artists. Without our dedicat- ed staff of assistants, Arts Week would not be possible. ■ Arts Week is over for another year, replaced by obligations that loom large for children and staff throughout our District – standardized testing season has begun. To prepare for this, teachers and classified workers are required to attend al- most three hours of training and familiarize themselves with a 150 page on-line manual called the TAM, or Test Administrator Manual. All children who are learning English as a sec- ond language must take the ELPA, or English Language Proficiency Assessment. Students from K-12 take this test on-line in two segments. The first evaluates their proficiency in English reading, writing, and listening. The second seg- ment assesses their speaking. It’s mind boggling to watch kindergarteners try to navigate a com- plicated test on the computer, and even more mind boggling to hear the test administrator read a multi-paragraph script informing the chil- dren about the test they are about to take. The instructions, which may be read in both English and Spanish, would make a masters in linguistic- s’ head spin. Failure to read the instructions verbatim may result in a teacher losing his or her teaching license. Students in grades 3-5 at our school will also take standardized tests in English Language Arts and Math, and fifth graders add several other tests to their plates. It’s estimated that each student will sit down in front of a computer and take tests for at least 7 hours — more than that for many of our struggling kids. Recently, Eric Cohn, a math teacher at Hood River Middle School, wrote an Op-Ed piece for this newspaper. In it, he reminded us that while he is administer- ing these tests, students are losing out on pre- cious instructional time. He writes, “I will spend seven days basically watching kids take test, after test, after test. School administrators must spend countless hours trying to figure out how to get 450 plus kids to take all of these exams on a very limited number of computers … What an inexcusable, colossal waste of time, money and educational opportunities for our students.” ■ While the debate goes on about the proper ways to assess student learning, it’s important to remember that we all learn in different ways. We teachers rely on each other, and our wonderful assistants, to find the instructional path that is best suited to each student. Recently, Dennis Mc- Cauley, principal at Mid Valley Elementary, was interviewed in this newspaper. “We’re so focused on academic outcome that we forget how kids’ brains work, we forget that kids need different experiences. (Art Week) brings that together for the kids, lets them know that arts are important — that all parts of the brain are important … (Kids) don’t remember the day they learned the hard C sound, but they do remember Arts Week.” They’ll also remember that wonderful classi- fied person who welcomed them on her bus, patched up a skinned knee, helped them memo- rize their multiplication tables or wiped away tears of grief. Photos by Kirby Neumann-Rea C ONGRATULATIONS, E STHER Friends gather around Esther Yarnell on March 4, the 95th birthday one of Hood River’s most durable bowlers. League action at Orchard Lanes stopped as dozens of bowlers presented gifts and sang “Happy Birthday” to Yarnell. “I figured they’d do something but I didn’t think they’d do all this!” Yarnell said. Asked what enables her to keep throwing strikes at age 95, Yarnell said, “I just started bowling more than 50 years ago and never stopped.” She recently averaged 170 in a three-game series. Her Go Granny Go team surprised her with a cake and a cup (filled with money) created by trophy maker Mary Neville. (“I dug into the box hoping to come up with a ‘95’ and there it was!” Neville said.) Delta Kappa honors outstanding members Delta Kappa ESA held their Out- standing Member Awards luncheon re- cently at the Hood River Inn. Charlotte DeHart, treasurer, and Tami Arthur, awards chairman, received top honors for their total dedication and excellent work through the years. Melanie Burns received her Jeweled Pin, signifying full membership. Other awards were given to those received for work with Delta Kappa philanthropic endeavors through the years. Beautiful gold medallions were received for first and second degrees service to Charlotte DeHart, B.G. Brackman, Diana Barnes, Martha Hoskins and Tami Arthur. The Humanitarian Award went to Debbie Sanguras for total dedication for service to all Chapter members. Underwood Community Gardens begins third season The Underwood Commu- nity Gardens be gins its third season with all 21 gar- den spaces leased and a new Board of Directors: Sally M. Stillman, President; Molly Hamlin, Vice President; and Kirby Richards, Treasurer. Like most Community Gar- dens, UCG is a gardener-led organization that relies on all participants to enhance the community experience. The mission of the Under- wood Community Gardens is to offer Underwood resi- dents the opportunity to work, learn and grow to- gether through shared gar- dening and to enrich our community with programs focused on local food econo- my, nutrition, cooking, and food preservation. The 2015 calendar of events of public presenta- tions, workshops, and spe- cial occasions include three first-quarter Garden Chats: a hands-on reminder of drip systems and composting and a launch the new season social evening for our gar- deners — both in late March— and a Plant Sale, Seed Swap, Small Farms Booth, and Seed Science and Bird House Painting for Kids in April. Future events include canning workshop “Jams, Jellies, and Chut- neys” in June and the annu- al August gathering of Eat- ing from Our Gardens. It’s been a mild winter, and many gardeners are n ow b e g i n n i n g s t a r t e r plants and planning our or- ganic raised-bed gardens. Aromatic herbs and orna- mental edibles are two of the options for some of our gardeners. Of course, the ef- fort to grow and harvest year-round is another chal- lenge. Underwood Community Organic Gardens, located behind the post office in the U n d e r wo o d C o m m u n i t y Park, are made possible by Skamania County (Commu- nity Health and General Services), Washington State University (WSU) Exten- sion Service, the residents and gardeners of Under- wood and The Gorge, the U n d e r wo o d C o m m u n i t y Council (UCC), and both CEKC and WGAP. For more infor mation, email underwoodcommuni- tygardens.ucg@gmail.com or find us on Facebook (key- word: Underwood-Gardens). Leadership Development classes available at CGCC Beginning in April, Co- lumbia Gorge Community College will offer the series Leadership Skills for the High Perfor mance Work- place, with Marge and Mike Cieri of Mardac Consul- tants. This high-level, upbeat seminar series targets orga- nizations who want to com- pete more effectively by in- creasing employee involve- ment. It is designed to give participants the technical skills necessary to tur n them into exceptional per- formance managers and su- pervisors. Classes meet once a month, on the second Tues- day of the month, from 1-5 p.m., on April 14, May 12, June 9, July 14, Aug. 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 13, Nov. 10, and Dec. 8. Workshops cover the fol- lowing topics: ■ Emotional Intelligence n Problem Solving and De- cision Making ■ Recr uit ment, Inter - viewing, and On-Boarding ■ Managing Day-to-Day Performance ■ Holding Employees and Others Accountable ■ Coaching and Giving and Receiving Feedback ■ Managing Diversity in the Workplace ■ Working with Difficult People ■ Team Development for Greater P r o d u c t iv i t y Tuition for the entire series is $725, or $95 per class. All classes meet at Hood River Indian Creek CGCC cam- pus. Preregistration is re- quired by calling the col- lege at 541-506-6011. RV Doc — Bruce Henderson Mobile Service & Repair State Fire Marshal Certification #001242-08 Service & Repair. I come to you! B RUCE H ENDERSON 541-993-5982 L ICENSED & C ERTIFIED Submitted photo UNDERWOOD Gardens plans year-round events. Free kids admission at Gorge Discovery Center for spring break Looking for a fun family activity during spring break? Come to the Colum- bia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum! Free admission for kids when accompanied by a paid adult during Ore- gon and Washington spring break, March 21 through April 12. Kids will enjoy a B irth Oscar Perry Kirsten Perry and Oscar Rocha James of Celaya, Gua- najuato, Mexico are parents to Oscar William Rocha Perry, born on Feb. 20, 2015, at Provi- dence Hood River Memorial Hospital. Oscar was 7 pounds, five ounces and 20.5 inches at birth, and is the couple’s first child. Grandparents are Thad Perry, Hood River, Shannon Perry and Stephen Smith, Hood River, and Oscar Anto- nio Rocha Trejo and Guadalupe Machado James, Queretero, Mexico. Great-grandparents are Ted and Rosalie Perry, Hood River, and Lonn Holston and Donna Meengs, The Dalles. WKO-High Cascade Mills Buying Logs & Timber Douglas Fir White Fir Pine Gas Appliances Electrical Repair Get your RV road ready! ■ The community is welcome to Family Night at Mid Valley Elementary, Thursday, March 12 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Projects from Art Week will be on display. Enriching short classes will be offered celebrating all the ways we love to learn. with perfect attendance: Marg Baker, B.G. Brackman, Debbie Sanguras, Penny Phelps, Martha Hoskins, Tami Arthur and Betty Draper. Service awards were given to B.G. Brackman for 15 years and Betty Drap- er, who started Delta Kappa in 1966, was given her pin for 50 years of service to ESA. Other honors were given for points ! K O O L This size ad in the HRN 9 times for only $175 50 ! Call Liana at 541-386-1234 Jeremy Beddingfield 541-399-3933 Norm Byars 541-490-2940 Mill: 509-427-8413 2022 Wind River Hwy • P.O. Box 8 Carson, WA 98610 scavenger hunt throughout the museum and craft activi- ties in the Kids Explorer room. A special kids menu will be served in the Basalt Rock Café, which will be open daily 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. from March 21 through March 29, and Tuesday through Sunday beginning April 1. Enjoy a walk on the native plant trail to see the budding wildflowers. See the birds of prey up close as the raptor shows resume a daily schedule, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., beginning March 21. For more information, phone 541-296-8600 x 201, or visit www.gorgediscovery.org. Joe Guenther Financial Advisor 1631 Woods Ct Suite 102 Hood River, OR 97031 541-386-0826 www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC Recycle Tips MILK CARTONS - Are NOT recyclable locally. - Also known as ‘gable tops’, milk cartons and shelf-stable “aseptic containers (juice cartons) take too long to pulp up at Northwest paper mills, which are designed for newsprint. If you put milk cartons in recycling, they end up at the landfill and add cost to garbage/re- cycling service. - Purchase milk and juices in recyclable plastic containers if possible. www.tricountyrecycle.com 541-506-2636
