A2
Hood River News, Saturday, June 6, 2015
Sarah Segal named Oregon History Teacher of the Year
Sarah Se gal, a sixth
g rade teacher at Hood
River Middle School who
teaches Social Studies, Lit-
eracy and Writing was re-
cently named Oregon His-
tory Teacher of the Year for
2015 by the Gilder Lehrman
Institute of American His-
tory.
Founded in 1994 by
Richard Gilder and Lewis
E. Lehrman, the Gilder
Lehr man Institute of
American History is a non-
profit organization devoted
to the improvement of his-
tory education. By receiv-
ing the state award, Segal is
also a candidate for Nation-
al History Teacher of the
Year.
Teachers are nominated
by either a student, parent,
colleague, principal or
other administrator famil-
M ELISSA
Continued from Page A1
sional dancing,” said Vovou.
“I thought I wanted to be a bal-
lerina all along, but then I
found out the restrictions of
ballet.”
Those restrictions — from
maintaining a “lean enough
physique to be considered for
auditions/jobs” to “the con-
stant pushing for more turn
out and flexibility” — led her
to explore other dance forms,
including hip hop, and, 8 years
after coming to the Bay Area,
she auditioned for Carnival
Cruise Line, where she would
spend the next 7 years danc-
ing in Vegas-style production
shows.
By 2007, she was “trying to
get off cruise ships and back
to land life,” she said. “It was
time to grow up.”
One of her favorites on the
cruise line was the magic
shows, and she hoped to do
something similar when she
moved to Las Vegas. But she
P ORT
Continued from Page A1
As of now, the Port and
Alexander have closed on the
first phase of their agree-
ment, which will allow
Alexander to set up shop in a
light industrial “flex” build-
ing the port owns on Herman
Creek Lane, in order to
launch operations. Alexander
locked down a 10-year lease on
the 7,500 square-foot property.
The Port’s next step is to
work with Alexander in
preparing the vacant indus-
trial building for Puff Facto-
ry’s arrival.
“We will meet with
Jacqueline in a couple weeks
and identify what needs to be
done,” said Koch. He said the
light industrial building will
serve as a starting point for
Alexander to begin opera-
tions, but it won’t act as a
full-sized plant.
The actual plant would be
phase two of the deal. The
Port and Alexander are still
discussing options which
would allow Alexander to
purchase 4.41 acres of light
industrial-zoned property in
the Port’s Business Park.
The plot of land Alexander
has been eyeing is just north
of Bear Mountain Forest
Products, next to a barren
iar with the teacher’s work
and must meet the follow-
ing criteria: at least three
years of classroom teach-
ing experience; will teach
for at least one year follow-
ing the award year; demon-
strated commitment to
teaching American history;
evidence of creativity and
Photo by Kevin Noreen
SARAH SEGAL accepts congratulations from assistant princi-
pal Ocean Kuykendahl, left, and superintendent Dan Goldman,
at the May 27 School Board meeting.
wasn’t “the type” producers
were looking for (“Tall Barbi-
es”), and the industry was
changing.
It was time to do something
else.
That “something else” was
Pilates instruction. Vovou
began taking Pilates in the
Bay Area to help recover from
a knee injury, and, while she
wasn’t interested in teaching
at that time — she was focused
on ballet — she apprenticed
with other teachers to “learn
the ropes.”
But, as her dancing career
changed, so did her desire to
teach.
“I had enough injuries that I
needed Pilates to function my-
self — hence the drive to full
time teaching it,” she said.
She earned her extended Pi-
lates certificate at Power Pi-
lates in New York under third-
generation elders of founder
Joseph Pilates. Her reasons
for studying there were
twofold: Younger sister
Stephanie was a Pilates
teacher at the studio, and the
facility was known for its in-
structor program.
area called “the quarry.” The
entrance would be a new ac-
cess road off Cramblett Way.
Puff Factory marks the
first large scale startup busi-
ness in the small Columbia
Gorge town since its logging
days in the 1980s.
The last new company to
set up roots in Cascade
Locks was Brigham’s Fish
Market, which opened in
2013 and sits along the main
drag at 681 Wa Na Pa St. The
market was the first new
business in about 30 years,
Ko c h r e m e m b e r e d . T h e
m a rke t s p e c i a l i z e s i n
seafood and fresh fish.
After Brigham’s, Cascade
Locks got an expanded Bear
Mountain Forest Products in
March — the wood pellet and
bedding titan bought the
Port property it had been
leasing since 1991 in order to
boost and diversify its pro-
duction.
“Brigham’s opened about
two years ago … then boom,
you get Bear Mountain and
now we get Puff Factory,”
said Koch.
The Port commission and
staff have been careful in ne-
gotiating the final Puff Fac-
tory land sale, given the fi-
nancial impact of a new
business in Cascade Locks,
said Koch.
“This will be a startup
company … they want to
take care,” Koch said.
“It was a very inspiring pro-
gram,” she said. “They really
know their stuff. It was quite
an intense six months.”
Having completed her train-
ing, she moved back to Hood
River to teach. She wanted to
come home, she said, because
“I needed to be connected to
nature, to the outdoors. There
is that in Las Vegas and New
York … it is there, but this
place is special.
“I think it takes going away
sometimes to realize how
great a place is,” she said.
At first, she taught at the
Columbia Gorge Dance Acade-
my while simultaneously
teaching Pilates. But soon, she
had limited her dance instruc-
tion to summers and on a sub-
stitute basis, with Pilates be-
coming her main focus.
She has taught at Pilates
Studio of Hood River, owned
by Virginia Thomas, since
2011. She works 2-8 hours a day
four days a week. Classes in-
clude group, private and
“duets” (groups of two with a
focus on spring resistant
equipment).
Two good starter classes are
imagination in the class-
room; effective use of docu-
ments, artifacts, historic
sites, oral histories, and
other primary resources to
eng a g e students with
American history.
In October 2013, Segal re-
ceived the first Robert H.
Jackson Center National
Award for Teaching Justice
award. This is her 12th year
at HRMS.
Segal received a Bache-
lor of Arts in sociolo-
g y / a n t h ro p o l o g y f ro m
Western State College of
Colorado in 1998 and a
master’s degree in cur-
riculum and instruction
from the University of
Montana in 2004. She has
received numerous awards
and grants, including re-
ceiving the first annual
Robert H. Jackson Center
National Award for Teach-
ing Justice in 2013. Segal
has participated in nation-
al and international trav-
els to various countries,
i n cl u d i n g C h i n a , G e r -
many, India, Japan, Saudi
Arabia, South Korea and
Turkey for first-hand ex-
ploration of social, eco-
nomic, environmental,
and historical intercon-
n e c t iv i t y o f p e o p l e s
throughout the world.
“Sarah demonstrates a
strong commitment to
teaching History and pro-
vides amazing and creative
opportunities to engage her
students in the subject. We
are extremely proud of
Sarah earning this award,”
said superintendent Dan
Goldman.
ON SUNDAY, CELEBRATING A HERO
Segal and her Hood River
Middle School students will
share their story of learning
about local unsung hero Mi-
noru Yasui and developing
ways to share his life and ac-
complishments with the Hood
River community and beyond.
The presentation will take
Friday’s noon mat class (in-
struction rotates between her-
self and Thomas) and Tues-
day’s 5:15 p.m. circuit class.
She also recommends new-
comers take a private lesson
first to get a feel for the moves.
She has about 40 students, be-
tween her private and group
classes, and would love to see
more people become involved
because Pilates is a very inclu-
sive form of exercise.
“It surprises me how many
people don’t know what Pi-
lates is,” Vovou said. “It’s a fit-
ness format, or a method. It’s
very balanced. It’s challenging
and creative, but also very
safe. Anyone can do it — it
doesn’t matter if you’re 80 or
14, or if you’re recovering
from an injury and have phys-
ical limits, or are an athlete-
type who wants to increase
core strength and stamina. It’s
good for the average person
looking for a little tone.”
It’s a combination of things
that makes being a Pilates in-
structor so rewarding, she
said: Helping people connect
with their bodies, empowering
them to take care of them-
place Sunday beginning at 10
a.m. at the worship service of
the Mid-Columbia Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship, held
at the Rockford Grange, 4262
Barrett Drive. For details, con-
tact Judy Zimmerman at 541-
402-1860. Additional infor-
mation at 503-241-6671.
Photo by Lindsey Hannula
MELISSA VOVOU came to Pilates to rehabilitate a knee injury re-
ceived in her dancing days. She now teaches four days a week at
Pilates Studio of Hood River, owned by colleague and friend Virginia
Thomas, above left.
selves and stay strong, and giv-
ing them the tools they need
should an injury flare up
again.
“I find it very inspiring,
watching them make break-
throughs,” she said.
“Pilates instructors often
tell you it’s a mind-body-spirit
focus that’s different from
yoga,” she said. “It teaches one
to quiet one’s mind, focus on
one thing, maintain your body,
tune in to your body — it’s
amazing how many of us
aren’t — and breathe.”
For more information of
Vovou’s classes, visit melissas-
pilatesclasses.com. There, she
lists her class schedules, pho-
tos, inspirational quotes and
YouTube clips, as well as her
biography and contact infor-
mation.
Steven Sliwa receives Distinguished Eagle Scout award
Retired Insitu leader
started as Scout in 1969
Steven Sliwa has been awarded the
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award upon
nomination by the Cascade Pacific Coun-
cil, Hood River Oregon and the Boy
Scouts of America. This award is grant-
ed to Eagle Scouts who, after 25 years,
have distinguished themselves in their
life work and who have shared their tal-
ents with their communities on a volun-
tary basis.
Steven Mark Sliwa, PhD. has been a
member of the Boy Scouts of America
since February 4, 1969, and achieved
Eagle Scout. He has continued to serve
God, his country, and other people by fol-
lowing the principles of the Scout Oath
and Scout Law. Through his career as
founder and CEO of Insitu, he has met all
standards of aforementioned principals
and continues to volunteer to his com-
munity.
His specific ac-
complishments are
as follows:
Founder at Insi-
tu, a leading devel-
oper of miniature
robotic aircraft and
provider of surveil-
lance services;
founder of Capital
Steven Sliwa
Synergy Partners,
enabled founder
and colleagues to perform management
and strategic consulting services; presi-
dent of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Uni-
versity; board member of Jeppesen
Foundation, San Francisco Lighthouse
for the Blind, Renaissance Entrepreneur-
ship Center; and author of 30 papers on
topics ranging from aerospace design,
multidisciplinary system optimization,
adaptive control theory, and academic re-
engineering. He received NASA awards
for outstanding publications and as an
inventor, was awarded two patents
(smart gun dock and air-start propellers
for UAVs).
In recognition of these and other
achievements, the Boy Scouts of Ameri-
ca, upon nomination of the Cascade Pa-
cific Council, acting on behalf of the Na-
tional Executive Board of the Boy Scouts
of America, bestow the honor and rank
of Distinguished Eagle Scout which will
be awarded to him on June 23.
The National Eagle Scout Association
Committee, under the direction of Alum-
ni Relations at the Boy Scouts of Ameri-
ca’s national office, selects the recipients
of this award. The members of the selec-
tion committee are all recipients of the
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, which
was implemented in 1969 and since that
time more than 1,850 nominations have
been approved. Only the local council of
the Eagle Scout’s primary residence may
nominate.
Corrections
The June 3 Kaleidoscope on the Of-
fice of International Visitors delega-
tion visit to Hood River omitted men-
tion of one more local by the group of
international medical professionals.
Hood River County Health Depart-
ment’s Trish Elliot, said, “It was a
wonderful experience meeting them
and talking about public health in our
community. They were very inquisi-
tive and fascinating to interact with.”
■
The June 3 article on Odell Hispan-
ic Coalition awards did not mention
that, in addition to the schools and the
County Prevention Department, part-
ners included the Regional Health Eq-
uity Coalition. The Regional Health
Equity Coalition is under the Next
Door, Inc. Nuestra Comunidad Sana
leadership with Yesenia Castro (one
of the moderators) as program man-
ager.
■
The Scout shown in the photo on
page B2 in the June 3 edition about
Scouts Court of Honor was Joey Slover
of Troop 282, who was standing in for
Scout of the Year honoree Michael
Caldwell, who could not attend.
The Hood River News strives for accuracy at all times. If we make a factual error, we welcome readers to let us know about it by calling the news department at 386-1234.
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