Page 4, Portland Observer, August 28, 1966
METROPOLITAN
Project Return
brings “truant
officers“ back to
Portland Schools
" T ru a n t O ffic e r s ," in a ctive in
recent years because o f financial cut
backs, return to Portland with a new
title w hen the school year sta rts
Sept. 3.
" P ro je c t R e tu rn " — developed
jointly by the Portland School District
and C ity o f P o rtla n d ’ s P olice B u
reau and Y outh Service Center A d
m in is tra tio n — was described by
S upl. M a tth e w P rophet d u rin g a
meeting o f the Portland Board o f Ed
ucation.
An eatlmated 2,000 people turned out for the Third
Annual World Music Festival held et the University of
Portland, Saturday. El Rey — The King Tito Puente
with his hard driving Latin percussion ended the day
that was filled with good music, food and dance
IPhoto Richard J Brown)
W orld Music Festival held
by Robert Lothian
A special treat at the third annual
World Music Festival at the University
o f Portland Saturday, August 24. was
a guest appearance by the man who
invented the steel drum.
E llie M ann e tte , o rig in a lly fro m
Trinidad, is in Vancouver, B .C ., this
summer constructing steel drums for
musicians there. He dropped down to
P o itla n d fo r an e n thusiastically-
received festival workshop.
The chrome-plated drums w ith the
magical sound are gaining in popular
ity almost daily, taken over by groups
that play jazz, fusion, rock and fo lk.
Mannette said the idea for his first
drum “ just came to m e " in 1946.
After other Caribbean musicians had
tried the various sounds made by paint
cans, he said he decided to try one o f
the many o il drums that wash up on
the beach. He cut the top o ff, and be
gan to experim ent w ith the sounds
made in different areas o f the surface.
Mannette said he actually dreamed
the intricate sound pattern which he
etched and pounded in to that firs t
drum, using a hall peen hammer and
a punch. " I have absolutely no musi
cal training," said Mannette. " A ll that
I have created came from my musical
visions.”
Other patterns developed — he held
up com plicated "b lu e p r in ts " o f the
patterns for various drums, including
a bass model.
A n average drum takes about two
months to make “ com pletely by
hand," he said, and costs about $9(1)
Mannette announced that he w ill be
giving steel drum workshops in Can
non Beach this fall.
A n example o f how M arinette’ s
handiwork has evolved was provider!
later by Wyndam H ill recording artists
Darol Anger, Barbara H igbie, ItxJd
P h illip s , M ike M a rsh a ll and A ndy
N a rcll. The group plays what some
have described as “ quintessential yup
pie music” — m ellow , m iddle class
music fo r dream ing The audience
danced enthusiastically to an earlier
salsa band, but they swayed quietly
while this group played. Some in the
audience actually appeared to be medi
tating.
Yet N arell is a well know n steel
drum im presario, and his sound is
quietly incorporated into I he group's
new age music. He has recorded wiih
Aretha F ra n klin , the Pointer Sisters
and others.
Workshops at the festival featured
the music o l "cultures in transition”
—Ghana, I aos and I entral America
A standout was the workshop ol At ri
can drumming and dancing presented
by the Seattle group, ( kheami.
Other groups — from folk to jazz,
Japanese, Indian, A ra b ia n , I a tin ,
Yiddish, Caribbean, Hungarian and
African
turned the day into a musi
cal potpourri and a cultural treat
Headling the '» g ra in Saturday
night was the "k in g ol the tim bales"
—T ito Puente and his I atm Jazz A ll
Stars. I ito's hot I atm sound was ap
propriate for the steamy night
Supt. Prophet said officers o f the
Police Bureau's new Juvenile Services
Unit during school hours w ill Itxate,
detain and transport truant Portland
Public Schools students to a school
d is tric t receiving center at to rm e r
Monroe High School.
I he center, located in the Portable
buildings at 2508 N .E. Everett St.,
w ill be staffed between 9 a.m and 2
p.m. on school days by school district
and juvenile services personnel and
volunteers.
T ru a n t students detained in the
field by juvenile services officers w ill
be txken in to custody and charged
with a statutory offence called "B C C -
Iru a n cy” (behavior circum stantial
conditions)
A fter the consultations, the center
w ill select appropriate disposition o f
a tru a n t's case — either by the stu
dent's return to school, assignment to
a resource center, release to parents or
guardians, sell-release, re fe rra l to
alternative schools or programs or to
a youth service center for counseling
Juvenile services officers w ill not
take into custody truants from other
schcxil districts or other youths cov
ered by Oregon's compulsory-attend-
ance laws, but not enrolled in schcxil.
Officers instead w ill cite such youths
for " B i t -tru a n cy," file custody re
ports, and n otify parents and appro
priate school d istricts and ju ve n ile
courts.
IPhoto Kris Altucher)
Irving Park summer program a hit with kids
by Hob Lothian
Irving Park finishes up its active
summer program this week.
Attracted by fun and a safe at
mosphere, hundreds o f children
played in the park each day during the
summer's hot weather, said park
director Rufus Conner.
Organizes) park activities include
the ever -popular
Reading
Tree
program, sports, arts and crafts, the
wading psxil, and free lunches for
low-income children.
A new addition this summer was
the Children's Peace Project, a pilot
effort designed to help children learn
how to resolve their conflicts peace
fully through music, dance, acting
and puppetry.
“ We order 270 lunches and they
go,’ ’ said Conner. During warm
weather, he added, up to 70 children
use the wading psxil at one time.
A train o f admiring children
followed the popular "park m an" as
he set out a sign with "to d a y ’s puz-
zJe " A chalked note said, "g im p sold
after lunch.” Children use the m u lti
colored plastic strands known as gimp
to make belts, key chains and other
do-dads
"W e have a lot o f kids here and
quite a few adults and they are all
well-behaved, I see to th a t," said
Conner, former Pacific University
basketball forward During the school
year, Conner coordinates Irvington
Community School.
Many children come for the
Reading Tree program in the morning
and stay for recreation activities a f
terward. The Reading Tree leaches
reading and writing with popular
stories. Reading Tree director Bee
Anderson and Conner are helped by a
crew o f 10 to 15 volunteers, "ju s t
parents helping o u t," said Conner.
Each Wednesday at the park, bet
ween 60 and 150 children participated
in the Children's Peace Project, said
Rachael Pruitt, director.
On one o f the first cloudy Wed
nesdays after a hot spell, children in
the Peace Project formed a circle and
danced to drum and autoharp music.
Then one by one, they entered the c ir
cle and pretended they were chickens,
lions, hyenas, dogs and cats. They
made animal sounds, too. Some were
a little embarrassed. Then they sang
"W e Are the W o rld ."
"W e 're reallv teaching kids how to
work together "without fig h tin g ," said
Pruitt, a member o f Performers and
Artists for Nuclear Disarmament In
designing tire program, Pruitt said she
was not motivated by fear o f the
bomb. The emphasis is on teaching
children techniques for getting along
with their neighbors and learning
about different cultures, she said.
She picked Irving because o f its
location in the inner city and because
Conner supported the idea, Pruitt
said Community groups, including
the Urban I eague and the Urban In
dian Council, offered support and
advice, she added.
Jennifer Williams, 12, wrote the
script for a puppet show which
children in the peace project perfor
med for parents and othet children
She has "bad kid ” puppets breaking
into houses to find friends Other
child puppets convicc the house
breakers that they w ill only make
enemies that way. The problem is
resolved without calling the police,
Jennifer explained, and all the
children go out for pizza.
Jennifer, from Baton Rouge, la .,
was in Portland visiting her gran
dmother who lives near the park. She
enjoyed the activities at Irving and her
new friends so much, she said, that
she tried talking her mother into
moving to Portland " I ’d be really
bored" back home, she said.
Pruitt is seeking funds to continue
the peace project into the fall Her
goal is the formation o f a children's
performance group, she said.
On Wednesday, August 7, 1985,
the Portland C ity Council approved
an ordinance ra tifyin g an agreement
w ith the U.S. Depl. o f Housing and
U rban D evelopm ent fo r an energy
con se rva tio n w e a th e riza tio n loan
program. Approxim ately $700, (XX) is
available at 0*Y to make w eather
ization loans to about 250 mixlerate
income fam ilies in the C ity o f P o rt
land. These loans can be financed
over a period o f seven years and are
available through the P ortland De
velopment Commission (P IX ').
Commissioner Mike I indberg indi
cated, "T h is is a special program op
p o rtu n ity , because while federal re
sources are dwindling, the City is able
to provide a much needed weatheriza
tio n program fo r P ortla n d fam ilies
who have not already been able to get
their homes weatherized " Lindberg
went on to say, "W e arc particularly
proud that the Portland Development
C om m ission came fo rw a rd and o f
fered to administer and help market
this program without additional cost.
The Commission and their sta ff has
always had a com m itm ent to energy
conservation and (heir long-standing
re lationship w ith P o rtla n d lending
institutions has enabled us to provide
this pro g ra m . H U D funds w ill be
used to subsidize the interest rates to
()•'« Loans w ill be made th ro u g h
P IX ' to Portland’ s moderate income
families.”
Incom e lim its a p p ly to the p ro
gram. For example, to be eligible, a
family o f four would need to have an
income o f less than $31,700 to q ual
ify. An energy audit is required to de
termine eligible work. These are avail
able free from energy suppliers. Tele
phone numbers to arrange these are:
O il Heat Institu te 231-7101; N o rth
west Natural lia s, 226-4211 ext. 5532;
Portland General Electric 226-5822;
or P a cific Power and L ig h t C o.
2 M 2886. ( all P D l at 796-6800 fo r
further inform ation on the loan appli
cation and qualification process. The
I ity is able to o ffe r these loans only
until the end o f the year.
pORTLANDy c 0L l EGE
F'T
° i LNÄAILABLE
schedû J
^
Y
s FOR
A lte r receiving the truant and the
custody report, center personnel w ill
contact schools and ju ve n ile courts
about records o f the truant students
and notify their («rents or guardians.
Portland Schtxil District w ill estab
lish tw o student resource centers to
involve parents in assessing education
needs o f the schronic truant and plan
ning fo r the student's eventual re
turn to a regular school. It also w ill
help middle and high schixils develop
programs to assist returning truants.
Children'* peace game*
Lindberg outlines
zero percent
loan program
Classes b e g i n
Sept 23
BICYCLIST
HIT & KILLED
N.E. Union at Skidmore
Saturday, Aug. 3rd
About 4 P.M.
Supl. Prophet said the joint truancy
project as a byproduct o f efforts by a
student atendance committee appoint
ed by him in November 1984 The 19-
member co m m itte e — mandated to
recommend clarifications and changes
to the school d is tric t's attendance
policies, regulations and practices—
comprises school a d m in istra tors,
teachers, school police, other support
staff, parents and representatives from
the police bureau and city youth cent
ers.
Chaired by C a ro lyn Sheldon, a
student services co o rd in a to r fo r the
school d is tric t, the com m ittee held
public hearings last M arch and also
has involved attendance specialists
from the Oregon Department o f Edu
cation, Oregon State U niversity and
the University o f Oregon.
P rom pted by police bureau evi
dence that most daytim e burglaries
are committed by youths, the commit
tee in June recommended establish
ment o l a cooperative truancy-deter
rent e ffo rt sim ilar to successful pro
grams in California, Hawaii and Utah.
Project Return then was refined by
Supt. Prophet and his s ta ff, in con
cert w ith representatives o f Portland
Mayor Bud C lark, Multnom ah Coun
ty Commission and Juvenile Services
Commission, police bureau and youth
service centers.
The com m ittee’ s fu ll report on its
o riginal mandate is expected in O c
tober. Supt Prophet said he expects
to respond and make his own recom
mendations to the school board later
this fall.
Were You A Witness?
Did you see this accxJent involving a young w om an, Safxina Sim mons, w ho
was on her txeyefe and was hit by a van as she crossed N.E. Union at Skid
more?
The Sim m ons w ant to thank the public for their sympathetic help at the time
of Sabrina s death, for she was alone
The only voice that can speak for her now I* youl
Please help. Call Ted
at 6368804 (daytim e)
or write
2539 N.E. 19th. Portland. OR 97211