T he P ortland O bserver • N ovember 22, 1994
C rim e
S to p p e r s
P age A5
Software
uilds Math, Self-Esteem
Armed
Robbery
Sketch of armed robbery suspect
Portland Police Bureau De
tectives, in cooperation with Crime
Stoppers, are asking for your help
in identifying and apprehending
the suspect in an armed robbery.
On Tuesday, October 25,
1994, at 2:30 in the afternoon, a
man was seen walking up and down
« the sidewalk in front of the Oregon
Liquor Control Commission store
at 550 SW Washington Street. The
man entered the store and con
fronted an employee at the cash
register. Placing his had in ajacket
pocket, he told the victim it was a
holdup. The suspect then told the
victim it was a joke, and left the
store.
The robber is described as a
black male, 40 to 50 years old,
6'0" tall, 200 pounds, with big
shoulders, dark complexion, mus
tache, and black hair with a touch
of grey on the sideburns. At the
time he was wearing a black base
ball cap, black nylon or silk jacket,
black jeans, and athletic shoes.
Crime Stoppers is offering a
cash reward of up to $1,000 for
information reported to Crime
Stoppers, that leads to an arrest in
this case, or any unsolved felony
crime, and you can remain anony
mous. Call Crime Stoppers at (503)
823-HELP.
Drunk
Drivers
Targeted
t
The Portland Police Bureau will
join other law enforcement in focus
ing on drunk drivers over the Thanks
giving holiday weekend.
A special detail of seven offic
ers will be dedicated to locating and
stopping alcohol impaired drivers.
The officers will work from 8 p.m. to
4 a m., hours that traditionally see an
increase in alcohol related problems.
Members of the community are
also important in the effort. Police
encourage reporting drunk drivers.
During Thanksgiving, a time when
people come together to celebrate, a
drunk driving accident can devastate
families and neighborhoods.
(left) Karen and Bill Shelton founded the Bingwa Software Co. to improve the math skills of children from
kindergarten through high school and enhance the self-image of minority youth (software programs
illustrated above).
For the most privileged of stu
dents, elementary school is hard
enough. It is a time and place to
endure the tribulations of growing
up, the occasional cruelty o f peers
and the sometimes overwhelming
pressure to succeed.
School is fraught with pitfalls,
from exams to peer pressure, from
popularity contests to drugs, alcohol
and violence. Some students benefit,
but many suffer from the establish-
ment o f the social, intellectual and
athletic pecking orders. Any reason
able student might ask why he or she
should bother.
He or she should bother because
education creates opportunity and
generally, education is the corner
stone o f a thoughtful, rewarding and
productive life.
The founders o f the Bingwa
Software Co. share two simple goals:
to teach mathematics and build self
oy Scout Program
Local youth need special skills
to cope with the increasing complex
ities of contemporary society. That’s
why the Boy Scouts o f America cre
ated the Learning for Life program,
which is aimed at improving stu
dents’ self-confidence, motivation,
and self-esteem.
The program, developed in
1991, focuses on helping students in
grades K-12 from positive personal
values, make ethical decisions, de
velop character, acquire social skills,
and understand how things work in
the real world. By making academic
learning fun and relating it to real life
situations, students become more
confident and capable.
In the Cascade Pacific Council
the Learning for Life program is
geared to enhance the core curricu
lum o f the school systems. The pro
gram is divided into two areas. The
first is In-School Scouting. The fo
cus here is on four areas of study:
science and nature, community
awareness, communications, and first
aid. Students in the third through the
sixth grades are exposed to these
courses which help students develop
an awareness of personal, social, and
civic responsibility. Career Aware
ness is a series of seminars presented
by community representatives. The
Senior Program
Serves Medical
Consumers
Washington County residents
can get help and information with
Medicare and private insurance
claims from 14 new volunteers join
ing the ranks of Oregon’s Senior
Health Insurance Benefits Assistance
program.
About 200 volunteers statewide
provide insurance information, coun
seling and assistance to medical ben
eficiaries including claims filing as
sistance, policy comparisons and re
ferrals to appropriate state and feder
al agencies.
They assist in the areas of Medi
care, Medicaid, Medicare supple
ment insurance, long-term care in
surance and medical Health Mainte
nance Organizations.
In WashingtonCounty, consum
ers who need the help can call the
Washington County Department of
Aging at 640-3489 In other parts of
the state, consumers can call toll-free
I-8OO-722-4I34.
The service is paid for by a
health care financing adm inistra
tion grant to the Oregon Insur
ance Consum er Advocacy in the
D epartm ent o f C onsum er and
Business Services.
esteem. These two goals go hand in
hand. If a child believes that she can
excel, if she sees that others like her
excelled before her, she will pursue
the studies with confidence. On the
other hand, if a child expects failure,
he may will achieve it. For this rea
son, children must know that others
from their own heritage have mas
tered their studies and made signifi
cant co n trib u tio n s to society.
Bingwa’s products show them.
Each module in Bingwa’s Math
ematical Heritage series of educa
tional products exposes children to
minority and women role models,
scientists, inventors, explorers, en
trepreneurs and others who have
made significant contributions in their
fields. As these animated role mod
els “teach” children mathematics,
they show children that no one is
limited by race or sex. At the same
time, the animated role models eam
rings Character
seminars cover careers that the stu
dents have chosen to leam about.
They receive first-hand knowledge
about entry-level requirements, spe
cial training needed, important aca
demic disciplines that must be mas
tered, typical working conditions,
promotion opportunities, and other
relevant information to help them
prepare for the real world o f work.
The Portland Public Schools,
along with Gresham, Hillsboro, Dav
id Douglas, and Pan Terra alterna
tive School in Vancouver, Washing
ton are Participating in the Learning
for Life program. This is a great
opportunity for mentors and role
models from business and industry
to makea direct impact on the future
o f our youth.
“ Wé applaud the Boy Scouts of
America's efforts to prepare all youth
in America for success by its devel
opment and nationwide implementa
tion of the Learning for Life pro
gram. Learning for Life can make
a difference in the classroom and
cam pus environm ents, in your
neighborhoods, and m ost im por
tantly, in the lives o f our youth,”
states William J. Saunders, Ex
ecutive D irector, N ational alli
ance o f Black School Educators,
W ashington, DC.
children’s respect and thereby com
mand attention.
Since its introduction in the
fall o f 1993, B ingw a’s M athe
m atical H eritage series has been
incorporated into school system s
in fiv e s ta te s . In a d d itio n ,
B ingw a's home versions enjoy
brisk and grow ing sales.
To find out more about the ma
terials or to order, call 1-800-404-
MATH.
Jesuit High
Placement
Exam:
Jesuit High School invites all
interested eighth grade students to
take the school’s Placement Test
on Friday evening, December 9, at
4:30 pm or Saturday, December
10, at 9;00 am. There is a $15.00
fee for the exam. Refreshments
will be served. Test takers are not
obligated to enroll, but those who
plan to enroll as freshmen next
year must take the test. Applica
tions for the 1995-96 school year
are being accepted now. Please
call Jesuit High School at 291-
5423 for reservations and further
information.
IK ïŒ ÏJijj
W e ’ re O pen
U n t il 5:00p.m.
to allow our store employees
to spend time with their families.
All Stores W ill Be
OPEN REGULAR HOURS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25th
TtiisVVeek
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