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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 1997)
M ay P age A6 7. 1997 • Tm P o r u and O bserver <// E E Oregon to honor community college all-star scholars Continued from Metro • school performance.” Baur lives in Northeast Portland mother’s strong influence to her ability to overcome adversity Jurg Baur - A native of Switzer land, Jurg Baur moved to the United States in late 1995 “Coming from Switzerland and having lived near the German and French borders, different countries and cultures have always fascinated me,” he says. Baur completed a four-year apprentice ship in Switzerland as a plumber and roofer and then traveled "around the world and worked at home at various jobs - social worker and ski instructor - when the unbelievable happened and I fell in love with one ofmy skiing students "Eight months later he was on a plane to Portland. After moving to Portland, he worked on his English and then enrolled at the PCC Cascade Cam pus. Baur soon joined the student government, became vice president and also became a member of Phi Theta Kappa. “My philosophy is to give 100 percent in whatever I do,” he says. This credo is reflected in his perfect 4.0 GPA "Although these grades are important to me, the in teraction with people from other cultures and the exchange of differ ent cultural values far outweighs my Nicole Jacobs-Nicole Jacobs, 32, immigrated to the United States in March 1994 from Ireland. She came to the US she says, because she was told she had no future as a college student in her native country. But her courage to try again and her belief in herself has awarded her a 4.0 GPA at PCC’s Rock Creek Cam pus. In the future Jacobs hopes to complete her bachelor's degree and eventually obtain a teaching posi tion in a community college. Stober Davis - For Stober Davis, getting on with life means staying in touch with his past. A recovering drug addict, Davis volunteers at the Stay Clean Center in Northeast Port land as part of the PCC Service Learning Scholarship Program and helps people who are struggling with drug abuse. Davis, 3 1, believes Port land Community College gave him the chance he needed to succeed academically and personally. He has maintained a 3.74 GPA while in the Rock Creek Campus Auto Collision Repair program and while working at The Gap. When he graduates, he plans to open an auto-body shop with his ROCK CREEK CAMPUS grandfather in Northeast Portland, where he lives. "When I woke up and got my life back on track going to PCC seemed like the thing to do My grandfather takes computer classes at PCC and he suggested the auto-body program. I love it. SYLVANIA CAMPUS Rachel Edm onds - Rachel Edmonds, 19, with a 3.94 GPA, has a strong interest in a career in inter national relations. This came about through a study abroad session of fered by Portland Community Col lege at the University of London in England last spring. The course work satisfied humanities and social sci ence requirements for the Oregon Transfer Degree, a program which guarantees junior status at Oregon's public four-yearschools for commu nity college students. “It was the highlight of my expe rience at PCC and has sparked an interest in pursuing an international studies degree,” she says. Edmonds particularly likes the language courses she’s taken while at PCC - Spanish, German and a year-long English literature series. “In the language classes 1 was also exposed to the customs, music, ge ography, culture, and history of the language’s origin. For that reason I especially enjoyed these classes." Edmonds is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, is a 1995 graduate o f Beaverton High School and works part time at the Sylvania Campus as a student secretary. "I chose PCC after graduating from high school because of its location near my home and it is affordable, “ says Edmonds. Kimberly Gaddis - Kimberly Gaddis. 30, who will be PCC’s 1997 student commencement speaker in June want to teach high-school eco nomics and political science and eventually earn a law degree spe cializing in international business law. Kimberly has earned a perfect 4.0 GPA while working full time as a customer service representative for Nike. A 1984 Wilson High School graduate, Gaddis started school at the Sylvania Campus fall term 1996. A member of Phi Theta Kappa, Gaddis also spends time volunteer ing at Albina Head Start in the "Drop Everything and Read” (DEAR) pro gram. She is majoring in interna tional relations and Spanish and re cently received a scholarship from the National Security Educational Program to study this summer in Oaxaca. Mexico through the PCC Study Abroad Program. Out ot school for 10 years. Gaddis says PCC was the right choice for her return "I wanted small classes and one-on-one attention from my in structors. I got that at PCC. I am very pleased with my college experience so far.” RSU African Cultural Night Portland State University’s Association of African Students invites the public to experience Africa through it’s food, fashions and music during the 17th Annual African Cultural Night presentation on Friday, May 16 in PSU’s Smith Center Ballroom, Room 355,1825 SW Broadway. The event continues from 7:00 PM to midnight. Cost is $8.00 ($5.00 for students). For information, call 725-5659 or 725-3773. Dinner at 7:00 PM consists of chicken curry, chicken with peanut sauce, chapati, ndengn (mung beans) and oranges. Other activities include: • Performance by the Ghana Cultural Group with ( hato Addy, by an Ethiopian women’s dance group, and of Kora music by Senegalese musician Mamadou Sow. • Discussion of “The Future of African Unity and Development” by Sam Afrifa-Kyei, consular and welfare officer, Ghana Embassy, Washington, DC, part of a larger celebration of Ghana’s 40 years of independence from Britain. • A performance of Bernard Madiamu’s play, “t ulture Conflict which explores conflict in African marriages between traditional ways and the modern. • An African fashion show. • A dance, hosted by local disc-jockey beginning at 10:20 PM. Clarifying alternative school scheduling As schools and communities ap ply research-based teaching and learning method to realize gains in student learning, many look to modi fying or changing traditional sched uling arrangements for a better fit. What are some of these new ar rangements? At this point there is no conclu sive proof that either “traditional hourlong classes” or alternative schedules produce better results, but many see different advantages. To help O regon and other Northwest parents, teachers, and co m m u n ity m em bers to sort through and understand the com plex alternatives, a free booklet— Scheduling Alternatives Options fo r Student Success—wa\ks read ers through the options. Produced by the nonprofit Northwest Re gional Educational Laboratory, the booklet lays out definitions and ideas behind each option, along with the potential benefits and concerns associated with them. It gives exam ples and ideas for implementation from Northwest schools: • One of the first block schedules in Oregon got high marks in a recent study from a majority of students, teachers, and parents. The4x4 modi fied block, which is a localized plan, provides the high school students with four 88-niinute block periods and a 58-minute lunch period. With the longer periods, students com plete classes in one semester rather than a year. • In an Alaska elementary school with grades three to five, parallel block scheduling allows each grade a “block” of time each day where students may spend time in math, language arts, physical education, music, or library, The idea in this arrangement is to increase personal ized instruction for each child. • In one Idaho elementary school an optional year-round plan proved highly popular. But it returned to a traditional calendar when an addi tional school was built. • In a Montana high school, an alternating block-schedule plan, also called the A/B plan, uses eight blocks of classes over tow days. The re ported results include students with better attitudes toward school, teach ers who feel rejuvenated, and better opportunities for college bound and Annual ACEI 1997 conference The Association for Childhood Education International held it's 1997 conference at the Hilton Ho tel in Portland last week featuring Mara Stahl, an Oregon actress, artist, storyteller and performer and Mary Beth Blegcn, the 1996 National Teacher of the Year. This year's theme was Opening I he World To Children. Over 1,000 delegates came from around the world to attend this conference...London, Finland, Ja pan. Italy. Russia, Tokyo, Thai land, Philippines, Australia, In dia, Rio de Janeiro, Alaska and throughout the United States. The intent of the conference was to help participants discover how a world opened to children can ensure their well-being and help them become successful and knowledgeable citizens of the world. Rosemary Daniels (University Supervisor) and Adelina Paperini (ACEI Finance Chair) were two of the greeters at the Hilton Hotel Association for Childhood Education International Conference. Senate passes historic education budget Salem, Oregon - TheOregon State Senate voted 18-12 today to fund Oregon schools. K indergarten through 12th grade at historic lev els. The $4 11 billion education bud get, an increase of more than $600 million over 1995-97 levels, was the first major budget to be voted on by the state legislature this ses sion. "We have funded our most im portant budget first and we have funded it adequately,” stated Senate Majority Leader Gene Derfler (R- Salem). "We have committed over 57% of the state budget to educate our children. This amount will still allow other vital state programs to be funded at or above current lev els.” Under the recently passed Senate Republican funding formula and education budget, schools will re ceive an average statewide increase of $200 per child. This budget provides funding for increased student enrollment in all school districts and replaces esti mated local property tax revenue losses due to Measure 47. This budget also provides money to school districts to reach equaliza tion so that every student in Oregon will receive equal funds for the edu cation Also built into the Kinder garten - 12th grade budget is $20 million which will be distributed to fast growing districts to fund equip ment and supplies for new class rooms. “This is an historic budget foi our public schools," stated Senator Gene Timms(R-Burns), Co-chair of Ways and Means. “We’ve passed a re sponsible, sustainable budget that prioritizes our children's education, and I disagree with those who say otherwise It is though true improve ments to the education system, such as charter schools and accountabil ity in school spending, that our chil dren will continue to have access to a quality education.” non-college bound kids. • A Washington state rural high school went to a 4x4 block schedule after a seven-period day was thought to be spreading teachers and stu dents too thin. Now, instead of seven classes, the students have four—plus a longer school day by 15 minutes. Classes which were offered only ev ery other year are now available every year. While supplies last. Scheduling Alternatives is available free to Or egon parents, educators, community members, and others interested in learning more about school-sched uling options. Write to Newspaper Column: Scheduling, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 101 S.W Main, Suite 500. Portland, Oregon 97204-3297 Student Achievement Awards Banquet The Oregon Alliance of Black School Educators proudly presents the 16th Annual Student Achieve ment Awards Banquet on Thurs day, May 15, 6:30 PM on the campus of the University of Port land, 5000 North Willamette. Over 50 students from various middle and high schools in the Portland Metropolitan area will be recognized for being a respon sible and active participant in edu cational activities designed for academic achievement, continu ing to be an active and empowered learner and a participant as a stake holder in the learning community and maintaining the status of a p o sitiv e, co o p erativ e citizen...working to improve the climate in school and community. For more information, contact Dr. Charles Hopson, Banquet Chairperson (916-5630) or Ken Berry, President (916-5666). Michael Jordan just signed with another team. Michael Jordan knows the value of a good education. That’s why he has joined with The College Fund. To give deserving students the chance for an education they otherwise might not receive. Please help the bright and talented students of tom orrow fulfill their dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers, scientists, o r anything they want to be. Give to The College Fund. And join Michael Jordan’s team for better education. To support The College Fund, call 1-800-332-UNCF. The College Fund/UNCF A mind is a terrible thing to waste. 8K! in A Live Coal in the Sea-a "haunting domestic drama" (Publishers (VeriWyE-Madeleine L’Engle explores the power o f redemption in the lives o f a fam ily forced to confront a legacy o f evil. Now available in paperback. "A C O m p l e X . modern saga...infused w ith the warmth o f love and mercy.” (Booklist)
