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Oregon to honor community college all-star scholars
Continued from Metro
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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)