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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2016)
OFF PAGE ONE RATES: Recent grant to create Pendleton Technology and Trades Center should help graduation numbers Page 10A (DVW2UHJRQLDQ Continued from 1A created by the fact that a single student’s failure to graduate represents several percentage points in the graduation rate. “You really have to look at it over a ¿YH\HDUSHULRG´KHVDLG Morrow County’s rate went from 83 SHUFHQW WR VWD\LQJ LQ OLQH ZLWK WKH state average of 74 percent. Dirksen said 11 of the students who did not graduate with their class are still in school working toward a diploma. He said he was pleased to see that several subgroups that are traditionally XQGHUVHUYHG ² LQFOXGLQJ VSHFLDO HGXFDWLRQ VWXGHQWV (QJOLVK ODQJXDJH OHDUQHUV DQG HFRQRPLFDOO\ GLVDGYDQ WDJHGVWXGHQWV²ZHUHJUDGXDWLQJIURP Morrow County School District at levels well above the state average for those same groups. 6WLOOKHVDLGWKHUHZDVDOZD\VPRUH work to be done. “I’m never going to be pleased FRPSOHWHO\XQWLOZH¶UHDWSHUFHQW´ he said. 7KH ³JUDGXDWLRQ UDWH´ PRVW WDONHG DERXW HDFK \HDU LV WKH IRXU\HDU FRKRUW UDWH ZKLFK FRXQWV WKH QXPEHU of students who received a regular diploma within four years of starting high school. But the state report also measures graduation rates in other ZD\V$¿YH\HDUFRKRUWUDWHLQFOXGHV VWXGHQWVZKRWRRNDQH[WUD\HDUWR¿QLVK VFKRRO ZKLOH ¿YH\HDU DQG IRXU\HDU ³FRPSOHWHU´UDWHVDGGLQVWXGHQWVZKR HDUQHGD*('RUPRGL¿HGGLSORPD The state’s report also breaks graduation rates down by school and E\ VXEJURXS LQFOXGLQJ JHQGHU UDFH GLVDELOLW\ HFRQRPLF VWDWXV (QJOLVK SUR¿FLHQF\ WDOHQWHG DQG JLIWHG VWDWXV and whether the student is considered a migrant. One of the districts that did increase the number of students graduating with a regular diploma after four years was Pendleton School District. Assistant superintendent Tricia Mooney said the district was happy to see the increase from 72 percent to 75. ³:HGLGVHHLPSURYHPHQWVLQJUDG uation rates and we’re excited about WKDW´VKHVDLG³,W¶VWKHUHVXOWRIKDUG ZRUNE\VWDIIDQGVWXGHQWV´ She said the district would continue to work to improve the rate. One promising development is a recent JUDQW WR FUHDWH WKH 3HQGOHWRQ 7HFK nology and Trades Center at West Hills 6FKRROZKLFK0RRQH\VDLGZRXOGEH another tool for helping keep students engaged in their education. Another is a grant for the Tribal Attendance Pilot 3URJUDPZKHUHWKHGLVWULFWZLOOZRUN in conjunction with the Confederated 7ULEHVRIWKH8PDWLOOD,QGLDQ5HVHUYD tion to reduce absenteeism for Native American students. +HUPLVWRQ 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW¶V IRXU year graduation rate went from 68 SHUFHQWLQWRSHUFHQWODVW year. The numbers looked much better IRU +HUPLVWRQ +LJK 6FKRRO ZKLFK graduated 87 percent of the class of 2015 on time with a regular diploma. But the Innovative Learning Center ² WKH GLVWULFW¶V DOWHUQDWLYH VFKRRO IRU students struggling with the structure RI +HUPLVWRQ +LJK 6FKRRO ² KDG D IRXU\HDU FRKRUW UDWH RI SHUFHQW 5HÀHFWLQJ WKH QDWXUH RI DOWHUQDWLYH VFKRROVKRZHYHUSHUFHQWRI,QQR vative Learning Center students did HDUQD*('RUGLSORPDDIWHU¿YH\HDUV of high school. 7KDW ¿JXUH DORQJ ZLWK +HUPLVWRQ High School students who took an extra year to graduate or earned a Graduation rates 4 Years 2015 2014 Umatilla: 65 67 M-F: 74 77 Morrow Co.: 74 83 Stani eld: 82 79 Pilot Rock: 79 96 Echo: 88 95 Helix: 80 100 Ukiah: 100 100 A-W: 88 88 Ione: 94 88 5 Years 2015 70 83 85 84 96 100 100 100 90 88 Four-year: Graduated on time with a regular diploma Five-year: Earn a diploma, modii ed diploma or GED within i ve years of starting high school *(' EXPSV +HUPLVWRQ 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW¶V ¿YH\HDU FRPSOHWHU UDWH XS WR SHUFHQW MXVW EHORZ 3HQGOHWRQ¶V 79 percent and Oregon’s 82 percent. $WWKHVWDWHOHYHOOHDGHUVDSSODXGHG WKHVWDWHZLGHLQFUHDVHRIRQWLPHJUDG uations from 72 percent to 74. “While our graduation rate is far from where we want and need LW WR EH WKLV LQFUHDVH PHDQV ZH DUH headed in the right direction and is WUXO\VRPHWKLQJWRFHOHEUDWH´'HSXW\ Superintendent Salam Noor said in a statement. To help increase graduation rates IXUWKHU *RY .DWH %URZQ UHFHQWO\ DQQRXQFHG WKH FUHDWLRQ RI DQ ³HGXFD WLRQ LQQRYDWLRQ RI¿FHU´ SRVLWLRQ 7KH RI¿FHU ZLOO EH WDVNHG ZLWK WUDYHOLQJ around the state to gather information RQZKDWLVZRUNLQJWRLQFUHDVHJUDGX DWLRQUDWHVDQGVSUHDGLQJWKDWLQIRUPD tion to other school districts. To read the full data set on each VFKRROGLVWULFW¶VJUDGXDWLRQUDWHVYLVLW www.ode.state.or.us. GRADUATE: Taking college classes online from U of Phoenix Continued from 1A Scott Depew would try and convince her to come back. “Mr. Depew kept getting RQPH´VKHVDLG³,SUREDEO\ ZRXOGKDYHMXVWJRWWHQD*(' EXWKHGLGQ¶WZDQWWKDW´ 7HDFKHUV FRXQVHORUV DQG even the parents of friends she grew up with would see her around town and chat with her about why she wasn’t in class. It’s the blessing and the curse of living in a small WRZQ ² HYHU\RQH NQRZV ZKR \RX DUH VR WKHUH¶V QR slipping through the cracks. Up until the second semester of her sophomore \HDU *UHJHUVRQ VHHPHG RQ track to graduate. But after she lost her brother in an DFFLGHQWWKHUHVWRIWKH\HDU ZDV³NLQGRIFUD]\´VKHVDLG She just didn’t want to go to VFKRRO PRVW GD\V DQG RIWHQ she didn’t. Her junior year she DWWHQGHG PRUH UHJXODUO\ EXW she was pregnant for most of WKH\HDUDGGLQJVWUHVVHVWKDW PRVW WHHQDJHUV GRQ¶W XQGHU stand. Gregerson said out of DOORIKHUKLJKVFKRROIULHQGV the one she still spends the most time with had a baby around the same time she did. Other friends just aren’t in the same place in their life. “A lot of them are still EHLQJNLGV´VKHVDLG 6KHKDGKHU¿UVWVRQWZR and a half weeks before the start of her senior year. With the support of her parents and KHU ER\IULHQG ZKR ZDV and already graduated from KLJK VFKRRO VKH WULHG JRLQJ back to school but decided it was too hard leaving her newborn behind every day. ³, ZHQW IRU WKH ¿UVW WZR weeks and I just couldn’t do LW´VKHVDLG A few months later she went back to school. Then VKH JRW SUHJQDQW DJDLQ VR she started taking online classes through Umatilla High School. ,Q 0D\ VKH ¿QDOO\ had a high school diploma just weeks before her 21st birthday. Today she is taking college classes online from the University of Phoenix while she takes care of her WKUHHVRQVDJHV¿YHWZRDQG nine months. She regularly volunteers in her oldest son’s kindergarten classroom. +HU ¿DQFp 6WHYHQ :LOOLDPV who she has dated since she ZDV ZRUNV IXOOWLPH WR support the family while also taking classes online. She wants to be an elementary school teacher and he wants to teach high school. 7KHVXSSRUWRIKHUIDPLO\ Williams and Umatilla School District staff helped KHUVHHKRZLPSRUWDQWHGXFD tion is and helped her push through even when it was WRXJKVKHVDLG “In the moment it doesn’t seem import- ant but it is. In the moment it’s really easy to say ‘I’m done, I don’t want to do it,’ but I’m glad I went back.” — Chevelle Gregerson, high school graduate “In the moment it doesn’t VHHP LPSRUWDQW EXW LW LV´ she said. “In the moment it’s UHDOO\HDV\WRVD\µ,¶PGRQH ,GRQ¶WZDQWWRGRLW¶EXW,¶P JODG,ZHQWEDFN´ It’s stories like Gregerson’s that Sipe said inspires her and the rest of Umatilla School District’s staff to work with students to ¿QLVK WKHLU GLSORPD ZKLFK FDQ SUHVHQW PRUH RSSRUWXQL WLHV IRU FROOHJH DQG HPSOR\ PHQW WKDQ D *('$OWKRXJK the state allows students to VWD\ LQ VFKRRO XQWLO DJH Sipe said not all high schools are open to allowing students to continue attending taking FODVVHVDIWHUWKHLU¿IWK\HDU She said every year Umatilla School District has D KDQGIXO RI VWXGHQWV ZKR IRU YDULRXV UHDVRQV QHHG PRUHWKDQ¿YH\HDUVWRHDUQ a diploma. ³(YHU\ VWXGHQW¶V SDWK LV GLIIHUHQW´VKHVDLG She said currently the district has 10 students who will likely earn a diploma but not count toward the GLVWULFW¶VJUDGXDWLRQUDWHDQG in a school district the size of Umatilla each student counts toward just under 1 percent of the graduation rate. It’s frustrating sometimes when the number that ends up in the newspaper or on the state’s website makes the GURSRXWUDWHVHHPKLJKHUWKDQ LWLVVKHVDLG%XWDWWKHVDPH WLPH VKH LVQ¶W JRLQJ WR GHQ\ that it would be better if those students had graduated in the IRXU\HDURU¿YH\HDUFRKRUW “We didn’t graduate those NLGVLQIRXU\HDUV´VKHVDLG “That didn’t happen. That’s accurate data and it’s one of those pieces that we have to RZQWKDWDQGWU\WRLPSURYH´ 7R GR WKDW VKH VDLG WKH district goes through every student who didn’t graduate in four years and discusses why they faltered and if there were more resources they could have been offered. She VDLG WKH ³YDVW PDMRULW\´ RI their education struggles are tied to family problems like needing to care for a sick parent or support a child. For students raising a FKLOGVKHVDLGWKHGLVWULFWKDV QXPHURXV VXSSRUW PHFKD QLVPV LQFOXGLQJ D EXV WKDW will pick them and their child up and drop their child off at Head Start before taking them to the high school. “We have a huge success rate with teen parents and JHWWLQJ WKHP WKURXJK JUDG XDWLRQ´ VKH VDLG ³:H KHOS WKHP XQGHUVWDQG WKDW JUDG XDWLRQLVQRORQJHUDFKRLFH it’s absolutely a requirement because they have a young OLIHGHSHQGLQJRQWKHPQRZ´ ²²² Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. 6DWXUGD\-DQXDU\ STANDOFF: Troopers involved in shooting have been placed on leave Continued from 1A ZKR ZHUH DSSUHKHQGHG and the Bundys will be back in court next week. Bundy and his followers WRRNRYHUWKHUHIXJH-DQ to demand that the federal government turn public lands over to local control. They have complained about what they say are onerous federal rules governing grazing and mining rights across the West. Court documents detail some of the evidence DJDLQVW WKH RFFXSLHUV including a memorandum ¿OHGE\SURVHFXWRUV)ULGD\ arguing against releasing defendants before trial. “As the armed group’s XQUHSHQWDQW OHDGHU KH (Ammon Bundy) has consistently and publicly expressed support for an armed occupation that has HQGDQJHUHG DQG FRQWLQXHV WRHQGDQJHUPDQ\SHRSOH´ the document states. A criminal complaint ¿OHG HDUOLHU LQ WKLV ZHHN makes reference to an online video that showed Bundy saying the group planned to stay for several years. He called on people to “come out here and VWDQG´ DGGLQJ ³:H QHHG \RXWREULQJ\RXUDUPV´ $ YLGHR SRVWHG -DQ VKRZHGDQRWKHUGHIHQGDQW -RQ 5LW]KHLPHU VD\LQJ KH was “100 percent willing to OD\P\OLIHGRZQ´ In a video posted a day ODWHU 5LW]KHLPHU WDONHG DERXW 5REHUW ³/D9R\´ )LQLFXP DQG RWKHU RFFX piers taking up a “defensive SRVWXUH´ DW WKH UHIXJH against a feared FBI raid. “Right now underneath WKH WDUS ULJKW WKHUH ² LaVoy Finicum is sitting XQGHUQHDWK WKH WDUS DQG he’s not going to let them FRPHWKURXJK´5LW]KHLPHU said in the video. That raid never came. Finicum was killed 7XHVGD\QLJKWLQDFRQIURQ tation with the FBI and Oregon State Police on a remote road. Bundy and four others were arrested GXULQJ WKH HQFRXQWHU DQG more followers were taken into custody by the next day. $W RQH SRLQW D FRXSOH of dozen ranchers and other protesters were holed up at WKH UHIXJH EXW WKH\ EHJDQ clearing out after the arrests and killing. The FBI on Thursday released a video showing )LQLFXP¶VGHDWKWRFRXQWHU claims he did nothing to provoke his killing. ,Q WKH DHULDO YLGHR Finicum is pulled over in his white truck but then takes off in the vehicle and plows into a snowbank because of a roadblock. He gets out of his truck and has KLV KDQGV XS DW ¿UVW WKHQ reaches toward his jacket pocket at least twice. He is shot and falls to the snow. The FBI said a loaded handgun was found in the pocket. An undisclosed number of state troopers involved in the shooting have been placed on leave pending DQ LQYHVWLJDWLRQ ZKLFK LV standard procedure. The charges against the defendants say the refuge’s 16 employees have been prevented from reporting to work because of threats of violence. Ammon Bundy is the son of Nevada rancher &OLYHQ %XQG\ ZKR ZDV involved in a tense 2014 VWDQGRII ZLWK WKH JRYHUQ ment over grazing rights. The younger Bundy’s lawyer said he “is not an anarchist; he believes in JRYHUQPHQW´ -XGJH %HFNHUPDQ VDLG DWWKH)ULGD\KHDULQJ³,¶P not worried about him leaving the country; I’m ZRUULHG DERXW KLP RFFX pying another government EXLOGLQJ´ STK# 16T071. MSRP $19,804. $18,541 AFTER $1,000 TFS REBATE. GFU $12,675. 36 MO LEASE/12000 MILES PER YEAR LEASE = $245 MO PLUS TTD AND ON APPROVED CREDIT. Concealed Carry Permit Class Qualify for OR, UT & AZ CCP Permits valid in 33+ states! February 15 - Quality Inn, Umatilla, OR February 16 - Oxford Suites, Pendleton, OR Contact us at (724)-376-2373 or www.concealedcarryusa.us for more info or to REGISTER LET US “MEAT” YOUR NEEDS STK# 16T032. MSRP $24,130. SALE PRICE $22,639 AFTER $1,250 TFS REBATE. GFU $14,468. 36 MO LEASE/12000 MILES PER YEAR LEASE = $268 MO PLUS TTD AND ON APPROVED CREDIT. STK# 16T191. MSRP $34,139. GFU $24,580. 36 MO LEASE/12000 MILES PER YEAR LEASE = $399 MO PLUS TTD AND ON APPROVED CREDIT. 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