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Grand Ronde Elementary Welcomes New Principal
OCTOBER 15, 2000
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By Justin Phillips
Along with the new school year,
,new students arrived at Grand
Ronde Elementary School with but
terflies in their stomachs. What once
was a summer day to play, is a school
day today.
And, with the new school year and
the new students, there is a new face
in the elementary school.
New Principal Olivia Johnson takes
the place and responsibilities from
previous Principal Kathy Sumners.
Johnson, born in California, earned
her Bachelors's degree from Hum
boldt State University and her
Master's degree at Portland State
University. She has taught first, sec
ond and six grades for four years.
Altogether, she has taught school for
ten years.
She has also been a principal at a
. California school for 300 students,
compared to Grand Ronde Elemen
tary which has 142 students.
One of her goals is to increase aca
demic performance.
"Reading has increased, but we will
also be working on improving math
and writing skills," says Johnson.
We are proud to have a
majority of the students
Native American.
We need to teach them
about their culture,
and bring in Native
Americans from the
community to share
with them their ways.9
'. Olivia Johnson
Grand Ronde Principal
Johnson said she wants to continue
Sumners' efforts to make Grand
Ronde Elementary School a place
where students want to come to.
"Parent's have to understand the
importance of learning at the young
age," said Johnson. "If they (stu
dents) are brought in late or miss
days, they may have missed impor
tant reading or writing assignments."
The school will start giving out at
tendance awards in an effort to in
crease attendance.
"We are proud to have a majority
of the students Native American,"
says Johnson. "We need to teach
them about their culture, and bring
in Native Americans from the com
munity to share with them their
ways."
Johnson said the Tribe has been a
big help in providing funding for the
school.
"It's so hard to tell a student that
we can't go on a field trip this year
because we can't afford it," com
mented Johnson. "We have already
had to cut an employee this year be
cause of funding."
Through thick and thin, Johnson
appears to have what it takes to run
a successful school. With schooling
and experience on her side, she is
sure that all her goals will be met.
Johnson welcomes the new chal
lenges that lie ahead.
Lunch Buddies Needed
Lunch Buddies are assigned to a child that needs a positive role model in
their life to eat at least one lunch a week with the child they are assigned to.
If anyone is interested in becoming a Lunch Buddy volunteer at the Grand
Ronde Elementary School, please contact Betty Sledge at (503) 879-5210.
New Sheriff Joins Grand Ronde
Friday, October 27 at 9:30 a.m.
starting at Grand Ronde Elementary
The Red Ribbon is a symbol to show intolerance for drugs
in our schools, workplaces and communities.
Students and the Tribe's Wellness program will leave the school at 9:30 and
march to the Tribal offices, where the kids will learn about "Red Ribbon."
A snack will follow before heading back to the school for the Health Fair.
Friday, October 27 O 1 to 4 p.m.
firand Ronde Elementary School
Family services provided
Learning techniques
Self awareness
Fire & Medics
Sheriffs
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2k .
By Justin Phillips
The Grand Ronde community will
be a safer place to live, visit and pass
through now that new Polk County
Deputy Sheriff Steve Duncan will be
on patrol.
Duncan chose the Navy rather
than attending the police academy.
He was in the Navy from 1990 to
1994, stationed in San Diego.
After returning from Southern
California, he became a reserve
deputy for the Polk County Sheriffs
Office.
"I just put my nose to the grind
stone and volunteered a lot of my
time making myself available to the
sheriffs office to gain as much expe
rience as I could," said Duncan. "It
helped me prepare myself for the
tests I had to take."
Duncan worked three years with
the sheriffs department before be
ing transferred to Grand Ronde.
Duncan said he had responded to
several calls in the Grand Ronde
area, making it a little more familiar
t " 4'"" "'
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Polk County Deputy Sheriff
Steve Duncan
to him.
"This will give me an opportunity
to get more integrated, involved with
specifically the Grand Ronde commu
nity," says Duncan.
The Tribe now currently employs
six full-time deputies for the Grand
Ronde community.
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Help Us Find You During Your Emergency
The Willamina Fire District is selling green
reflective address signs for your residence.
They will install your reflective sign if you live
within the district. However, you do not need
to live within the district to purchase a sign.
The signs are being sold for only $10 per sign.
Installation is free with purchase. If you are interested, call the Willamina
Business Office at (503) 876-2004 or Norman Peterson at (503) 876-5606.
Local Recreational Center in Early Stage
A meeting was recently held to discuss a possible recreational center for the
local community. The location of the recreation center has yet to be deter
mined, although easy access before and after school is an important factor.
A board of directors from the local communities would be responsible for
the facilities. The project would not depend on local taxes, it would be fi
nanced though grants. According to some estimates, the recreational center,
including a pool, would cost between $2 and $5 million dollars.
This center is a community project, not funded by the Tribe, and could be
eligible for the Spirit Mountain Community Fund. Anyone interested in infor
mation or serving on the committee please call Angie Ellis at (503) 876-3277.