S moke S ignals
FEBRUARY 15, 2019
21
Student Spotlights
Ava Fagundes
Josh Henry
This month, the Youth Education Depart-
ment would like to recognize Ava Fagundes
for her outstanding work ethic and academic
success.
Whenever we see Ava at school, she is
working hard and on top of her classes. She
has a great attitude and never shies away
from a challenge.
Ava attributes her successes to paying
attention in class and making sure to ask
questions so she can always be informed
about what is going on.
Ava is also involved in athletics. She
plays volleyball and basketball, which is her
Ava Fagundes
favorite. After high school, Ava would like
to either be an author, because she loves to
write, or a forensic scientist, because she finds the field very interesting.
She would like to attend Western Oregon University because it is a good
school close to home and she has enjoyed tours and activities there with
the K-5 program.
Her advice to other students would be to pay attention in class, don’t
be embarrassed to ask questions, try not to talk or get distracted, and get
help if you need it.
Ava is kind, hardworking and an excellent role model for her peers. We
are so proud of all that she has accomplished and know she will continue
to be successful. Keep up the good work, Ava!
— Dominique Olson
Willamina High School sophomore Josh
Henry is Youth Education’s Student Spot-
light for the Month.
Josh has worked tirelessly to improve his
grades and his overall approach to academ-
ics. Josh is the son of Anthony Henry of
Grand Ronde and Terry Huber of Oakdale,
Ore. He credits his grandmother Marion
Mercier as being an inspiration to him and
improving his academics.
Josh says his academic approach has im-
proved because he has increased his desire to
succeed this year. He also utilizes all the re-
sources available to him and other Tribal stu-
Josh Henry
dents, and has worked hard in Guided Study
with Kaylee Oakes and Kevin Simmons.
Kaylee Oakes, Guided Study instructor at Willamina High School, says,
“Josh worked extremely had all first semester and even wrote a novel
during November with over 9,000 words for his English class. He has
developed positive relationships with other classmates in Guided Study
and we love having him in class.”
Josh’s future plans include working in forestry in one capacity or another.
He enjoys the solitude that comes from being in the forest and someday
hopes to be able to enjoy this every day.
In his spare time Josh likes to ride his bike and read. Josh’s favorite book
is “It” by Stephen King and also recommends “Between Shades of Gray”
by Ruta Sepetys and another King book titled “Dark Tower.”
Josh provides this wisdom to other students, “Put your mind to what you
want and can do” and “Don’t wait to do anything that you can do now,”
and “seek help where you need it.”
— Kevin Simmons
Trey Danforth
Within the pages of a book, one can get lost
in an imaginary world filled with wizards
and dragons, or perhaps get the feeling of
being transported to a future land of zombie
terror.
These are just a few of the reasons why
Tribal member Trey Danforth loves to read
books, especially if they are in the Fantasy
genre.
The Willamina Elementary School
fifth-grader enjoys art, reading and language
arts classes during his school time, and has
scored in the top 95 percent of his class in
reading. He claims to not be the biggest fan
Trey Danforth
of math, but has shown exceptional work
ethic with the extra time he’s spent out of
class working on raising his level of understanding.
Trey dreams of one day being an archeologist or paleontologist, and
knows that attending a university will have to be in his future plans to
attain his goals.
The 11-year-old states that his mother is his hero because “she’s there for
me when anything bad happens.” Trey loves nachos, popcorn and bacon,
and his hobbies include writing and playing video games.
On weekends, Trey’s favorite thing to do is visit his grandparents because
they take him out to eat at many different restaurants, and sometimes
his grandfather takes out his classic green pickup truck that Trey loves
to ride around in.
— Matt Bucknell
GED
General Educational Development
A GED Can
Help you get a
job
Help you get
into college
Increase your
income
Police Department has
non-emergency text line
The Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department has created a non-emer-
gency text line.
“We learned in our last school meeting that kids would like a different
way to communicate with the police if they have a non-emergency situ-
ation,” Tribal Police Chief Jake McKnight said. “We all know kids love
to text so my officers and I decided this would be a great tool to utilize.”
The new text number is 541-921-2927.
“Even though this is mostly designed for children, I don’t want adults
thinking that they can’t use it as well. If you have a non-emergency situ-
ation or question, feel free to contact my officer via text through this line.
When one of my officers receives the text, they will call you back when
they have time.”
McKnight said that emergency situations still require people to call 911.
For more information, contact McKnight at 503-879-1474. 
Provide you
with a sense of
accomplishment
Adult Education Building
GED Classroom
Earn your GED today!
Contact Tracy Biery for more information
503-879-1345 or tracy.biery@grandronde.org
Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde
Adult Education
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, Oregon 97338
Tracy Biery
503-879-1345
Tracy.biery@grandronde.org
We will help you every step of the way!