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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016
Van Fans fundraiser to be all ‘fun and games’ Rhody
www.shoppelocal.biz
Get together with friends for
a fun day of card games and
lunch at the Van Fans fundrais-
er Wednesday, Feb. 17.
The fun begins at 11:30 a.m.
at the Florence Events Center,
715 Quince St. There will be
raffle prizes and other exciting
games
and
happenings
throughout the event.
Sign up for a table and
choose your game. Ticket
price, with or without card
games, is $15 per person and
includes the luncheon.
The Friends of Florence Van
Fans is a non-political organi-
zation that sponsors this event.
All proceeds go to support
the Friends of Florence van
program, which transports can-
cer patients every weekday to
Eugene and Springfield for
School
Siuslaw
News
+
from 1A
The district submitted the
grant application Jan. 15 and
expects to learn if it has been
selected in February.
Superintendent Ethel Angel
said the board would not take
the next step until they learn if
the state grant has been
approved.
“It is the luck of the draw for
us,” Blake said. “If we are
lucky enough to get the $4 mil-
lion, we would want to try and
do the bond in order to take
that off the bill.”
The district will only be able
to utilize the funds if the bond
measure passes.
The nearly 50-year-old high
school facility is the oldest
building in the district.
According to Blake, costs
have increased significantly
since the middle school was
built in 1999. The rough esti-
mate to build a new high
school is approximately $35
million.
“There is still a lot to con-
sider in whether we want to go
out for an election in May,”
Blake said. “We are another
year out if we look to the
November election. The cost
increases are what make me a
little bit nervous.
“The maintenance costs are
increasing at the high school,
because our systems are aging.
They are reaching the end of
their lifecycle. We thought this
would be the perfect time to
take a look at going out for
another bond,” she added.
Angal said a cafeteria would
be a priority in the new high
school plans.
“The present high school
does not have a cafeteria,” she
said. “It is a challenge, espe-
cially when so many kids in
our district are eligible for free
or reduced-cost lunches.”
Food for the high school
lunch program must be brought
over from the middle school
kitchen. Blake feels that this is
the primary reason fewer stu-
dents participate in the high
school lunch program than the
elementary or middle school
programs.
The board will not take the
next step until they learn if the
state grant proposal has been
approved. If it is, then the
board plans to form several
committees made up of board
members, school staff and
members of the community.
“It feels premature to be
talking in detail, because a lot
of the details will be strongly
influenced by what our com-
munity sees and wants,” Angal
said. “We are hoping that they
want the same things, but we
know better than to ask for
input and then not take it. We
are taking the input with an
open heart and an open mind.”
Angal and Blake are con-
cerned about waiting until the
middle school bond is paid off
in 2019 because there is no
guarantee the state will contin-
ue the matching grant fund
beyond the 2016-17 biennium.
“We could wait and see if
the state will release more
funds in the next biennium,”
Blake said.
“But then we are looking a
couple of years farther before
making a decision and that
feels a little too far down the
COURTESY PHOTO
Card games will be among the many fun activities during
this year’s Van Fans fundraiser.
radiation treatments.
For more information or to
sign up for card games, call
Karen Lee at 541-997-9669.
road for my comfort zone.”
If the state approves the
funding grant and voters
approve the bond measure,
then the district has six months
to sell the bond.
A key factor in the salability
of a bond, and of concern to the
taxpayers who will finance the
bond, is the creditworthiness of
the school district.
“When we went out to
finance our kindergarten facili-
ty through Oregon Pacific
Bank,” Blake explained, “we
were told we had an excellent
rating.”
According to Blake, there is
a lot of nostalgia connected to
the high school facilities.
“We want to make sure that
the community has input on
how we can keep some of that
history here, even though we
are going to move forward
with a new building,” she said.
Many basic questions still
need answers, such as where to
construct the new building and
whether to begin construction
at the end or beginning of a
school year.
But the question of the
moment is, will the district get
the $4 million grant from the
state?
“I think that would be the
tipping factor,” Angal said.
“We live in exciting times.”
__________
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@SNews_Jack. Email him at
jack@thesiuslawnews.com.
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from 1A
“We will still have a Queen
Rhododendra, but the entire
team will win prizes,” Wobbe
added.
Each Senior Princess now
has a team of three to four
Junior Court members. They
will have a team name, color,
uniform and motto that goes
with the nautical “Catch the
Wave” theme.
Anderson’s team is called the
Walloping Whales and includes
Flansberg, Waggoner and Kenji
Tanikawa. Coolidge’s team is
the Jumping Jellyfish. Her
Junior members are Dascher,
Wall and Jones. Keppol’s team,
the Electric Eels, has Selig,
Armer, Garcia Galvan and
Meadows.
“They will compete at the
showcase as a team,” Wobbe
said.
Jared Anderson and Meg
Spencer return to produce the
Scholarship Showcase on
Wednesday, May 11.
Wobbe said it may feature
tug-o-war and other games.
“The Showcase will actually
gear around the talents of our
teams,” she said.
The Rhody Court is not all
about games, however. In the
months leading up to the
Showcase and the Rhododen-
dron Festival on May 20-22, the
court will visit community
events, business leaders, senior
living centers, youth organiza-
tions and civic groups with an
emphasis on giving back.
Wobbe said, “If we can put
more emphasis on promoting
that at a younger age, we get to
really intervene in young kids’
lives at a time when having an
extra person in their life can be
really helpful.”
Court members will receive
one-on-one mentorship from
advisers. The Senior Princesses
will mentor their teams.
The Rhododendron Court
program provides scholarships
for higher education, promotes
community outreach and volun-
teerism and offers mentoring
opportunities in a program that
perpetuates an appreciation for
109 years of Rhododendron
Festival history and tradition.
This is a transitional year for
the Rhody Court, said Wobbe,
who again will be the master of
ceremonies for the showcase,
but she thinks it will be her last.
“This is a wonderful program
and the benefits are good for the
students,” she said. “A lot of
sponsors stay involved in the
students’ lives.”
We offer Custom Engraving!
Jewelry, Name plates, ID
bracelets, Pet tags and more.
• Plates
Sterling Silver Jewelry
• Collectible Hand Carved Eggs
• Gallery Pieces
Turquoise Jewelry
• Glass Art • Earrings
Pendants
• Gift items and
MORE ON SALE!
Silver Sand Dollar
Gallery Jewelry and Gifts
1499 Bay Street (Old Port Building)
On-Site
Parking
541-997-0111
Closed
Sun.-Mon.
Please join us as we celebrate the
American Cancer Society’s
Relay For Life of Florence
Kick-off Party!
Chili Cook-off, Dessert Auction, live music,
cash bar, and more!
2016 Relay Theme: Lights! Camera! Action!
Florence Elks Lodge
Sat., Jan. 30th, 4:00– 7:00 pm
i
i
i
i
i
LIVE music!
Chili tasting (donations accepted) and bowls of chili for sale $3
Dessert Silent Auction~ Desserts welcome!
Bring your family and friends for a fun evening!
Learn more about Relay and register a FREE team at:
www.RelayForLife.org/FlorenceOR
For more information or to enter a chili or bring a dessert, please contact:
Bonnie Ell, #971.219.9949, bonnie.ell@cancer.org