2 ❚ THE SIUSLAW NEWS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER ❚ September 2017
MAPLETON
Upgrades made possible by Mapleton school bond mean safety, opportunity for students
T
he year was 1957: Sputnik I was
launched by the Soviets, the fi rst
electric watch was introduced and the
Mapleton Elementary School campus
was built. While satellites and watches
have vastly improved since then, the
Mapleton schools have remained ex-
actly the same.
Until now.
From seismic improvements, de-
creases in water lead levels and chang-
es to the fl ow of the entrances and
gathering places, Mapleton’s campus is
moving into the 21st century.
“It’s been a lot of work on the fore-
front, but I think it’s great,” said Ma-
pleton School District Superintendent
Jodi O’Mara. “Having students learn
in a safe environment, where there’s
no lead based paint or asbestos, gives
our kids a sense that they are worth
this. Th at can carry on into how they
do in school and where they plan to go
in life.”
One of the biggest changes to the
buildings will be making them seismi-
cally safe.
“Everything has to be resheared and
connected to the building,” explained
In July, Mapleton School District Superintendent
Jodi O’Mara visited with the contractors who
worked tirelessly over the summer on school bond
related improvements to buildings on the campus.
the project’s general contractor, Randy
Myers, about the process.
“We’re connecting the roof to the
walls and the walls to the concrete so
it can’t move off its foundation,” My-
ers said.
Now, if an earthquake occurs, the
buildings won’t tip one way or another.
Another concern was the levels of
lead that had been detected in one of
the wings of the elementary school last
summer. For several months at the be-
ginning of the school year, the district
capped off the water supply and pro-
vided bottled water for the students.
Now, there are no dangerously de-
tectable lead levels in the pipes.
Safety won’t be the only goal of the
remodel as the faculty worked closely
with the students on improvements.
High school students requested a
community room, which will be built
in their building. Th e exits of the el-
ementary buildings will lead into a
courtyard for all grades to gather and
mingle.
While the planning for the con-
struction has taken time, the actual
work has been occurring at a rapid
pace. Th e last day of school was on
June 14. By June 16, Mapleton staff
had moved every piece of material
into storage and construction began.
Just 2 weeks later, the campus is al-
most unrecognizable. With a crew of
over 40 (and expanding by the day),
walls have been torn out, fl oors have
been pulled and roofs have been de-
molished.
Structural changes aren’t the only
improvements as the district is also
installing broadband Internet, new
computers, portable tablets and smart
screens.
O’Mara believes all of these changes
will create better chances for the stu-
dents.
“Th ese kids deserve every oppor-
tunity they can get, just like every
other kid in every other community.
It shouldn’t matter that we’re a rural
community. It shouldn’t matter what
our poverty level is. For me, that’s my
goal. To make sure they have those op-
portunities,” she said.
You can view progress at www.
mapleton.k12.or.us.
— Story & photos by Jared Anderson/
Siuslaw News
COASTAL COMMUNITY
Just the facts — DACA and LCC
D
ACA stands for “Deferred
Action for Childhood Ar-
rivals,” and it has been the law of
the land since 2012 in the U.S.,
meant to protect eligible im-
migrant youth who came to the
U.S. when they were children
from deportation. DACA gives
young undocumented immi-
grants protection from deporta-
tion, and a work permit, subject
to renewal every two years.
Although President Trump
recently decided to phase out
the DACA program, his state-
ments around that decision
suggest he may agree with a re-
ported 86 percent of Americans
across the political spectrum
who support a right to resi-
dency for undocumented im-
migrants who arrived in the U.S.
as children (ABC News/Wash-
ington Post poll, Sept. 25), and
he has challenged congress to
come up with a permanent fi x to
protect these “Dreamers” — all
of whom graduated from high
school, earned a certifi cate of
completion or GED or complet-
ed technical and trade school, or
have been honorably discharged
from the Coast Guard or mili-
tary. Th ese students have never
been convicted of a felony, a
DUI or three or more misde-
meanors of any kind.
DACA aff ects more than
750,000 young people nation-
ally and an estimated 21,000 in
Oregon. At Oregon community
colleges — including LCC — we
are not sure exactly how many
students are aff ected since we
do not record immigration sta-
tus.
Unlike four-year universities,
the very mission of a commu-
nity college is to support access,
equity and inclusion in order to
meet the needs of our students
and the community we serve,
providing pathways to a better
education and decent employ-
ment.
Here is a quick rundown on
what the announced rescission
means if you or someone you
know may be impacted by these
changes:
• If you currently have DACA
status, you will retain both your
period of deferred action and
your work permit until they
expire, unless terminated or re-
voked.
• If you fi led an initial or re-
newal DACA request on or be-
fore Sept. 5, 2017, US Citizen-
ship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) will continue to pro-
cess your request.
• If your DACA expires be-
tween Sept. 5, 2017, and March
5, 2018, and you wish to renew
it, USCIS must receive your
properly fi led renewal request
on or before Oct. 5, 2017.
• If you have DACA status
and your still-valid work permit
is lost, stolen or destroyed, you
may submit Form I-765 to re-
quest a replacement.
• If you did not request initial
DACA status — or your DACA
expired and you did not prop-
erly fi le your renewal request —
on or before Sept. 5, 2017, the
DACA process is currently not
available.
In June, the Lane Commu-
nity College Board of Education
adopted a policy, Protection of
Immigrant Students, to clarify
its intent to provide “access to
higher education for all stu-
dents regardless of race, ethnic-
ity, religion, national origin, im-
migration status, age, disability,
gender or gender identity.”
While people of goodwill can
certainly disagree about the
nation’s broader immigration
policies, virtually all of us can
support the Dreamers in our
community who wish to pre-
pare themselves for a greater
contribution to our common
American Dream.
— Submitted by Russ Pierson,
Dean of LCC Florence Center
Scholarship night open to all juniors, seniors
W
estern Lane Community Foundation
(WLCF), in partnership with ASPIRE,
will host the annual Local Scholarship Night to
be held in the Commons of Siuslaw High School
on Monday, Oct. 9, at 6:30 p.m.
Open to both juniors and seniors from Maple-
ton and Siuslaw high schools, the evening off ers
a unique opportunity for students and their par-
ents to interact with local scholarship providers
who will answer questions regarding qualifi ca-
tions, students will receive applications on a zip
drive from all those who participate, and will lis-
ten to brief seminars regarding how to interview,
write resumes and how to be prepared for the to-
tal scholarship process.
Siuslaw Counselor Steven Moser is coordinat-
ing the evening. Siuslaw High Culinary students
will also provide snacks.
Students who have questions may contact their
school counselor or a member of the ASPIRE
Team at Siuslaw High School.
In addition, community members who wish to
volunteer to increase student success should con-
sider joining ASPIRE, Access to Student Assis-
tance Programs in Reach of Everyone. For more
information, email aspire@siuslaw.k12.or.us.
We are your
community partner in
financial education!
Career Technical Education at LCC Florence
Lane Community College (LCC) Florence loves
its transfer students — but it is also does much
more than transfer. Th e community college move-
ment that began in the mid-20th century was
primarily about career technical education and
expanding the American workforce to provide
well-paying middle-class jobs. LCC still does that
really well — and it is part of its mission to “double-
down” on in the Siuslaw Region.
Part of the diffi culty in adding career technical
programs to an extension center like LCC Flor-
ence is the high cost to acquire the latest, industry-
standard equipment — and then to hire qualifi ed
college-level instructors and keep up with changes
in that equipment. With a relatively low population
base, and high personnel, equipment and supply
costs, it can make for a bleak return on investment.
You might be part of the solution!
Over the past couple of years, Oregon has wisely
expanded its capacity for off ering industry-specifi c
credentials and enabled community colleges to
lead the way, aligning closely with local commu-
nities, businesses and economic sectors across the
Look
for
state. Community colleges can work with business-
es to bundle the instruction and assessment of spe-
cifi c skillsets that can result in industry-approved
credentials. Th is ensures both a skilled workforce
for Oregon businesses and a route to solid em-
ployment with a livable wage for our students.
Even more, these credentials can be “stacked” so
students can follow career pathways that enable
steady, professional growth in their chosen career.
In many cases, LCC has already done the dif-
fi cult work of identifying these credentials, and it
can off er entry-level credentials via its continuing
education program.
Continuing education is much more fl exible
than the credit course off erings. Th ese classes en-
able LCC to draw from a greater pool of instruc-
tors, and to off er classes at times (and even at off -
campus locations) that are more convenient for
students who may already be working in the com-
munity.
Are you a potential instructor with a skill and/or
a space we can use to teach a valuable trade? Call
541-997-8444 or stop by the offi ce, 3149 Oak St.
Aside from providing financial products and services,
we are happy to offer educational support for all ages:
Credet and Savengs Best Practeces
Ferst-teme Home Buyeng Resources
Cybersecuret y Buseness Teps
Estate Pl anneng Consultateons
In need of financial resources?
Visit your local banker today!
KID SCOOP
Kid Scoop runs every Wednesday
during the school year in the Siuslaw
News and features educational stories
and fun activities for families.
The activity page is part of the
Siuslaw News’ Newspapers In
Education program, in which teach-
ers from Siuslaw and Mapleton school
districts may request copies of the lo-
cal paper to use as curriculum in their
classroom. Call 541-997-3441 for more
info.
1355 Highway 101 • Florence • Oregon
(541) 997-7121 • www.opbc.com
member