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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2019)
SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2019 | 7A DEATH from page 1A Siuslaw & Mapleton School Supply Drive The start of a new school year is upon us. Along with the normal anxieties students experience with staring a new school year, many students are struggling with the additional burden of being unable to afford school supplies and other basic necessities. In order to help, the Siuslaw News in partnership with the Rotary Club of Florence is accepting donations of school supplies or gift cards that can be distributed to each district. ITEMS NEEDED: Pencils Pens Markers (prefer washable) Colored Pencils Erasers Scissors Pencil Cases Glue Sticks Spiral Notebooks Backpacks Loose Paper Gift Cards, that can Composition Books be used for more Pocket Folders than just school Crayons supply needs. Monetary Donations (blue or black) Monday marked the first day back for district staff and teachers, and Siuslaw School District Superin- tendent Andy Grzeskowiak said that crisis teams were already on alert to assist staff with their needs. The district also held a grief support open house at Siuslaw Middle School on Wednesday night. “Crisis teams will begin planning grief services for students at the beginning of school as well,” Grzesko- wiak said. “Scott taught at both the elementary and middle schools for sever- al years, so there will be a ripple effect through the student body over the first few weeks of school.” At the grief support open house, people with specific training in grief and loss counseling from four faith organizations, as well as from the Community Sup- port Team and other agen- cies were on site to help the community process. A slideshow shared memories that Anderson’s colleagues had of him over the course of his 20 years at the Siuslaw School Dis- trict. Over those years, he had worked at Rhododen- dron Elementary and Siu- slaw Elementary and was most recently at Siuslaw Middle School. One teach- er had been a student of Anderson’s and treasured that they were able to work together later and become friends. People had the option to write a letter to Anderson or his family, with prompts on the table that read, “What I most appreciated about Mr. Anderson was …” Each table had writing implements, sensory Play Dough, paper, envelopes and cards and stickers for Oregon YouthLine, where teens can text with fellow teens about whatever is on their minds from 4 to 10 p.m. More information and a chatline are available at Or- egonYouthLine.org. “We are pushing suicide awareness for the com- munity,” said House. “Our Community Support Team has been doing a really good job on that. We are now helping with the sur- vivors in our community. We don’t want them to be another statistic.” It’s not yet September, and school has not yet started, but Siuslaw School District will be feeling the ripples of this for some time. Grief counseling will continue to be available to students and staff, and the greater community is urged to speak to someone if they are struggling with thoughts of suicide. “As students and staff are still processing the loss of Mr. Anderson, the district will host another grief support open house at Siuslaw Middle School on Wednesday, Sept. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m.,” Grzeskowi- ak said. “The event is pri- marily geared for students and staff that might need help in processing the loss of Mr. Anderson, but it is open to parents and the community.” In addition, each school building will have a grief room set aside for students to access resources during the first weeks of school. Lane County offers several mental health re- sources, some of which are linked through Siuslaw School District’s website at www.siuslaw.k12.or.us/ article/129379, as well as resources for residents, vet- erans and other groups. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is also available 24 hours every day by calling 1-800-273- 8255 or visiting suicide- preventionlifeline.org. The lifeline for Spanish speak- ers, Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio, is 1-888-628- 9454. The lifeline for deaf and hard of hearing people is 1-800-799-4889. For information on West- ern Lane and Siuslaw Val- ley’s Community Support Team, call 916-802-9705. Visit us on Donations are being accepted at the Rotary Club meeting at the Florence Events Center every Tuesday between 11:30am-Noon or can be dropped off at the Siuslaw News 148 Maple St. in Historic Old Town. CAMPAIGN ENDS SEPTEMBER 3RD. FLORENCE’S 12TH ANNUAL CAR SHOW rodsnrhodies.org FRIDAY / SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 • 12:00 PM TO 6:00 PM • TOP HOT RODS, RAT RODS & CLASSIC CARS TO SHINE SATURDAY / SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 • 9:00 AM TO 4:00 PM • Car Show • Cool Music • Raffle Tickets for Sale - Winner pulled every half hour • 50/50 Raffle • Pinewood Derby Race • Merchant Awards, People’s Choice & Best of Show Presentation • Cruise in Historic Old Town Florence the web T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM S IUSLAW N EWS Sponsored in part by: Coast Radio PeaceHealth Banner Bank Siuslaw News Florence In Bloom Waterfront Depot Three Rivers Casino Sandland Adventures Les Schwab Tire Center Shorewood Senior Living Davison Auto Parts Inc. Napa Subway Florence & Reedsport Darci Clark – Keller Williams Realty Also sponsored by: Oregon Pacifi c Bank Valvoline Oil Change Chad E. Clement, DDS Dairy Queen Florence Johnston Motor Company Beach House Gifts on Bay Street