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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2021)
SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 | 9A IMPACT from page 6A For all these reasons, the district needs help from the community. “There’s a common good here,” Grzeskowiak said. “We’re going to get a whole lot farther than an “us versus them” mentality. And so, if the ulti- mate goal is to make sure we can keep kids in school and keep educating them, and by doing that, not putting an undue burden on parents and busi- nesses by having these shutdowns.” Stay home when sick The easiest and most effective way to help is to stay home when you’re sick — parents from work if possible, children from school most definitely. “It’s really going to be dependent on the entire community to say, ‘Hey, I’m not feeling well, or my kid’s not feeling well, I’m not going to send my kid to school today,’” Grzeskowiak said. “If you’re unsure how healthy your child is, they’re going to have to spend the rest of the day at home and be fever and symptom free before they come back to school. In any other given year, that’s always something we em- phasize.” If a parent thinks a child has been infected, contact the school before coming in. “We will then work with them to make sure that they can get tested,” Grzeskowiak said “We can’t bring kids back into the building, but we do our own little drive up testing. Have kids sit in the car, parents drive them up, give them a swab, have them wait 15 minutes to check. Typically, if some- body were to be exposed on a Sat- urday, we could then test them on Monday, and then check with county health. A lot of those kids can come back on Wednesday of that week.” He also suggests that people con- sider both masking and vaccinations, two topics that have become hot but- ton national issues that have taken over the political conversation. “Step back and take a look, and take yourself out of the moment for a second,” Grzeskowiak said, acknowl- edging people’s frustration with con- versation. “Yes, there’s a risk with everything you do. There’s a risk in taking a vaccine, but there’s a greater risk of not. If you’re going to make a choice, make a choice on medical re- search.” Finally, last week Oregon Depart- ment of Education Director Colt Gill announced a list of advisories for communities to follow for at least the next month, including that families and school staff should try to limit non-essential gatherings with people outside their households. “That’s the unfortunate reality I think that we’re at,” Grzeskowiak said. “There’s going to be events that peo- ple want to attend, and they would be normal, regular, everyday kid ac- tivities, and I think in any other year, people would normally flock to them. But today, people need to step back and take a second look, and wonder if this is something they really want to send their children to this year. That’s really a decision that people make for themselves. “But know that it’s going to po- tentially impact the ability to attend school.” It’s that way of thinking that Grz- eskowiak has been stressing to his staff. “We’re not telling you how you live your life outside of school, but what you do outside of school directly im- pacts how we can operate and serve the community. It’s about being re- sponsible and knowing that your actions can impact others,” Grzesko- wiak said. “If we’re going to operate a school and maintain the community, be safe and responsible. That’s a fact, that’s a reality.” Grzeskowiak said he was optimistic it can be done. “There’s a bit of hope at the school,” he said. “It is normal operations for the first time in a year and a half, having most everybody back togeth- er, and really moving forward. We’ve got some great new staff coming on across all the buildings. It’s going to be a positive year. I think having ev- erybody here, every day, is going to be good.” ed, but [Oregon has] this other beautifulness in it,” Tsang said. “I would recommend this experience to other students because from a cul- tural perspective, you’re able to learn or enhance your other language and learn more of different cultures across the world.” The ISE program seeks to place foreign exchange students with fam- ilies who are the best fit, Dunton said. After traveling from Europe and Asia, both Carro and Tsang felt com- fortable and ready when they began living with their host families to take on their first days in American class- rooms. It’s less about the location of where students are placed in the U.S., Dunton explained. “Students have wonderful experiences in very remote rural places,” she said. “It is the family and the school that make the program successful.” Urban areas, such as Portland, have higher population rates, so more host families are available and involved in the program. However rural areas like Florence, have a low- er population with fewer families who may not be aware of the pro- gram. There are currently three ex- change students in Lane County and three others in Vernonia, located in the Northern Oregon area. Since the Enlows have been in- volved, it’s been “amazing,” they said. “We’re excited to learn about the [Spanish] culture.” As Carro arrived, the Enlows said they felt overwhelmed, but were equally excited and eager to have an international student living with them in their home. For Mindy, her involvement in the program has felt rewarding in unique ways after connecting with Carro’s parents. “It makes me emotional,” she said. “From a parent’s perspective, I get the full understanding of their [Car- ro’s parents] gratitude. That part of it is a huge privilege to me. It’s just an incredible opportunity, and I’m in STUDENT from page 3A Due to COVID-19 restrictions, about 240 students participated in the program last fall. According to ISE Regional Man- ager Pascale Dunton, about 20 stu- dents were in Oregon during that time. Since then, the international student attendance has more than tripled. In early September, Florence com- munity members Mindy Enlow and her daughter Jaiden welcomed their first international exchange student, Itziar Carro, into their home. After a summer of traveling, the Enlow family became eager to ex- plore different cultures beyond the U.S., they said. Later on, they learned about the ISE program through a family friend and felt compelled to get involved and proceeded with the application process. After their application status and screening were finalized, this made Mindy and Jaiden one of 1,000 host families involved in the program. In addition, they are the only ac- tive host family in the Florence area since before the pandemic surfaced. Carro is scheduled to live here for about one year while attending the local Siuslaw High School. Her purpose for participating in the pro- gram is to immerse herself in the Enlow family, the American culture and the Florence community. “I’m really excited. I thought I was going to be more nervous, and more sad, but I’m really happy and excited for the next year, because it’s going good with their family,” Carro said. “I think the people here are more open.” In total, Lane County has three host families and three interna- tional exchange students this year. Another student, Isaac Tsang, a high school senior based in Eugene from Hong Kong, had originally planned to move last summer. Due to COVID-19 regulations, he post- poned his ISE experience and ar- rived about a month ago. “It’s much quieter and less crowd- awe right now at the whole process.” Based on ISE’s program policies, international students are asked to spend holidays, birthdays and spe- cial events with their host families. According to Bruce Haines, Tsang’s host dad and an ISE area rep- resentative, the three students from Lane County will gather about once a month to hang out and check-in with one another. Students become “a part of the family,” he adds. “You’re a part of the family now,” the Enlows told Carro as they wel- comed her to their house. The ISE program is continuously seeking host families who are inter- ested in getting involved. It is open to all high school students, includ- ing American students who want to study abroad. “For students in the U.S. interest- ed, we have options to study abroad in Spain, France, the Netherlands, London, Italy, Germany, Norway, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Australia, New Zealand and Japan,” Dunton said. In terms of affordability and rates for an American student looking to study abroad, the prices fluctuate and depend on the location, she added. Scholarships and fundraising opportunities are available through the program. “I can say that some countries are more affordable than others. Japan is an extremely expensive country, and so Japan will be far more expensive than going to Spain, for example,” Dunton said. “I think Spain is abso- lutely doable.” Over the years, host families and their students have continued to stay in touch, according to Dunton and Haines. Students have cultivated life- long bonds and relationships with the people they live with and others in their American communities. “This program shrinks borders, beyond the American borders. And that’s so beautiful,” Dunton ex- plained. To learn more, visit iseusa.org. 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Contestants understand that participation in the contest may involve inherent risks, dangers and hazards, which many occur without warning, or be due to lack of conditioning, carelessness, and other unforeseen, unidentified, or unexpected perils inherent in physical activities or weight loss programs. Contestants understand that oversight of the contest by the Siuslaw News or any other sponsors does not and cannot, guarantee their safety. Contestants understand that they should not participate in the contest if they have any health conditions affecting their ability to participate. Contestants have signed release forms to certify they are fully aware of, and expressly assume these and all other risks involved in participating in the contest, and to grant to the Siuslaw News and all contest sponsors and their respective assignees, the absolute right and permission to use their name, address, photograph and/or likeness in any and all advertising, trade, or promotion. Contestants have weighed in at the first contest weigh-in on July 17, 2021 and will weigh-in every Wednesday through October 20, 2021 at the Siuslaw News, 148 Maple Street, 7:30a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Debbie Haring Jo Beaudreau Linda Crowell Linda Goalder Lori Coffindaffer Cassandra Burns Linda Harklerode Nancy Robison DIRK ANDERSON 1.11% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% -0.31% -0.59% -0.80% -0.89% -1.13% 4.56% -2.94% 5.36% 4.19% 6.80% 1.27% 3.96% 1.92% OUNDS LOST TO D AL P A TE TOT 271.4+ DUSTIN WILLIAMS 0.88% MEN’S RESULTS Jim Hecker Dirk Anderson Dustin Williams Brad Koehn Brad Hanscom Al Rojas James McKinney David Crowell Jerry Whiting 1.62% 1.11% 0.88% 0.62% 0.09% 0.00% 0.00% -0.08% -2.05% 3.34% 9.45% 9.64% 6.83% 7.35% 8.87% 5.97% 1.27% 0.80% Sponsored by Diet Tip #8 “Sugar sweetened beverages are empty calories and can be the main culprit for weight gain. When you drink liquid calories, it does not trigger satiety signals which can lead to intake of excess calories. 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