COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL AUGUST 30, 2017
N. Douglas hosts seismic camp
Seismic
energy pro-
duced a va-
riety of reactions on a summer
Monday afternoon at North
Douglas High School, ranging
from groans and face-palms to
whoops and high fi ves.
Disappointment or joy hinged
on one factor: How sturdy is
your pasta/candy tower?
One by one, teams of middle
schoolers carried their creations
to an earthquake simulation de-
vice brought to class by student
instructors from Oregon State
University. Every team handed
over custom-made structures
to get vibrated with increasing
tempo. Those with stability and
balance survived. Those with
insuffi cient support toppled.
Whatever the outcome, kids
got second and third chanc-
es to absorb what they learned
and to try, try again. Alex Gray
of Drain, 11, gave credit to her
partner, 12-year-old Tristan
Cloudt of Roseburg, for coming
up with the idea to form trian-
gles of spaghetti on their proj-
ect’s sides and base. They also
had a strategy for selecting can-
dy to join the pasta strands.
“Marshmallows are fl imsy, so
I need these (gumdrops) for ex-
By Tricia Jones
For The Sentinel
tra support,” Alex said.
One table over, partners Riley
Stevenson and Anderson Harris,
both 12-year-old Roseburg resi-
dents, pondered how to meet the
OSU students’ height require-
ments for the lesson without
risking structure collapse.
“We need less mass on top
and less weight on top, so we’re
modeling it on the Eiffel Tow-
er,” Anderson said.
The lesson was part of Dis-
cover the Engineer in You, one
of a series of career and tech-
nical education summer camps
taking place for a second con-
secutive year at schools and oth-
er sites across Douglas County.
The series of Expanding Hori-
zons camps available through a
grant secured by the Umpqua
Valley STEAM Hub. The Hub
works in partnership with OSU,
area CTE programs, Umpqua
Training
&
Employment,
Umpqua Community College,
Douglas Education Service Dis-
trict, Oregon State University
and the Area Health Education
Center of Southwest Oregon.
Depending on where students
report for camp, they may spend
the day welding, building bird-
houses, installing a bike rack,
fashioning stepping-stones from
fresh concrete or dissecting cow
eyes.
North Douglas School Dis-
trict Superintendent John Lah-
ley said the district was pleased
to host an Expanding Horizons
camp, in part because the cur-
riculum aligns with school dis-
trict goals.
“The camps fi t in well with
our commitment to offering our
kids programs that spark crit-
ical thinking, and also expose
students to ideas and skills that
can play a role in their future ca-
reers,” Lahley said.
The engineering camp at
North Douglas was taught by
the same student staff conduct-
ing a similar camp in July at
Coffenberry Middle School in
Myrtle Creek. At both sites, the
four OSU students arrived with
materials that would provide
kids with numerous hands-on
activities. OSU biology major
Shelby Versteeg said she and her
co-instructors scheduled lessons
on water purifi cation, building
speakers, designing catapults,
racing solar cars and an exercise
modeled on the television show
“Shark Tank.” In that session,
kids try to “sell” their designs to
potential “investors” (the OSU
quartet).
In addition, time was set aside
for the North Douglas kids to
visit Orenco Systems in Suther-
lin, and to tour Umpqua Com-
munity College.
Versteeg said some of the kids
signed up for the camp are gen-
uinely interested in engineering.
Others, less enthusiastic, might
have been directed by parents
who wanted them out of the
house and doing something pro-
ductive in summer.
“Some kids come here confi -
dent to take on the challenges,
and others are not quite so sure,”
she said. “We do baby steps and
fl oat around to the teams giving
advice – ‘Have you tried this, or
this?’ And we take breaks with
word games or playing tag.”
In Monday afternoon’s earth-
quake strategies lesson, kids
had to do more than design
temblor-resistant
structures.
They had to consult a purchase
order form to “buy” materi-
als and meet building require-
ments, while documenting what
worked and what didn’t. They
also had to keep to a budget of
$20 million for all structures
they produced.
After creating one successful
design, Drain residents Breanna
Smith, 14, and 15-year-old Zia
McKeithen decided to econo-
mize for the next. “The linguine
was very expensive, so we’re
making this one out of spaghet-
ti,” Breanna said.
Riley and Anderson, whose
Eiffel Tower stood fi rm under
shaking, were ready to try a
different style of building. An-
derson was quick to admonish
a visitor getting close to Design
No. 2.
“Please don’t shake it. We’re
not doing stress work yet,” he
said.
3A
Opal Theatre
readies another play
On September 15th, the curtains at the Opal Center will part for
a very special group of woman and men ages 10 to 60+, who love
to act. What makes this group so special is that they have disabili-
ties of all ranges. Carmen Dowell, a Cottage Grove artist, began a
series of free acting workshops for people with disabilities about 6
months ago. During these workshops, they were able to write a play
that catered to each actor’s disabilities. This group, named Creative
Chaos, will perform their play at the Opal Center in Cottage Grove
on September 15-17 and 22-23. Tickets are $10 and available now
through opalcentercg.org.
Creative Chaos was conceived when founder Carmen Dowell’s
best friend Monica Venice, who has Down Syndrome, wanted to
act. Dowell explains, “A few years ago, I took her to an audition and
the director told us to leave and didn’t even give her the opportunity
to audition. This was the fi rst time I had witnessed discrimination to
Monica for having a disability.” Dowell was shocked and outraged.
“I made it my mission to help fulfi ll her dream of being on stage.”
And that determination has paid off; Monica has been cast in two
plays since that fi rst bad audition experience.
Since Monica has fulfi lled her acting dream, Dowell began to re-
alize how many of Monica’s peers shared the same dream. “Before
I knew it, many of her/my friends with disabilities were approach-
ing me asking when I was going to get them on stage.” Says Dow-
ell. This led her to create Creative Chaos, an all-inclusive acting
company for individuals with disabilities who want to be on stage
in January 2017. The company is already planning for their pro-
duction in September 2018. “There are going to be LOTS of fairy
tales!” Dowell says, laughing.
Tickets for Creative Chaos’ fi rst production are $10 each and
are on sale now at Opal’s website, opalcentercg.org or at their box
offi ce in Cottage Grove, the Crafty Mercantile, 517 E Main Street.
The Opal Center is located at 513 E Main Street, Cottage Grove.
This production is sponsored by Trips, Inc. and Dirt Cheap Copies.
IN BRIEF
Humane Society
The Humane Society of Cottage Grove is offering two new cou-
pons that will be available at This ‘n’’ That corner Shop at 33 N.
8th Street, Cottage Grove. Shop hours are 10-5 Monday-Saturday.
There will be 100 Mom Cat Special coupons, good for $30 off the
cost of spaying a female cat, and there will be 100 rabies coupon,
good for $10 off the cost of a rabies shot for a dog or cat. Coupons
are good at both Cottage Grove and Forest Valley Veterinary Clin-
ics in Cottage Grove, and Creswell Veterinary Hospital and South
Willamette Veterinary Clinic in Creswell.
HSCG continues to have the $20 off s/n coupons, good for dogs
and cats.
New church
Hope in the Grove will host its fi rst church service on September
10 at 8:30 a.m. with Pastor Rob Walker at the Cottage Grove Com-
munity Center Shepherd Room. For more information, contact Terri
Madsen at (541) 520-9529.
Oral Health Habits to Maintain a Beautiful Smile
W
ith beach season in full swing, many men
and women are trying to put their best
body forward to appeal to others. How-
ever, according to a February 2009 survey from the
American Dental Association and Crest(R) and Oral
B(R) the smile outranks eyes, hair and the body as the
most attractive physical feature on a person. Th erefore,
taking care of your teeth and smile is essential.
Men and women diff er when it comes to taking care
of their teeth and gums. A nationwide survey of 1,000
Americans ages 18 and older found 86 percent of wom-
en brush their teeth twice or more a day, yet only 66
percent of men do so.
Th e survey also found that women say they change
their toothbrush or power toothbrush head every 3 to
4 months on average, yet men hang on to theirs an av-
erage of 5 months. Th e ADA recommends replacing
toothbrushes every 3 to 4 months or when the bristles
become frayed since frayed and worn bristles decrease
cleaning eff ectiveness.
Most people need to do a better job of fl ossing their
teeth. Only half of those surveyed (49 percent) say they signal gum disease or another health problem.
fl oss their teeth once a day or more oft en. And 1 out of
Oral health is an important part of overall health.
3 people surveyed think a little blood in the sink aft er Regular dental check-ups are important not only to
brushing their teeth is normal, yet it’s not -- it could diagnose and treat gum disease and tooth decay, but
also because some diseases or medical conditions, such
as oral cancer, have symptoms that can appear in the
mouth.
Growing research indicates there may be an associa-
tion between oral health and serious health conditions
such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, underscor-
ing the importance of good oral hygiene habits.
“We need to constantly get the word out how im-
portant it is to stay on top of your oral health,” says Dr.
Ada Cooper, an ADA consumer advisor and practicing
dentist in New York City. “Brushing twice a day with
fl uoride toothpaste, fl ossing daily, eating a balanced
diet, and visiting your dentist regularly can help keep
your smile healthy.”
Forget hair, eyes and body ... a recent survey found
For more information on oral health, visit the Amer-
that people consider the smile the most attractive fea- ican Dental Association’s Web site at: www.ada.org.
ture in a person.
This message is brought to you by these local sponsors:
Douglas G. Maddess, DMD
Dentistry
with
Family
in Mind
Brent Bitner, DDS
C ALL U S T ODAY !
Brightening Lives
One Smile at a Time
Preventive and Cosmetic
Family Dentistry
541.942.7934
350 E. W ASHINGTON A VENUE • C OTTAGE G ROVE
WWW.CGSMILES.COM
Come in & see us!
New Patients Welcome