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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 2017)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL NOVEMBER 8, 2017 5A Cottage Grove Retrospective A look back at Sentinel stories from 30 and 60 years ago Al Kennedy starts forestry program, 1987 S cott Bangle, a junior at Cottage Grove High School, hadn't planned on attending school this year. But a new program at the school, de- signed to retain dropouts while teaching them job skills, helped change his mind. The Morepun Project, instituted last spring, incorporates hands-on forestry experience with classroom curriculum in an effort to create a learning alternative for boys who have not done well in a traditional high school setting. The program offers an opportunity for success to boys who have not tasted it be- fore in school, says Al Kennedy, director of the program. That taste has whetted the appetites of the 13 boys participating and helped them assess their goals. "I want to get my diploma," Bangle says. "That's all I'm working for. Last year it seemed so far away, and this year it seems so close." The program is named for an aborigine word meaning "to care," which Principal Ed Otton picked up while teaching in Australia. Kennedy says the term not only describes this program, but refl ects Otton's whole ap- proach to education. In the program, students spend fi ve of their seven daily periods with Kennedy, learning science, math and beginning for- estry in a classroom setting, with a two-pe- riod block devoted to work forestry-related projects on nearby private and federal tim- ber land. Projects range from timber har- vesting and commercial thinning to cone picking and road building. The students also study English and so- cial studies with other teachers. While the students in the project follow a unique schedule, they are not isolated from their classmates and are mixed with other stu- dents in all their classes. What makes their schedule different is spending fi ve periods with one teacher. This offers a continuity for the students and means they are not continually forced to adapt to a different classroom and a differ- ent teacher, Kennedy says. Obviously, another factor is the mutual respect between Kennedy and the boys, and their knowledge that at least one teacher is looking out for them. The hands-on part of the program is also attractive to the boys. "It's not just book work. I get to go out and do physical things - spur climbing or chopping wood for older folks," says soph- omore Eddie Davis. "It fi ts a lot of people in here." Though the students learn specifi c skills, they also learn how to acquire skills, mak- ing them more adaptable and more employ- able, Kennedy says. "We're teaching a process, not a tech- nique," he says. "The skill is not as relevant as the process of learning." Kennedy also tries to instill in his students what he believes is the most important skill needed for getting and keeping a good job - the ability to work diligently and effi ciently. "One thing about these kids is they're not lazy," Kennedy says. "I don't have to go POLICE BLOTTER around trying to make them stay busy. They love being busy." But book learning is not neglected, and students are required to complete the day's classwork before they can participate in the hands-on portion of the program. And, since forestry-related material is integrated with the math and science, students know they must keep up with their assignments if they want to work safely in the fi eld, Kennedy says. One shortcoming of the program, Otton says, is that so far it is limited to boys, but he would like to see a similar program de- veloped to encourage at-risk girls to stay in school. Though students drop out for a multitude of reasons, most at-risk students share sim- ilar behavior patterns, Kennedy says. Many are poorly organized and value free time over school work, he says. "They become addicted to habits of failure, and they like those habits." Kennedy hopes to replace that addiction with an addiction to success, something that these students have experienced little of at school. Though Kennedy admits it is too early to judge the effectiveness of the program, there are many indications that it is keeping the students interested. "I haven't skipped a day so far, and I have almost perfect attendance," Davis says. "That's great - a lot better than last year." National Beat News from the state and around the nation • Rep. Knute Buehler is calling for a special counsel to inves- tigate how the state of Oregon overpaid 16 health care providers in the Medicaid network nearly $74 million. From around the state • Snow has started to fall on Oregon’s mountain passes signaling the start of winter. Snow fell as low as 2,000 feet last weekend on the Santiam Pass while the Co- lumbia River Gorge saw a mix of rain and snow. • Oregon is making national headlines after the States- man Journal’s Natalie Pate reported on a Salem-Keizer School District decision citing Oregon law that required teachers to report sexual abuse to law enforcement. Under the district’s reported interpretation, consenting teenagers—under the legal age to consent—may be reported for confi ding in their teachers regarding their sexual activity. • Senator Ron Wyden has sent a letter to University of Oregon President Michael Schill after Emerald report- er Kenny Jacoby investigated the lack of response by the university’s administration after basketball star Ka- vell Bigby-Williams was suspected of rape. The story was published in Sports Illustrated. "I am deeply trou- bled about recent news stories related to the Universi- ty of Oregon's handling of an alleged serious student misconduct violation of a student athlete. If these re- ports are accurate, the raise major questions about the university's commitment to creating and maintaining a safe campus environment,” Wyden wrote. Cottage Grove Police Department 24-Hour Anonymous Tip Line: 767-0504 October 30 November 1 Principal requests offi cer contact regarding a video fl oating around involving possible animal abuse by former Cottage Grove High School students. Disorderly subject reported. Female walking on the sidewalk, screaming at traffi c and occasionally walking into lanes of travel. Car had to swerve to miss her. Armed suspect reported at 6th St. and Cleveland Ave. Com- plainant reported she was exiting Hillcrest Market and she observed a male subject tucking a handgun into his waistband which was con- cealed under a baggy sweatshirt. Subject was concealing the weap- on, not menacing, subject then departed northbound on 6th St. on foot. Suspicious subject reported on E. Main St. Complainant believed a male subject had defecated in the back of their property. Burglary reported on N. 19th St. Unknown suspect pried open the door on an outbuilding and took numerous tools sometime over the weekend including a trimmer, backpack blower, weed eater and an additional blower. November 2 Complainant came into the police station requesting an offi cer test a substance he found on his child’s bathroom sink. Suspects it may be heroin. Theft reported at Safeway on Main St. Complainant observed subject put something in a backpack. Confronted them but they ran out of the store. Theft in the third degree reported at Safeway on Main St. Subject reportedly stole a roasted chicken and a bottle of wine and ran to- wards the Domino’s parking lot. Subject dropped the chicken. The boys’ soccer team set off the alarm at the high school. Police received a call that the alarm was activated in the east locker room. The boys were returning from a game. • Former U.S. Airman Devin P Kelley, 26, shot and killed 26 people at a Texas church on Sunday, November 5. Local author- ities cite a “domestic situation” as possible motiva- tion. The victims of Sundays shooting were between 18 months and 77 years old. Kelley had previous run- ins with the law including a 2012 charge of assault in which he reportedly fractured his stepson’s skull. The fi rearm used in Sunday’s shooting was reportedly pur- chased legally. From around the nation • Senator Paul Rand suffered from fi ve rib fractures after neighbor Rene Boucher reportedly assaulted the sena- tor. Boucher was released from custody on bail. • The non-partisan Tax Policy Center released its analy- sis of the proposed GOP tax plan this week. The top tax rate under the plan in 39.6 percent on incomes above $1 million and the Center reported 12 percent of taxpayers would receive a tax increase under the plan. According to the analysis, the wealthiest one percent of Americans would receive 48 percent of the benefi ts under the pro- posed plan. November 4 Have you received a DUI? Call (541) 942-8022 Schedule your breathalyzer install today! Automotive Specialties Theft reported on River Rd. A man with a gas can reportedly ap- peared to be siphoning gas from trucks parked outside the fence across from Boyce and Sons. Contraband seized on Hwy. 99 by Dollar Tree. Offi cer response requested to pick up a small baggie containing a white crystalline substance. 424 S. 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Cedric Hayden, Republican District 7 State Representative 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 Phone: (503) 986-1407 Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/ hayden E-Mail : rep.cedrichayden@state.or.us TURNING 65 AND NEED HELP WITH YOUR MEDICARE CHOICES? “Brightening Lives One Smile at a Time” 914 S. 4th Street Cottage Grove 541-942-1559 www.douglasgmaddessdmd.com Call Paul to help simplify the complicated. 541-517-7362 Paul Henrichs ~ Independent Agent coverage4oregon@gmail.com