Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 2017)
School News December 27,2017 A monthly newsletter covering area schools Kennedy series "Bad Kids" continues The Sentinel's seven-part series chronicling a year in the life of Al Kennedy High School con- tinued last week with an in-depth feature on how Kennedy works. Classes, schedules and opportu- nities make up students' days and to understand their successes and challenges, it's essential to un- derstand how they spend their school day. Part II is available in its entirety at cgsentinel. com. Below, a sample of the latest installment. It’s Christmastime at Kennedy. Once upon a time, that meant a family dinner, prepared by students and staff in the kitchen of their old portable trailers in the footprint of the old high school. But Delight Valley isn’t the old por- table trailers. Its kitchen is responsible for turning out six meals a day—plus snacks for a pack of hungry preschoolers and has little room for a ca- sual, lighthearted and somewhat haphazard cook- ing parties meant to mark the start of the holiday season and the end of the fi rst half of the school year. So, on Dec. 14, in the minutes before winter break would see the school empty for two weeks, there weren’t several courses of food laid out on the cafeteria tables. But, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a party. “Hey! Guys!” Kennedy Principal Halie Ketch- er really likes Christmas. In Christmas leggings, a Christmas sweater and a necklace of fl ashing Christmas lights, she shouts over the restless- ly excited chatter of approximately 40 students. They’re 30 minutes away from winter break and even closer to getting one of the Christmas pres- ents Ketcher guards. Their conversations come to a California stop, some still rolling on. “Are you buying it for her?” “He’s not a super senior.” “We have to pay for Snapchat now because of that In- ternet stuff.” (The FCC voted earlier in the day to eliminate net neutrality). One more shout from Ketcher and the road is clear. It’s time to recognize outstanding students of the month and hand out presents: lotion, soda, candy, gloves, knick-knacks and gift cards that Ketcher warns are worth $5 each, encouraging students to repeat the amount back to her because she will not repeat herself. Each month, Kennedy recognizes a student who has shown growth, determination, passion and persistence and for December, it’s Sophie. She’ll speak at the next South Lane School Board meeting as a reward. She’s nervous. And while the celebration normally ends with a round of applause for students like Sophie, to- day is different. There’s a special announcement. There’s a new Kennedy graduate. Nathaniel Mulhall will return this spring to walk with his class but today, he’s done. He’s completed all 75 credits required by the state of Oregon in time to qualify as a four-year (not fi ve- year) graduate. It’s easy to see the pride among his teachers and the excitement in his peers as the cafeteria ex- plodes in congratulations for the boy in the back hiding under his hood. The thing that’s a bit harder to single out though is what it took to get here, to this moment of ju- bilee because at Kennedy, things work a little dif- ferently. Mulhall was part of the cohort group of stu- dents. It’s one of three options for students who choose Kennedy over the traditional Cottage Grove High School and most resembles a sched- ule one might fi nd there. Students have different teachers and rotate classes throughout the day with a lunch period in between. But it’s only one option. Kennedy also offers a GED program and something called Odysseyware that can be com- bined with the cohort or GED program. Telling stories Danny Henson doesn’t teach Odysseyware or GED. No one does, really, in the traditional sense. He mans the language arts class and storytelling spark--a unique component of the cohort model. At Kennedy though, not everything is black and white and so Henson has students who are in Odysseyware class in the morning and spend the afternoon with him. It’s part of what draws some students to this school: the ability to choose and receive dedicated time from their instructors. In his storytelling spark students explore dif- ferent ways to tell stories and the fundamentals that build narrative. They complete assignments that ask them to interview their favorite characters from their favorite stories. Who are the charac- ter’s friends and family? Where were they born? Where do they go when they’re angry? What’s their favorite possession? Some questions are ob- vious, others, students have to use their storytell- ing chops to create the answers. When they indulge in typical high school grip- ing over assignments, he refocuses their attention and doesn’t let anyone off the hook. Please see KENNEDY pg.3 Community donates supplies to South Lane School District School newspaper coming back with a roar B eginning in January, "School News" will be occupied by a new South Lane School District received a generous donation of school supplies from School House Sup- plies located in Portland, Oregon last week. The supplies were generated from their annual School Supply Drive in which local sponsors help generate school supplies for kids. The Cottage Grove Safeway was a part of the drive this year. Every donation made in the Cottage Grove Safeway went to purchasing supplies for South Lane School District. South Lane School District School Board Chair Alan Baas, and Superintendent Krista Parent wish to thank Safeway and the generosity of the Cottage Grove Community. The school supplies will be divided amongst the schools and delivered out to them in the next few weeks. *Provided by South Lane School District. Lincoln announces after school clubs Lincoln Middle School is excited to announce several new after school clubs this winter and spring. Using funding from Measure 98, we have hired Christina Kent as our new After School Coordinator. Currently we are offering Photography and Science Experiments classes. After winter break we hope to also add classes on art, movie reviews, cooking, and the outdoors. Our goal is not only to bring fun new opportunities to kids, but also to strengthen our relationships with them and help improve atten- dance. Classes are taught not only by staff members, but by community members as well. Keep up-to-date on education stories all month long by logging onto cgsentinel.com. To follow along during school board meetings, follow us on Twitter by following @cgsentinel tenant: The Lion's Roar. The Cottage Grove High School student-led newspa- per was discontinued after the school's former yearbook instructor retired and began drawing attention for her cos- tume creations at Cottage The- atre and soon, high schoolers at her former stomping grounds will be earning attention of their own with the release of the fi rst new edition of the Li- on's Roar. Media instructor Garrett Bridgens has teamed with the Sentinel to provide an opportu- nity for students to learn the ba- sics of journalsm and print their own paper. Students began working on the project in September and have since named editors, re- porters, photographers and a graphics team to head their pub- lication. After completing a story bud- get, students have begun writing and are readying for publica- tion. The fi rst edition of the Lion's Roar is set to publish Jan. 25 as a special insert to the Sentinel. Take Us Back to College Special Digital Subscription Rates for Students Your digital subscription keeps you connected to the people and places you know and love with unlimited access for as little as $10.00 per year! Cottage Grove Sentinel Your Hometown News In Print, Online & Mobile 541.942.3325 • www.cgsentinel.com
