COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL DECEMBER 27, 2017 3C
Kennedy continued from A1
It’s part of Henson’s
teaching style; reassurance
with a dash of tough love.
It’s why his language
arts class can descend into
a conversation about space
travel and veer back to
align with a discussion on
topic sentences and the-
sis statements. Students
get two-minute cell phone
breaks and when they work
independently to ferret out
key terms, they can do so
while listening to rock mu-
sic from Henson’s com-
puter or their own through
borrowed headphones.
“I have one student who
says, ‘I can’t do it. I can’t
do it.’ Every time.” Hen-
son said of one of his com-
bination kids. “They do
it and say, ‘I did it’ and I
tell them, ‘Yes, you did it,
just like last time. I always
look at it as a choice. At
Kennedy, it’s this micro-
cosm of choices,” he said.
Another choice
Odysseyware is a com-
puter-based
program
taught by one teacher who
reviews student work and
holds a weekly check-in.
It requires 15 hours a week
broken into three hours a
day, Monday through Fri-
day. It affords students up
to six credits a term, two
less than the cohort model.
“It’s for kiddos who are
behind, to get them up to
speed,” Ketcher said. “Ide-
ally, we want to cycle them
out of Odysseyware and
into the cohorts.”
It’s an ideal program for
students who don’t quite fi t
into the cohort model due
to a variety of circumstanc-
es that range from having
anxiety to simply being
behind in their schooling.
They can catch-up and
acclimate to school again
while earning credits that
will add up to the golden
number for a diploma: 75.
A spark
A key in the mission of
Kennedy is to get students
to be at school. It often
feels getting attendance
up is not just half the bat-
tle, but is the entirety of
the war. So after former
principal Mike Ingman
and Ketcher attended a
conference about students
pursuing what ignites them
– their spark – the school
took the idea and ran with
it.
To get students excited
about what they are learn-
ing, it starts with the teach-
ers. They focus on what
kids are passionate about
and, with input from the
students, create a class that
meets twice a week based
around a topic. The teach-
er, in the role of a facilita-
tor, guides the conversa-
tion and lessons to where
the students are interested
in going.
The sparks fi lled a gap
for students who had be-
moaned the fact that Ken-
nedy offered no elective
courses. In an effort to
break up the steady rhythm
of the school day these
classes let students dive
into something they are
interested in. This year,
those interests include a
green team, crafts, music,
basketball and storytelling.
“The whole idea is it
was kind of part of our
thing to increase student
attendance. If you are do-
ing something that kind of
interests you, you’re more
likely going to come to
school,” said Jessica Mar-
tinez, the GED instructor
at Kennedy and also the
leader of the green team
spark.
“If you’re doing some-
thing you like, you’re
more likely to like push
through those things like
challenges and not be like,
‘Ugh, I give up. It sucks.’
And so you know, it has
a lot of really good things
because one it’s fun, two it
helps you kind of develop
those skills and gives you a
reason to want to be here.”
Helping kids fi nd hobbies
Much like adults can benefi t from par-
ticipating in hobbies, children can reap
rewards from engaging in hobbies. Ac-
cording to the Child Development Insti-
tute, hobbies give children a chance to
express themselves. The CDI also notes
that hobbies can play an important role in
children’s self-discovery and boost their
self-esteem.
• Involve kids in your own hobbies. Kids
look up to their parents and often want to
emulate what their mothers and fathers
do. If possible, involve children in your
own hobbies. Gardeners can teach their
youngsters how to grow and tend to a gar-
den, while painters can host family paint-
ing nights where everyone is encouraged
to create their own masterpiece. Parents
whose hobbies are more adult-oriented,
like woodworking, can still involve their
children. For example, work with children
to design a new item, then show them how
the item goes from paper to fi nished prod-
uct; just avoid allowing them to use any
unsafe tools or machines.
• Let kids choose an activity. While
some children might take to hobbies their
parents favor, others might need to be giv-
en some freedom to fi nd their own activi-
ties. Afford youngsters this chance, recog-
nizing that it might take some time before
kids fi nd an activity that genuinely sparks
their passion.
• Be a source of encouragement. Some
hobbies may prove more diffi cult than kids
fi rst imagined, requiring some persever-
ance before they can be enjoyed fully. In
such instances, observe youngsters while
they engage in the activity. If they appear
to be enjoying themselves but are period-
ically frustrated, encourage them to keep
trying. If kids appear to be disinterested in
overcoming any struggles, then they might
benefi t by pursuing another hobby.
• Don’t hesitate to focus on fun. Hob-
bies can teach kids valuable lessons and
provide a sense of fulfi llment, but it’s im-
portant that parents not overlook the im-
portance of fun in regard to their children’s
hobbies. Hobbies can provide children
with the same respite from busy schedules
that they do adults, and that break should
be as fun as possible.
Hobbies can enrich the lives of children.
Finding the right activity may require
some patience on the part of parents and
youngsters alike.
Students of the Month
NORTH DOUGLAS
E/M
Macey Mello is the North
Douglas Student of the
Month. Macey has great
attendance,
she
has
increased her independence
and social skills, and she
also helps her school by
helping cafeteria staff daily!
December
MACEY MELLO
Cottage North
Grove
Sentinel
Douglas Fire & Rescue
116 N. 6th St.
541-942-3325
531 • South
Cedar St.
www.cgsentinel.com
Drain, OR 97435
LATHAM
ELEMENTARY
As a fi rst grader at
Latham, Reed Meyers
is a natural leader.
He always works
hard and consistently
demonstrates his
personal best. He is
also a great friend to
everyone. We are proud
to have Reed represent
Latham as our Student
of the Month!
REED MEYERS
Stacy’s Covered
Bridge
541-746-1583
401 Main St, CG 541-767-0320
epud.org
BOHEMIA
ELEMENTARY
SOLAY
HERNANDEZ
Solay Hernandez is a fi rst
grader in Mrs. McClean’s
classroom. She is a kind,
hard working student
who always does her best
and sticks with a task until
it is done. She focuses and
gives her whole attention
in class discussions. She
shows kindness and
patience when working
with others. She is
defi nitely a star student!
401 MAIN STREET • COTTAGE GROVE
541-767-0320
Sawyer Weybright has been
chosen for our December
Student of the Month. Sawyer
has done a fantastic job for
Trimester 1 and all of her
teachers have very positive
comments to share. We look
forward to the great things
she will accomplish the next 4
years!
South Lane County
Fire & Rescue
233 Harrison Ave • 541-942-4439
southlanefi re.org
FAITH ELLIOTT
Faith Elliott 7th grade
Hobbies: Coloring, walking
cats, Volleyball, Social media
Faith was nominated as
student of the month because
of her citizenship and respect
for others. Faith is wonderful
to have in class. She volunteers
to give answers, pass back
papers to fellow students, is
willing to help others when
they are struggling on a
problem and always has a big
smile on her face. Faith wants
to become an international
lawyer who is an advocate for
human traffi cking victims.
She plans to go to Oklahoma
University to study law.
STACY’S COVERED BRIDGE RESTAURANT
COTTAGE GROVE NORTH DOUGLAS
HIGH SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL
SAWYER
WEYBRIGHT
YONCALLA
MIDDLE SCHOOL
YONCALLA
HIGH SCHOOL
Amy is an honor roll student,
enrolled in college classes,
Student Council Treasurer,
involved
in
National
Honor Society, FBLA and
is a three sport athlete
participating in volleyball,
basketball, and soft ball.
AMY DOOLEY
North Douglas Fire & Rescue
531 South Cedar St.
Drain, OR 97435
SHAUNASI
HARDY
Shaunasi Hardy 11th Grade
Hobbies: School Sports,
Th ree sport student-athlete
Shaunasi has done an
outstanding job this year
in Engineering/Design and
has produced, designed and
engineered a model that is
quite good and should be
competitive in the Oregon
State
student
bridge
competition.
Shaunasi
wishes to become a high
school music teacher. Great
Quote: “ I’m not a fi sh”
Cottage Grove Sentinel
116 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3325
www.cgsentinel.com
