Program offers
college credit
now
College Now gives kids a head
start
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
On Monday night at the South Lane school board meeting, Cot-
tage Grove High School principal Mike Ingman accompanied by
science teacher Leilagh Boyle and world language teacher Krista
Scoggins made a presentation to the board showcasing the opportu-
nities that students have to get college credits while in high school.
“Academically Cottage Grove High School is one of the top in
the county, at least. And it’s not debatable. Nobody ever says oh no
it’s not. We have the numbers, we have the data to show it’s one of
the top academic high schools in our county,” said Ingman.
The three programs that CGHS utilizes to make this happen are
AP classes, Willamette Promise and College Now.
CGHS offers AP courses in calculus, chemistry, world history,
biology, language and literature. After taking the year-long course,
the students pay an $88 fee to take a test. Students on free and re-
duced lunch have their test fees waived. Based on the score the
students get back, they are then eligible for credit at colleges and
universities across the country.
With College Now, the school is teamed up with Lane Communi-
ty College, Chemeketa Community College and Rogue Community
College students can enroll in a number of courses and get from one
to six credits. Ingman noted that each credit is worth around $100.
The school provides 41 offerings with LCC. These courses of-
fer anywhere from one to six college credits. The classes, that are
taught by 11 different teachers at CGHS, range from general chem-
istry to restaurant operations to video game development.
Last year, the school added Willamette Promise, a program run
by Willamette ESD. The program began four years ago and en-
tered Lane County last year. Through Western Oregon University,
Oregon Tech and Corban University, students can receive college
credits in a number of courses. At CGHS, there are currently three
classes that offer Willamette promise: biology, public speaking and
Spanish.
Scoggins teaches the Spanish class and last year had three stu-
dents earn eight credits in fi rst and second year college Spanish.
“We ask our kids to get better everyday, so why would we ask
less of ourselves?,” said Ingman. “We’re just trying to get better
and try to provide a better education for the kids in our building.”
Bank forecloses
on zombie house
By Caitlyn May
Two outstanding warrants, fi ve cats and a whole lot of rats.
That's what the city of Cottage Grove found in a house on 6th St.
after beginning abatement as part of a new lease agreement con-
jured up to help stem the growing concern over zombie houses.
The house on 6th was the subject of several city council meet-
ings after it was discovered that the owner had stopped paying the
mortgage and moved out of state leaving the home in the hands of
squatters who were causing a sanitation issue in the neighborhood.
The city refused to turn water on at the residence but the inhabitants
were able to obtain other utilities including electricity.
"This is really the last option," City Manager Richard Meyers
told the board Monday night concerning the city's lease agreement
with the former, legal owner of the house. Under the terms of the
agreement, the city pays $12 per year to take possession of the
house and begin remediation on the property.
Meyers also informed the board that the clean-up process was not
going as planned.
"Our regular pest guy actually got nauseas and had to leave the
house," he said. "The swarm or colony or whatever its called rats is
still there." The infestation, Meyers said, is so extensive, the city is
altering its abatement plan.
"We don't want to go in and take all the garbage piles out and the
rats scurry into the neighbors' yards and into the sewer system," he
said. The city will reportedly remove one layer of trash, set traps
and allow exterminators to come in before removing another layer
of trash. The cycle will continue until the house--which still has
approximately $95,000 left on its mortgage--is clean; a process that
is expected to last a few weeks after several individuals were found
living in the dwelling, including the attic space.
City attorneys drew up the lease after several failed attempts to
contact the bank regarding the status of the house. Since signing the
lease last month, Meyers told the board that the bank has begun the
foreclosure process.
"It can be a long process," Meyers told The Sentinel, "so we
will probably still have the lease this year but we're doing minimal
repairs and clean-up because we don't expect to get much of that
back," he said. He also noted that future use of the house could be
limited due to city codes after city offi cials have been inside the
facility.
"Unless the things we know are bad are fi xed, that can lower the
value of the house as well," he said.
Councilman Ken Roberts asked if the city is considering ap-
proaching other zombie homes in the same manner. However, Mey-
ers noted that there is no way to know how many of those homes are
currently in Cottage Grove.
Submitted by Lil Thompson
As the year begins, so does another great Rural Art Movie Jan. 27 beginning at 5:30 p.m. with dinner followed by Bingo at
night, this Saturday, Jan. 13 at Lorane Grange. Come eat deli- 6:30 p.m. It's back on Saturdays, do hope to see many if you there.
cious homemade soup while visiting at 6 p.m., then antics and
School is back on full schedule. Any questions, check with the
an interesting animation feature on equality. A good night for a schools.
date or watching with friends, leave the under 12 at home. Bring
Just a reminder, we gave a great school district! If you know
a dessert to share.
of anyone who would like a quality education in a small school
Lorane Grange meets the third Thursday of the month, Jan. 18 setting with small class sizes, have them call the district offi ce at
at 7 p.m. Their dinner and bingo night is scheduled for Saturday, (541) 935-2100.
More Students of the Month
YONCALLA
YONCALLA
MIDDLE SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL
Fiona Strickland is a 3rd
Grader at Yoncalla Elementary
School. She is the daughter of
Stacey Atwell-Keister & Sean
Strickland. Her hobbies are
drawing and dancing. Fiona
always has a smile on her face
and an uplift ing attitude. She
has an excellent work ethic
and is a positive infl uence for
her peers. Fiona wants to be
a dancer when she grows up.
HAILEY
ORR-COLLINS
Hailey Orr- Collins is a 6th grader
at Yoncalla Elementary School.
She is the daughter of Michelle
and Travis Collins. Her hobbies
include reading fantasy books,
playing basketball and volleyball,
playing with her baby brother
and playing the fl ute in the school
band. Her favorite hobby of all is
drawing “a lot”. Hailey puts her
best eff ort in all academic areas.
Math is her favorite subject. She is
great role model. She is friendly to
all, respectful to peers and adults,
and is always positive & cheerful.
Hailey would like to be either a
professional volleyball player or a
veterinarian when she grows up.
She can’t wait to go to college- only
seven more years to go. Maybe Yale!
YONCALLA
YONCALLA
MIDDLE SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL
FORREST (MAX)
HELMHOLTZ
Forrest (Max) Helmholtz is
a Kindergartener at Yoncalla
Elementary School. He is the son
of April & Gale Helmholtz. His
hobbies are playing with his tracks
& trucks and he loves to play with
his big sister. Max was chosen by his
teacher because she says he is a very
hardworking and that Man is willing
to try new things and approaches
new tasks with a willingness to
“TRY”. He is a good friend to
everyone and has a big heart. He is
respectful, responsible, and strives
hard to follow the classroom rules.
He a delight to have in class. He
wants to be a Cop when he grows up.
11A
City council
wrap-up
cmay@cgsentinel.com
LORANE NEWS
FIONA
STRICKLAND
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL JANUARY 10, 2018
Sapphira Ruiz-Weight is a 4th
Grader at Yoncalla Elementary
School. She is that daughter of Jess
and Sarah Ruiz-Weight. Her hobbies
include reading and doing craft s.
She loves her cats, kittens and dogs.
Sapphira always meets “expected”
behavior inside and outside of the
classroom. She’s an excellent citizen
by being kind and considerate to
all. She cares about her academics
and shows great pride in her work!
When she grows up she would like
to be a zoologist. She also wants to
travel to Egypt, India and Mexico.
SAPPHIRE
RUIZ-WEIGHT
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
The Cottage Grove City Council met Monday, Jan. 8 for
a regularly scheduled meeting spanning yearly awards, up-
dates on road work and housekeeping items.
Nuisance
City Manager Richard Meyers informed the board that
the city has cleaned-up its nuisance ordinance to refl ect
changes to the "Person in Charge." The change comes af-
ter the city's entry into the real estate business by leasing a
zombie house on 6th St.
Cycle Oregon
The popular bike race was forced to cancel its event for
the fi rst time in its history last summer after wildfi res spread
through Oregon but cities are not walking away empty
handed. The organization allowed registered riders to either
collect their fees or opt to donate them to the cities along
the route. Those funds came before the board on Monday
for groups like the rotary club, chamber of commerce and
police fund meant to reimburse the groups who had expend-
ed funds to help set-up, feed or otherwise interact with Cy-
cle Oregon cyclists. The chamber received approximately
$6,000, the rotary club $3,000 and the police fund $1,000.
The funds must pass through a government agency or
non-profi t organization.
Mr. President
Councilor Jake Boone was re-elected as the city council's
president by a unanimous vote motioned by councilor Amy
Slay.
Swinging Bridge
Outspoken residents present during the discussion con-
cerning the repair of the Swinging Bridge last year made
themselves clear: any replacement must swing. However,
according to councilor Garland Burback, some residents
may be changing their tune. Burback informed the council
that several of his neighbors and people in the community
have asked if the city can simply replace the bridge rath-
er than wait for funding and further planning to allow the
bridge to swing. Meyers told the board that city engineers
are currently working on designs for the bridge and could
include options that would not move.
Calendar for a cause
Councilor Amy Slay has produced a calendar of local of-
fi cers for the Cottage Grove Police Department. Funds from
the sale of the calendars will go toward planning the next
Kickin' it with the Cops event this summer. The event--held
for the fi rst time last year--is meant to serve as a way for
community members to meet local law enforcement. Calen-
dars are $15 and are available at the Cottage Grove Police
Department.
YAC
The Youth Advisory Council was invited by Happy Val-
ley to take part in the Youth Advisory Council Day at the
state capital on Feb. 9. Unfortunately, several YAC mem-
bers are involved in school sports and are unable to attend.
Meyers told the board he was hoping to plan a separate YAC
day in the future specifi cally for the Cottage Grove group.
Awards
Grocery Outlet, high school athletic director Gary Rob-
erts and Cheryl Bord were awarded certifi cates from Mayor
Jeff Gowing as outstanding examples of businesses and res-
idents in Cottage Grove. See page B12 for complete cov-
erage.
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C ottage G rove
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S entinel
C ottage G rove
116 N. 6th St.
P.O. Box 35
Cottage Grove, OR
(541) 942-3325
fax (541) 942-3328
www.cgsentinel.com