8A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL FEBRUARY 21, 2018
Kennedy
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graduated from Kennedy on Nov. 7th.
*
Delight Valley is diffi cult to explain to those
who have never been there.
When Kennedy High School made the move to
the location in the summer of 2017, it was with the
understanding that it would be sharing the space
with a few dozen preschoolers who utilized some
of the buildings as part of the Head Start program.
Six months in, it’s easy to see the compromises
that allow 94 high school students to co-exist with
toddlers.
Entry gates have bungee cords for added secu-
rity and signs asking that visitors ensure the gates
are latched to keep little ones inside. The outdoor
hallways that lead to crisscrossing paths dotted
with one-story, single classroom buildings are
adorned with decorations crafted by tiny hands.
And just beyond the principal’s offi ce, there’s a
playground. A chain-
link fence surrounds
the seesaw and slide
and on nice days,
three-year-olds take
turns on the swings
and engage in the pol-
itics of sharing in the
sandbox.
Weston Mullen isn’t
in the sandbox though.
He’s not waiting his
turn for the swings or
standing in line for
the slide. The toddler
is at a different day-
care at Cottage Grove
High School where
his mother, Amanda,
will pick him up after
completing her day at
Kennedy.
She’ll walk into the
same school she start-
ed her senior year,
where she had Brax-
ton Hicks contractions
during class that sent
her home and where she fell behind in her school
work. Cottage Grove High School is one of fi ve
high schools Mullen attended between Eugene,
Creswell and Cottage Grove before she landed in
Delight Valley. Like most of her fellow Kennedy
students, she found what she needed there.
“They’ll be days where I’m dragging my feet
and I just don’t feel like a super parent,” she said.
“One of the teachers will be like, ‘Hey you’re do-
ing awesome, you’re kicking butt. You’re going
to school and you’re a parent.’”
When Mullen became a parent, she was a cheer-
leader, a good student in Creswell and 16-years-
old.
“When I got pregnant everyone was like,
‘What?’ They didn’t expect me to get pregnant,”
she said.
But, she did. And so did a lot of other teenagers.
SLMH director set to leave
Feb. 22
A farewell reception for Tom
Wheeler, South Lane Mental
Health’s long-time executive di-
rector, will take place on Thurs-
day, Feb. 22, from 3 to 6 p.m.
at the First Presbyterian Church,
216 S. Third St. in Cottage
Grove. Wheeler is retiring after
25 years leading the non-profi t
organization.
The event is also to welcome
South Lane Mental Health’s
new executive director, Damien
Sands, who was hired in No-
vember following a nationwide
search. Sands most recently
worked for the Oregon Com-
munity Foundation out of their
South West Valley offi ce. He
comes to South Lane Men-
tal Health with over 25 years
in health and human services,
working in various roles at the
non-profi t, county, and state lev-
els.
Wheeler joined South Lane
Mental Health in 1992. At that
time, there were fi ve staff and 50
clients. Under Wheeler’s lead-
ership, the agency has grown
to 105 employees serving more
than 2,200 individuals and fam-
ilies a year through a wide array
of mental and behavioral health
services.
South Lane Mental Health,
established in 1988, provides
counseling, crisis response,
substance use disorder services,
and case and medication man-
agement for Cottage Grove area
adults and children. South Lane
Mental Health also provides
housing and support for individ-
uals with persistent and severe
mental illness so they can live as
independently as possible in the
community. In addition to sev-
eral offi ces in Cottage Grove,
South Lane Mental Health has
an offi ce in Springfi eld, and also
serves residents of North Doug-
las County. To learn more about
South Lane Mental Health, visit
www.slmh.org.
Applications for open council seat
The city of Cottage Grove is currently taking applications to fi ll the council
seat being vacated by Amy Slay on Feb. 28. Applicants must be at least 18
years old, have live in Ward 4 at least one year prior to applying and be a
qualifed elector. Applications are available at city hall and due by March 5.
Interviews will take place during the open, public council meeting on March
12. For more information, or to fi nd the boundaries of Ward 4, please visit
cottagegrove.org.
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EVALUATION!
The U.S. leads industrialized countries in teen
pregnancies with 229,715 babies born to mothers
between the age of 15 and 19 in 2015 according to
the Centers for Disease Control. However, 2015
marked the sixth straight year the teen birth rate
in the country has declined to record-low num-
bers and it has been on the decline for decades but
teens are still having babies. According to the Pew
Research Center—a nonpartisan organization that
polls the public on trends, demographics and so-
cial issues—for every 1,000 teen girls, there were
25 live births in 2016.
In 2015, Weston was one of them.
“He was late!” Mullen said, sitting under the
structure that shields Kennedy’s outdoor basket-
ball court from the rain. If not for the dozens of
photos she scrolls through on her phone to fi nd
the perfect snapshot of her son, it would be hard
to tell she was a mother.
“People say that. Even new students that come
to Kennedy say, like, ‘No way you’re a mom.’ But
I am,” she said. “They understand that here and
Brandi is here.”
*
Brandi Baker-Rudicel, the teen parent coor-
dinator in South Lane, Odysseyware and Health
teacher at Kennedy, is all things to teen parents in
Cottage Grove. She answers questions and pro-
vides reading material for curious or confused
expectant mothers but she’s also driven girls to
pre-natal appointments and temporarily cared for
a baby when its mother was sick.
More than anything, Baker-Rudicel under-
stands teen moms. She gets them because she was
once one of them.
At 16, she found herself pregnant, at Kennedy
and looking for a way forward. She found Gay, Al
Kennedy’s wife.
“She would get me connected with housing re-
sources because me and my boyfriend at the time
were out on our own. She would make sure that I
was on track for graduation. She would make sure
that I would understand where to get WIC. How
that all worked. She would make sure I would you
know, shots. Just everything,” said Baker-Rudi-
cel. “I had somebody to talk to, I know I was deal-
ing with some mental health issues at the time and
she would make sure I was connected with coun-
seling, getting ready for college. I don’t think I
ever would have went to college if it wasn’t her
idea.”
Now, married for 20 years, Baker-Rudicel pro-
vides that same guidance for teen parents through-
out the district. On call 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, she directs students to housing, mental
health and other resources in a bid to make stay-
ing in school and earning a diploma a possibility
when statistics suggest otherwise.
“If it wasn’t for Kennedy, I don’t think I would
be able to do it,” Mullen said. In mid-January, she
had only a few credits left before graduating and
was beginning to plan out her future.
Nationwide, approximately two percent of teen
mothers fi nish college before the age of 30. Mul-
len has her eye on community college and then,
maybe a university.
*
Not every teen mother in South Lane School
District ends up at Kennedy but every teen moth-
er encounters Baker-Rudicel who helps them not
only with the logistics of contractions during the
school day or mothering while studying but with
the stigma teen parents still face.
“Teen parents get looked at under the micro-
scope by everybody: by staff, by community
members, by friends, family,” she said. “And they
don’t have the prefrontal cortex going yet, they
don’t have all these things going yet and they’re
doing the best they can and trying to be a teenager
at the same time.”
In February, Baker-Rudicel’s workload de-
creased slightly at Kennedy. Mullen graduated,
leaving the school without any teenage parents.
“Last year was a big year for teen parents, the
district had 21,” Kennedy Principal Halie Ketch-
er said. When asked if they all graduated, Ketch-
er nodded and added, “Or stopped coming to
school.”
Worship
Directory
DRAIN:
HOPE U.M.C.
131 W “A” St. Drain, OR
541-315-1617
Pastor: Lura Kidner-Miesen
Fellowship & Song: 11:30am
Potluck Lunch: 12:00pm
Worship: 12:30pm
Cottage Grove Faith Center
33761 Row River Rd.
541-942-4851
Lead Pastor: Kevin Pruett
www.cg4.tv
Full Childrenʼs Ministry available
Service: 10:00am
Delight Valley
Church of Christ
33087 Saginaw Rd. East
541-942-7711
Pastor: Bob Friend
Two Services:
9am - Classic in the Chapel
10:30am - Contemporary in the
Auditorium
COTTAGE GROVE:
6th & Gibbs Church of Christ
195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822
Pastor: Aaron Earlywine
Youth & Families Pastor:
Seth Bailey
Service times: 9am & 10:30am
Sunday School: 9am for all ages
Christian Education
Nursery for pre-k - 3rd Grade
www.6thandgibbs.com
First Presbyterian Church
3rd and Adams St
541-942-4479
Pastor: Karen Hill
Worship: 10:00am
Sunday School: 10:00am
www.cgpresbynews.com
Calvary Baptist Church
77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290
Pastor: Riley Hendricks
Sunday School: 9:45am
Worship: 11:00am
The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm
Praying Thru Life: Wednesday
6:00pm
Calvary Chapel Cottage Grove
1447 Hwy 99 (Village Plaza)
541-942-6842
Pastor: Jeff Smith
Two Services on Sun:
9am & 10:45am
Youth Group Bible Study
Child Care 10:45am Service Only
www.cgcalvary.org
Center for Spiritual Living
Cottage Grove
700 Gibbs Ave.
(Community Center)
Rev. Bobby Lee
Meets Sunday 3:00 p.m.
cslcottagegrove@gmail.com
Church of Christ
420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565
Sunday Service: 10:30am
Cottage Grove Bible Church
1200 East Quincy Avenue
541-942-4771
Pastor:Bob Singer
Worship 11am
Sunday School:9:45am
AWANA age 3-8th Grade,
Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm
www.cgbible.org
Hope In The Grove
700 E. Gibbs • 401-855-5668
Pastor: Wayne Husk
Sunday services:
Worship: 9am
Coffee Fellowship: 10:15am
Bible Study: 10:30am
Hope Fellowship
United Pentecostal Church
100 S. Gateway Blvd.
541-942-2061
Pastor: Dave Bragg
Worship: 11:00am Sunday
Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday
www.hopefellowshipupc.com
“FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE”
Living Faith Assembly
467 S. 10th St. • 541-942-2612
Pastor Rulon Combs
Worship & Childrenʼs
Church 10:00 am
Youth 180 Mondays 5:30-8pm
Non-Denominational
Church of Christ
1041 Pennoyer Ave
541-942-8928
Preacher: Tony Martin
Sunday Bible Study:10:00am
Sunday Worship:10:50am & 5:30pm
www.pennoyeravecoc.com
Old Time Gospel Fellowship
103 S. 5th St. • 541-942-4999
Pastor: Jim Edwards
Sunday Service: 10:00am
Join in Traditional Christian Worship
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
and St. Philip Benizi
Catholic Churches
1025 N. 19th St.
541-942-3420
Father: Joseph Hung Nguyen
Holy Mass:
Tue-Thu: 8:30am; Sat:5:30pm
Sun: 10:30am
Confession: After daily mass,
Sat. 4-5pm or by appointment
St. Philip Benizi, Creswell
552 Holbrock Lane
541-895-8686, Sunday: 8:30am
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050
Rev. Lawrence Crumb
“Church with the fl ags.”
Worship: Sunday 10:30am
All Welcome
Seventh-day Adventist Church
820 South 10th Street
541-942-5213
Pastor: Kevin Miller
Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am
Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40
Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 1:00
Trinity Lutheran Church
6th & Quincy • 541-942-2373
Pastor: James L. Markus
Sunday School & Adult Education
9:15am
Sunday Worship 10:30 am
Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tue & Thur
5:00pm TLC Groups
tlccg.com
United Methodist Church
334 Washington • 541-942-3033
Pastor:Lura Kidner-Miesen
Worship: 10:30am
Comm. Dinner (Adults $5,
Kids Free)
1st & 3rd Monday 5-6:00pm
umcgrove.org
“VICTORY” Country Church
913 S. 6th Street • 541-942-5913
Pastor: Barbara Dockery
Worship Service: 10:00am
Message: “WE BELIEVE IN
MIRACLES”
Worship With Us!
Our Worship Directory is a weekly feature
in the newspaper. If your congregation
Do you have a family member with
memory loss who lives in a care facility?
The University of Minnesota is examining the effects of an
educational program to support family members with a loved
one in a care facility. It will be led by a trained coach.
Learn more about participating in this free study by contacting
Professor Joe Gaugler at 612.626.2485 or gaug0015@umn.edu.
Visit http://z.umn.edu/transitionmodule to learn more
would like to be a part of this directory,
please contact the
Cottage Grove Sentinel
@ 541-942-3325