School News
A monthly newsletter covering area schools
February 28, 2018
A look at teen parenthood at Kennedy
BY
CAITLYN MAY AND ZACH SILVA
The
Sentinel's
series
chronicling a year at the
community's alternative high
school continued this month.
In part four, the story examined
the struggles of teen pregnancy
and parenthood. To read the
complete fourth story in the
"Bad Kids" series, please visit
cgsentinel.com
Speaking in front of the South
Lane School Board is part of
the prize for earning student
of the month at one of the
community’s two high schools.
It’s meant to be an honor but
for most, it’s nerve-wracking.
Students approach the dais and
sit before the board to give
updates on their schools and
tell the seven board members
and superintendent how they’ve
grown, what they’ve learned
and how they got there.
On Nov. 6, Kalie Heiser
detailed her long road. She told
the board she had struggled
with and beat addiction. She’d
faced homelessness and family
tensions. The Kennedy senior
shared her hopes of becoming
a beautician and, with her belly
rounded under the table, that
she was scheduled to take her
GED exam the next day and
give birth shortly after. She
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 security 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 politics 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
daycare 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 started her senior
Scholarship deadlines
approaching
The Cottage Grove Com-
munity Foundation's scholar-
ship program offers a way for
graduating seniors from any
school within the South Lane
School District to apply for
over 40 awards valued at a total
of over $70,000. One applica-
tion makes the student eligible
for any scholarship where they
meet the criteria. Awards are
from $500 to $2,000. There are
awards for students attending
LCC or trade school programs
at community colleges or pri-
vate schools. There are special
awards for students who want
a career in the medical, engi-
neering, veterinarian, educa-
tion, mental health, business or
agricultural careers. Financial
need and overcoming obstacles
are more important that the fi nal
grade point average. The list of
scholarship, instructions and the
application form are available
from any of the school's coun-
selors or on the CGCF website,
CGCFoundation.org. Deadline
is March 15.
Each year, Oregon Communi-
ty Foundation offers opportunity
to Oregon students by awarding
nearly $10 million in scholar-
ships for higher education and
training. With more than 500
funds that make a bright future
more accessible, OCF has one
of the largest scholarship pro-
grams of its kind in the U. S.
The deadline for students to
apply for funding for their high-
er education and training in the
2018-19 school year is March 1.
OCF has partnered with the
Offi ce of Student Access and
Completion for nearly 30 years.
This state agency makes the
scholarship process especially
simple for students, who can
complete a single application
form to be eligible for scholar-
ships from OCF, as well as from
many other public and private
sources.
The challenges that Oregon
students face include the high
cost of post-secondary edu-
cation, OCF found in a 2015
research paper. Oregon is the
seventh least-affordable state
for low-income families attend-
ing four-year institutions. Our
community colleges are third
least-affordable in 15 western
states. Even modest awards
infl uence enrollment and com-
pletion, and larger awards have
even greater impact, the re-
search showed.
year, where she had Braxton
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 doing
awesome, you’re kicking butt.
You’re going to school and
you’re a parent.’”
When Mullen became a
parent, she was a cheerleader,
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.
SLSD INCLEMENT WEATHER
PROCEDURE OUTLINED
Snow days are few and far
between in South Lane School
District but when the winter
weather manages to create
dangerous road conditions, the
district takes action.
The district's procedure
includes notifying designated
media sources if schools must
close due to weather or any
other emergency. Information
is also shared via Flash Alerts,
an online news service and the
district's social media including
Instagram
(@SouthLaneSD)
and Twitter (@SouthLane_SD).
Bus routes may be modifi ed
in the event of inclement
weather. According to the
district's website, "School
buses will travel main roads
only. Bus drivers have the
option to modify their routes
more extensively with regard
to safety and road conditions."
For a complete list of roads
drivers will not service during
inclement weather, please visit
slane.k12.or.us.
The district also requests that
parents keep contact information
up-to-date with their child's
school. "South Lane School
District may use an automated
dialer to call and email staff
and students regarding school
related emergencies.
It is
important that your child's
school has updated phone and
email information for this to
be a success," the emergency
procedure reads.
South Lane School District
closed all schools on Feb. 22
after Cottage Grove reported
approximately one inch of snow
as well as black ice.
Senior portraits
due
MARCH 6th
$25 late fee
“We know for many students
cost is a major road block to
achieving post-secondary ed-
ucation,” said Max Williams,
OCF President and CEO. “At
Oregon Community Founda-
tion, we want to break down the
barriers that keep students from
achieving their dreams. Schol-
arships provide opportunity for
students who are proving them-
SCHOLARSHIPS PG. C2
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meetings and other school news all
month long
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