Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2019)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019 | 7A Series from A1 Save with Frontier Internet Bundles Pay one price for two great services: high-speed Internet Serious speed! and a full-featured home phone Bundle and save today Simply Broadband Max BROADBAND ULTRA + PHONE + SECURE 19 67 97 99 Per Month Per Month With Qualifying Phone Service 12 Mbps + Free Wi-Fi Router + 2 Year Price Lock Protect Your Identity, Devices & Files 6 Mbps + Free Wi-Fi Router + 1 Year Price Lock Call today and pay less 855-972-6641 You can’t get BS from a buffalo. *Internet access service and charges not included. Frontier does not warrant that the service will be error-free or uninterrupted. Nest products: Additional $9 shipping fee per Nest device. Nest products must be purchased with new Internet service or eligible Frontier Secure services. Taxes, governmental and Frontier-imposed surcharges, minimum system requirements and other terms and conditions apply. Nest®, Nest Learning Thermostat™, Nest Protect™, Nest Cam™ and the Nest logo are trademarks or service marks of Nest Labs, Inc. ©2017 Frontier Communications Corporation Imagine The Difference You Can Make DONATE YOUR CAR 1-844-533-9173 FREE TOWING TAX DEDUCTIBLE Help Prevent Blindness Get A Vision Screening Annually Ask About A FREE 3 Day Vacation Voucher To Over 20 Destinations!!! Your one-stop shop. •Printing & • Notery Services Document Finishing • Postal products & • Packing & shipping services • Mailbox Services • ID/Passport photos The UPS Store Safeway Shoppping Mall 1498 E. Main St., Ste 103 Cottage Grove, OR 97424 541.767.0888 theupsstore.com/5813 Hours: Mon-Fri Sat. Sun 8:00 am-6:00pm 9:00am-5:00pm Closed Michele Monroe, LCSW Counseling Services 541-255-8822 1450 Birch Ave Cottage Grove, OR 97424 • Individual and Family Counseling • Insurance and Sliding Scale • Accepting New Clients • Weekend and Weekday Appointments Available While sitting in his of- fice during spring break he describes “a continuum of care” that he wants each of his students to experience. This includes not only get- ting help with something such as algebra homework but, more importantly, get- ting the assistance they need with issues concerning mental health. As mental health issues in teenagers increase across the country, high-school aged students in small communities are no exception. According to recent data, one out of every five stu- dents at Cottage Grove High School has had sui- cidal thoughts. This stag- gering statistic mirrors data from the Oregon Healthy Teen Survey in 2017, which shows that across the state 19 percent of juniors in high school have considered taking their own life. In 2003, that figure in Lane County students was at 10 percent. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for individuals between ages 10 and 24 according to the report. And the amount of sui- cide deaths has been on the rise. Throughout the open- ing two decades of the 21st century, young peo- ple across the country have faced more suicidal thoughts. In Cottage Grove, South Lane School District (SLSD) has responded with various programs and re- sources to help students not just cope with the day-to- day anxieties they are facing but, ultimately, help these students survive. For the Cottage Grove High School administration to understand what students are going through, they first Come Join Us at The Humane Society of Cottage Grove/ KNND Radio JAMBOREE Music by: David “Elvis” Lomond Calvary Singers Cameron Reiten Julie Nedele need to understand who their students are. In a recent presentation to staff and ad- ministrators at the school, a group of educators from around the state expanded on what they call “adverse childhood experiences,” or ACEs. These experiences run a wide range of events that “create stress beyond the level a child has the abil- ity to effectively cope with.” This includes everything from physical abuse and neglect, to dealing with a di- vorce. The report notes that the more ACEs a student has, the more likely they are to experience a variety of is- sues including poor health, academic failure and general behavioral issues. One out of three students is believed to have at least one ACE which, in Cottage Grove alone, translates to about 250 students, accord- ing to Ingman. While having an ACE does not translate directly to suicidal thoughts, one suicide risk factor,” says San Diego State University psychology professor Dr. Jean Twenge in the book “iGen”. The book takes a hard look at the rise of new technology and depression have grown together and are hitting a generation born af- ter 1995 especially hard. For Cottage Grove Dean of Students and teacher Chris Wells, this informa- tion rings true. As he sees students putting seemingly every interaction they have on Snapchat or Instagram, he has also seen a decline in meaningful face-to-face connections. “I think we’ve also seen a lack of human connec- tion even between kids and their families where it’s all electronics. We spend so much time TVs, comput- ers, phones — stuff causing a degradation of human to human contact,” said Wells, who notes he is also guilty of this behavior. “We’re so- kid, I have to get after the parents sometimes — but there are good relationships that are born out of that. There are kids that have a problem and they come to me.” When a student is missing more school than normal or even approaching the dreaded level of chronic ab- senteeism (defined as miss- ing at least 10 percent of the school year), they will most certainly here from Wells. In addition, so will the stu- dent’s family — in the form of a letter — explaining the situation and what missing days can mean for the stu- dent. Ultimately, high ab- senteeism can even result in going to court and a fine for parents. But Wells works with all his resources to avoid this scenario. Sometimes it means getting a student an alarm clock, coffee in the morning or bribing them with a reward for a span of a few weeks of per- fect attendance. It can also mean pairing these students with programs that can lift them up. Maybe they should join a team or club, or are in need of assistance from the McKinney Vento pro- gram. The goal is to give the student the necessary tools they need to succeed. “I feel like we’re getting a really good view on how we see kids and how we can help kids. Because we’re doing a lot more work in trauma-in- formed care and in recog- nizing that many kids come to school with trauma from whatever,” said Wells. “It’s a spectrum and just how to best help kids with that. We’re working on how we can be a more welcoming and understanding place.” With Wells often work- ing as a first-line of defense at the high school, there are more systems set up to assist students. One intervention system that CGHS has in- stalled this year has been a program that has teachers identify students they be- lieve might be dealing with one or more ACE issues. The teachers submit a form identifying what they believe might be an issue and there are conversations around what needs to be done next. “We’ll get information from teachers and stuff like that and then try to get some quick interventions back to kids,” said Wells. “It’s a bet- ter way to recognize kids who might be in crisis. It’s also another way for us to get them referrals for some other service if need be. We’ve done stuff from coun- seling to ‘Hey, that kid needs glasses.’ The program is just another way for us to get a pulse of what’s going on with our kids.” “That’s the beauty of working with youth in general — to able to really provide them with the awareness that they have their own power... so much of our society sort of says: ‘You’re lesser than.’” — Valeria Clarke, South Lane Mental health the risk of facing these trau- matic experiences is tied to an increase in mental health issues. In addition to these ACEs, a different factor to the deg- radation of mental health in teenagers might be one that is sitting in their pockets: their cell phones. Recent re- search indicates that the rise in mental health issues may be tied to a rise in a growing attachment to smart phones and how these devices — with hours of screen time a day and a barrage of social media interaction — can actually increase a sense of isolation and feelings of de- pression. “The link between screen time and mental health is- sues is distressingly clear: teens who spend more than three hours a day on elec- tronic devices are 35 percent more likely to have at least cial beings but we’re doing it through a different way.” W ith students facing this broad swath of challenges that are hurting mental well-being, CGHS is interested in looking in how to help its students across the board. The school has a number of programs in place that, while not explic- itly focused on stemming suicide, look to make stu- dents feel a little bit better at a time when it could have the biggest impact. For the school to be effec- tive in this role, the first step is getting students to show up. And for that job, Wells was put into his role as Dean of Students in which he deals with “all things attendance.” “The problem with my at- tendance position is it seems inherently negative,” said Wells. “I have to get after a Spring Classes at LCC in CoƩage Grove Spring has arrived! We are thrilled to see early flowers popping up all around and delighted to offer new and unique classes in Coage Grove. Wax Sculpng, Photography, Wring, Buddhist Meditaon and more. Mon-Thu M Mo o on-Thu 9-5 pm & F Fri 9-2 pm lanecc.edu/coƩagegrove (541) 463-4202 - 1275 S. River Rd. A SOUTH LANE COUNTY FIRE & RESCUE First Presbyterian Church The Only Emergency Medical Transport Service in South Lane County 216 S 3rd, Cottage Grove, OR Saturday, April 6, 2019 Music starts at 6p.m. Doors open 5:30p.m. Drinks & Snacks Available by Donation $5 per person 50/50 Raffl e All proceeds help animals in our area. key program at CGHS — and across South Lane School District as a whole — is South Lane See TEENS 8A Public Notices The Lowest Rates in Lane County PUBLIC MEETINGS, TRUSTEE NOTICES, PROBATE, AUCTION & FORECLOSURE NOTICES, AND MORE. Published weekly in the Cottage Grove Sentinel and online at cgsentinel.com Call 541-942-4493 for info. FOR EMERGENCY DIAL 911 Serving South Lane County. www.southlanefi re.org S entinel C ottage G rove Contact: Meg Fringer 541-942-3325 x1200 mfringer@cgsentinel.com
