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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 2019)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 | 9A JUST REDUCED! $280,000 Lindy Magallanes & Amanda Mojarro Lic # 201231650/201231646 Lindy.Magallanes @Century21.com 541.517.1807 c21nuggetrealty.com Each office is individually owned and operated. Mural from A1 new home, the mural rep- resents a tide change for the school as programs, staff and students are so- lidifying their roles. “I feel like our family is whole again,” said Scrima. Some teachers like Bran- di Baker-Rudicel who pre- viously worked part-time have also transitioned to full-time positions, offer- ing more consistency for the students and adding to the school’s overall en- hancement of curricula. “There are things that have been greatly improved since moving out here,” Baker-Rudicel said, citing the larger space available as allowing breathing room for new programs and teaching opportunities. As such, the mural isn’t the only thing new under the Delight Valley sun. AKHS plans to broaden the scope of its work programs this year, for instance, will allow more career options for students in the future. “We’re trying to capital- ize on our sustainability concepts and the work and job opportunities that we have here and extend those opportunities to other stu- dents,” Scrima said. Part of this will include certifying teachers like Baker-Rudicel as Career and Technical Education (CTE) instructors in order to add two CTE programs to the school’s menu of classes. Hopes are to coor- dinate with Cottage Grove High School’s dozen or so CTE programs already in play. On the alternative school’s end, the CTE pro- gram will involve the stu- dents creating a business plan for the school that will market its gardening prod- ucts. “We’re not sure what that’s going to look like, but it’s going to come from students in order to be suc- cessful here,” said Scrima. “That’s kind of the Kenne- dy way.” The school has also be- gun a social/emotional responsibility curriculum and an advisory program which addresses job skills and prepares students for real-world experiences, raising their chances of job retention. “That’s the primary goal, teach those job skills, what it’s like to be in a competi- tive job market and be suc- cessful in it,” said Scrima. The new mural itself is part of a leadership proj- ect through the federal Workforce Innovations Opportunity Act program (WIOA), a service which provides access to train- ing and employment for a range of career types. Samantha Kelsey, a 20-year-old AKHS gradu- ate, designed the mural as part of the WIOA program and was aided in painting it by the school’s WIOA Transition Specialist Heather Lawson. The duo spent more than 30 hours painting it. “One of the reasons I wanted to work on this project is because Kennedy has been a really valuable part of our community for a long time,” Lawson said. “I really wanted to do something that gave more pride on the campus and give back to a school that gives so much to kids TURNING 65 AND NEED HELP WITH YOUR MEDICARE CHOICES? Call Paul to help simplify the complicated. 541-517-7362 Paul Henrichs ~ Local Independent Agent coverage4oregon@gmail.com that just need one more chance.” Now living in Philadel- phia, Kelsey’s return to Cottage Grove for the sum- mer runs in congruence with one of the school’s values. Kelsey could not be reached for comment by press time. “One of the big deals around here is the notion of giving back,” said Scri- ma. “We try to teach kids here that giving back to the community is really im- portant.” With these programs and values in mind, a pri- mary goal of the school this year is to improve at- tendance. “We just want this to be a great place to be where folks feel at home and feel comfortable and want to give back,” said Scrima. “We’re hoping our social/ emotional learning pieces, increased family activities, experiential learning trips and those kinds of things will bring kids in and help them feel comfortable and want to be here more.” This year, AKHS is look- ing forward to building a new greenhouse and cre- ating a makerspace studio, which will include a 3D printer, laser cutter and other building tools. It’s hoped that such additions will enhance students’ sense of purpose and com- munity at the institution through meaningful proj- ects and skill development. “We’re trying to make sure that we’re focusing on improving morale and the culture of the school to get students here,” said Scrima. With the new symbolic decoration on the front of the school, Baker-Rudicel expressed optimism about the atmosphere of the up- coming year. “We always had murals up at the old school and we noticed that, moving here, that it wasn’t ours yet,” she said. “And this was one of the big steps to making it ours, is having students put their mark on the building for future generations to see.” PROUD TO SERVE RURAL COMMUNITIES IN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1939 CELEBRATING 80 YEARS 541-484-1151 | laneelectric.com Providing safe, reliable, and economical energy services that enhance our members' quality of life. 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