Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2019)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • SN for OCTOBER — 1C School News A monthly newsletter covering area schools For October 2019 Lane, Douglas counties lead state in bullying incidents By Joshua Leach Intern for The Sentinel Pushing. Shoving. Name-calling. Online malfeasance. It’s a tale as old as time: kids can be jerks to one an- other. October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and unfortunately, bullying has nearly always been a part of the school experi- ence. It’s worse for LGBT youth, who reported higher bullying rates, according to a 2017 report by the non- profi t Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coali- tion (OSSCC). Th ere have been some glimmers of hope — the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has said that the number of kids report- ing being bullied has gone down by 11 percent in the last decade. Sometimes viewed as a rite of passage through life, bullying can have real health consequences for children and teens. HHS says that bullied kids are more likely to go through depression, anxiety and may even see changes in their diet and sleep pat- terns. Th is could continue into eff ect on their report cards. “Every bullying situation adulthood. Th e bullies, on the other has two victims, both the bullied and the bully,” said Terry Bennett, superin- tendent of North Douglas School District (NDSD). Th e Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) 2017 Healthy Teens Survey re- vealed that 3-in-10 Orego- nian eighth-graders report- ed being bullied. Closer to — Oregon Health Authority ‘2017 Healthy home in Lane and Douglas Teens Survey counties, that number was higher, at 34.2 percent and Bullying has the added hand, are more likely to get 42.2 percent, respectively. eff ect of hurting kids aca- into fi ghts, abuse alcohol, For eleventh-graders, demically, too. Victims of be sexually promiscuous the numbers were lower, bullying are “more likely in their youth, be domestic but still alarming: 1-in-5 to miss, skip or drop out abusers and have criminal across the state, including of school” and can feel the records. Lane and Douglas counties, Nationally among eighth graders, 1-in-4 students report being bullied, which is still a lower rate than those reported in Oregon. report to have been bull- yied. Th at number matches up with 2017 data on elev- enth-graders from the Na- tional Center for Education Statistics. Nationally among eighth graders, the number is higher, with 1-4 reporting being bullied, which is still a lower rate than those re- ported in Oregon. And it’s not just that the rate is higher in Oregon. It’s stayed nearly the same in the last six years. Th e state has made ef- forts to curb bullying. Th e See BULLY 2C YMCA programs expanding services to include Cottage Grove area youth By Damien Sherwood ganization opens more pro- dsherwood@cgsentinel.com grams in the Bethel School Th e YMCA has expand- ed its aft erschool enrich- ment program to Harrison Elementary School this year, adding options for a community that is oft en in search of aft erschool care. Rachel Jackson, associate youth development director for the YMCA, is excited to show the program off to Cottage Grove. “I like that we’re able to not just be an aft erschool, but an enrichment pro- gram,” said Jackson. “[Th e children] are learning and building new skills, wheth- er its personal relationships or any of the other enrich- ment activities that we’re off ering.” Th e expansion into Cot- tage Grove comes as the or- District. “High-quality aft erschool programs have consistently been found to contribute to student success and high- er graduation rates,” said YMCA CEO Brian Steff en in a statement. “Th is ex- pansion of our aft erschool program builds upon our 133-year commitment to grow and innovate in order to meet the evolving needs in Lane County.” Th e program at Harrison makes use of the school’s cafeteria, gym, playground and project studio for an ar- ray of activities. Children are treated to fruit snacks, games, physical activities, cooking, art proj- ects and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities. In addition, the program off ers homework assistance to students to need it. Harrison Elementa- ry School Principal Heidi Brown is a fan of the new service. “Th e YMCA is about keeping kids physically ac- tive and mentally engaged in creative and fun activ- ities and I love watching the kids do that every day aft er school,” she said. “Th e activities are really well thought out and fun for kids. Th ey’re loving what they’re doing.” Th e program runs from the end of school until 6 p.m. and services are exclu- sive to Harrison students due to high demand. Still, the enrichment program has found it chal- lenging to attract program staff applicants and is not School news from Dorena Th e middle school is having a great year so far. Older students are setting good behavior examples for the younger students, and most have stepped up the increased responsibilities of being a middle school student. We’re just fi nishing up a unit on facing our fears in Language Arts, and are moving ahead with learn- ing about Mesopotamia in Social Studies and plant and animal cells in Science. Discover Something New Every Day When it comes to learning, the newspaper gives you the big picture by bringing your favorite school subjects to life! Find out what’s happening in your community and on the other side of the globe. It’s all inside your local newspaper. Brad’s Cottage Grove Chevrolet is proud Sponsor of Newspapers in Education. We will soon be prepar- ing to read “To Kill a Mock- ingbird,” begin this year’s DIACK ecology program, and start learning about an- cient Egypt once we fi nish with Mesopotamia. Th e world is our oyster! currently operating at full capacity. Jackson said the recent addition of another staff member from Eugene is raising the enrollment to about 30 children, but while the wait list of chil- dren grows, the YMCA is looking for more qualifi ed adults. “Somebody that has ex- perience in a licensed cen- ter, certifi ed summer camp experience or credits in the fi eld,” said Jackson. “Th at’s primarily what we’re look- ing for, but we’re defi nitely willing to hire aides.” Qualifi cations for aides could include people who have limited to no experi- ence, but demonstrate a See YMCA 4A SUPPORTING NEWSPAPERS IN EDUCATION Thank you to the following supporters: Irene Bauder Dale & Judy Bachman /LQGD%RWWRŬ James and Carol Brownson Cindy Conrad Russell and Lee Cooper Robert and Mary Currier Bob and Janette Dill Long Family -H̆UH\ .DUHQ)UHHPDQ .DWKU\Q)O\QQ Mary Gabrielle, MD -RKQDQG'RQQD0DQV¿HOG Lonny Perini Ron Pupke Elaine Roberts Robert Swarengin Jan Thompson Randy Turpin
