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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2015)
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 18, 2015 17A Polk County Schools/Education Student egg contraptions put to 80-feet test Central High physics class tries to minimize impact, collision through design, materials By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — If Humpty Dumpty had pro- tection from the young physicists in Greg Craven’s class, he may have survived his fall from the wall. Or maybe not. Many of the 35 eggs dropped from roughly 80 feet did not survive. Jello, peanut butter and flour all were un- successfully used to help lessen the impact of the fall. The unfertilized embryos were dropped in contrap- tions designed by Central High School juniors in Craven’s physics class on March 9. Polk County Fire District No. 1 assisted at the scene with its ladder truck and firefighters doing the actual dropping. Not all were sacrificed. In fact, 10 made it through un- broken. The first egg of the day to come out unscathed was cushioned by a corn starch and water mixture. Isaac Mitchell created his device in two parts. One part had fletching to help guide the fall. The second part was EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer Teacher Greg Craven holds the first uncracked egg of the day. Only 10 survived. supposed to spring out upon impact, Mitchell said. Even though it didn’t work exactly as designed, it was enough to save the egg in- side. “Inside the capsule was corn starch and water, sort of a flubber substance,” Mitchell explained. “The harder you hit it, the more solid it is; the softer you hit it, the squishier it is.” EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer Volunteer firefighter Austin Champ, right, counts down to dropping a “naked” egg to serve as the reference for how fast an egg will fall compared to those with devices. Rachel Conway took time to test her device, a deceler- ation tube, weighted at the bottom to ensure it would fall right-side-up. She looked up at the top of the ladder and gri- maced — it was much high- er than the top of her stairs where she’d tested it. “Conway’s ‘Egg-Pollo 13’ performed spectacularly,” Craven said. “It fell faster than the reference (naked) egg, and performed just as designed, sticking the land- ing completely vertical and then gently toppling over with the egg open to the air and as whole as the day it was laid.” Kaylea Howard did not have as much luck with her “Eggy Pudding.” She filled a soda bottle with pudding, including rocks in the bottom to con- trol the direction of the fall. “I’m hoping it (the pud- ding) will cushion (the egg) so it doesn’t break,” Howard said. “I’m hoping it hasn’t broken already. I was afraid if I tested it, it would get pudding everywhere.” That is exactly what it did when dropped from the towering heights of the lad- der truck, resulting in an un- appetizing paste of raw egg and pudding. The exercise was more than just the sheer pleasure of watching things splat in spectacular fashion, but a lesson on momentum and collision, Craven said. “They (the eggs) need to fall fast; this is not about slow- ing it down,” Craven said. “It’s about fast and hard.” Johnstone ready to take reins of district, make Dallas home By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — When Michelle John- stone, Dallas School District’s soon-to-be new superintendent, drove into Dallas for her interview earlier this month, it was love at first sight. “I thought, this place feels like home,” Johnstone recalled Friday of her introduction to town. Johnstone, currently the superin- tendent of Brush School District in Brush, Colo., said that first impres- sion was only confirmed when she was given a tour of all six of the dis- trict’s schools and met with admin- istrators and district office staff. Mid-way through that long day of introductions and interviews, Dallas Mayor Brian Dalton took her on a tour of town — taking special care to hit spots related to her fa- vorite hobby, horses. That further cemented her feeling that Dallas was going to be a good fit, she said. Johnstone said after the tour March 5, she was impressed with the district’s collaborative nature and focus on students. “What a delight to be selected by such a great district,” she said. The feeling was mutual, as Dal- las chose Johnstone out of 18 appli- cants to lead the district. “What we set out to find was an instructional leader, and she is someone who has those creden- tials,” Dallas District Board Chair- man Mike Blanchard said. “Through the process, she was considered a very strong candidate. When she came (and met) with our staff, the focus on learning, we were impressed with that.” Now Johnstone and Dallas Inter- im Superintendent Dennis Engle are preparing her to hit the ground run- ning on her first day, July 1. The two are in contact at least weekly, and Johnstone will be in town house hunting and attending a board meeting in the next few months. She said she will be watching from Colorado the debate over school funding in 2015-17 in the Oregon state Legislature. Like many other school officials in Oregon, she has hopes of seeing lawmakers ap- prove a budget larger than the $7.25 billion first proposed. Once the 2015-16 school year begins next fall, Johnstone said she will spend as much time as possi- ble in schools, meeting and talking to students, staff and parents. Johnstone said she is ready to make Dallas her home, perhaps for a long time. “It seems like a good place to re- tire in about 10 years,” she said. VÉÇzÜtàâÄtà|ÉÇá4 Sandra Paoli of Windermere Western View Properties, Monmouth has been recognized in the Portland monthly as a five star professional for delivering outstanding service and client satisfaction. (March 2015) Both Donna Graham and Amber Archibald of Windermere Western View Properties, Dallas have been nominated as Best in Mid-Willamette Valley 2015 Home and Garden category in the Statesman Journal as professional Realtors. Windermere encourages all their Realtors to Amber Archibald have a high degree of integrity and professionalism. JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer Dallas Police Chief Tom Simpson speaks with Michelle Johnstone during a meet-and-greet at Dallas High School on March 5. The Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce presents the winners of Retail Service: Roth's Fresh Markets Non-Profit/Organization: Monmouth Public Library Food & Beverage Service: San Antonio Mexican Restaurant Personal Service Provider: Ash Creek Animal Clinic Professional Service Provider: MINET Business of the Year: Ash Creek Animal Clinic Junior Citizen: Megan Stutzman, Michael Willis First Citizen: Kimber Townsend Distinguished Service: David Ritchey Educator of the Year: Adrienne Gault Education Support Staff of the Year: Tracy Barnes Without the great support from our business sponsors, this event wouldn’t happen —so, Thank You! Ambassador Sponsors: Premier Sponsor: Major Sponsors: ham Donna Gra Windermere/Western View Properties Monmouth\Indep. Office 503-838-1141 Dallas Office 503-623-2333 www.windermerepolkcounty.com Supporter Sponsor: The Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce would also like to thank all the volunteers who donated countless hours of their time, energy and focus in order to give Monmouth-Independence businesses and certain individuals an evening in the spotlight.