Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 1, 2015 17A Polk County Schools/Education A good time and a good cause Approach: Saturday’s Mr. and Ms. Central Pageant will benefit fellow youths By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Prepare for laughs, tears and a general good time at the annual Mr. and Ms. Central pageant Saturday at 7 p.m. at Central High School’s auditorium. “It’s a great night,” said con- testant Taylor Ashton. “You’re going to have a ton of laughs. It’s very comedic.” Ashton, one of five female contestants for Ms. Central, said there were some tears when she wrote her personal letter, which will be read during the formal wear part of the pageant. The pageant is a fundraiser for two purposes: $1,000 will go to help fellow Central student Courtney Rhodes. “She had some sort of bacte- ria and lost several of her fingers and several of her toes,” said Jeff Witt, CHS leadership adviser. “It affected her speaking capacity.” The money will purchase an iPad and mount for her wheel- chair, along with software to help Rhodes communicate, Witt said. Ten students — five boys and five girls, all seniors at Central High — were picked and voted on by staff to compete in the year-long fundraising campaign. The group got to decide what the pageant would benefit, Ash- ton said. In addition to Rhodes’ new communication tools, Mr. and Ms. Central will donate event proceeds to Duffels for Dignity, a Polk County Department of Human Services program that provides duffel bags to foster chil- dren who are moved from home to home at the last minute. Witt said he hopes the event DENISE ROBINSON/ for the Itemizer-Observer Daniella Diaz, Taylor Ashton, Paula Tamayo (left to right, back row), Ryanne Huffman and Mandi Desmarteau (front row) will compete for Ms. Central High School on Saturday at 7 p.m. Come See the Show What: Mr. and Ms. Central, with the theme of “America.” When: Saturday, 7 p.m. Where: Central High School, 1530 Monmouth St., Independence. Admission: $10. Tickets are available at the CHS front desk, from contestants or at the door. Of note: Contestants compete in four categories: talent, person- ality-wear — which includes an act with a “mini-me” version of themselves — athletics wear and formal wear. Each student is judged based on performances and on fundraising totals. Mr. Central Contestants: Kaj Bansen, Lucas Castanon, Max Lydum, Riley Olsen and Branson Wallace. Ms. Central Contestants: Taylor Ashton, Mandi Desmarteau, Daniella Diaz, Ryanne Huffman and Paula Tamayo. can provide “hundreds upon hundreds” of duffel bags for the program. Faith Lutheran Church 200 Monmouth - Independence Hwy The Church on the “S-Curves” Monmouth • 503-838-3459 Pastor Dallas C.R. Dubke www.FaithLutheranMonmouth.org Tenebrae: Easter: 7:15 pm Service of Darkness 7:30 am - Sunrise Eucharist 9 -10 am - Easter Breakfast 10:30 am - Festival Eucharist Good Friday Prayer Vigil: The fundraising goal for Mr. and Ms. Central is $15,000. Ash- ton said she isn’t sure she’s raised her $1,500 share of that total, but she has held some successful fundraisers, including a See’s Candy sale during the holidays. However, Ashton said per- haps the most successful efforts were by Riley Olsen, with his toi- let fundraiser. “You may have seen it,” she said. “He got a toilet from Mr. Witt and painted it red, black and white. It costs $30 to remove it; $40 to remove it and decide where it goes next; or $50 to re- move it, decide where it goes next, and make sure it doesn’t come back — toilet insurance.” Students are a third of the way to their goal, having raised $5,000 so far, Witt said. Meeting set for April 13 Continued from Page 18A Being a public charter school, DCS still would be accountable to Common Core state standards and accompanying Smarter Balanced Assessments, but Sparks said that will not influence learning plans. “The idea (with Common Core) is to get these kids on an even playing field, but the idea with personalized learning is we do that over a scope of time and we achieve those standards over a scope of time,” Sparks said. She said teachers — or educational guides — will not be evaluated based on test scores. The tests will simply measure how the school is performing on standards. Sparks said if re- sults reveal the school is deficient in any areas, it will be addressed. DCS is in the process of hiring licensed teachers to serve as educational guides and finding a location in Dallas to offer its morn- ing and enrichment sessions. Sparks said the school and the district will address offering kindergarten later this month. She credits the district with supporting the board’s vision — and helping make it a reality. “These people have been absolutely open, totally willing to sit down with us knowing that we don’t have a strong background in school administration,” Sparks said. “They’ve taken it on and created something that is ac- tually going to work.” An informational session is scheduled for April 13 at 7 p.m. Those interested in attend- ing are asked to email info@dallascommuni- tyschool.org to RSVP. For more information: www.dallascommunityschool.org. GOT NEWS? Have an idea for a story? Submit your tip to ionews@polkio.com. Polk County Itemizer-Observer Dallas First Christian Church 1079 SE Jefferson St. April 2 6:00 pm Maundy Thursday potluck and worship. Includes a Tenebrae service where we will walk with Jesus through the events of His last day on earth. April 3 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Prayer Vigil. Can be done at home or at the church. April 5 Easter Sunday 8:30 am Live Wire Contemporary Service 9:30 am continental breakfast 10:30 am Easter Sunday worship 8am - 7 pm and 8pm - Midnight Please Join Us! HAVE YOU SEEN THE RESURRECTION? Pancake Breakfast 9-10 AM Easter Service 10:30 AM Easter Egg hunt for toddlers-4th grade FAITH EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH 2290 East Ellendale Ave Dallas, OR 503-623-8034 • faithfreechurch.org Join Us! Sunday, April 5 Worship Gatherings at 9 & 10:45 am Worshiping God by Making Disciples 598 E. Ellendale Ave., Dallas 503-623-4961 www.graceindallas.org Facebook.com/graceindallas