Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 13, 2015 15A
Polk County Education
Perrydale choir competes at state DSD board talks
Small, but mighty Perrydale’s choir takes six singers to competition
By Jolene Guzman
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
PERRYDALE — Kacie
Ryden, a freshman at Perry-
dale High School, smiles
when she recalls her reac-
tion to learning the school’s
choir had qualified for state.
“I was jumping up and
down in the bus,” Ryden
said.
That was Feb. 18 after a
choral festival at Linfield
College. In order to qualify,
choirs to have at least two
scores of 80 or more out of a
100 possible points. The
choir — six singers strong —
had two marks above 90 and
all three were above 80.
As opposed to most team
sports, choirs are compared
to a standard, not each
other, when qualifying for
state competition.
“For choirs to go to state,
they have met that standard,
so you know that these guys
are good,” said Director
Misty Matthews. “Everyone
who goes to state is really
good.”
Those scores — and
Thursday’s trip to the state
competition in Salem — was
a validation of the hard work
and extraordinary chemistry
the small, but mighty group
developed throughout the
year.
Matthews said this is the
smallest group she has taken
to state – Perrydale has qual-
ified the last three years —
but also the most cohesive.
“There girls work really
well together,” Matthews
said. “They are a very talent-
ed bunch,”
That isn’t to say they
weren’t intimidated facing
much larger choirs, the ma-
jority of which were mixed
groups of girls and boys.
“A lot of us were very
nervous,” Ryden said. “Here
comes a group of six girls
looking to blow everybody’s
mind.”
Rilley Syphers, one of the
three seniors in the group,
said that with such a small
choir, that wasn’t her expec-
tation at the beginning of
the year. She figured with
construction tax
The Itemizer-Observer
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Misty Matthews, Perrydale’s choir director, conducts the group during class last week
before the state choir competition in Salem. There are just six singers in the choir this
year, making it the smallest group Matthews has taken to state in recent years.
three freshmen singers, they
may be a little green.
That perception changed
quickly.
“I feel like we will do really
well (at state),” she said May
6, the day before the compe-
tition. “We are doing better
than I thought we would.”
Choirs were graded on a
number of factors, including
quality of sound and musi-
cality. The group has been
working on its five-song set,
four of which are in Latin or
another foreign language.
The fifth song is a chill-in-
ducing spiritual.
As the group went
through final preparations,
May 6, there were mixed
emotions in the room, espe-
cially among the freshmen.
“It hasn’t really hit me
yet,” Kacie Grado said.
In contrast, Ryden
chimed in that she couldn’t
sleep the night before.
“I’ve been thinking about
it all week,” she said.
Syphers’ prediction about
their ability to compete with
the best in the state was cor-
rect.
The choir placed sixth out
of 12 groups in the 1A/2A
contest.
Veritas School, from New-
berg, took first place in the
competition.
Matthews was proud of
their performance Thursday.
“The girls did great,” she
said.
DALLAS — The Dallas
School Board is consider-
ing implementing a “con-
struction excise tax” on
new construction in the
district.
Authorized by the state
legislature in 2007, the tax
would be dedicated to
“capital improvements,”
including land acquisition,
school building improve-
ments, and equipment
purchases.
The board initially dis-
cussed imposing the tax in
2008, but the economic
downturn made the option
impractical.
Interim Superintendent
Dennis Engle said at the
board’s meeting Monday
with the economy recover-
ing and building picking
up in the district, he
thought the tax was worth
proposing to the board
again.
For the 2014-15 school
year the tax amounts to
$1.17 per square foot on
residential construction
and 58 cents per foot on
nonresidential construc-
tion. The tax would be paid
as part of building permit
fees.
Business Manager Tami
Montague estimated on
re s i d e n t c o n s t r u c t i o n
alone, the district would
have earned about $80,000
during 2014 if the tax had
been imposed.
Before possibly taking
action, the board requested
more precise information
about what the tax would
cost to developers and
property owners and how
many school districts have
adopted the tax. Locally,
Central School District has
implemented the tax.
“It would be good to
know how much we are
tacking on,” said board
member Jon Woods.
To impose the tax, the
district would have to pass
a resolution and then es-
tablish intergovernmental
agreements with the city of
Dallas and Polk County.
“Can we find out how
many school districts have
actually done this?” asked
Mike Blanchard, the
board’s chairman. “And
where it has been success-
ful and where it hasn’t?”
SCHOOL NOTES
MV Christian celebrates 10 years
MONMOUTH — Mid-Valley Christian Academy will celebrate
its 10th anniversary on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m.
There will be a reception to honor past graduates, staff,
board members, students, parents, friends and supporters.
The students will enjoy a carnival to celebrate the event. Call
the office at 503-838-2818 to RSVP. The school address is 1483
16th St. N., Monmouth.
■ PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE
OF PERSONAL PROPERTY
UNDER LANDLORDS POSSESSORY LIEN.
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
From left, Kindle Spivey, Rilley Syphers, Lyric Spivey,
Clea Mouraux, Kacie Ryden, and Kacie Grado rehearse a
song in the group state competition set on May 6.
Personal property left in the following units have been
seized for non-payment of rent and will be sold at The Storage
Depot. 902 SE Uglow Ave, Dallas OR. 97338
The following units are available for viewing at 12 pm. On
May 26, 2015.
They will be sold to the highest bidder. Eric Clanfield -
V0007, Eric Clanfield - B0308, Raven Marlett - B0313, Lila
Pomeroy - B0322, Elizabeth Stapleton - B0315.
(May 13, 20, 2015)