Polk County News
16A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 21, 2015
SCHOOL NOTES
CSD schools tests safer crosswalks
INDEPENDENCE — Central School District’s Transportation
Department is working with the Oregon Department of Trans-
portation and the Oregon Department of Education on a “Safe
Routes to School” pilot project.
This program is to promote safe walking and biking routes
for students to get to and from school. Additional signage in-
forms motorists that it is the law to stop for all pedestrians, not
just school children, at all crosswalks.
In Oregon, any intersection, unless otherwise marked, is con-
sidered a crosswalk — not just the ones that are marked with
crosswalk lines.
This new signage will be located on Monmouth Avenue at in-
tersections with Fourth, Fifth and mid-block at Central High
School and Heley and Main streets.
The signs will be displayed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. each school
day. For more information: Patti Green, 503-606-2309.
Peace Corps will be at WOU Tuesday
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
For Falls City Elementary School students, the covered area on the playground serves as gym for physical education
classes. The Falls City School Board would like to change that and is weighing support for a bond to build gym.
New gym for Falls City Elementary?
District may decide to place a bond on the ballot for a new school facility
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — Try hold-
ing a physical education
class in a room with an 8-
foot ceiling — or having to
load kids onto a bus for PE
classes off site.
That is the case at Falls
City Elementary School.
Now district officials have
proposed a solution: build-
ing a gym at the school.
It would take a bond
measure to pay for it, but
Super intendent Jack
Thompson said after intro-
ducing the idea to citizens
last week, the response has
been encouraging.
“It was really positive,”
Thompson said. “People be-
lieve there is a need.”
Thompson said students
in kindergarten through
fourth-grade use the play-
ground, the covered play
area and “multiple purpose
room,” with an 8-foot high
Learn more
What: Falls City Ele-
mentary School gym
bond informational
meeting.
When: Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.
Where: Falls City Com-
munity Center, 320 N.
Main St., Falls City.
For more informa-
tion: 503-787-3521.
ceiling for physical educa-
tion. Students in grades fifth
through eighth are bused
down to the high school gym
for P.E. class.
Also, the district may be
able to take advantage of
Senate Bill 447, a law passed
in the last legislative session
that would double the
amount collected through a
bond, if it were to pass.
“That would maximize
our dollars,” Thompson
said. “We wanted to make
sure that was in place.”
Thompson said at the ini-
tial meeting that members of
the public suggested a full-
size gym suitable for hosting
high school games, possibly
with a kitchen facility.
The extra space also could
house FACES after-school
program classes and allow
the district to host jam-
boree-like sporting events
with multiple venues.
“It opens up opportuni-
ties that way,” Thompson
said.
The new building also
could meet another need.
With an enrollment in-
crease of 20 students so far
this year, Thompson said the
kitchen at the elementary
school, where all the meals
served in the district are pre-
pared, could soon be too
small.
He said the Falls City
School Board is looking for
input at this point and hasn’t
settled on a design or
amount the district would
seek in a bond. The board
will hold another informa-
tional meeting in November
to sort out some of those de-
tails and will find an archi-
tect to draw plans and pro-
vide a cost estimate.
While the gym will be at
the elementary school prop-
erty, the exact location has
not been identified.
Thompson said the most
logical place in his opinion
is the property the district
owns just east of the school.
“That way the kids would-
n’t have to cross the street
like they do now to get to the
playground,” Thompson
said. “Right now it (the prop-
erty) has a few trees growing
on it and that is it.”
He added while still very
much in the planning
stages, Thompson believes
building a gym is feasible.
“After looking at the costs,
it’s definitely doable,” he
said.
MONMOUTH — A Peace Corps information session is sched-
uled for Tuesday 4 p.m. in the Columbia Room at Western Ore-
gon University’s Werner University Center.
In addition, the Peace Corps will have an information table
set up the same day at the Werner University Center’s east en-
trance,from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Peace Corps recruiter Scot Roskelley says volunteer assign-
ments are 27 months in length and are entirely paid for. A full
list of volunteer openings is posted on the federal agency’s
website at www.peacecorps.gov.
Ninety percent of volunteers have degrees, but the Peace
Corps also accepts volunteers without degrees who have work
experience that aligns with some of the openings. For more in-
formation: Scot Roskelley, 503-290-4024.
Students needed for blood drives
PORTLAND — Hosting a blood drive this winter could help
save lives and earn high school and college students a $2,500
scholarship.
Students can register to host a drive through the “Leaders
Save Lives” program between now and Nov. 15. Drives would
be held between Dec. 15 and Jan. 15, 2016.
The Leaders Save Lives program encourages high school and
college students to host blood drives to help maintain the
blood supply around holidays. Six scholarship are available to
host a blood drive collecting 25 blood donations or more.
For more information and to register to host a Leaders Save
Lives blood drive: redcrossblood.org/leaderssavelives.
DSD Supt. hosts coffee meetings
DALLAS — Have a question, suggestion or concern you
would like Dallas School District’s Superintendent Michelle
Johnstone to hear?
You have three opportunities starting this week to share
those thoughts with Johnstone in person during “cofee chat-
like” meetings in the community.
The irst will be at Dallas Retirement Village Thursday at 9:30
a.m., 377 NW Jasper St., and Friday at McDonald’s, 227 E. Ellen-
dale Ave. at 8 a.m. The last will be Nov. 3 at Pressed Cofee &
Wine, 778 Main St. at 7:30 a.m.
For more information: 503-623-5594.
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