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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2016)
Polk County Education/News 14A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 20, 2016 Fagin is ‘Distinguished Educator’ DALLAS — Lyle Elementary School irst-grade teacher Stacy Fagin was named Dallas School District’s January Distinguished Educator. Fagin was nominated by Lee Letsch, a parent of two students from her class. “I can honestly say she is one of the best teachers they have had,” Letsch said. “Her willingness to adapt her classroom lessons and try new strategies continually demon- strates her motivation towards her students.” Her students had similar feelings about Fagin, saying: “She’s amazing,” and “She lets Fagin us have extra recess.” The Distinguished Educator Program rec- ognizes “excellence in teaching and learning” in Dallas School District schools. Monmouth’s senior center plans delayed By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer Students who have been shot by Josh (center), played by Jacob Eschette, haunt him while he is in jail with all the things they will never do because their lives have been cut short by his actions. Students give up-close look at shootings By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — As Josh sits in his cell, he is sur- rounded by the spirits and voices of the fellow students who he killed in the school cafeteria earlier that day. They replay the events leading up to and including the school shooting, and get angry about the stuff they’ll never do. Well, Josh will never do anything he dreamed about, either, as he is locked forever in a cell, haunted by his friends whom he shot to death. The story of school shoot- ings is, unfortunately, not as uncommon as anyone would like. In “Bang, Bang, You’re Dead,” the students of Central High School’s pro- duction class, directed by Jeff Witt and Wendy Boyack, address the topic and ask questions about why it hap- pens — and how could it be stopped. Reba Hoffman, who plays Katie, one of Josh’s victims, A must-see What: Central High School Drama Students Showcase and presentation of, “Bang, Bang, You’re Dead,” by Von William Mastrosimone When: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday (today), Thursday, Friday and Saturday Where: CHS auditorium. Admission: The show is free, with a $2 requested dona- tion to help pay for students to attend the regional and state thespian competitions. Of note: Because of the content, this show is recom- mended for those middle-school aged and older. The irst part of the show, students will practice for the regional act- ing festival, to be co-hosted by CHS on Feb. 6. After an inter- mission, students will perform, “Bang, Bang, You’re Dead.” A counselor will be available after the performance to facili- tate a discussion, answer questions and ofer advice. The play was written in response to the school shooting at Thurston High School in Springield in 1998 and addresses the possible causes and consequences of school violence. Reporter’s note: Bring a handkerchief. said she has gotten more ex- cited about the play since rehearsals have moved from the classroom to the stage. “The script alone was re- ally emotional,” Hoffman, a senior, said. But having everyone on stage makes the play even more powerful. “This is definitely the most intense show I’ve been in,” she said. “Of course, other shows are intense in different ways. The anger and the sadness we have to pull into this show is unlike any other.” Jacob Eschette, who plays Josh, said the play spoke to him upon first reading. “I automatically saw the beauty in this,” he said. “I connect well with things that are dark and make peo- ple uncomfortable.” It’s not just about being uncomfortable, Eschette, a senior, said. “People don’t realize that people don’t just snap one day,” he said. “It’s a journey. It makes us realize what happens when people reach their limits and when people feel alone.” Junior Rynn Hastings, who plays Emily, another of Josh’s victims, said the play has become more personal to her since rehearsals moved to the stage. “A lot of (Josh’s) internal feelings, I relate to — feeling differently,” she said. “I’m taking my own experiences of what I would miss if I were deceased.” Hastings said the play shows how many people are affected when tragedy strikes. “I’m so proud of everyone in the cast to do this play in this town,” she said. MONMOUTH — After receiving bids on the Mon- mouth Senior Center ex- pansion project, the city has put a hold on the idea. “The market disagreed with our original esti- mates,” City Manager Scott McClure said. Those esti- mates were a couple years old, and inflation may have played a roll in the differ- ence between projections and what the bids turned out to be. “The market’s going up, but it came in quite a bit more than we expected,” he said. The lowest bid was $497,000, McClure said. The project was estimated — and budgeted — at $445,000, which was raised through the Friends of the Senior Center, grants, and money from the city’s budget. “If you put a proper con- tingency on that, that gets to $571,000,” McClure said. “So we are quite a ways off.” The next step is to do what’s called “value engi- neering,” he said. “The architect and build- ing official will say is there something we could do dif- ferently, adjust something, change something, make it easier for the contractor so GOVERNMENT they can lower the price,” McClure said, adding that the project has already been stripped down from its original plans. Once that is done, he said they may have a choice to go back to some of the organizations who granted money to the proj- ect and ask for more, but, “They’ll want to see we’ve done our homework first,” McClure said. The city will have to spend the money sooner than later to keep the grants received, McClure said, but communication is key. The project was awarded a $90,000 grant from the Ford Family Foundation, $40,000 from the Meyer Memorial Trust, $30,000 from Oregon Community Fund and $15,000 from the Collins Fund. The 2,133-square foot addition was expected to be completed this year, after 10 years in the making. No timeline exists for completion at this point.
