Polk County Education
16A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 10, 2016
SCHOOL NOTES
MVCA raises food for M-P Food Share
POLK COUNTY — Mid-Valley Christian Academy raised 264
pounds of canned food items for the Marion-Polk Food Share.
Sixty pounds of food will feed four children for ive days, ac-
cording to the Marion-Polk Food Share.
In addition, MVCA raised $308 in coin donations to help feed
ive classrooms of students for the spring break lunch program
provided by the Marion-Polk Food Share.
Walk-in immunization clinics open now
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Sen. Jeff Merkley, left, talks about Faces before present director Amy Houghtaling with a flag Friday in Falls City.
Falls City program gets nod
Merkley honors after-school education for enrichment opportunities
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — Education
seemed to be the theme dur-
ing Sen. Jeff Merkley’s town
hall meeting in Falls City on
Friday.
He was asked questions
about and discussed a num-
ber of topics, including eco-
nomic development, green
energy, retirement savings
plans and health care.
Throughout the gather-
ing, the conversation had a
way of circling back to edu-
cation, touching on the top-
ics of making college afford-
able or investing in high
school and community col-
lege career and technical ed-
ucation programs.
So it seemed fitting that
Merkley (D-Ore.) would rec-
ognize the effort of a Falls
City school program work-
ing to show students career
Faces
• Family Academic Com-
munity and Enrichment for
Success is the Falls City’s
after-school program that
offers classes, homework
help and field trips.
• Faces uses field trips,
which are taken on Fridays
when school isn’t in ses-
sion, as a chance to show
students real-life jobs. Stu-
dents also visit colleges on
Fridays.
• Among the programs
offered include roller
coaster physics and geo-
caching.
and college choices around
the state.
At Fr i d a y ’s m e e t i n g ,
Merkley presented a U.S.
flag that had flown over the
Washington D.C. Capitol to
Family Academic Commu-
nity and Enrichment for
Success (Faces) director
Amy Houghtaling.
Faces is the school dis-
trict’s after-school program,
offering enrichment classes,
homework help and field
trips when school isn’t in
session on Fridays.
Merkley listed a number
of program highlights, such
as a class called “roller coast-
er physics,” geocaching, and
those “Friday field trips,” as
reasons for recognizing the
program.
Faces uses field trips not
only as educational experi-
ences, but as a chance to
show students real-life jobs
in a fun way.
Faces has taken students
on a tour of a hospital, had
them make their own piz-
zas to see what food serv-
ice is like, and to a movie
while learning about what
it takes to run a theater.
“It’s a different way to ex-
pose our students to things
outside Falls City,” Hough-
taling said.
Students also visit col-
leges on Fridays, which
Merkley made particular
note of.
“They are getting kids out
to see campuses,” he said.
“That matters.”
Houghtaling said she was
surprised to get the phone
call from Merkley’s office
saying Faces would be rec-
ognized.
She said Merkley’s staff
members told her he likes to
highlight an organization
that benefits its community
at every stop he makes in
Oregon.
Houghtaling said she ap-
preciated the honor and
added:
“It is definitely a commu-
nity effort. We have lots of
community support.”
POLK COUNTY — Polk County Public Health is holding walk-
in immunization clinics on Tuesday and Feb. 17 ahead of School
Exclusion Day.
No appointment is needed for the clinics, which are a chance
to assure children have updated vaccinations and can continue
to attend classes.
The clinics run from 8:30 to 11 a.m. and 1:30 to 4 p.m. both
days at Polk County Public Health, Academy Building, suite 302,
182 SW Academy St., Dallas.
Parents need to bring a copy of the immunization letter list-
ing the required vaccines.
Feb. 17 is School Exclusion Day, the deadline for students or
children in child care to have updated vaccinations.
Under state law, all children in public and private schools,
preschools, Head Start and certiied child care facilities must
have up-to-date documentation on their immunizations, or
have an exemption.
Vaccines requirements have been updated. Now the hepati-
tis A vaccine, which protects against a communicable viral in-
fection, is a two-dose series required for children 18 months
and older in child care, preschool and kindergarten through
seventh grade.
Parents of children with old exemptions on ile signed before
March 2014 will need to submit updated documentation.
If parents want a nonmedical exemption, they need to turn in
a Vaccine Education Certiicate showing that they've received
education about vaccines, either from a health care practitioner
or from the online vaccine education module.
The parent also needs to sign a new Certiicate of Immuniza-
tion Status. For More information about exemptions:
www.health-oregon.org/vaccineexemption.
Dallas students honored at competition
DALLAS — Three Dallas High School students earned region-
al distinction and nine qualiied to perform in the national com-
petition at the Southern Regional Oregon State Thespian Acting
Competition held in Dallas and Independence on Saturday.
The competition was co-hosted by Dallas High and Central
High School.
The state and national acting competitions qualify competi-
tors using diferent criteria. National qualiiers performed ac-
cording to a set standard, while state qualiiers have to be in the
top 10 percent of all performers.
Regional inalists are ranked in the top 20 percent in their
performance group.
Those who earned regional distinction are:
From DHS: Molly Bucher, regional inalist in “solo acting, ex-
perienced”; and Luke Disney and Emily Jones, regional inalist in
“duo dramatic, experienced.”
Students qualifying for nationals are Molly Bucher, Meyer
Reed, Emma Bucher, Tifani McConnell in “solo acting, experi-
enced”; Olivia Widmer, in “solo music”; and Molly Bucher and
Josh Biery in “duo music.”
From CHS: Hannah Boyack, Jacob Eschette, and Dylan Lewis
for their performances — they will be moving on to the state
level competition.
Connor Layton and Jadie VanVolkinburg were regional inal-
ists. For more information: contact Jef Witt (jwitt
@central.k12.or.us).