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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2016)
Polk County Education Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 1, 2016 13A Smith: ‘Life is about finding something you love’ Continued from Page 14A Kidd has watched Smith’s ability to assist students evolve over the years. “When he was younger, he would just give them the answer,” Kidd said. “Now he thinks about helping them learn.” To Smith, learning ulti- mately means taking the knowledge gained in school and seeing how it relates to life after graduation. He gives Falls City schools a lot of credit in helping him see that. He said his senior project class required students to do “job shadows” with people ACADEMIC HONORS Monmouth student inducted to Psi Chi NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Madeleine Witwer-Dukes, of Monmouth, was inducted into Psi Chi, the international honor society in psy- chology. St. Olaf College recently honored her for her induction into a national honor society. She is the daughter of Gary Dukes and Kathryn Witwer. Dallas student awarded scholarship DALLAS — The Associated Oregon Loggers Scholarship Com- mittee awarded a $1,500 scholarship to Lindsay Golly, of Dallas. Golly will attend Oregon State University, and his studies will be in the field of forestry or a forest resource production curriculum. Central board to consider November facilities bond By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Central School District will ask voters to approve a facilities bond in November. The decision came after hearing reports from a bond ex- ploration committee, which spent about six months looking into the needs of the district’s schools. Because of steps taken to refinance current bonds, the new bond would not increase property tax rates, Finance Di- rector Cec Koontz said. “It’s the right time; it’s the right scope, and we can keep it cost-neutral to taxpayers,” Koontz said. An added incentive to go for the bond in November is the availability of a $4 million grant from the state, Koontz said. The state offered those grants to encourage communities to invest in their schools. If passed, the bond would pay for air conditioning at Inde- pendence Elementary School, as well as add a 12-room wing which would replace dilapidated portable classrooms. A new gymnasium would be built, and the old gym would be used as the cafeteria and make way for a parking lot, something IES does not have, Koontz said. At Monmouth Elementary School, the bond would pay to convert the current gymnasium/cafeteria into strictly a cafe- teria. The kitchen would be increased, and a new gym would be built. “In both cases, those gyms would be competition-style gyms, so they could be more available to the community,” Superintendent Buzz Brazeau said. Right now, the gyms at IES and MES have rubberized flooring, and are unsuitable for competitions for the com- munity or teams from Central Youth Sports, Koontz said. “No one wants a sixth-grader or an eighth-grader playing on a rubber floor with short baskets,” she said. At Talmadge Middle School, the two-story gym would be remodeled. “The upstairs gym is really wasted space right now,” Brazeau said. The upper level was once used for competition and physi- cal education classes, but it’s not accessible to those with dis- abilities, among other issues, Koontz said. If the bond is passed, it will pay for expanding the gym, adding gender-neutral locker rooms, and create two teach- ing facilities, Brazeau said. With recent recommendations from the Oregon Depart- ment of Education and President Barack Obama, it makes sense to build any new locker rooms in a gender-neutral fashion, Brazeau said. “It’s the right thing to do,” Koontz added. “Pretty much, the architects wouldn’t recommend doing it without these days. They’d already drawn those in.” A four-room pod will also be added to Talmadge, Brazeau said. “All the things that are there are part of the 2012 long- range plan that was created for the district at the end of the high school bond completion,” he said. With the additional $4 million grant, it’s roughly the cost of one of the new gyms, Koontz said. “We’ve needed this for years,” she said. “Now is the best opportunity to step in and get it done without raising taxes and taking advantage of these matching funds, making our money go a longer way and giving the rest of the buildings a chance to be a source of pride like the high school is.” The board will not take final action on the ballot title and definition until August. The district will apply for the state grant dollars in July, but Brazeau said the district has already qualified for the full $4 million. in a number of fields. Smith shadowed at Oregon De- partment of Fish Wildlife’s Cedar Creek fish hatchery, a couple of teachers, and an EMT. He said classes offered at the school and in Faces, such as a forensics class he took, offer opportunities to see how ideas apply to life. “It’s not really about being a forensic scientist,” he said. “It’s about evaluating foren- sic evidence while you are on jury duty to determine if someone is really guilty or not.” Smith believes that is the most valuable “lesson” he’s learned. “A lot of the teaching that goes on in Falls City is (geared) toward how we are going to apply that to a job,” he said. Smith encourages stu- dents to take advantage of those chances. “I would advise younger students to explore high school in different ways,” he said. “I think you should try to take classes that you like to do or try things outside of school that interest you, be- cause life isn’t about school and working. It’s about find- ing something that you love to do and then doing that.” May the Cure be with you! Together We Can End Cancer Relay For Life Of Polk County June 4 - 5 • 10a.m. to 10a.m. at Riverview Park, Independence Saturday, June 4 9:00a - Survivor check in Starts 9:30a - Team Rally 9:45a - Leadership Rally 10:00a - Opening Ceremonies (Colors, Anthem, Speaker) 10:30a - Survivor Lap 11:00a - Patriotic Lap - Auction #1 Opens Noon - Power of Purple Lap - Infamous Soul (Band) 1:00p - Storm the Track (Storm Troopers) Lap 2:00p - Breast Cancer awareness in Survivor (Kandy) 2:30p - Mr. Relay 2:45p - Zumba 3:00p - Auction #1 Closes - Crazy Hat/Hair Lap 3:30p - First $$ Count 4:00p - Ed Desmarteau (Musician) - Auction #2 Opens 4:30p - Mr. Relay ends 5:00p - Ceremony of Everything! - Team recognition & quilt - Grand Club Member - Sponsors - Mr. Relay winner announced - CAN Speaker 6:00p - CAN Lap 7:00p - Yo Yo Yoda Lap - Line Dancing 8:00p - Auction #2 Closes 8:30p - Last $$ Count for the evening 9:00p - Wookie Walk Lap - Luminaria Bag placement begins 10:00p - Luminaria Ceremony 11:00p - Light Sabor/Glow Stick Lap Midnight - Movie w/ pizza (& Hot Chocolate) Sunday, June 5 1:00a - Twin/Buddy Lap 2:00a - Luau/Hawaiian Lap 3:00a - Red Neck/Camo Lap 4:00a - Mardi Gras Lap 5:00a - Pajama Lap 5:30a - Sunrise Service in Survivor Tent (Kay & Denvy) 6:00a - Java Fueled Lap 6:30a - LAST MONEY DROP!! 7:00a - Scavenger Hunt 8:00a - Breakfast from ELKS 9:00a - Closing Ceremonies - Money totals - Pink Can - Spirit Awards 10:00a - TEAR DOWN - SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!! If you or someone you know is interested in participating, being a sponsor or making a contribution, contact Tami Bookey-Kuhlmann 503-507-0120; Email: 2015relayforlifepc@gmail.com Online: relayforlife.org/polkcountyor 100 Years Ago the American Cancer Society started the fight of a lifetime. Together We Can Finish The Fight! June 2016 Monmouth Area Community Events Calendar PCL Partnerships in Community Living 503-838-2403 480 E. Main St. Monmouth DownTown Trends 142 Highway 99 West 503- 838-1445 Monmouth Monmouth Senior Center 180 S. Warren St. Monmouth 355 N Pacific Ave., Ste A Monmouth 503-838-4268 405 Hogan Rd Monmouth 503-837-0700 www.minetfiber.com Your Local Service Provider Serving Polk Co. Since 1875 503-623-2373 503-838-3467 June 3 — Smith Fine Arts Series: Sean Jones with The Western Hemisphere Orchestra. 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm. Rice Auditorium, Western Oregon University, Corner of Knox and Powell Streets, Monmouth. For more information or to order tickets, call Sandy at 503-838-8333. $25 in advance, $28 at door, $11 students. http://smithfinearts.org June 4 — Monmouth Community Breakfast. 8:30 – 10:30. Monmouth Senior Center, 180 S Warren. Monmouth June 4 & 5 — Relay For Life of Polk County! June 4, 2016 - June 5, 2016. Riverview Park, 50 C Street, Independence. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement is the world's largest and most impactful fundraising event to end cancer. It unites communities across the globe to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and take action to finish the fight once and for all. With the support of thousands of volunteers like you, the American Cancer Society is helping save more than 500 lives a day. Please join us and take action against a disease that has taken too much! June 10 — LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR CHS! June 10 — Central High School Graduation. CHS Panther Stadium. 7 pm to 9 pm. CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES! June 11 & 12 — Summer Rickreall Gun Show. ♦Buy ♦ Sell ♦ Trade ♦ Guns ♦ Knives ♦ Ammunition Lots of Collector Items. Saturday, June 11th 9am - 5pm. Sunday, June 12th 9am - 3pm Adults ≈ $6.00, Kids Under 12 ≈ FREE, Parking ≈ FREE, Food Available Onsite. Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center, 520 S. Pacific Hwy., Rickreall June 16 — Chamber After-hours Mixer - Rogue Farms and Arena Sports Bar & Grill Join us June 16 for a fun afternoon of hops, beer, and networking! We'll start the afternoon at 3:30 PM at Rogue Farms for an abbreviated tour followed by samples at Chatoe Rogue courtesy of Rogue Farms. Next, we'll head to downtown Independence to Arena Sports Bar & Grill for light refreshments courtesy of Arena and additional Rogue beers on tap available for purchase. Along the way, network with others and build your customer base! Whether you take the tour, relax at Arena, or both, we look forward to seeing you for our special June mixer! Rogue Farms - 3590 Wigrich Road, Independence. Arena Sports Bar & Grill - 174 Main Street Independence. June 21 — Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce Hosts - PEP Talks: Promoting with a Purpose In Person 12 to 1:30 pm and include lunch for participants. Cost per workshop is $15 for MI Chamber members and $20 for non-members. Promoting with a Purpose In Person. Location: Henry Hill Education Support Center 750 S 5th Street, Independence. Overview: • Know how to work a room • Pitch your business efficiently • Engage others effectively Presented by: Jeremy McKern, Tunnel Radio of America. Register by noon Monday, June 20. *Cancelations must be received by noon 6/20/16 or fee incurred. June 25 — 20th PCL Summer Solstice Benefit Auction. Location: Eola Hills Wine Cellars, 501 S Pacific Hwy, Rickreall. Join PCL for their 20th Summer Solstice Benefit Auction. Tickets $30.00 each. You must purchase tickets in advance. For more information, contact Shawn McCammon 503-838-2403 ext. 324. http://auction.pclpartnership.org/ www.windermere.com 503-838-1141 297 N Pacific Monmouth 800-732-0173 464 S Pacific Hwy Monmouth oregonstatecu. Saving Carpets Daily Carpet Hero 503-838-0869 Monmouth LOOKING FOR RENTALS? 297½ N. Pacific Hwy 503-838-1278 Western View Properties Property Management, LLC 503-838-2951 165 E. Main St. Monmouth 503-838-1773 410 E. Main St. Monmouth
