Polk County Education
18A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 15, 2016
SCHOOL NOTES
Summer lunches start on Monday
POLK COUNTY — Free lunch for kids and teenagers aged 18
and younger will be provide all summer long until Aug. 24
through the summer lunch program, sponsored by Central, Dal-
las and Falls City school districts.
Lunch will be available at the following sites:
Dallas: Lyle Elementary School, 185 SW Levens St., noon to
12:30 p.m.; Whitworth Elementary School, 1151 SE Miller St.,
noon to 12:30 p.m.; Woodbridge Apartments, 22 SE Dimick St.,
noon to 12:30 p.m.
Falls City: Falls City High School, 111 N. Main St., noon to 1
p.m.; Falls City Elementary School, 177 Prospect Ave., noon to 1
p.m.
Independence: Henry Hill Educational Support Center, 750
S. Fifth St., noon to 12:30 p.m. — dinner served from 5:30 to 6
p.m.; Independence Elementary School, 150 S. Fourth St., noon
to 12:30 p.m. — breakfast served from 8 to 8:30 a.m.
Monmouth: Ash Creek Elementary School, 1360 16th St.,
noon to 12:30 p.m.; Monmouth Elementary School, 958 E.
Church St., noon to 12:30 p.m.
ACADEMIC HONORS
Crabtree earns FBI scholarship
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Chance Graham succeeded in making up enough ground to graduate during one year at Dallas’ alterative school.
SECOND CHANCE
Morrison Campus senior makes best of his one year at the alternative school
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Chance Gra-
ham didn’t always take
school seriously.
Graham, 18, offers a can-
did assessment of his first
three years in high school.
“It was a mixture between
distraction and laziness,”
Graham said. “You show up
to class and after you hear
the teacher talk for 10 min-
utes, you just zone out. I
admit, it’s not the best prac-
tice to have, but that’s what I
did.”
This week, he did some-
thing else. He graduated
Tuesday with the Morrison
Campus Alternative School’s
Class of 2016, but not with-
out a scramble.
Reality hit when he was
having a conversation with
his counselor at Dallas High
School. She told him just
how long it would take to
finish on the traditional
route — and offered him
Morrison Class of 2016
Graduation for Morrison Campus Alternative School was
Tuesday after press time. The school was slated to graduate
42 seniors. For photos of the ceremony, see the June 22
edition of the I-O or visit www.polkio.com.
Morrison as a possible alter-
native.
“I wasn’t doing my work
and I would have to stay at
least another year, probably
two years to be able to grad-
uate,” he said.
His second chance began
when he enrolled at Morri-
son at the start of the school
year.
“I took it, and I’m gradu-
ating on time,” he said.
Graham said he had to
work really hard to earn the
credits needed for gradua-
tion.
“It’s been hectic, a lot of
work,” he said, adding he
had plenty of encourage-
ment. “The teachers are will-
ing to do anything to help
you.”
On Aug. 5, Graham is
shipping out to U.S. Marine
Corps boot camp.
His father, uncle and
grandfather all served in the
U.S. Army. Graham wanted
to carry on the family tradi-
tion, but with his own twist.
“Plus the dress blues look
so much better,” he said,
smiling.
He wants to work as a
diesel mechanic in the
Marines, further exploring
an interest he discovered his
sophomore year in an agri-
cultural mechanics class.
“That’s what I’m looking
into during the Marines, that
way I will have a career to
fall back on,” he said. “I’ve
just been interested in en-
gines and how things work.
And every once in a while, I
love busting my knuckles on
pieces of metal.”
While school didn’t always
hold his attention as an un-
derclassman, working with
engines did.
“I learned how to rip
apart a motor and put it
back together and I learned
how to weld,” he said. “Hon-
estly, that was one of the
best classes, at least for me.”
Graham set two examples
in high school — one of
slacking off and one of
working hard. He advises
other students to follow
what he did his senior year,
but through all four years.
“Do what you need to do.
You have to get your work
done and you can’t slack off
with it,” he said. “It’s really
tempting to slack off and do
stuff, but you are going to
have plenty of time senior
year. The way that schools
are set up, you get your work
done and they make sure
you have time off.”
DUNFRIES, Va. — Asheley Crabtree, of Dallas, received a
$20,000 scholarship from the Trustees of the Former Agents of
the FBI Foundation.
Crabtree attends George Fox University. She graduated from
Dallas High School in 2015, and is the granddaughter of former
FBI Agent Donald K. Crabtree.
The foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Society of For-
mer Special Agents of the FBI Inc. For the 2016-17 academic
year, the foundation will award more than 100 scholarships
ranging from $2,000 to $20,000 per year.
Undergraduates who are children and grandchildren of socie-
ty members, or children of graduates of the FBI National Acade-
my are eligible to apply.
In December, information and applications for the 2017-18
scholarship program will be available online at www.socxfbi.org.
Locals on Gonzaga’s dean’s list
SPOKANE, Wash. — Seth Fast and Isaak Tichenor, both resi-
dents of Dallas have earned placement on the Gonzaga Univer-
sity dean’s list for spring semester 2016.
Students must earn a 3.5 to 3.69 grade-point average to be
listed. Gonzaga University is located near downtown Spokane,
Wash.
Wahl named to Warner dean’s list
PORTLAND — Independence resident Kelly Wahl was named
to the dean’s list at Warner Pacific College.
To qualify, students must be enrolled full-time and achieve a
3.5 or greater GPA.
Deptula is Mary Baldwin College grad
STAUNTON, Va. — Wendy Rose Deptula, of Monmouth,
earned a Bachelor of Science summa cum laude at Mary Baldwin
College’s Commencement ceremony on May 22.
DHS graduate earns law degree
TOPEKA, Kan. — Blair Loving, a graduate of Dallas High
School and Western Oregon University, recently graduated from
Washburn University School of Law, in Topeka, Kansas, with the
degree of Juris Doctor.
