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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 3, 2017)
Polk County Education 14A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 3, 2017 WOU opens campus for eclipse rentals By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer JOLEnE GuzMan/Itemizer-Observer Dallas High school teacher Tony Olliff, standing right, stays with his class during Thursday’s school evacuation drill. Dallas students evacuate Parents find unannounced drill useful, not without headaches By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer D A L L A S — St u d e n t s streamed from the doors of Dallas High School in order- ly fashion as school staff members dressed in bright- colored vests guided them down Miller Avenue to Valley Life Center. It was quite the sight on a Thursday afternoon: 900 or so students walking the mile down the street to the church in a full evacuation drill. This wasn’t a fire drill with a long walk, but practice for an actual emergency, with parents converging on the site to pick up their children. District Superintendent Michelle Johnstone said very few schools in the area have conducted a drill on the same scale as Thursday’s. “We want to prepare and hope we never have to use it,” said DHS Principal Steve JOLEnE GuzMan/Itemizer-Observer Students walk out of DHS at the beginning of the drill. Spencer. “We wanted to test the system.” That system includes the process of making sure all students get from one place to the other and are ac- counted for once they are there. Also, the school tested its process of contacting par- ents to pick up their kids. While the school sent par- ents messages throughout the year that the drill would be happening, parents were not informed of when. Students weren’t aware, ei- ther, until lunch time Thurs- day when the word got out. Spencer said the idea was to make it as close to an emergency scenario as pos- sible. The drill began with a 5- minute lock out, followed by a 5-minute lock down, and then students were instruct- ed to leave the building and head to the church. Once there, they filed into the sanctuary or other rooms in the church with their teach- ers to wait for their parents to arrive. Parents were told where to go and to bring photo ID with them. Without that, their child would not be re- leased. The process of checking in parents and retrieving students through staff mem- bers designated as “runners” appeared to work smoothly, but getting parents to the right place to check in wasn’t as organized. See DRILL, Page 13A MONMOUTH — West- ern Oregon University is open for eclipse viewers. The college is renting dorms, apartments and camping spots — both for tents and recreational vehi- cles — for the weekend of the Great American Eclipse, Aug. 19 and 20. Costs vary, depending on accommodations, and apartments are selling fast, said Erin McDonough, ex- ecutive director of strategic communications and mar- keting. WOU is charging enough to cover its costs, and won’t see much — or any — ad- ditional revenue from rent- ing space, McDonough said. “We have staffing that has to be on site, cleaning, keeping the lights on,” she said. “We’re not making money.” When renting dorm rooms, expect a college ex- perience — down to bring- ing or renting your own linens. Some rooms come with private bathrooms, but many will share. Campers will have access to the team showers in the New Physical Education Build- ing and porta-potties, Mc- Donough said. The Werner University Center will be open for food, but no meal plans will be offered, McDo- nough said. “It’s the community partnership,” she said. “We thought that we would en- courage people to take ad- vantage of what’s in town.” A few activities will be available on campus, such as a possible football scrimmage, but mostly WOU will be a place to stay. “We’re encouraging peo- ple to go to the Independ- ence events and to Mon- mouth Sunday night for their concert,” McDonough said. Bus routes are being planned to connect West- ern Oregon to downtown Independence Friday through Monday morning during the Indy Goes Dark festival. For more information about renting camping or a room at WOU: wou.edu /eclipse/lodging or call 503-838-8658. For more on Indy Goes Dark: IndependenceGoes- Dark.com. SCHOOL NOTES CEA names teachers of the year MOnMOuTH/InDEPEnDEnCE — The Central Education as- sociation Secondary Teacher of the Year for 2017 is natalie nieubuurt. natalie nieubuurt teaches history at Talmadge Middle School. “natalie has a great rapport with students as her personality reflects someone who is kind, reasonable, and fair,” a colleague wrote about nieubuurt. The CEa Elementary Teacher of the Year for 2017 is Pam Young. Pam Young teaches third grade at ash Creek Elementary School. Her colleagues describe her as “an exemplary role model for all teachers” and have noted her compassion as she meets the needs of all her students. as a consequence, her students be- come willing learners who function well in their school com- munity.
