Polk County Education
16A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 13, 2017
DHS, business leaders want to collaborate
Editor’s note: This is the
final story in a series explor-
ing Dallas High School’s ca-
reer and technical education
program. This week we hear
from the education and
business leaders who are
guiding its growth.
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — If the educa-
tion and business leaders
developing Dallas High
School’s career and techni-
cal education program have
their way, all the work done
in the last year is just the tip
of the iceberg.
Superintendent Michelle
Johnstone’s vision for the
programs is make to Dallas
an example for other
school districts with its
partnership with
Chemeketa Community
College to offer classes to
students. Instead of trying
to replicate CTE facilities in
programs offered in bigger
school districts, she pur-
sued the collaborative
model.
That allows the district to
quickly adjust to market or
student needs.
“Going this direction
gives us a flexibility, too, so
we aren’t tied into a facility,”
Johnstone said. “If we start
seeing kids moving toward
engineering and continuing
to get that feedback, then
we can be a little bit more
flexible in the programs
that we offer.”
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Kelleigh Ratzlaff instructs students during a cooking course at Dallas High School.
By the time Tim Ray, the
DHS CTE coordinator, was
hired, Johnstone already had
an idea of the direction she
wanted to go. Ray started
working on the partnerships
to make that happen.
“I toured Chemeketa and
was pleasantly surprised by
the quality of the main cam-
pus,” she said.
In her mind, the high
school didn’t need to repli-
cate what was already
available in the region — or
even across the DHS park-
ing lot at Chemeketa’s Polk
Center.
Dallas and Chemeketa
worked out a unique way of
paying for the instruction the
community college provides.
“Rather than paying per
credit, we are doing some-
thing a little bit different
where we buy the instruc-
tor’s time,” Johnstone said.
That makes the classes
significantly less expensive
for students, she said.
Glen Miller, the director of
the center, said the partner-
ship is working well. He said
students have adjusted
quickly to taking on college
classes.
“What we’ve found is
that we aren’t getting a lot
of students over here just
testing the water,” he said.
“They’ve expressed an in-
terest and are really start-
ing to get that focus. I’ve
talked to all our instructors
who have taught classes
this fall term, and they
think the students are ab-
solutely fantastic.”
Miller believes next year
should include more stu-
dents. This year, the courses
taught by Chemeketa in
business, engineering and
health science were not
available until after students
had began setting their
schedules.
“ We’v e t a l k e d a b o u t
somewhere in January or
February, before (student
schedule) forecasting to
start looking at what other
programs might we be able
to pull in based on student
interest,” Miller said.
Ray, too, is looking ahead
to next year. He’s planning
to introduce two new pro-
grams in the 2018-19
school year, education and
theater arts. He said the
district doesn’t have to de-
sign the programs from the
bottom up because com-
ponents of CTE programs
are offered in current class-
es. They just need to be re-
fined.
Teacher assistant classes
can be redesigned to have
students co-teaching with
middle and elementary
school teachers and the the-
ater program already has a
class in which students pro-
duce a show, he said.
See CTE, Page 6A
Lyle Elementary to name gym after Jim Dent
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Lyle Elemen-
tary School’s gym will soon
be named after Jim Dent, a
longtime teacher, coach and
Rope Busters leader in the
district.
M o n d a y, t h e D a l l a s
School Board approved the
naming of the gym in Dent’s
honor on a unanimous vote.
The approval was based on
recommendation for a com-
mittee of citizens, district
staff, a board member and a
superintendent designee.
The committee evaluated
the district’s naming criteria,
which asks five questions:
• Why is this person note-
worthy?
• Was the person unusual-
ly dedicated?
• Did the person’s contri-
bution extend over a rela-
tively long period of time?
• Who will or has benefit-
ted from this person’s con-
tribution?
• How does or did this in-
dividual demonstrate ethical
conduct, excellent character,
reputation and citizenship?
One of his jump rope
club members submitted a
comment in support of the
naming, saying “Over the
past 12 years, he has taught
me not only about jumping
rope, but of how failure is a
part of the process called
life. He would stay, ‘You’re
going to hit the rope, but
don’t make that the reason
you don’t do the trick. Be
confident!’ He not only
teaches them rope skills, he
also builds the kids’ confi-
dence with each encourag-
ing comment.”
Dent began his teaching
career in 1967 and retired
after 30 years and teaching
approximately 2,350 stu-
dents. Twenty years later,
he’s still a substitute teacher.
In his early years with the
district, he coached basket-
ball and volleyball and still
coaches the Rope Busters
jump rope club.
“In the years that I’ve
been here, this may be one
of the highlights of the du-
ties I’ve been assigned,” said
Assistant Superintendent
Dennis Engle, who served as
Superintendent Michelle
Johnstone’s designee on the
committee.