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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 2019)
T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly www.thecolumbiapress.com November 22, 2019 The science of making learning fun WGS teacher helps Right: Grace Um uses the catapult students become she built to send a marshmallow fly- innovators ing down the hall. B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press There’s a real science to engaging students. The recipe calls for one part en- couragement, one part relation- ship, one part motivation and a good bit of hands-on work. “People like to call it that aha mo- ment, when that lightbulb goes off,” junior high science teacher Dionne Marshall said when asked what she loves about teaching. “I love build- ing relationships with students and getting to know them personally.” Marshall, 37, has been teaching science at Warrenton Grade School for 10 years. Last month, she was named Region One Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Oregon Science Teachers Association. Region One includes Multnomah, Clackamas, Columbia and Clatsop counties. Below right: Teacher Dionne Marshall prepares her students Mon- day for a lab on building catapults. Below: Levi Qual- in and Amanda Nairn put the finishing touches on their catapult. Cindy Yingst See ‘Science’ on Page 4 Many options for Thanksgiving day meals and other events The Columbia Press There’s a new group in charge of Warrenton’s community Thanksgiv- ing dinner this year. The local VFW has taken over the task, but the event is still free and open to everyone. Community Day of Thanks is from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 28, at Warrenton Community Center, 170 S.W. Third St. The dinner is sponsored by Fort Stevens VFW and Auxiliary 10580. For the past eight years, the fami- lies of Diane Burkhart, Lisa Lamping and Kelly Clark have spearheaded the Thankful Hearts Thanksgiving din- ner with the help of dozens of volun- teers. They turned the reigns over to the VFW, who learned the ropes from them last year, along with all remain- ing donated funds. If you can’t attend the meal in per- son, the group will deliver a meal to your door. To sign up for a home meal, call Debbie Little at 503-739- 0661 before noon on Wednesday, Nov. 27. If you’d prefer to donate your time or money for the event, contact Little at the above phone number or email her at dlittle1822@gmail.com. Do- nations can be mailed to Thankful Hearts, 91717 Sunnyside Road, War- renton 97146. O ther t hanksgiving events • Gobbler Gallop, a 5-kilometer run, will begin at 8 a.m. Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, at the Columbia River Mari- time Museum, 1792 Marine Drive. Registration is $10 per person or a donation of canned foods. The run is along the Astoria Riverwalk. Registration will be taken the morn- See ‘Thanksgiving’ on Page 8 Vol. 3, Issue 47 Pac. Seafood’s workers’ dorm gets approval B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press Pacific Seafood received a green light from Planning Commissioners to convert an old office building into dorms for seasonal workers. The conditional-use permit requires the company to meet more than 30 city-imposed standards, including limits on who lives there, upgrades to the driveway, exterior landscaping and more. “I think the applicant is trying to be transpar- ent. I think the applicant is trying to do something Mitchell worthwhile,” Planning Commission Chairman Paul Mitchell said before the vote. “Do I think it’s in the best location?” Mitchell shrugged and continued, “I have concerns about the living conditions … but that’s not really up to us. I personally would like to see it not have 100 peo- ple living there.” Pacific Seafood has struggled to find affordable housing for its sea- sonal seafood plant workers, some- times busing them long distances and sometimes paying for expensive hotel rooms. The company’s proposal is to take an unused half of a building used for metal fabrication that it already owns at 1815 N.W. Warrenton Drive and convert the former offices into dormi- tory-style housing for 70 employees the first year and up to 90 in subse- quent years. Several nearby residents expressed concerns with the project. “There should have been higher standards,” Anne Marie Gramson See ‘Pac. Seafood’ on Page 6