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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 2021)
The Columbia Press September 17, 2021 STEM teacher leaves corporate life for WHS By Bruce Dustin For The Columbia Press Scott Norman, a 1995 gradu- ate of Warrenton High School, has returned to campus as the school’s newest STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teacher. Scott, now in his 40s, was a student of mine when I taught at Warrenton High School. I had the pleasure of teaching him both Japanese and Span- ish. He also played basketball all four years. He was a student of two other teachers who are now his peers – Jim Hackwith and Steve Por- ter. Norman graduated in 1995 and was one of two valedictori- ans with a 4.0 grade point av- erage. He studied business market- ing and management at the University of Portland and then spent the next two decades working for Aerotek, a global recruiting and staffing com- pany. Norman took on some leadership roles and negotiated multi-million-dollar business deals, he said. “After 20 years in corporate America, I was ready for a change,” Norman said. “I had accomplished so much person- ally and financially and wanted to give back both to my family but also my community. So, I thought, where better than Business and development tidbits Sale of Sturgeon Paul’s approved by city Sturgeon Paul’s, a seafood processing business at Ham- mond Marina, will change hands soon. Warrenton city commis- sioners on Tuesday approved the business transfer after being assured all problems with the prior tenant have been fixed. “At this point, all of those issues that were outlined have been addressed to our satisfaction,” City Manager Linda Engbretson said. Two of the three buildings at the site and the equipment are owned by Paul Leitch; the third building and the land are owned by the city and leased to Leitch. James Fowler will now be allowed to purchase the busi- ness and fill out the remain- der of Leitch’s lease with the city, which ends in 2023. Fowler could then negotiate for a new lease or the city could choose to do something else with the property. Last month, city officials had delayed approving the transfer until Leitch paid $711.61 in personal property taxes he still owed for 2020, a nonapproved sublease with a trucking company was re- solved, and plumbing and electrical code violations were fixed. Cindy Yingst Sturgeon Paul’s, a vendor at Hammond Marina, will change hands. The new owner will take on a lease with the city that ends in two years. Room for chicken? Developers for Popeyes chicken met with the city of Warrenton about building a restaurant next to TLC Credit Union. The corner of Highway 101 and Ensign Lane is a tight fit, Planning Director Scott Hazelton said, but there’s a small lot at the entrance to Walmart where a drive- through eatery could be built. “There’s a pretty long wrap- around that will take a condi- tional-use permit,” Hazelton told planning commissioners at their Sept. 9 meeting. They would be the group to ap- prove or deny the permit. More possibilities “There’s a lot of stuff going on,” Planning Director Ha- zelton reported to the Plan- ning Commission. He has heard or met with developers from several busi- nesses who’d like to set up shop in Warrenton. They include Harbor Freight Tools and Buddha Kat Winery, which is based in Sandy and has a tasting room in Seaside. Harbor Freight is eyeing the Warrenton Highlands shop- ping center at Ensign Lane and Highway 101, and the winery is interested in a spot near the airport. 3 where I grew up?” He returned to Warrenton two years ago, coaching youth baseball, basketball and soc- cer. Last year, Rod Heyen, then-principal of Warrenton Grade School, asked him if he’d consider helping with the out- door science school at Camp Kiwanalong. “I came back with no real plan to work again, other than may- be part time here or there so I would not get bored,” he said. He happily agreed to help with the science school “because I knew it would help those kids struggling to stay home with online school and it allowed those students a place to go so they could return full time.” And it was during that time that he decided to become a full-time teacher. He’d previously served on one of Portland Community Col- lege’s advisory boards, helping develop curriculum to ensure students graduate as job-ready as possible. And he taught col- lege graduates how to be suc- cessful business people. One of his new roles at the high school is to get students ready to succeed in the working Bruce Dustin Scott Norman in the high school’s CTE building. world. “In workforce prep, the ob- jective is to give the students the skills to be successful when they leave high school regard- less of their career path,” he said. “We will teach them skills such as how to find a job, build a resume, interview for jobs, employer expectations, and per- sonal finance. There will also be a focus on things like time man- agement, teamwork, presenta- tions, and networking.”