8A • June 17, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
BUSINESS
Sande Brown, leader and student
advocate, to embark on new course DIRECTORY
M INI -S TORAGE
EO Media Group
It is a typical midweek
morning, and Seaside Heights
Elementary School Principal
Sande Brown is stationed at
her habitual post outside the
main entrance to smile, wave
and converse with students
as they disembark from bus-
es and cars and trek into the
building.
“The best part of the day is
greeting kids as they come to
school,” she says.
During the past two and
half decades, her place — the
place she worked, loved, in-
vested her time and developed
professionally and personally
— has been in the halls of Sea-
side School District schools.
After the 2015-16 school year,
the curtains will close on that
stage of her life when she re-
tires.
Relecting back on her ca-
reer, Brown said, “I think the
thing I’ve enjoyed the most
is working with children and
families to make their lives
better, and that could be in a
variety of ways.”
With emotion, she ex-
plained her role of guiding stu-
dents and working alongside
families as they wrestle with
various issues and challenges
and successfully come out the
other side.
It is evident the time has
come for retirement, she
laughed, “When you get senti-
mental about things like that.”
KATHERINE LACAZE/FOR CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Seaside Heights Elementary School Principal Sande Brown
greets students as they arrive for school. Brown is retiring
ater the 2015-16 school year.
According to Superin-
tendent Doug Dougherty,
“Through her inspiring lead-
ership and advocacy for stu-
dents, a culture of learning
and growth has been estab-
lished throughout Sande’s
career.”
In March, Brown oficial-
ly gave her notice of retire-
ment, effective June 30, and
the Seaside School District
Board of Directors accepted
the notice. Broadway Mid-
dle School Principal John
McAndrews will be the new
principal at the Heights, while
Broadway Middle School As-
sistant Principal Robert Rusk
will ill in for McAndrews.
As for Brown, she looks
forward to having additional
time for her recreational pas-
times, such as kayaking, hik-
ing and skiing. However, she
also imagines both she and
her husband, Mike Brown,
who also is retiring from Sea-
side High School this year,
will want to continue working
part-time or investing some
hours into education.
Education
was
not
Brown’s original career
choice. She irst received a
degree in parks and recreation
from Central Washington
University. She planned to
settle down in central Wash-
ington.
Brown started her tenure
in the Seaside School District
as an English and journalism
teacher at the high school in
1990. She also oversaw the
high school’s yearbook and
news magazine, worked in
alternative education and
helped establish and coach
the high school’s swim team.
In 2002, Brown was hired
as the assistant principal at
Broadway Middle School.
The following year, she main-
tained a portion of that role
while also serving as princi-
pal of Gearhart Elementary
School.
Brown was the principal of
both Gearhart Elementary and
the Cannon Beach Elemen-
tary School in 2005, before
serving solely as the Gearhart
principal starting in 2007.
She inished making her
rounds of the Seaside schools
when she became the princi-
pal at the Heights in 2014. In
fact, she said, her one “claim
to fame” is having worked at
every school in the district. In
2014 former Cannon Beach
students were assimilated into
Seaside Heights Elementary
School.
Having served as the
Cannon Beach principal and
knowing many of the students
and their families, Brown
felt poised to lead the two
schools’ merging. “I wanted
to be here to help bring every-
body together,” she said.
From Brown’s perspec-
tive, the interactions she
shares with fellow educators,
students and their families are
rewarding for herself, as well.
“I learn every day from my
kids and their parents and my
staff,” she said.
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L ANDSCAPING
GARDENER
Fire Mountain school
reopens ater a refresh
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP
Jaxson Smith waits outside before the start the Seaside
High School graduation ceremony Monday.
Graduates pause, relect
Graduates from Page 1A
“All of us have faced chal-
lenges, whether with school
life, social life, home life or
not knowing if there was go-
ing to be food on the table for
dinner tonight, the Class of
2016 has faced it all,” Barnes
said. “Not only did we perse-
vere, many of us went on to
accomplish things well be-
yond our years.”
“This is a wonderful and
special class,” Sheila Roley,
the school’s principal, said.
“They are bright, kind, com-
passionate, caring group of
young people and they have
worked very hard. The road
through high school is not an
easy one. We put high bars in
front of our students and yet
here they all are.”
“We push our limits be-
cause we are the Seaside cen-
tennials and we are grateful
for those who molded us into
who we are today,” salutatori-
an Whitney Westerholm said.
“You are the reason behind
the success of our class, and
we will forever be in debt to
this community.”
After the awarding of
diplomas, students popped
confetti and threw hats in
the air as family and faculty
proudly clapped, whistled and
cheered.
Senior class president and
valedictorian Alie Zagata,
who created the Seaside High
School centennial celebration,
asked her fellow students to
hold onto their unique person-
alities as they enter the “big,
wide world.”
Salutatorian Isabella Cur-
cin encouraged students to ex-
perience the world’s wonders
through travel and language
learning.
Valedictorian Cosma Da-
vis said the class was on the
cusp of “our biggest adven-
ture yet” and advised students
to let love help guide their
decisions when facing new-
found freedom and options.
“We’re amazing and in-
telligent human beings,”
valedictorian Kyna Lin said.
“Don’t ever let anyone tell
you differently.”
The New School at Fire
Mountain is now enrolling
for the next school year after
closing for a year.
“The school needed to re-
boot,” Faith Deur, the school
board’s president, said. “We
needed a year to reorganize
and get people re-ener-
gized.”
After the closing of
Cannon Beach Elemen-
tary School in 2013, Fire
Mountain is an option for
families in town seeking an
alternative to Seaside public
schools.
The independent school,
located in Arch Cape, will
continue to use the Oregon
Coast as a “living laborato-
ry.” Located near Oswald
West State Park and the
recently designated Cape
Falcon Marine Reserve, the
school allows students to ex-
perience the local environ-
ment, Deur said. Children
are encouraged to spend
time outdoors and play in
nature.
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THE COASTER THEATRE PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS
First-through-fourth
grade classes are illing up,
Deur said. The school draws
students from across the
north Oregon Coast.
This fall, new teacher
Kate Romanov, from Ne-
halem, will bring her experi-
ence with place-based learn-
ing and social-emotional
development to the school’s
elementary grades. Roman-
ov has a background in envi-
ronmental sustainability and
a master’s degree in educa-
tion. She previously taught
in Oregon and California.
The school is still search-
ing for a preschool and kin-
dergarten teacher.
Fire Mountain’s interdis-
ciplinary curriculum focuses
on students’ emotional and
academic growth, creativity
and environmental aware-
ness.
Besides the core curricu-
lum, the school plans to hold
weekly group meetings with
students to discuss goals, an-
swer questions and resolve
disputes.
Parents built the school
building during the 1980s.
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By Katherine Lacaze
music fi rst
Seaside Office:
503-738-5561
Astoria Office:
503-325-3211