Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 2014)
I Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon SCHOOL DISTRICT -Continuedfrom PAGE ONE ing, 61.7 percent fifth grade math, 83.9 percent sixth graders not chronically absent, 50.3 percent eighth grade math and 79.8 percent ninth grade not chronically absent, with an additional category of ninth graders on track to graduate-79.9 percent; for disadvantaged students-kindergarten as sessment-97 percent, third grade reading-58.3 percent, fifth-grade math-51.5 per cent, sixth-grade not chron ically absent—83.5, eighth- grade math-44.3 percent, on track to graduate-76.3 percent, ninth-grade not chronically absent-79.2. MCSD’s 2014-15 goals for all students are: kin dergarten assessment-100 percent, third-grade read ing-69.2, fifth-grade math- 64.7 percent, sixth grade not chronically absent-86.9 percent, eighth-grade math- 53.3 percent, ninth grade on track to graduate-82.9 percent, ninth-grade not chronically absent-82.8 percent; for disadvantaged students the goal is: kin dergarten assessment-100 percent, third-grade read ing-61.3, fifth-grade math- 54.5, sixth-grade not chron ically absent-86.5; eighth- grade math-47.3 percent; ninth-grade on track to g raduate-7 9 .3 p ercent, ninth grade not chronically absent-82.2 percent. MCSD Assistant Su perintendent George Men doza said that the district has really shown a lot of grow th in reading, but added that one of the dis trict’s goals is to increase students’ math proficiency. The district will submit the final version of its com pact to the Oregon Educa tion Investment Board on Oct. 15. Also at the meeting, Superintendent Dirk Dirk- sen told the Gazette-Times that C hief Financial Of ficer Andy Fletcher has resigned to take a position with Columbia Basin Elec tric Co-op. Dirksen said that Fletcher has already begun working for CBEC, but has agreed to continue to serve the school district as chief financial officer and maintenance consultant for the time being, until the district can find a replace ment for him. In other business, the board: -heard a presentation on Windy River Elemen tary’s science program from teacher Anna Browne; -ap p ro v ed an early graduation request from an Irrigon Junior/Senior High School student. -adopted rescinded, new or revised policies on: board member ethics and conflicts o f interest, board member ethics and nepotism, hazing/harass- ment/intimidation/bullying/ menacing/cyberbullying, personal electronic devices and social media-staff, in structional resources/in- structional materials, and animals in district facilities. -approved appointment of Shannon Boor to Posi tion #5 on the budget com mittee and Janet Dezeliem to Position #4. -adopted a resolution, the “Promise of Oregon,” an Oregon School Board A sso ciatio n reso lu tio n that promotes education and sufficient education funding. Dirksen said that OSBA has made it clear that they oppose any education reform that comes without funding. -received the follow ing enrollment report for October: A.C. Houghton Elementary School, Irri- gon-297, Sam Boardman Elementary-358, Heppner E lem entary-187, Irrigon E lem entary-174, Windy River Elementary, Board- man-202, Heppner Junior/ Senior High School-168, Irrig o n J u n io r /S e n io r High School-404, River side Junior/Senior High S c h o o l- 3 9 7 , M o rro w Education Center-27, to tal-2,214. Dirksen remarked that he was pleased with the enrollment figures and said that district -wide enroll ment had increased across the board. -approved the follow ing em ploym ent action: resignations-Andy Fletch er, chief financial officer/ business manager, Vanessa Gutierrez, RJSHS ed assis tant, Troy Johnson, IJSHS JV boys’ basketball coach, Phil Joyce, IJSHS junior high assistant boys’ basket ball coach, William Salis bury, Irrigon schools facil ity coordinator; employ- ment/promotions/transfers- Minerva DeLoera, RJSHS ed assistant, Andy Fletcher, chief financial ofificer/main- tenance consultant, Bret Maddox, SBE ed assistant; extra duty contracts-Melis- sa Coiner, HJSHS junior high assistant girls’ basket ball coach, Adam Doherty, HJSHS junior high head girls' basketball coach, Jar- rett Thom pson, RJSHS head baseball coach. -received the follow ing announcements: Oct. 21-Oregon School Boards Association fall regional conference, Condon, Oct. 30-end of first quarter, Nov. 10-next board m eeting, IJSHS, 7 p.m., Nov. 11-Vet eran’s Day holiday, Nov. 13-16-OSBA’s 68th annual conference, Portland. LISTEN IN G TO US IN O REG O N Wednesday, October 15,2014 -F IV E lone FFA earns fourth in first soils contest The lone FFA Chapter participated in its first-ever soils judging contest last week in Irrigon. The entire horticulture class attended and the advanced team earned fourth place. Pictured (L-R): Hannah Padberg, Ivy Sandford, Katie Gilbert, Jennifer Hernandez, Miranda Taylor, Danny Doherty, Amir Bayanayev, TJ Patton, David Smidmajer, Sam Gilbert. Daniel Holtz, Joe Doherty and Brandon Peck. - Photo by Erin Heideman Lexington Grange rooted in the past, looks to the future The Lexington Grange (#726) was officially rein stated July 10, 2014. G ranges have been present, especially in ag ricultural com m unities, for more than 100 years. Granges across the country strive to provide a meeting place for people from all walks of life who wish to provide for their commu nity, and forms a brother hood not rooted in ritual and pomp, but of service, charity, community and family. As organizations evolve and new generations take charge, new ideas of what is necessary in our community come forward. L e x in g to n G range Master Hannah Lankford explained her excitement for the reinstatement of the grange by stating, “I like the freedom the grange provides to choose what we will support. We aren’t restricted to specific causes, so we can look at our com munity and provide as sistance or programs that aren’t currently available. We also hope to offer a place where local events can be held, from weddings to stockholder meetings. “ C u rre n tly we are working to rejuvenate a building that is steeped in Morrow County history with records that go back to the 1920s. It’s very exciting to see what the grange has done for this area in the past and gives us an inspiration for what we can continue to do in the future,” Lankford added. Some of the improve ments that have been done to the historic building in- SUffjf&S M f ' Lexington Grange #726 has been reinstated and restored, and its members are full of plans for the future. -Contributedphoto clude painting the exterior, fixing drainage and plumb ing issues, and painting the side rooms of the building. The building will be avail able to rent. At the first official meeting, 23 new members and one returning member were initiated into the Lex ington Grange. Members joined for different reasons. “ I am fairly new to the Morrow County area,” explained Grange Secretary Haley Winters when asked why she took an interest in reinstating the Lexing ton Grange. “It seemed a shame for the building to go unused when it is so beauti ful and such a great place for events. My interest in reinstating the grange was to get the building up and running again and to serve the community by hosting events, completing service projects and having fun in the process.” And the fun is coming soon, grange members say. Several events are already planned for this fall and winter. The first event will be a Pumpkin Picking Party on Oct. 26, including a photo booth, costum e contest, pumpkin painting tables, carnival games, and an FFA hands-on learning experi ence. A craft fair will be held Nov. 22-23; the entry fee will be a can of food or $2, all of which will go toward food baskets for those in need. Anyone interested in being a vendor, fill out and submit an application on line at http://lexgrange726. wix.com/grange. Although the date has not been set, a soup and stew cook off will be held late January. Grange mem bers say they look forward to hosting movie nights, dances, educational lectures and programs, and potlucks in the future. Anyone interested in becom ing a Lexington Grange member, visit the website and contact an offi cer with questions. Minutes of our meetings and a calen dar of events are available for review. Local schools outperform comparison schools on state report cards FIGHTING FOR US IN W ASH IN G TO N Local school districts report that their students have outperformed most other comparable schools in a state rating system. Morrow County School District has reported that its students outperformed comparison school districts data on five of six outcome performance measures as it relates to what students are achieving in high school. MCSD has eight schools within the district. H alf of the schools within the district yielded strong per formances based on the new state school-rating criteria. Gregei Waiden — G RE G WA L D E N . C O M ■■■ » * - VOTE GREG WALDEN FOR CONGRESS W which rates schools from a 1 (lowest performance) to 5 (model school perfor mance). The school district re ports that, com pared to districts with similar de mographics, MCSD seniors outperformed their coun terparts in college and ca reer readiness, high school graduation rate, completion rate, dropout rate and con tinuing education. This year Heppner Ele mentary and Heppner High School have attained a Lev el 4 rating. A.C. Houghton. Windy River Elementary, FO R S A L E NEW N EV ER USED! "My Passport Air” ultra-thin portable storage, ALWAYS PUTTING O R EG O N FIRST 500 GB/GO; USB 3.0, d e sig n e d fo r m ac $79.99 See a t H e p p n e r G aze tte -Tim e s 541-676-9228 188 w illo w H e p p n e r if Irrigon Junior/Senior High, Riverside Junior/Senior High, and Sam Boardman Elementary achieved Level 3 performance, while Ir rigon Elementary School obtained a Level 2 rating. lone School District’s lone Community School received a Level 4 rating for the second year in a row. As part o f the state's federal w aiver ap p lica tion, Oregon developed a new accountability system with a greater focus on stu dent learning and growth. Schools also receive a rat ing that com pares them to “like” schools. Schools are rated as below average, about average, or above average as com pared to sim ilar schools. This is intended to provide parents and community members with another perspective on achievement at the school. For more information, go to your child's school site main office and ask for a copy, or visit http:// www.ode.state.or.us/data/ reportcard/reports.aspx and select your school district. I
