Page 10
The INDEPENDENT, March 21, 2001
Banks teachers honored
Presidential Award for Excellence
The 2001 STARS mentors from Vernonia High School are, from left, Waylon Buchan, Christy
Benes, Bonnie Buchan, Elisabeth Brookins, Myriam Gendron-Herndon and Megan Serra-
Marshall.
STARS expanded to three classrooms
STARS (S tudents Today
A ren’t Ready for Sex) mentors
from V ernonia H igh S chool
have com pleted another year
of helping sixth grade students
learn both why and how to say
no to early sexual involvement.
Working in three classrooms
In tbs Servioe
Crystal M. Kizer
Army National Guard Pvt.
Crystal M. Kizer has graduated
from the light-w heel vehicle
mechanic advanced individual
training (AIT) course at Fort
Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the course, the stu
dent was trained to perform
maintenance on vehicle power
assisted brake systems, wheel
vehicle suspension systems,
wheel-hub assemblies, m ech
anical and hydraulic steering
system s and w heel vehicle
crane, hoist and winch assem
blies.
K izer is the d a u g h te r of
Katherine V. Kizer of Banks.
this year, two at Washington
Grade School and one at Mist,
the six mentors - Christy Be
nes, Elisabeth Brookins, Bon
nie Buchan, W aylon Buchan,
Myriam Gendron-Herndon and
Megan Serra-Marshall - led 75
sixth graders through exercis
es to help them learn how to be
assertive in saying no without
losing friends, a m atter of great
concern to middle schoolers.
The six mentors were cho
sen from among 14 Vernonia
students who applied, a situa
tion that both pleased and dis
tressed Vernonia Coordinator
Juanita Dennis.
“ It was the first time we had
more students apply than we
could use,” said Dennis, “and I
thought that was wonderful.
Then I realized I had to make
decisions about who would or
w ouldn’t be in the program.”
After taking two full days of
training, this year in St. Helens
with students from all five high
schools in Columbia County,
the mentors split up in three
teams to lead five sessions in
each of the three sixth grade
classroom s. Siblings W aylon
and Bonnie Buchan composed
one team; Benes and Serra-
Marshall, who both live in Mist,
team ed up at M ist School;
Brookins and G endron-H ern
don were the third team.
M entors throughout the
state will all be invited to partic
ipate in a celebratory event lat
er this spring.
Tammy Schrader, a science teacher at Banks Elementary
School, was named by President George W. Bush as a recipi
ent of the 2000 Presidential Awards for Excellence in M athe
matics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). She was selected
from more than 600 finalists from all 50 states, Puerto Rico,
United States Territories and U.S. Departm ent of Defense
schools.
Each year, a national panel of distinguished scientists, m ath
em aticians and educators recommends up to 216 teachers to
receive the award. There are approxim ately 2 million science
and mathem atics teachers across the country eligible for the
PAEMST honor.
The W hite House then recognizes the best of the nation’s K-
12 mathem atics and science teachers with this highest honor.
The awards are adm inistered by the National Science Founda
tion (NSF).
Each Awardee receives a $7,500 educational grant for his or
her school and a trip to W ashington, D.C. Schrader was in the
nation’s capitol from March 6 through 10 to receive the award
and participate in a variety of educational and celebratory
events. She met with members of Congress and the adm inis
tration, discussed the latest issues in mathem atics and science
teaching and had the opportunity to share expertise with col
leagues.
The PAEMST, established in 1983, honors the nation’s lead
ing mathem atics and science teachers in four categories: ele
mentary mathem atics, elem entary science, secondary m athe
matics and secondary science.
Schrader’s award was for her work in Elementary Science.
She is a graduate of Pacific University.
Inspirational Teacher Award
Freshman honor students at Eastern Oregon University
have selected tw enty-six educators from throughout the coun
try to receive EOU’s 2000 Inspirational Teacher Award.
Students who achieved Dean’s List standing during the fall
term were asked to nom inate a teacher who was inspirational
to them on their road to higher education and academ ic excel
lence.
Andrea Herinckx, a 2000 graduate of Banks High School,
nominated Pat Ball, a Social Studies, Governm ent and Eco
nomics teacher at Banks High School, to receive one of the
awards. Herinckx, an Agriculture and Business Management
m ajor at EOU, is the daughter of Bob and Donna Herinckx of
Banks.
“W e at Eastern believe it is im portant to recognize first-year
students who dem onstrate high academ ic excellence and the
teachers w ho inspire them ," said EOU P resident Phil
Creighton. “Students who participate in this program have
achieved success that is shared by less than five percent of
EOU’s incoming freshm an.”
r
The real art of conversation
is not only to say the right thing
at the right time, but also to
leave unsaid the wrong thing at
the tempting moment.
March 30th 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.*
March 31st 10:00 a.m. - 4 p.m.
F ar / ï \ woa \ an ' s N ursery
GRAND OPENING
A pril 5-Ô • 10 am - 6 p/n
J oin us for C hili ,
B everages $ C ookies
12&91 K easey R oad
7 mi.
out of
V ernonia •
V ernonia
503-429-4451
Reg. Hours will be
Thurs. thru Sun, 10 am - 6 pm
•featuring:
Color Photography by Christopher Burkett
Ceramics by Jeff Patterson
Woodcarving & Miniature Oils by Esteban Tosoni
Black & White Photography by Dale Horchner
v Watercolors by Ruth Brown
Oils by Joe Naspini
*-»
Woodworking by Hardwood Originals
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE
10 G al S hade ,
F lowering $
F ruit T rees .....
12
99
eup
*A rtists will be present. Please join us, we look forward to seeing vou.
Dan & Heidi Brown
879 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064 • 503-429-2787