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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2002)
Page10 The INDE PENDENT April 18, 2002 All teachers in district receive technology training via Intel grant From page 1 team events. The team has placed first in team events and is working hard to earn the league Sportsmanship Award. Their final league competition of the season will be in McM in nville, April 19, 20, and 21 and several team members are ex pected to qualify for state com petition. “Teach to the Future” Because “Computers aren’t magic, teachers are,” Intel’s ‘Teach to the Future” grant pro gram provides training and equipment for a master teach er, who then trains the remain der of district staff. Small school districts, like Vernonia, have too few people to qualify for the program, but Intel pro vided a bonus: The Vernonia district combined with the Jew ell School District made a large enough group. Vernonia teach er Doug Tesdal, who completed his master teacher training dur ing the summer, taught teach ers in Vernonia and in Jewell, sim ultaneously, using V-Tel equipment provided by Intel as part of the grant program. All 40 Vernonia School District teach ers have now completed train ing in how to use Power Point and other applications as tools for lesson planning and presen tation to students. Glenda Delemos, who em ceed the presentation to the board, also wrote the grant that provided funds so the district could participate in the pro gram. In addition to the master teacher training and the V-Tel equipm ent, both the grade school and high school re ceived computer labs with up- to-date laptop computers for student use, and a large “smart board” to use for presentations. Tesdal required every teach er to write a lesson plan for their students using the laptop computer lab. Music teacher Bonnie Holtz described her les son plan on sea shanties and explained to the board how she would use it with her students. Her son, Ben, also dem onstrat ed how he had used the tech nology to write a report about his recent trip to Washington, DC. The two presentations made the use of the technology - and the Washington, D.C., trip - come alive for the board of directors. According to the elementary and high school principals, the laptop computers are in con stant use. The kids are quiet, intense and working when they can get a laptop. For example, Cari B ickford’s fourth grade class is working on their sev enth project. All students in the district will have an opportunity to use this exciting technology to write reports and make pre sentations. Concluding the presentation, Delemos emphasized that the Intel grant funded the entire program, including all of the teacher training, equipm ent and software necessary to op erate the system. Policy on foreign exchange students Nona Skinner, program rep resentative for the American Scandinavian Student Ex change (ASSE) advised the board that revisions in the dis trict’s policy on exchange stu dents have created deadlines that make it difficult for ex change programs to comply with U.S. State Departm ent guidelines. In addition, the poli cy is unclear about whether board action is required for a program to have more than two students enrolled in the school. Last month, the board changed the policy, removing American Field Service from the list of recognized programs and adding Council on Interna tional Educational Exchange. The board directed high school principal Mike Durbin to discuss the problems with both programs and develop a re worded policy. The board also will take action on an additional ASSE student at the April 18 meeting. Northwest Regional ESD Superintendent Larry Mc Clellan praised the work of the local ESD after Jerry Jones and Kenda Shoemaker presented the board with the Northwest Regional Educational Service District annual report. NWRESD is very conscious of being a service agency that works for kids, McClellan said. Jones also briefly explained ESD funding to the board, and discussed the disparity be tween funding for NWRESD and Multnomah ESD, which have the same number of stu dents. Jones said that during the last legislative session a five-year equalization plan was approved. Grant applications McClellan praised the efforts of staff in developing a compli cated grant application for the School Repair, IDEA and Tech nology Renovation Grant Pro gram, which is actually three separate federally funded grant programs. The largest grant ap plication is for $500,000 to pro vide funds that would allow the district to build a multi-use building to get children out of the Washington Grade School basement. The district has high hope of securing these funds since a preference for high- poverty, rural communities is in cluded in the grant legislation. A second application, for $217,389, was submitted for funds to replace obsolete classroom computers. The third part of the request, for $86,662, is for IDEA funds, for improve ments in the special education department. Country Kitchen & Pizza BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER Soup & Salad Bar • Pies & Pastries “SOFT SERVE” CONES & SHAKES Home of the Paul Bunyan Burger Across from High School Orders To Go 503-429-6523 DELIVERY AVAILABLE LOW CO$T CAR LOANS Vernonia Federal Credit Union • 503-429-8031 In other business the board: • Again tabled discussion and action on the com munica tion audit and the contract ex tension for the district’s archi tect. • M cClellan reported that school enrollm ent numbers continue to fall to a greater ex tent than expected. • Approved a resolution that would allow the district to par ticipate in an OSBA-sponsored pension bond program that may reduce costs to the district. The program is still being re searched and actual participa tion will be decided at a future meeting. • Elementary Principal Kirk Sherrill reported that WGS is having a penny drive to raise funds fo r new sports/play equipment. • Agreed to have a board re treat in July, soon after a new superintendent is hired. • Received a draft of next ye a r’s school calendar. The draft is being reviewed by the staff. The INDEPENDENT is available FREE at the following locations: VERNONIA The Independent office Leonetti's Pizza & Grill Triple S Saw Service Vernonia City Hall US Bank Buds & Blooms Midway Veterinary Clinic The Lyon's Den Bridge Street Antiques New Hong Kong The Spar Tree Country Kitchen Bridge Street MiniMart Vernonia Federal Credit Union Creatures Creative Impulse Lew's Place Vernonia Inn Vernonia Golf Club Wilcox & Flegel West Oregon Electric Coop. Vernonia Public Library Vernonia Hardware Vernonia Realty & Insurance Grey Dawn Gallery Laundromat/Ray Pelster 4-Hair Vernonia 76 Service Carey's Create-a-Cate Meyer's Auto Body Gardener's Farm & Home Napa Auto Parts Vernonia Sr Citizens Center Providence Family Medicine Hair Parlour Western Auto Bridge Street Mall Sunnyside Cafe Out on a Limb/StorageToo Gasoline Alley NORTH PLAINS A.M./P.M. Mini Market BANKS Jim's Sentry Market Main Street Pizza Banks Fire Station Banks Lumber Co. Benson Mortgage Gift Shop - Sewing Banks Auto Parts Banks City Hall Bighorn Logging Smarty Pants The Brown Derby Oak Village Laundry Banks Hamburgers Strassel's Auto Cop's Feed Sunset Laundry Banks Billiards Banks Police Department Banks Public Library Banks Hardware Banks 76 Service Lumberjack Farms MANNING - HIGHWAY 26 Manning Market Dairy Queen 76 Station Hildegarde's @ Timber Road Ye Olde Dingheiser Tavern Dairy Creek Tavern Staley's ELSIE-JEWELL Camp 18 Mini Mart Jewell School Elderberry Inn Oney's MIST-BIRKENFELD Birkenfeld Store Olympic Forest Products Mill Mist-Birkenfeld Fire Station
