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