Attn: Lesli© Larson
UO Library-OMP
1299 University Of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299
Voi. 17, No. 24
PRESORTED STANDARD
U S . P o s ta g e P a id
V e rn o n ia , O R 9 7 0 6 4
“Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley”
FREE
December 19, 2002
Education goes way
beyond the three Rs
Hyde will head Oregon Counties group
Columbia County Commis
sioner Tony Hyde was elected
president of the Association of
Oregon Counties at the organi
zation’s annual conference in
November. Hyde succeeds Lake
County Commissioner Jane O’
Keeffe as leader of the Salem-
based association, which repre
sents all 36 Oregon counties.
Hyde is joined by a leader
ship team elected by confer
ence participants to serve for
the next year, including Kla
math County Commissioner Al
Switzer, who will serve as
A O C ’s first vice president,
Clackam as County C om m is
sioner Michael Jordan, second
vice president and Lincoln
County C om m issioner Jean
Cowan, treasurer.
Hyde was first elected to the
Colum bia C ounty Board of
Commissioners in 1996. Before
then, he served seven years as
mayor and city councilor in Ver
nonia.
Hyde unhurt in wreck
Among the drivers who had
problem s on the extrem ely
slick roads last W ednesday
morning was Columbia County
Commissioner Tony Hyde, who
was late getting to the weekly
Board of Commissioners meet
ing because he had to wait for
a tow truck.
A resident of Vernonia, Hyde
was not the only driver who en
countered problems on un
sanded Scappoose-Vernonia
Road. When his car slipped off
the road, Hyde said, he was
traveling slowly enough to
avoid injury.
“Oregon is facing tough
times, but by working together
with our state and federal part
ners across the urban-rural di
vide, and among our local com
munity organizations and busi
nesses, we can get Oregon
back on track,” said Hyde. “Col
lectively, as an executive com
mittee, we look forward to
working with the governor-elect
and legislative leadership to
help guide the state through
our current financial and eco
nomic challenges. County gov
ernments are trusted settings
for forging these partnerships.”
County officials also voted to
support a resolution requesting
that the federal government im
plement a timber salvaging pro
gram to restore habitat on pub
lic lands affected by wildfires
earlier this year.
Education has changed a lot
since many who are reading
this have been in grade school.
Even elementary students en
gage in multidiscipline learning
activities that cover a broad
range of curriculum— and the
students have fun because the
activities are structured as
games. W ashington Grade
School students Samantha Lee
and Rebecca Young were intro
duced by WGS Principal Kirk
Sherrill at the Vernonia school
board meeting, December 12,
to talk about the “games” they
are playing in their sixth grade
classes.
“Spanish Galleons," a game
just completed, has been used
for several years. As Lee ex
plained it, the sixth grade class
is divided into teams or “ships”
which must leave their home-
port and complete a trade jour
ney without being captured by
pirates. Students learn map
and navigational skills and
must complete a journal, re
search project, hands-on proj
ect and a presentation speech.
The climax of the game was a
treasure hunt that ended in
Sherrill’s office with a treasure
chest full of goodies.
Young told the board about a
new game that will soon be
played for the first time. Called
“Caravans,” the game will focus
on the political, economic, so
cial and cultural aspects of var
ious locations around the
world. Like “Spanish Galleons,”
students will be required to
complete a paper, a project and
a speech. In addition to the
reading, writing and research
skills, students also learn team
work. Young agreed with Lee
when she said that playing the
games was “a lot funner than
reading a social studies book.”
Futures Committee
Board cha ir Carla Strand
told the board that a newly
form ed “ Futures C om m ittee”
met recently to begin exploring
how to obtain community sup
port for a bond measure to re
place aging school facilities.
Michelle Blum, Marie Botchie,
Mike Funderburg, Cari Lev-
enseller and Strand attended
the initial meeting.
Compliance with ODE
Though the district has been
reported by Oregon D epart
ment of Education (ODE) as in
compliance with the Standards
for Public Elementary and Sec
ondary Schools, it lacks many
of the policies or plans that
should be in place, according to
superintendent Mike Funder
burg. Work to develop the poli
cies has been divided among
the administrative team and will
be included as part of the Jan
uary consent agenda. The con
sent agenda is a portion ot the
board meeting where business
items are grouped together and
voted on with a single motion in
order to conserve time and al
low the board to “focus on less
routine matters,” according to
the printed agenda. Funder
burg recom m ended that the
board approve all of the poli
cies and make revisions in the
future as necessary. The C a
reer Development Program will
be voted on in January, along
with other policies presented as
part of the consent agenda.
Policy for Career
Development Program
As an example, Funderburg
included a policy for a K-12 Ca
reer D evelopm ent Program
which will “recognize the ODE
requirements and reflect indi
vidual needs as developed in
the student’s Personal Educa
tion Plan (PEP).” Elementary
and middle school curriculum
will include activities that sup
port career-related learning ex-
Please see page 3