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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2003)
Page 10 The INDEPENDENT, August 21, 2003 Students will see many staff changes Vernonia junior high and high school will see many changes this year, with the ad dition of several new teachers, the resignation of former princi pal Mike Durbin and a leave of absence for counselor Jill Grif fin. Superintendent Mike Fun- derburg told the board that he expects all positions to be filled prior to the beginning of school. Several of the new hires are ex perienced teachers whose pre vious positions were eliminated due to the school-funding cri sis. Teachers Scott Finlay and Judy Benson, and middle school counselor Robyn Stein have left the district for posi tions closer to their homes, re luctantly, according to their let ters of resignation. Byron Brown, who had been teaching seventh and eighth grade so cial studies, will transfer to the high school, which enabled the district to recall Justin Ward, the only district teacher laid off due to budget cuts. Ward will fill the position vacated by Ben son. New hires confirmed by the board at their August 14 meet ing include the following: — Doran Lower, HS Busi ness Education, whose position was cut after 10 years at Cen tral Catholic HS. — Robert Shannon, HS Mu- Vernonia woman earns place on UO Dean’s List Am ong the nearly 1,900 University of Oregon students named to the deans’ lists for scholastic achievement during spring term of the 2002-2003 school year, is Hadassah Eliza beth Galey of Vernonia, a sophomore international stud ies major. UO deans’ lists are compiled for fall, winter and spring terms during each school year. All un dergraduate and postbac calaureate students, including National Student Exchange students, are eligible. To qualify, students must have completed 12 or more graded credits for the term with a minimum grade-point aver age of 3.75 on a scale having 4.0 as a straight-A average. sic, a new teacher who has been a substitute in Beaverton with a wide variety of experi ence, including work with dra ma productions. — Ted Aubin, JHS Social Studies, in his first teaching po sition, is a former student of Funderburg’s in Sandy. — Shanna Sexton, Elemen tary Special Education, comes to the district from Utah. — Jean Riley, HS Science, another lay-off victim, is from Libby, Montana, and holds mul tiple certification in science, math and social studies. Funderburg told the board that he was surprised at the number and quality of appli cants for the middle school principal position vacated by Mike Durbin. (Durbin would have been middle school prin cipal in 2003-2004, but has tak en a position as principal at Gaston High School.) Nathan Underwood was selected from about 20 applicants. Under wood finished his administra tive internship in Beaverton last year and, Funderburg said, when he called the school to check Underwood’s references the school secretary gave him a glowing review. Funderburg laughingly told the board that, since the secretaries run the Is the Service school, her reference was good enough. Aside from that, all of Underwood’s references were positive and at the interview he seemed the best candidate to pursue the goals of the district. Jim Krahn, board chair and part of the interview team, said he was excited about having a young, enthusiastic administra tor. Test Scores Reviewed Funderburg briefly reviewed both state testing scores and the designations received by district schools under the feder al No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). He reminded the board that, last year, he predict ed Vernonia schools would score poorly in the 2002-2003 school year, but that it was too late to make dramatic improve ments in academics, especially in the midst of a funding crisis. He said that the district has great teachers, but that more time would have to be focused on academic achievement. ‘There is a lot we can do be tween now and January,” Fun derburg said, when state as sessments begin, to improve test scores. There will be week ly in-service training for staff, with the focus on methods to Please see page 11 Ian D. Johnson Army Spec. Levi H. Brown is one of 250 soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division (Light) who returned to Schofield Bar racks, Oahu, Hawaii, after be ing deployed to support the mission of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While deployed, the soldiers served at various areas of re sponsibility locations and were assigned to the 3rd Infantry Di vision or the 101st Airborne Di vision (Air Assault). Some of the soldiers received Combat Infantryman Badges and com bat patches from their adoptive units. Brown is an infantryman and has been in the service for more than two years. A 1997 graduate of Vernonia High School, he is the son of Grant C. Brown of Vernonia. Army Pvt. Ian D. Johnson has graduated from basic com bat military training at Fort Sill, Lawton, Oklahoma. During the eight weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission and received in struction in drill and cere monies, rifle marksmanship, weapons, map reading, tactics, armed and unarmed combat, military courtesy, military jus tice, physical fitness, first aid, Army history, core values and traditions, and special training in human relations. Johnson is the son of Claire A. and George W. Schryer of Banks. To place your ad, call 5 0 3 -4 2 9 -9 4 1 0 B ecau se of misconceptions regarding decisions and actions within the Vernonia School District, the district's board of directors is pub lishing the following statement to help m ake clear that the board sets policy and it is the responsibility of the staff to implement that policy. During the past school year the Vernonia School District participated in a strategic planning process to identify our vi sion and guiding principles. The goal setting process will help us to develop a more positive direction, atmosphere, and en vironment for all stndents and staff. The 2003-04 school year will have many changes in personnel and policies. The board of education feels it is imperative that the district goals are a focus to create school and district improvement. With a set of unified guidelines, everyone will achieve and succeed. The Vernonia School District Board of Directors requires the building and district administration to follow these guide lines: 1. All staff must work together as a team. 2. Every student and staff member will be held accountable for their actions and decisions. 3. All students and staff will demonstrate acceptable be havior. There will be consequences for unacceptable behavior. Staff, students, and visitors will be respectful of each other and school property. 4. Communication must occur between students, staff, par ents, and the community. 5. All staff concerns will be handled at the lowest possible level. The board goals will be implemented in a professional manner within the boundaries of state and federal laws, board policies, and employee contracts. It is the belief of the board that the implementation of these requirements will result in higher student academic achievement and an environment in which all can grow and succeed. Vernonia School District Board of Directors August 14, 2003 S I Levi H. Brown Action Ads Work for You! Message to the Community Sign-up time for Little Guy Football Vernonia Little Guy Football is now taking sign-ups for youngsters in third through sixth grades. Coaches and staff of any kind are also needed. For more information, call 503-429-0314. Adoptive, foster families needed An informal meeting regard ing adoption will be held Sep tember 9, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sponsored by DHS Child Welfare, it will be held at the State Office Complex at 500 N Hwy 30, St. Helens, in Confer ence Room A. An adoptive family and a foster family will be available to answer questions about their experiences. Those interested in being adoptive or foster parents must attend pre-service training to learn more about the children being placed. The training will be held Tuesday evenings from Sept. 16 through October 14. On any given day, there are between 300 and 350 children in Oregon waiting for an adop tive family. In Columbia County, alone, there are over 80 chil dren in substitute care, some who will be returned to their parents or relatives and some who will need adoptive families. Single, married or divorced people of all ages, lifestyles, re ligions, ethnicities and in comes, living in houses or apartments, working in or out of the home, are eligible to adopt. For more information regard ing adoption, call Sandy McMil lan at 800-428-2546, ext. 308. Call Gail Mitchell at 800-428- 2546, ext. 317 for information regarding foster care. 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