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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2003)
The INDEPENDENT, November 20, 2003 Chalk Talk Chalk Talk presents a variety of information about Ver- nonia schools. It is written by various staff members and will appear monthly. By Nate Underwood, Principal Washington Grade School It seems unlikely that a quarter of the school year has passed. The staff at WGS continue to work hard to make this a great place for kids to learn. Thank you for the continued support of your child’s academic success, evidenced by your participation in fall conferencing, held at WGS on November 6th and 7th. We have several new faces at WGS. It is a pleasure to welcome Ted Aubin, Jr. High History; and Shanna Sexton, Special Education. They are fine additions to Washington. Ted is also the Assistant Boys Basketball Coach at the High School. Be sure to head out this season to sup- port the Loggers. Additionally, there are some familiar faces with new assignments this year. I could not ask for a better office staff. Patty Fetherston, Secre- tary II, and Kari Moeller, Secretary I, make sure that all wheels are in place. If you place a call or stop by the office for a visit, you will always be met with a friendly smile and a helping hand. I have been forced to start exercising again, how- ever, as the chocolate candies that are so abun- dantly available have become too big a tempta- tion. Adding to my woes is the delicious food of new Head Cook, Gretchen Lindauer. Nutrition is emphasized, as all students are required to stop by the salad bar to balance out their meal with fruit and vegetables. We are very fortunate and pleased to have her in this position this year. Other changes this year see Lynn Shaw, 4th Grade; Shauna Hoekert, 2nd Grade; and Kari Hansen, 1st Grade, return to Washington. Last year Lynn and Shauna were both at Lincoln, and Kari was teaching at Mist. Cici Bell has moved from the high school to help out with the Title 1 program and Kim Morrison, under the tutelage of Doug Tesdal, is teaching art. We are glad they are here. With the completion of the first quarter of school, I am proud to announce that 59 Jr. High students are being recognized for Academic Honors. Principal’s Honors, Achieving a GPA of 4.00 – Samantha Lee, Tricia Levenseller, Ashley Paleck, Rebeka- hann Peerson, Nicholas Young, Heather Bassett, Connor Flynn, Megan Perry, Desiree Rule, and Mackenzie Carr. High Honors, Achieving a GPA of 3.50-3.99 – Janda Barber, Gillian Cheney, Byron Schorzman, Rebekah Young, Alexandria Chadek, Cody Eaton, Alisha Witham, Tyler Clines, Joseph Fergusson, Elliot Graf, Blake Moeller, Tim Prpich, Joshua Vanderzanden, Stephanie Benes, Marissa Clement, Allison Schilling, Lindsay Shaw, Ben Bamburg, Sandy Bevans, Kelsey King, Phillip Peerson, and Kym- berlia Sebring. Honors, Achieving a GPA of 3.25-3.49 – Kahli Anderson, Justin Caputo, Celia Gendron-Hern- don, Keli Krieger, Danielle Shorey, Amanda Sliger, Amelia Rombach, Lauren Dyer, Carrie Shaw, Matthew Threet, and Joseph Johnston. Honorable Mention, Achieving a GPA of 3.00- 3.24 – David Allen, Yolande Gendron-Herndon, Kirsten Godel, Mathew Krause, Caleb Rice, Rachel Rode, William Forrest, Joseph Hales, Brittney Paden, Megan Heironimus, Dalton Stevens, Sahrina Smith, Nicole Moss, Alyssa Bloomfield, Miranda Gunter, Bonnie Organ, and Timothy Taylor. Congratulations to all for a fine effort. Keep up the good work! Upcoming events include the music program and basketball season. The title of our Christmas Program is “An Early American Christmas.” The music program classes will be having lunch for the seniors and a matinee and evening perform- ance on December 18th. Be sure to mark your calendars. The boy’s basketball team will open competition on November 13th. The girls begin their season after we return from winter break. Good luck to all. A special thank you to all students and com- munity members who contributed to this year’s Canned Food Drive. Vernonia Cares Food Bank reports that Washington and Lincoln Grade Schools donated 2150 pounds of food, a value of $3225.00. The Vernonia community thanks you for your kindness. R OCK C REEK S TUDIO P HOTOGRAPHY FOR A LL O CCASIONS CALL TODAY: 503-830-8260 503-429-4961 902 Bridge Street • Vernonia In the Bridge Street Mall Alumni vs. Varsity volleyball game There will be an Alumni vs. Varsity Volleyball game in the Vernonia High School gym, Fri- day, November 21, at 7:00 p.m. In addition to the game, there will be a baked goods raffle with tickets costing 50 cents each or three for $1.00., plus a special raffle for four Trail Blazer tick- ets. All proceeds will benefit the Zack Rumbolz Memorial Schol- arship. Page 11 Students invited to participate in Model Presidential Convention Middle and high school stu- dents from the Pacific North- west are invited to join students from around the nation at the 11th Model Presidential Nomi- nating Convention in March, 2004, to be held at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum. Students have accurately chosen the last nine nominees from the politi- cal party represented at the Convention. Designed to simulate the real national convention by us- ing the same rules and proce- dures, the 2004 Convention will involve over 5,000 middle and high school students from around the nation. The pro- gram was developed by James Barlow, a veteran teacher at Aloha High School, so “stu- dents have the opportunity to experience politics first hand, in a creative, enjoyable atmos- phere.” The convention is sponsored by the Beaverton School District. This is a non-partisan pro- gram but the party with the most competitive nomination race is selected for each con- vention. Based upon this stan- dard, the 2004 model conven- tion will represent the Democ- ratic Party. In 2000, students picked George W. Bush as the nominee to the Republican model convention. The Convention provides a unique learning experience for students, taking them out of the classroom and into a realistic, hands-on environment. As del- egates, the students research the states and caucuses they will be representing. They learn not only the nominating process, but also how a nomi- nating convention really works. Congressman Earl Blume- nauer said “The Model Nomi- nating Convention is an out- standing tool for engaging our young people in electoral poli- tics, and has demonstrated its commitment to raising civic awareness in new generations of voters, year after year.” Requests to address the convention have been sent to several candidates in this year’s crowded Democratic field. Previous keynote speak- ers have included candidates, now former Presidents, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. The convention will meet at the Memorial Coliseum in Port- land, Oregon, March 10-12, 2004. Meetings to prepare stu- dents for the convention will be held on the campus of Portland State University, December 16, 2003, January 30 and February 24-25, 2004. The entry deadline for dis- tricts or schools is December 12. Those interested are en- couraged to contact the Model Presidential Nominating Con- vention by email at <info@mp nc.org>. The Convention web- site is www.mpnc.org. Head Start programs receive $1+ million grant to continue U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Gordon Smith (R- OR) announced November 11 that Portland metropolitan area Head Start programs will re- ceive a total of $1,405,837 in grants from the U.S Depart- ment of Health and Human Ser- vices (HHS) to continue provid- ing developmental care and ed- ucation to hundreds of children aged 0 to 5. Community Action Team of Columbia County, which admin- isters all Head Start programs in Columbia County, will re- ceive $212,419. The rest of the grant money is allocated to Portland Public Schools, $435,090; Albina Head Start, $350,246; Early Head Start Family Center of Portland, $228,591 and Head Start of Yamhill County, $179,491. “Continuing to fund Head Start programs ensures count- less and lasting benefits for the community,” said Smith. “This grant provides our children with a safe, solid foothold during the critical beginning steps of life.” “These grants will help con- tinue the success of Portland area Head Start programs to provide early care and educa- tion – two invaluable resources for our youngsters,” said Wyden. “making comprehen- sive child development and ed- ucation a priority will help cre- ate a brighter future for Ore- gon’s children.” Head Start, created in 1965, is a federal program in the Ad- ministration of Children, Youth and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services.