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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2007)
Page 10 The INDEPENDENT, April 19, 2007 Homes needed for exchange kids ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE) is now seeking local families, just like yours, to host high school boys and girls from diverse countries around the world! These students are 15 to 18 years old and are coming to your area for the upcoming school year or semester. The exchange students arrive from their home country shortly be- fore school begins and return at the end of the school year or semester. These friendly and academi- cally exceptional students have fine English skills, are bright, curious and excited to learn about the USA by living as part of your family, attending high school and sharing their culture and language with you, your family, and the community. Each ASSE student is fully insured, brings his or her own personal spending money and expects to contribute to his or her share of household respon- sibilities, as well as being in- cluded in everyday family and community activities, celebra- tions, and adventures. All students are thoroughly screened and qualified by ASSE. Host families may se- lect the youngster of their choice from extensive student applications, family photos and biographical essays. To become a host family or find out more about ASSE and its programs, please call 1-800- 733-2773 today to begin the process. It’s kindergarten registration time Pre-registration for 2007 Vernonia Kindergarten stu- dents will take place from April 30 to May 4, at Washington Grade School, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. To enroll in Kindergarten the child must be five years old on or before September 1, 2007. Bring immunization records and a birth certificate. Children will meet with teachers in the fall. For more information, call 503-429-7941. Parents can set the stage for play When we think of play, we usually think of children. We forget that it is parents who cre- ate an accepting and playful at- mosphere in the home. Play is a vital part of a child’s world. It is children’s way of learning about themselves, other peo- ple, and the physical world. To make the most of the opportu- nities that play offers both you and your children, try these ideas. • Join in your children’s play. Watch to see what games your children enjoy, then play along. This may be imitating funny Please see page 22 Pet of the Month Columbia Humane Society in St. Helens has a variety of wonderful pets available for adoption. Find the pet that’s right for you in the shelter at 2084 Oregon St. Monday through Saturday, 11 am. to 5 pm. 503-397-4353 Dilly is a Shepherd mix. She is very friendly and loves to go for walks. She would make a great companion pet since she loves to sit next to you while you are watch- ing tv.” Honestly the sweetest dog I have ever met. Most loving dog you could ever ask for” says our website photographer, She knows basic commands and is current on all her shots and has been spayed. The Pet of the Month is Sponsored by: PBM Inc. Precision Building Maintenance, Inc. 503.556.3333 www.PBMaintenance.com LICENSED, BONDED, INSURED, CCB# 144926 Between the Bookends By Nancy Burch, Librarian Vernonia Public Library The hot items request- ed this week in the library have been Tax Forms. We had many instruction booklets this year and, still, they are nearly gone. Hopefully, everyone will have made the April 16th deadline and will not have to worry about filing taxes for another year. Reproducible forms are kept on file for at least four years for those who need forms from past years. The drawing for the winner of the Harry Potter book to be released in July plus a $20.00 gift certificate to the newest Harry Potter movie, will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 23, in the library. These incentives to reading were do- nated by one of the library board members, with each entry representing one book checked out during National Library Week. From mid-April through mid-May, youngsters from Vernonia grade schools will be visiting the library, listening to stories, and receiving infor- mation about the library and its resources. Book discussion for April will be on Tuesday, April 24th at 5:30, with the book for the month being Angel’s Rest by Charles Davis. Set in Vir- ginia’s Allegheny Mountains, this is the story of 11-year-old Charlie York whose idyllic life ends when his father is killed by a shotgun blast and his mother is arrested for murder. Family Movie Night will be Friday, April 27th at 7:00 p.m. with Happy Feet being the featured at- traction. An Inconvenient Truth will be shown in the li- brary May 5th at 2:00 p.m. Discussion will follow at the Vernonia Grange hall on North Street. Many new acquisitions are available for pa- trons this month. Some are by recognized au- thors such as Jonathan Kellerman ( Obsession ), Danielle Steel ( Sisters ), Jennifer Chiaverini ( The Quilter’s Homecoming ), Sue Henry ( The Refuge ), Mary Higgins Clark ( I Heard that Song Before ), Maeve Binchy ( Whitethorn Woods ) and Laura Lippman ( What the Dead Know ). Others are by authors who are unknown to me, such as Michele Martinez ( Cover-Up ) and Aryn Kyle ( The God of Animals ). Of the new acquisitions, I chose to first read Stephen White’s 15th novel, Dry Ice, in which Boulder, Colorado, psychologist Alan Gregory finds his routine existence turned into a night- mare when he is suspected of several murders. Michael McClelland, a killer whose rampage al- most cost Gregory and his wife their lives in White’s debut novel, Privileged Information , has escaped from custody and has devised a devi- ous revenge scheme against everyone he holds responsible for his incarceration—with the Gre- gorys heading this list. White not only has the ability to keep the reader’s attention at peak lev- el throughout each of his novels, but he leaves the reader anxiously awaiting the next install- ment to learn the fate of Lauren and Alan Grego- ry. The second of the newly acquired novels that I chose was Tallgrass, by Sandra Dallas, in which a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese intern- ment camp in their small Colorado town. An ac- tual internment camp (Amache) in Colorado was the inspiration for Dallas as she researched and wrote this novel. The discomforts and indignities these (mostly) American citizens had to endure are viewed through the eyes of thirteen-year-old Rennie Stroud as she tells this part thriller, part historical novel. In addition to Dallas’s ability to evoke the sights and sounds of the 1940s, she once again does a fantastic job of character de- velopment. The reader will easily become friends with Rennie, her father and mother, and with Daisy and Carl Tanaka (the brother and sis- ter given permission to leave the camp daily to work for the Strouds). Individual members of the community—good and bad–are brought to life with such skill that the reader will laugh, love, sympathize, and despise, sometimes all on one page. In this novel, Sandra Dallas (author of Per- sian Pickle Club, Alice’s Tulips, Buster Midnight’s Café , etc.) has again produced a special treat for the reading public. The library’s collection of audio books in CD format is increasing nicely, with some of the newest titles being The Great Gatsby , The Out- siders , The Island of the Blue Dolphins , Cross , and Bad Blood . Don’t forget that the library has a family pass to the Children’s Museum which may be checked out. This pass will admit three people to the museum and is provided by The Friends of the Library. Vernonia Public Library: 701 Weed Ave. Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tues., Thur. 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Preschool Story Time: Mondays, 10:30 a.m., when school is in session. Phone: 503-429-1818 Spring Garden Fair offers $1 tomatoes The Spring Garden Fair, pre- sented by Columbia County Master Gardener™ Associa- tion, will be held at the St. He- lens High School commons, 2375 Gable Road, on Saturday, April 21, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This year’s fair will feature free parking and admission, lo- cally grown tomato plants for $1.00 each, local vendors offer- ing all kinds of garden related items, displays, raffle prizes, and more. For more information, go to www.columbiacountymaster gardeners.org.
