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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2007)
The INDEPENDENT, October 4, 2007 Eagle Scout brings new sign to Camp Thanks to 15 year old Torin Carver of Beaverton, Camp Wilkerson, in Columbia County, recently received a beautiful new welcome sign at the park entrance. Carver designed and built the sign, with the help of volunteers as a Eagle Scout project with Boy Scout Troop 854. Carver became interested in the project a year ago while camping at Wilkerson during a scouting event and noticed the park needed a new sign. The original sign had burned down when a disabled vehicle parked near the entrance suddenly caught fire. The new sign was built using mostly donated material and nearly 400 hours of volunteer labor. Carver and his fellow troop members spent the better part of two weekends at the camp, building and installing the sign. “The hardest part of the project, was staying up till 4:00 a.m. pouring the cement foundation and setting the re- bar. The best part was stacking the supports lincoln log style and then climbing on them.” said Carver. “This project is one of the greatest memories of my life.” “This sign is a truly outstand- ing piece of work.” said Lori Baker, with the Columbia County Parks department. “We are very grateful to Mr. Carver for his contribution to Camp Wilkerson.” lights the perils of meth, dis- courages youth from ever try- ing the life-altering drug, and reaches out to people strug- gling with addiction. Plan to watch the Crystal Darkness documentary, which will be aired at the same time on most TV and Radio stations in the State of Oregon. • Mark your calendars: Tues- day, October 9, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. • Share the date with your friends. If you’re a parent of pre-teen or teen-aged kids, plan to watch the show as a family • Let others know about this program. Spread the word. This will be Oregon’s first si- multaneously broadcast docu- mentary. For more information, go to www.crystaldarkness. com. H o m e c o m i n g VHS Career night date changed events planned Attention Vernonia High ences. Topics covered will in- Vernonia High School will celebrate Homecoming Week with activities scheduled all week. There will be the tradi- tional “Pack the Gym Night” on October 16, at the Volleyball game against Clatskanie start- ing at 6:00 p.m. Other Homecoming activi- ties include the coronation and bonfire on October 17, the pa- rade through town, homecom- ing game, dance and fireworks on October 19. Half the proceeds from food sales at the game on October 19 will be given to the Dean Schaumburg recovery fund. Eat up and GO LOGGERS! Chalk Talk Chalk Talk is a monthly column of informa- tion about Vernonia schools. It is written by various staff members. This column was written by Superintendent Kenneth W. Cox, PhD. Plan to watch Crystal Darkness Oct. 9 Methamphetamines first ap- peared in Oregon in the early ‘80s. Since that time, meth ad- diction has grown and is con- sidered an epidemic by public safety agencies and concerned communities. Not only does meth affect users, but in- creased crime and corruption of our youth can impact every- one. A grass-roots campaign called Crystal Darkness high- Page 11 School (VHS) Juniors, Seniors, and their families: VHS Career night date has changed. The new date is October 10, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Career night will be held in conjunction with VHS confer- Mariolino’s clude Career Exploration and planning at VHS, Vocational Training Application, College Application, Financial Aid, Scholarships, PSAT & SAT testing. Staff hopes to see you there! Join us for Dinner! Dinner Specials Friday, Chicken Fried Steak Saturday, Prime Rib 721 MadisonAve.,Vernonia • 503-429-5018 A couple of weeks ago my wife and I had three of our grand- sons in our home for a week. At ages 3, 5 and 7 after a couple of days I was glad to be able to come to work. We had a great time, and I enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know each of them a little better. If I could learn how to bottle some of that energy and sell it, I’d be rich! Even so, seeing the excitement in their eyes brightened our days. If you’d like to brighten your day, we offer many volunteer op- portunities in our schools. You could help serve lunch, including helping students make “good choices” in the lunch line. We use student helpers – but being out of class for an hour or more does- n’t help their grades. So, if you have an hour or so once a week, and would like to see smiling faces of all ages, please stop by any school office and get a volunteer application. We could use your help in so many ways. I would also like to share with you that one of my personal goals is to improve the effectiveness of my communication among students, staff, parents, and community members. I will make it a point in the district to encourage the resolution of concerns or complaints at the source of the concern. This means that if your child has an issue or concern with a teacher they (and/or you) should first address that concern with the teacher. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, the next step is to the building principal. After this level, if the concern is not addressed satisfactorily, I would be happy to meet with the student, the parent, or both. What I am finding is that some parents are hearing about an is- sue or concern from their students and rather than going to the teacher or staff member, they go directly to an administrator, my- self, or, in some cases board members, with their complaints. I have tried to make it clear in my work with district administrators and board members that when this happens, the parent and/or student should be referred back to the lowest level possible to try to address the situation there first. Effective learning takes place best when a relationship of mu- tual trust and respect has been established. When that trust or re- spect is damaged we must seek to repair it as quickly as possible and that can best be done by effective communication among those directly involved. Working together to strengthen these re- lationships helps to establish a culture of acceptance and under- standing where learning and self confidence can blossom. 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 Oscar is quite the character! At three years old he is a very excitable boy and is looking for a new home! With some additional training Oscar could learn to be a polite boy. Car rides aren't much fun for him as he mainly just sits waiting for the trip to be over. Oscar is a chaser of many things; like small animals, bikes and cars. For these reasons he needs to be on leash and is learning how to be gentler while leashed. When Oscar gets excited or playful he nips and tugs at clothing, it Oscar is a young male Fox isn't to be hurtful just for play, but for this Terrier looking for a home. reason a house without small children is probably best. This Adopt a Pet is Sponsored by: Senator Betsy Johnson