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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 2009)
Page 10 The INDEPENDENT, September 3, 2009 Bringman to ride bulls in nationals Jake Bringman, who will be a sophomore this year at Ver- nonia High School, has been riding bulls for only two years and has done very well in his short career. His first year, 2008, he was the Junior Bull Riding Champion for the North- west Youth Rodeo Association (NYRA). This year, he rode bulls for both NYRA and the Oregon Junior Bull Riders As- sociation (OJBRA), and quali- fied to go to the national com- petition. “I like being with my friends that I only get to see at the rodeos. It’s like having a huge extended family. And I love rid- ing bulls,” said Bringman about bull riding and the time he’s spent the last two summers at area rodeos. In the sport of Bull Riding, the goal is to stay on the bull for 6 seconds (for the junior divi- sion) while holding on with only one hand to a loose rope. Judges mark the rider and the bull using a system of zero to 25 points. No knots or hitches can be used in the rope and no sharp spurs are allowed. By the way, bulls can weigh up to a ton and will try to hook or flip the rider, or mash the rider into the fence. Bulls also have a ten- dency to come back and stomp on a fallen rider, if they can. Bringman will be represent- ing Oregon in the Junior Divi- sion of the bull riding champi- onships to be held in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in November. Bringman wanted to thank his sponsors and Rusty and Lisa Gorham for all the time they put into running OJBRA. More sponsors are needed in order for Bringman to get to Nationals. Anyone who would like to help sponsor his trip can contact him at jakebull19@aol. com. Way to go, Jake, and good luck at Nationals. See picture on page 1. Still time to sign up for Head Start It’s not too late to sign your child up for Head Start, a feder- ally funded pre-school pro- gram, for the 2009-2010 school year. If parents are interested in enrollment information they are urged to phone immediately. Prospective students must be three or four years-old by September 1, 2009. Children must be from limited income households or have a disability and/or special needs to qualify. Head Start incorporates a total family program that in- Here’s how to help WGS raise funds Washington Grade School will be participating in a number of fundraising opportunities for the 2009-2010 school year. Help out by participating in one of these ways; • Collect UPC symbols from NORPAC brands; Flav-R-Pac, Westpac and Santiam. WGS will earn 5¢ for each UPC. • Campbell’s®, Spaghet- tiOs®, Prego®, Swanson®, V8®, Pepperidge Farm® proof of purchases can be redeemed for free merchandise. See labe lsforeducation.com for a full list of participating products. • Turn in Tyson Project A+™ labels and WGS gets 24¢. • Clip and turn in box tops, shop online at Box Tops Mar- ketplace, or buy books online at Barnes & Noble’s Box Tops Reading Room to help WGS buy P.E. equipment and fund a new climbing wall. More infor- mation available at btfe.com. • Recycle your used cell phones, inkjets, laptop/note- book computers, iPods, digital cameras and digital video cam- eras through WGS. They hope Members sought for WGS site council The Washington Grade School (WGS)/Mist Grade School (MGS) Site Council cur- rently has two openings for par- ent members. The term for these positions is two years, with the election to be held Thursday, October 8, during WGS’ Open House, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Parents of children attending WGS and Mist Grade School (MGS) are eligible. Ap- plications are available at the WGS office. Completed appli- cations should be turned in to the office by Friday, October 2. The WGS Site Council meets monthly to discuss plans to improve the school’s educa- tional environment, provide positive leadership, facilitate communication between all cludes nutrition, education, medical and dental services for the enrolled child, and home visitations. USDA approved meals are served. Limited transportation may be avail- able. The Vernonia Center is lo- cated on California Avenue in the Blue Heron Housing proj- ect. Families who live in the Mist, Birkenfeld and Vernonia areas may phone 503-429- 9243 for more information. Sammy is a nice kitty who recently had a litter of kittens. Now her kittens are ready Sammy to go to their forever homes and so is Sammy. She is a very affectionate and loves to rub against you and be petted. She gets along very well with other cats. She would be happy if she had a window to look out while she sat on the lap of her new owner in her forever home! Come and visit this sweetheart today, she has lots and lots of love to give!Sammy is up-to-date with her routine shots and has been spayed. The Columbia Humane Society is a No-Kill non-profit shelter dedicated to helping friends find each other since 1985. This Adopt a Pet is Sponsored by: Senator Betsy Johnson stakeholders, pursue grant monies and implement plans to improve the physical and aca- demic environments of WGS and MGS. All Site Council meetings are open to the public, and interest- ed people are encouraged to attend. The Council meets at Washington Grade School on the last Monday of the month from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. The next two meetings are scheduled for Monday, September 28, and Monday, October 26. For more information re- garding Site Council and/or their meetings, contact Aaron Miller or Cici Bell at 503-429- 7941. Many earn 4-H awards at Fair 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 Street. Phone 503-397-4353 Open Mon - Fri 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 11 am. to 5 pm. to raise $100 from this for new P.E. equipment. • Turn in packaging such as cosmetic tubes, used tape dis- pensers, and drink pouches from AVEENO®, Scotch® Tape, Kashi, Capri Sun and Honest Kids and WGS will get 2¢ per recycled item for P.E. equipment. More information is available at www.terracycle. net. For more information about these programs, call George Spaulding, WGS P.E. teacher at 503-429-7941. This youngster obviously enjoyed Vernonia Night Out on Au- gust 21 at Vernonia’s Anderson Park. Following are partial results from 4-H competition at the Columbia County Fair. Due to space limitations, only results within The Independent’s circu- lation area are included. More results will be published in the September 17 issue. HORSE AND PONY Horse, English Eq. Hunt Seat - Junior: Red Award – Megan Tarkalson, Vernonia. Horse, English Eq. Hunt Seat - Sr: Reserve Champion – McKenzie Tarkalson, Vernonia. Blue Award – Leilani Schmidt, Rainier; Chelle Grab- horn, Scappoose; Lindsay Paulson, St. Helens; Ashley Savage, St. Helens; McKenzie Tarkalson, Vernonia. Western Eq. - Junior: Champion – Kassidy Fetch, Vernonia. See 4-H on page 15