Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2010)
The INDEPENDENT, March 18, 2010 47J Board told of new student awards At the March 11 Vernonia School Board of Directors meeting, the board heard from middle school leadership stu- dents about a new event put on by staff – Student of the Month Breakfast. At this breakfast, students who have demonstrat- ed good behavior (and their parents) get breakfast and awards that include a written explanation of the reasons each student was chosen. The middle school students hon- ored at the March breakfast were: 6th graders Sara Smith, Hannah Fleck and Paige Smith. 7th graders Summer Snow, Damian Young and Zixian Chen. 8th graders Laura Rice, Rowan Scott and Jerimiah Hammon. Two new members were added to the Budget Commit- tee; Tobie Finzel and Linda Johnston, will join the commit- tee when the first meeting is held on May 13 at 6:00 p.m. There are still two open posi- tions on the committee. Anyone interested in applying can ob- tain an application from the dis- trict office. The board heard from high school mathematics teacher Randy Shockey about a Project Lead the Way grant that he ap- plied for and received. The $7,200 grant is for the first year of a pre-engineering course. It covers training, course materi- als and software needed to teach Introduction to Engineer- ing Design. The board ap- proved acceptance of the grant and curriculum. Two slightly different ver- sions of a 2010-11 Instructional Calendar were adopted. The fi- nal decision on which will be used will be made after further review of the budget. After recessing to an execu- tive session, “to review and evaluate the performance” of employees or staff members, the board came back into open session and approved Resolu- tion 10-02 for teacher contract extensions, and Resolution 10- 03 for administrative contract extensions. In other business, the board: • heard Athletic Director Gor- don Jarman’s Winter Sports Report (see separate article this page); • accepted three students from Jewell school to play on the Vernonia baseball team, as Jewell does not have a team. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for April 8, at 6:00 p.m. in the District Of- fice. There will be a board work- shop tonight at 6:00 p.m. when the board will hear from BOO- RA architects, before the com- munity Town Hall at 7:00 p.m. in the green building. VMS/VHS Winter sports activity report by Athletic Director Gordon Jar- man Vernonia Middle School The middle school athletic seasons offered opportunities for boys and girls in wrestling and girls basketball. The bas- ketball teams were open to seventh and eighth grade girls, and the wrestling team was open to sixth, seventh and eighth grade girls and boys. Numbers in both sports were down somewhat this year. Thir- teen wrestlers signed up and 11 consistently attended prac- tice. The eighth grade girls bas- ketball team had nine mem- bers, and the seventh grade team had 16. Wrestlers attended seven meets and a league champi- onship, held in Scappoose. The regional tournament, which Vernonia also attended, was held in Woodburn. Qualifiers from the regional tournament were given the opportunity to attend the state meet also scheduled to be held in Wood- burn. Some of the more out- standing wrestlers were Bridger Steward, Damion Young, Reed Jones and Jacob Vigil. Girls Basketball played 10 games. The eighth grade team was led by Stephanie Castro, Brooke Johnson and Tori Dale- broux. They finished their sea- son with five wins and several close losses. Coach Ward said these young ladies were very competitive and will help out varsity teams in the future. The seventh grade team finished the season with three wins; their outstanding competitors were Julia Fletcher and Megan Sullivan. Vernonia High School Boys basketball struggled this year under a very competi- tive schedule. They ended the season with just a handful of wins and did not make the league play-offs. They compet- ed very hard in all their games but, on several occasions, could not hold off the opposing teams to gain a victory. The senior boys were Chris Bam- burg, Charles Tungwenuk, Pe- ter Jiranek, Brandon Gilbertson and Tim Brown. All of the sen- iors contributed in every game with Brandon Gilbertson being named to the all Lewis and Clark League second team. With the Loggers moving to AA level next year, and several re- turning players, the team prospects look to improve for the 2010-11 season. Girls basketball was very competitive this year, however they did not make the league play-offs, either. The team con- sisted of mostly underclassmen Creatures & Vernonia Florist Pet Supplies & Grooming (503-429-PETS (7387) www.creaturespetshop.com Plants ~ Antiques ~ balloons ~ Handmade Crafts Stuffed Toys ~ Greeting Cards & More (503) 429-2000 www.vernoniaflorist.com OPEN Mon-Sat 10-6 736 Bridge St. Vernonia Family Owned & Operated Superior Customer Service Page 11 Chalk Talk Chalk Talk is a column of information about Vernonia schools. This column was provided by Principal Nate Underwood. Each year all high schools are re- quired to submit an annual report to NAAS (Northwest Associa- tion of Accredited Schools). In this report, schools do a self eval- uation to determine if they meet or exceed standards considered essential for quality education. Specifically, Vernonia High School reported on the following standards: Mission, Beliefs and Expec- tations for Student Learning, Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, Leadership and Organization, School Services, Facilities and Fi- nance, and a Culture of Continued Improvement. Additionally, a Leadership team will conduct a Site Visit every six to eight years. The purpose of this visit is to evaluate our ed- ucational program and to analyze the accuracy of the annual self reporting. On April 29, 2009, Vernonia High School hosted our ac- creditation site visit. We are quite proud of the results. In addition to meeting rigorous standards, schools accredited by NAAS are committed to continual improvement through strate- gic planning and can be trusted to provide students with the edu- cational services promised. NAAS accreditation provides world- wide recognition of each school’s quality, accountability, and trust- worthiness. The Site Team commended Vernonia High School for: 1. Their resiliency to continue to provide appropriate education to students in the face of several physical obstacles (i.e. no school for a period of time, limited texts, limited equipment). 2. For the commitment of the community, staff, and students for their Herculean effort to rebuild the structures within their commu- nity to provide appropriate education. 3. For the commitment of the staff to stay with Vernonia through these rebuilding years and to maintain the proud educa- tional culture existing at Vernonia High School. 4. For the student leaders who are proud of their school and are strengthening their commitment to leave a positive legacy. In summary, Vernonia High School not only maintained its ac- creditation status, but is doing a good job of educating our chil- dren. but three seniors – Margo Cormier, Adrianne East and Genesis Castro – completed the season. They finished the season with nine wins and lots of momentum to carry them into the next year. Margot Cormier and Ariel Rock were named honorable mention all league for their efforts on the court. Vernonia Wrestling Team won the district championship this year. The Loggers qualified nine wrestlers to the state tour- See Winter on page 14 Bring a Smile to a Child OSEA VERNONIA CHAPTER 67 ACCEPTING DONATIONS OF BEANIE BABIES FOR DOERNBECHER CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL For the health and safety of the children, only NEW Beanie Babies can be accepted. Donate at the Vernonia school offices. Ronda at WGS, Patty at VMS, Kathi at VHS, or Julie and Doris. Contributions accepted until June 4, 2010