Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2010)
The INDEPENDENT, May 6, 2010 47J board told of career classes ideas Before the April 29 Vernonia Schools Town Hall meeting, the district’s board of directors held a workshop and public hearing. The primary topic of the workshop was career prepara- tion for high school students. Ideas for curricula changes in- cluded more construction activ- ities in shop classes (even con- sidering making items for fundraisers), starting senior projects earlier and having them be more career focused, and finding a way to incorpo- rate an automotive shop with classwork. No decisions were made, but the board obviously approved of the direction the discussion was taking. Taking care of a housekeep- ing item, the board voted to re- call Resolution 10-04 after it was determined that a public hearing should have been held prior to adopting it at an earlier meeting. A public hearing on the new resolution, 10-05, was then held. The public had no com- ments on the matter and there were no changes, other than the resolution number. The resolu- tion approves use of Construc- tion Manager/General Contrac- tor contracting method for the new schools construction. After the hearing the board returned to the workshop and voted to approve Resolution 10-05. Another item of business was to award a Vice Principal/ Special Education Director ad- ministrative contract to James Brookins. Brookins has been acting as a vice-principal this year while still doing some teaching. Next year he will have administrative duties and no teaching. The board also accepted the resignation of budget commit- tee member Penny Johnson. Johnson cited a conflict of inter- est as she has now taken a paid position with the district as an Instructional Assistant. The next regular board meeting will be held May 13, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Dis- trict Office. April 2012 is new school move-in date The latest Vernonia School District Town Hall, on April 29, though not as well attended as earlier ones, still provided new information. Those who attend- ed learned that the Natural Re- source Center group is now meeting monthly with grade school Principal Aaron Miller as the district’s point person. The group is focusing on a regional outdoor classroom program, an environmental engineering pro- gram, a salmon enhancement project and community center activities (including extended school day summer school op- portunities). On April 14, the district held a tree planting day that was coordinated by, and in cooperation with the Upper Ne- halem Watershed Council. The district is still working with the city on wetlands miti- gation. Seven acres of wet- lands are needed to replace four acres of wetlands at the new schools site, with the old mill site as a likely location. The newest estimate for stu- dents, at least the graduating seniors, to be in the new school is April, 2012. The latest delay is the result of additional paper- work done to obtain the FEMA waiver that has allowed extra funds for tearing down the ex- isting school buildings. A new video, prepared to use in fundraising efforts, was shown. The video includes scenes from the flood of 2007 and a statement by Governor Kulongoski, among others. The video can be seen on the dis- trict website, http://www.ver noniaschools.org . Chalk Talk Chalk Talk is a column of information about Vernonia schools. This column was provided by Superintendent Ken Cox. As you may guess I am inundated with meetings. The first two weeks of April I was in Portland or Hillsboro four out of five days. Things have settled down a bit now, but I feel it important to let you know that at least once a week, in at least one of those meetings I can’t help but get excited about the future that is being created by so many people who are work- ing with us and on our behalf. Thanks to the help of Oregon Solutions we have assembled a number of different teams of experts to help us resolve issues be- fore they become roadblocks. I will share a small sampling of the awesome machinery that is working in our behalf. We are having weekly FEMA conference calls connecting staff at the state, re- gional, and national levels. We have traffic engineers working with ODOT to review our plans for Bridge St. so that, when they are submitted, there will be no question that they will be approved. There are two teams of environmental scientists working to find the most effective solution in wetland mitigation. Our architects and their myriad of consultants have designed a building that will meet the needs of our district well into the next century. We have assembled teams of experts beyond what I would have ever imagined a year ago. I had no idea we would need such a diversity of scientists, engineers, architects, appraisers, educators, fundraisers, philanthropists, and community leaders, and all of them are doing their best for us, for the citizens of Ver- nonia, to make our future better. At our Town Hall Meeting last week we shared a couple of videos highlighting recent activities (now available on our web- site), got some community input on next year’s budget, and re- viewed progress on the various aspects of our new schools. It’s Kindergarten Round-Up time The Washington Grade School Kindergarten Round-Up will be held Friday, May 14, by Registration is now open for 4-H Summer Camp The 4-H Camp committee is busy working on making the 2010 camp another great expe- rience for those who attend. The 4-H Summer Camp will be held June 20-23 at Camp Ki- wanilong on the North Coast. The committee hosted “Teen Retreat” early in April and is very pleased with the older youth who have shown interest in serving as Camp Counselors and Camp Staff. The selection of Camp Counselors occurred in April. This early selection al- lowed time for training, team Mariolino’s B ECAUSE building and planning. Mark your calendars and be- gin now to prepare your fourth through seventh graders for the 2010 4-H Summer Camp. Reg- istration forms will be distrib- uted through the schools as in years past. Registration forms are due by June 3, 2010 with the $80.00 registration fee. Oregon State University Ex- tension Service offers educa- tional programs, activities and materials without discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, Happy Mother’s Day OF YOUR REQUESTS W E ARE NOW SERVING P RIME R IB F RIDAY AND S ATURDAY N IGHTS 721 Madison Ave.,Vernonia • 503-429-5018 marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual ori- entation, or veteran’s status. Oregon State University Exten- sion Service is an Equal Oppor- tunity Employer. appointment. For an appoint- ment, call the WGS Office at 503-429-7941. For pre-registration please bring immunization records and birth certificate. To enroll in Kindergarten your child must be five years-old on or before September 1, 2010. Vernonia Golf Club Re-opened and Ready For Play! Get ready for the new season 10% off All Golf Club Re-gripping Page 11 Spring Swing Special Buy 1st round at reg. price Get 2nd round 1/2 price Call 503-429-6811