Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (June 16, 2011)
The INDEPENDENT, June 16, 2011 2010-11 was a good year for athletes by Gordon Jarman, Athletic Di- rector Successful, is the word I come up with when I look back on the athletic accomplish- ments of our spring sports ath- letes. To start things off, the Vernonia track team qualified six individuals to the state track meet and all six placed in state competition. The softball team defeated Portland Christian soundly in the first round of the state play-off and qualified for the state play-offs. The base- ball team was good enough to make the league play-offs, but did not finish in the top two so did not qualify for state. The two club sports offered in the spring, equestrian and golf, had some individual success- es. For more specifics on each sport I have prepared the fol- lowing report. Softball – The girls ended the season with an 11-12 over- all record and an 8-7 league record. This was good enough for a third place finish in league and a state qualifying berth. Unfortunately, we ended up Page 11 with a very tough draw for the first round. We played Regis again this year, the same team we played last year in the first round, and they had seven of nine starters returning. The re- sults were the same – Vernon- ia lost to a very talented team that continued to advance in the play-offs. Five Vernonia girls were named to the first or second all-league team. Natalie Wallace and Megan Rock made first team. Joining them were Samantha Wallace, Ariel Rock and Stephanie Castro as second See Spring on page 21 Chalk Talk Chalk Talk is a column of information about Vernonia schools. This column was provided by Superintendent Dr. Ken Cox. Parker Roach obviously enjoyed his Vernonia High School graduation ceremony on June 4. School board okays 190 day calendar The Vernonia School District Board of Directors approved the 2011-2012 district calendar at their June 9 meeting. Provid- ed with two versions of 190 day (173 student days) calendars, plus one option with one of the versions, the board discussed an option that would have re- turned students to school the Monday before the Labor Day weekend. The final calendar chosen is a modification of the pre-Labor Day start, with the first student contact day being Thursday, September 1. The school year will end, barring add-ons for snow days, on June 7. The board also approved the 2011-2012 budget that the budget committee, which in- cludes all board members, plus other community members, had already approved. Grade school Principal Aaron Miller gave the board the welcome news that the U.S. Forest Service has given a $25,000 grant towards the Rur- al Sustainability Center and the Native Plant Project, and an- other $33,000+ grant may come from the Bureau of Land Management. In other business, the board: • Approved the May 17 Spe- cial District Election results that returned board members Greg Kintz, Tim Bamburg and Bill Langmaid for another term; • heard that the district was down by five students, but that that the good news is that tim- ber dollars came in at around $800,000 instead of the antici- pated $400,000; • was told that the new school fundraising project has now reached 74 percent of the projected $42 million needed, including more good news of the recent gift of $60,000 by Joe and Bonnie McNutt. The next regular meeting of the district’s board will be on July 14, staring at 6:00 p.m. in the district office. Another school year comes to a close. This one seems to have lasted for a very long time. I hope that each of you who have chil- dren in school will make some special family memories this sum- mer. You don’t need to go away to an exotic location to have fun and enjoy family. Oftentimes the best memories are when your Dad or Mom just spent a little extra time with you. So I would en- courage you to spend some quality family time together this sum- mer. While spending time with your kids and in Vernonia this sum- mer you don’t need to worry about where to go for your children’s lunch. Thanks to some dedicated volunteers there will be a Sum- mer Lunch Program at the VHS cafeteria from June 20 to August 19. In fact, if you come at 8:30, there will be breakfast followed by activities until 11:30, when lunch will be served. Thanks to grant funding, this is a free service to ALL children ages 1 to 18. For more information contact Cathy Meyer at 503-522-5311 or 503- 429-8033. I would like to thank those who have been and will be involved in this enormous effort this summer. A special thanks is in order for DeAnna Pearl and Heather Lewis, both representing the Ver- nonia Prevention Coalition, who were instrumental in getting the right people to the table to make this a reality. Thank you DeAn- na and Heather! On a final note, at last week’s meeting the board was able to approve a 190 day instructional calendar with 173 student contact days for next year. This was made possible by the fact that our teachers voted to work 190 days for 180 days’ pay, and our clas- sified staff agreed to freeze their salaries from this year to next, with no hourly increases whatsoever. I am honored to work with staff who are so dedicated and committed to the education of your children that they would make such sacrifices. Please thank them whenever you see them for helping to provide a better future for your children. Have a great summer. Creatures PET & SUPPLIES PET & SUPPLIES All kittens 1/2 price with this ad! (503-429-PETS (7387) www.creaturespetshop.com 736 Bridge St. Vernonia Offer ends 7-2-11 OPEN Mon-Sat 10-6