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The INDEPENDENT, November 7, 2012
Chalk Talk
Chalk Talk is a column of information
about Vernonia schools. This column
was provided by Superintendent Dr.
Ken Cox.
We made it through our first Homecoming Week at the new
school! The air jam competition and Coronation Wednesday night
was a huge success. On behalf of the Vernonia Education Foun-
dation I would like to thank Jim and Kathy Eckland for helping to
coordinate a significant donation from VHS alumni, which was
made during half-time at the homecoming game.
Whenever I am in the new building I still see lots of smiles and
can sense a real atmosphere of positive contentment with the
new building. Yes, we are still working through some punch list is-
sues, but we recently had 24 tons of wood pellets delivered and
are using them to heat the building, and you can start to see a
green tint to the sports fields from the grass seed that we laid
down just before the rain hit. All in all things are going well,
though we are still working to raise the last few million to finalize
construction costs.
By the time you read this, VHS should be completely gone and
the district office staff and I will have settled into our new office at
1201 Texas Ave. We were able to remodel a house on district
property that will serve us well and still keep us close to the main
building. The current schedule for the rest of the demolition is that
WGS will come down by Thanksgiving.
As I have watched all of this happen it has brought mixed feel-
ings. Once the logger dome was gone it was amazing how much
more light came into the old district office. Yes, it is a sign of
progress and it will change how Bridge Street looks in the future,
but it doesn’t need to change the memories that those who at-
tended WGS and VHS have of the good times they spent in these
buildings.
Life is change, and when we learn to embrace the changes
that come our way and (eventually) figure out how to make per-
sonal changes in ourselves, life just keeps getting better. It is my
hope, as we all begin to look toward some well-deserved time off
for Thanksgiving, that each of us will take stock of our lives and
the things that we have to be thankful for. I have a saying that
hangs on the wall in my office: “It is important to be thankful, but
it is more important to be someone for whom others can be
thankful.”
May each of you strive to make a difference in the lives of oth-
ers and may you find some happiness in your memories of time
spent in the buildings that will soon be just a memory. Most im-
portantly, please remember to make some new memories by
spending some quality time with your family this holiday season.
Thank you for your continuing support of our schools.
Vernonia
Veterinary
Clinic
Formerly Midway Veterinary Clinic
Monday, Wednesday & Saturday
700 Weed Avenue
Vernonia
Free child safety seat event tomorrow
Columbia County Safe Kids
will hold a child safety seat
check-up event tomorrow, No-
vember 8, from 4:00 p.m. to
6:00 p.m. The free event will be
held at the St. Helens Fire Sta-
tion, 105 S. 12th Street. A certi-
fied technician will check to en-
sure your child has the right
seat and that it is installed cor-
rectly. They will also check for
recalled or expired seats. This
program is funded through a
grant by ACTS Oregon, in part-
nership with the Tom Sargent
Safety Center. Columbia Coun-
ty Safe Kids can provide low
and no-cost safety seats to
families in need.
Motor vehicle crashes are a
leading cause of death to chil-
dren ages 1 to 13. When child
safety seats are installed and
used properly, the risk of death
is reduced by 71 percent. Child
safety seats and safety belts,
when installed and used prop-
erly, can prevent injuries and
save lives.
The mission of Columbia
County Safe Kids is to reduce
childhood injuries and deaths.
For more information about the
clinic or other child injury pre-
vention resources, contact the
Commission on Children and
Families at 503-397-7211.
United Way starts yearly fundraising
Sixty percent of Columbia
County residents travel outside
of the county to work, and most
of them support and/or utilize
services that are near their
homes, not their work loca-
tions. For that reason, United
Way of Columbia County is re-
minding supporters that contri-
butions made at an out-of-
county workplace will stay
there unless you specify that it
is for your local United Way.
Each United Way serves a
specific geographic area, rais-
ing funds to support programs
for the residents of that area. It
is important to know that United
Way of Columbia County is not
part of The United Way of Co-
lumbia-Willamette, they are
separate organizations.
“You can be sure your dona-
tion helps support services in
Columbia County simply by re-
questing your donation go to
United Way of Columbia Coun-
ty when you make a pledge
from an out-of- county work-
site” said Chris Kaleta Cam-
paign Chair for the 2012/2013
campaign.
Service delivery is usually
determined by where you live,
not by where you contribute. In
life-altering events such as job
loss or major illness, it will be
the agencies in your home
county, like Columbia Pacific
Food Bank, Columbia Commu-
nity Mental Health and Com-
munity Action Team programs,
VHS Class of 2013 presentations
scheduled for January 9
Senior presentations for the
Vernonia High School Class of
2013 will take place at Vernon-
ia School on Wednesday, Jan-
uary 9 (new date this year).
The tentative schedule is
8:30 to 11:30 a.m. for arena
style presentations, with the
public welcome. The senior
speeches will be from 6:00 to
9:30 p.m., with only judges in-
vited.
For more information, con-
tact Rachel Wilcoxen at 503-
429-1333, ext. 1383 or email
her at rwilcoxen@vernonia.
k12.or.us.
Creatures P S
ETS &
UPPLIES
Don’t miss
it!
OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, November 24
Featuring: Super Sale Prices,
Door Prizes, Giveaways,
Snacks & Fun!
998 Bridge St. Vernonia
(Across from City Hall) 503-429-PETS (7387)
that would help you recover.
For this reason, United Way
of Columbia County has
worked to make the public
aware of the need to designate
where they want their dona-
tions to go. These efforts have
been successful with some in-
crease in donations returning
to support Columbia County.
However, as people move to
new homes or new jobs, there
is a continued need to remind
people of the option to give
back to the community where
they live. This is why there are
signs that say “Support Your
Local Untied Way“
“Conversely, we process
designations to neighboring
United Ways, from people who
work in Columbia County, but
live elsewhere.” says Kathye
Beck, Director of United Way.
United Way helps provide
lasting solutions to multiple
problems facing our community
by supporting partner agen-
cies, linking the public with
agency volunteer opportunities
and projects, and offering
countywide information and re-
ferral. When you invest in Unit-
ed Way, you are meeting the
needs of your community.
When needs are met, the qual-
ity of life is better for everyone.
So remember, when filling
out your United Way pledge
form, take a moment to desig-
nate which United Way should
receive your donation.
Action Ads
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