More Students Graduating
Graduation rates have been steadily rising over the past several years at Siuslaw High School and school superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak says it is due to the one on one focus that struggling students receive.
”It has been a concerted effort by the high school staff, coordinated by the principal and the rest of the administration to make sure that kids have individual targeted interventions to get them the unique assistance they need to be successful in high school.”
The rate is currently at 85% and that is up from 68% in recent years. According to Grzeskowiak the improvement has been a gradual increase over the past 4 years.
Watch For Rising Waters
Heavy rain at times is expected this weekend, and some rivers could rise above flood stage. Rivers are already running high from the rain this week, and soils are fully saturated. Rainfall amounts Friday night through Sunday could be as high as 4 inches in the Coast Range and Cascades
Eugene Paper Has New Owner
Gate House Media is now the new owner of Eugene’s Register Guard. The Baker family of Eugene has owned the paper since 1927. Gate House Media is part of a larger media conglomerate the New Media Investment Group. The company is based in Fairport, New York and has publications in 36 states. The Register Guard is the company’s biggest acquisition on the west coast.
Rhody Court Announced
This week, the Rhododendron Festival Committee announced the selections for the 2018 Rhododendron Court, comprised of a Senior Court of five princesses and two princes, and a Junior Court with five princesses. The Senior Court Princesses are Andrea Hernandez, Lainey Goss, Thelma Gentry, Alex Saindon and Denielle VanWinkle. The Senior Court Princes are Colby Waters and Trent Reavis both from Siuslaw High School. Junior Court Princesses from Siuslaw Elementary are first-grader Alleya Thomas, second-grader Jasmine Krause, fourth-grader Kylee Stinger and fifth-grader Brittney Adams. Abigail Mendez, the third-grade princess is from Mapleton. From now until May, the Senior and Junior Courts will work with the committee to develop leadership and communication skills and make public appearances in the area. Court members will be selling this year’s Rhododendron Festival commemorative buttons as a fundraiser for scholarships. The king and queen will be crowned at a coronation ceremony at the Florence Event Center on May 17th
SRO Officer Gets New Ride-sort of
You may see a new type of law enforcement vehicle on the streets of Florence, but it is not what it seems.
It is a rebranding of a former patrol vehicle for a different purpose according to Sgt. Brandon Ott
“We wanted to have a vehicle for the School Resource Officer Program that was not just one of our standard fleet patrol vehicles so we actually took one of our older vehicles that we have here in the fleet and pulled it off line.
The vehicle is a definite standout and will definitely get noticed. The incoming School Resource Officer helped to design the graphics
“The incoming SRO Officer Bailey worked with our graphic design company that does all of our patrol vehicles and they came up with a really cool design that incorporates digital camouflage, an American flag and the Siuslaw Vikings Logo.”
