School's Out!
When the bell rang Friday afternoon at the Goldendale High School, a wave of cries could be heard in the west end of the building and spread east towards the cafeteria and onto the lawn in a collective rejoice: School’s out!
Some kids skipped out without missing a beat, charging across the parking lot and away from the facility, presumably to meet up with friends or perhaps simply take a long overdue nap.
Others took time to eat on the lawn and spend a final hour with schoolmates while faculty barbequed - an anonymous donation from the community.
After the meal, kids ran around squirting each other with water and juice packets, wrestled in the grass, made human pyramids, fell down, and tried all over again.
One group launched a sneak attack on their buddy, shoving him in the open trunk of a car in playful hysterics. Another duo tackled friends from behind. Young couples canoodled and budding musicians picked at their guitars.
The ambience was festive as teachers, students and faculty relished together in the fact that school will be on break until August 27. The only thing absent from the afternoon: textbooks.
Aborigines art dots Goldendale
Rachel Cavenaugh
News Editor
After much anticipation, the Golden Art Guild kicks off its Aussie-themed art festival G’Day Goldendale Tuesday night.
The show is part of the gallery’s annual fundraiser and will showcase a local collection of paintings by Australian Aboriginal artists.
The style is based on ancient traditions that contemporary artists have rendered in acrylic dot images. The intricate matrices of small and large specks come together to create colorful, vibrant images.
“Once you see it, it just knocks your socks off,” says art coordinator Sandra Choate.” It’s so beautiful. It’s stunning.”
Themes and content differ from region to region, depending on the people and geography, but symbols are commonly used. Circles, for instance, often indicate meeting places and images abound for spirits and various wildlife like kangaroos.
Organizer Beth Poirier says the images inspired her to create some art of her own. She tried rendering the tiny dots into cohesive images but found it quite challenging. She says the images are more complex than they appear.
“It seems to be simple dots,” she says. “But it’s not simple. You’re working with the color and the scale…It’s not just random dots, there’s actually a formula to structure.”
“It’s very vigorous and energetic,” adds Choate.” The pattern and the colors and the way it moves.”
The opening night event on Tuesday, June 24 will collaborate with the Chamber of Commerce After Hours gathering and feature wine and a lecture from the collector.
Then, July 5, coordinators will merge with craftspeople and Community Days events for an authentic Australian feast under tents outside the Goldendale Senior Center.
Two pieces of the art will be up for auction and the menu will include barbecue apricot chicken, zucchini slices, damper bread (“Bush bread”), and a Pavlova meringue dessert.
Choate notes the similarity in the archetypal figures on display to ancient rock art found within Klickitat County like petroglyphs by The Dalles.
“That was really exciting for us to put that link together,” she says, laughing that she hopes people can “connect those dots on their own.”
Next week The Sentinel will feature a close-up profile on select Aborigines artists.
Active shooter training is part of preparedness plan
The Goldendale Police Department and Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office conducted an Active Shooter Training in cooperation with the Goldendale School District, Tuesday.
The training was conducted by officers from the Goldendale Police Department. All officers that participated in the training are likely to be called as first responders in the event of an actual active shooter, or armed individuals in a school.
The training allows officers to be better prepared and identify both strengths and possible weaknesses that need to be addressed.
Also present at the training were the Goldendale Fire Department, Rural 7 Fire Department, Centerville Fire Department and KVH Ambulance. Those agencies assisted with adding realism to the training and added smoke and fire alarms to the training.
Training began at 7 a.m. at City Hall with a short classroom session prior to moving to the school. All effected school buildings were closed to the public during the training. Only authorized personnel were allowed into the training scenarios.
Volunteers were recruited to play roles in this training, which include fleeing students, injured students, teachers and bystanders.
“It is the hope of all agencies involved that we never have to respond to a situation like this but with this training we believe we will be better prepared to respond if we are needed,” said City Police Chief, Rick Johnson.
The group is interested in conducting similar training in other schools in the county, in the coming years.
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