Remembering 9-11 heroes
The American Legion Post 116 will honor victims of September 11th, as well as local first responders Thursday on the Goldendale Courthouse lawn.
“The ceremony will include guest speakers Senator Jim Honeyford, State Representatives Dan Newhouse and Bruce Chandler, and County Commissioner Ray Thayer.
Colors will be posted by the U.S. Marine Corps and the Honor Guard will give a rifle salute.
“My passion for this is not only to honor those that died at 9-11, but it’s extremely important to recognize our first responders to any emergency, including our own,” said Tom Beck, American Legion adjutant and master of ceremonies for the event.
The memorial, to take place at 6 p.m., will mark the seventh anniversary of the tragedy.
The Goldendale Ministerial Association will also hold an event that day at noon on the courthouse lawn, where “prayers will be offered for our government and soldiers,” according to Pastor Lowell Smith, of Maryhill’s Church at Columbus Landing.
Dr. James Odgen will provide music for the interdenominational service.
New approach to student discipline in Goldendale
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor
The Goldendale School District has launched a new disciplinary program, aimed at getting parents more involved in the system.
The national program, called Time to Teach, focuses on a polite but firm system of warnings followed by disciplinary action.
According to superintendent, Mark Heid, the idea is to “honor what students have to say,” but in a way that doesn’t let behavior get in the way of teaching. Within it, he said, kids know exactly what to expect.
“There should be no surprises ever,” said Heid. “If they make a good choice, they know what happens next; [same] if they make a poor choice.”
Under the new program, if a student is misbehaving, he or she will first receive a verbal “prompt.” This warns them the behavior needs to stop. If it continues, the student is sent out of the room to fill out a “refocus” card.
Students who receive three refocus cards in one week will have to serve time in a place similar to afterschool detention.
The difference, however, is in order to leave, they must be picked up by a parent. This goes for primary students all the way up to high school seniors.
Heid said he acknowledges the system may create difficulties for parents who work or have other strong commitments.
However, he hopes the parental involvement will discourage students from the behavior. Parents, he said, must be part of the process.
“By having to take off early we hope they’re going to help us at home to reinforce the fact that non-compliance is not acceptable,” said Heid. “We understand the hardship that gives parents, but we have to have their help.”
Teachers and administrators will give kids a few weeks to get used to and understand the new system before implementing it the first part of October, he said.
Heid also stressed they will be flexible to a certain extent. If some commitments cannot be broken, for instance, they might allow kids to switch weeks so parents can pick them up a different day.
Overall, however, he said the system will stand.
The program is linked to the district’s new motto this year, “Students and staff improving every day.”
The idea of the motto is to focus on the whole student and address individual needs, Heid said. The words will appear on school flyers, banners, letterheads, and promotional material.
Heid said he is excited for the new year ahead.
Tracking the elusive Virginia rail
Backyard Birding, by Hallie Barta
While many of my columns have been spent discussing methods of attracting specific birds to your backyard, there remains an enormous population of birds that aren’t so easy to find. These birds, secretive and elusive, take patience to track down.
Among these reticent birds is the Virginia rail. Named for its laterally-compressed body, which makes it seem “thin as a rail” and allows it to move quickly through thick reeds. This wetland bird can be found in almost all of Washington, occupying cattail marshes and swamps.
The first time I saw a rail was by accident, when I was attracted to a mysterious “beeping” in the swampy creek that runs across our property. I discovered a dark-colored, red-billed water bird standing alert at the edge of one of the open pools, beeping nervously every now and then. The moment it saw me, it shrank back into the grasses.
After identifying it as a Virginia rail, I decided to try photographing it. I had vastly underestimated the bird’s sly behavior as I sat on a large rock in the middle of the marsh, hearing that same beeping over and over. I turned toward it each time, expecting to see the bird, only to hear a rustle of grass and then the beeping again behind my back. Occasionally I caught a fleeting glance of its dark body rushing to the next clump of reeds. This ridiculous chase went on for half an hour in the hot sun before my camera battery died and I gave up.
Further study revealed that the rail did indeed go to great lengths to keep its privacy. It is almost always alone, and builds several “dummy nests” to bewilder its predators while it sits hidden away on its well-concealed main nest. Such a bird takes looking for, even though I was blessed enough to find it by accident.
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