Something Fishy

“I love fishing.”

Andrew Bolton, Member of the Bulldog Anglers

There’s something fishy about Belgreen High School in Russellville, Alabama (population 8,973). It’s not like other schools in the state. For one thing—and this is a big thing in Alabama—it doesn’t have a football team. Never has. It’s only one of a handful of schools in the state that doesn’t. Kids at Belgreen got tired of being singled out for what they don’t have and decided to create something no other school in their county does have: a bass fishing team. Fishing is second nature to many of the students at Belgreen—the area is sprinkled with lakes and crawling with fisherman—so after a bit of planning, the Bulldog Anglers were born. The team has fourteen students and eight coaches. Eight coaches? Sounds like the kids aren’t the only ones who are hooked on the idea of fishing.
Read the Article ® Belgreen has county’s first fishing team

Another Fish Story . . .
Four students at Dayville High School in Dayville, Oregon (population 111) are up to their eyeballs in fish. As part of an FFA project, they’ve been raising fish from eggs to fingerlings. So far the kids have had raised 25,000 fish, with a phenomenal survival rate of 98.7 percent. In the wild, only about 10 percent survive. The fish will be used to stock local ponds and lakes, and one of the students is going to try to sell his share directly to the fish counter at the local market. Besides the money the kids can earn from selling their fish, two have applied for college scholarships through the American Fisheries Society. This is one bunch of students who won’t need to fish around for career ideas.
Read the Article ® Something’s definitely FISHY in Dayville

Small Schools, High Tech

“It rocks!”

Dalton Baum, Second Grader at Legacy Academy Charter School

iPads given to every student at Elizabeth Charter School

Back in the day, when I went to St. Columbkille’s Catholic School, most classes started with instructions from the teacher to “take out your books and turn to page . . .” That’s not happening so much these days. It’s not that kids aren’t book learning anymore, but instead of taking out their textbooks, they’re pulling out their iPads. And not just at big city schools—small town schools are going high tech, too. 

In Roy, New Mexico (population 484), students at the K-12 (42 students) are given laptops. That’s where they receive homework assignments, read from online textbooks, follow interactive tutorials, and take quizzes. The school ran into a problem, though, because a lot of kids didn’t have Internet at home so they were coming back to school after hours and trying to catch the WiFi signal outside the building. Not anymore—the Roy school district was recently chosen by the Federal Communications Commission to receive a WiFi station. The signal will span a five-mile radius, which effectively covers everyone living in Roy and anyone passing through. The school is delighted—it’s the only district in the state to get in on the deal—but they’re not stopping with WiFi. Next up: touch tablets for use in the classroom. The tablets will allow the school to download textbooks at a lower cost than buying printed books, and it’ll save the kids from toting a heavy load back and forth in their backpacks. 

Schools in Little Falls, Minnesota (population 7,719), Elizabeth, Colorado (population 1,464), and Tillamook, Oregon (population 4,391) are one step ahead. They’ve already taken the leap and have invested in iPads for their students. In all three districts, school officials say that in the long run online textbooks are cheaper than printed books, they’re easier to update, and their materials are more interactive and interesting for kids. In Elizabeth, the Legacy Academy Charter School is looking at the investment as a way of keeping its doors open. Hoping to reverse declining enrollment, school officials say they are optimistic the high tech approach will have students lining up to learn. 

Read the Articles:

Small school stays high-tech

More LF students to get iPads beginning next school year

iPads given to every student at Elizabeth Charter School

Tillamook School District to test iPads as replacement for print

Facing Tough Times

“People in Prineville have learned not to expect too much.”

John Shelk, Managing Director of Ochoco Lumber

Facebook and Prineville, Ore., become friends

Prineville, Oregon (population 9,000) is facing tough times. Its five saw mills, which once employed 1,200 people, have closed. Les Schwab—the number two tire company in the United States whose headquarters have been in Prineville since 1952—is gone, too. In the last 18 months more than 1,000 residents have left the area, and unemployment is the highest in the state at about 20 percent.

But Prineville isn’t a town to give up—it’s not in its DNA. Founded in 1877, Prineville was a major player in Oregon, until it was snubbed in 1911 when the railroad bypassed the city and laid tracks to the south. Undaunted, the townsfolk raised money to lay their own track. The railroad did a booming business hauling nearby timber to market until the eventual decline of the timber industry. On the entertainment front, the town has boasted a pretty little movie theater, the Pine Theater, since 1938. It was shuttered in the 1980s after an easement dispute, but a couple of newcomers with a can-do attitude slogged through the paperwork, legal requirements, and renovation, and reopened the Pine Theater in 2007. In 2010, the theater opened a second screen.

This month Prineville got a much needed economic boost when Facebook opened its first data center in a brand spanking new building. The town threw a big bash and invited lots of locals, state officials, and a couple of Facebook executives—even Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was on hand. Facebook, which will employ around 35 folks, isn’t going to save the town, but it’s a big help. In fact, building the data center employed more than 1,300 temporary workers, half of whom were from the Prineville area. And the site is large enough for future expansion.

Yep, Prineville is facing tough times, but it’s not like it hasn’t done that before. And with the friends it’s got, you gotta like its chances for success.

Sources:

Facebook and Prineville, Ore., become friends
Prineville, Oregon Wikipedia page
The Pine Theater [This sites gives a nice little history of the theater]
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook visits Prineville Data Center and community party

Bountiful Harvest

“It’s all about buying local.”

Tracy Durfee, Member of First Presbyterian Church

  Veggies & fresh eggs anyone?
Photographer: Nigel Wedge

Sow and Ye Shall Reap
Buy local. It’s more than a catch phrase bandied about by politicians or a slogan slapped on a billboard. It’s darn good advice . . . especially when it comes to locally grown fruits and veggies. But farmers markets in small towns often struggle getting folks to buy into the message and buy up their produce. In Cottage Grove, Oregon (population 9,187), the First Presbyterian Church is doing something about that. For the last three years they’ve hosted a “Meet My Farmer” event after Sunday worship. It's a chance for farmers to display their bounty, visitors to snack on home-grown goodies, and relationship building to begin. It’s working. Visitors and farmers alike packed this year’s get-together—the biggest one so far. Farmers offered everything from onions and eggs to homemade sweet treats and smoked salmon. A couple of growers provided information about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, which allow customers to “subscribe” to a weekly supply of produce. And one grape grower ended up with a extra-special customer: First Presbyterian has selected his bottled grape juice to be used in its communion services. In choosing a local grower, church leaders are simply practicing what they preach.
Read the Article ® Event features produce from its producers