THE SIUSLAW NEWS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER ❚ March 2018
SCHOOL ZONE A Monthly Newsletter for the Siuslaw and Mapleton School Districts and Community Groups
MAPLETON COMPLETES CONSTRUCTION PHASE I
Superstars Shine
Mapleton School District announced earlier this year that the Phase 1 of construction remodel on Mapleton High School is complete. Phase 2 began during Spring Break last week. Mapleton High School staff moved into the lower hall at Mapleton High School on March 23. “We also had help moving from our high school students as part of our Beyond Me Program,” said Mapleton Superintendent Jodi O’Mara. McKenzie Commercial is the contractor of the remodel project. Phase 1 involved remodeling the high school’s lower hallway, updating the plumbing and electrical systems, adding power and data to the classrooms, putting in new technology in each classroom, installing a new fire alarm and security system, fitting a newly updated science classroom with new gas connections and safety shower and installing new lighting in all classrooms with drop ceilings. In addition, each classroom now has a second exit, there is more storage in the lower hall and all flooring has been replaced. All classrooms and hallways have new paint. “It has created a new look to our hallway and classrooms,” O’Mara said. “Our bathrooms have also been updated with new fixtures, flooring and plumbing.” McKenzie Commercial will continue to work on Phase 2 of the high school remodel. “Mapleton School District will have a community open house in the fall when all construction is completed,” O’Mara said. “The whole community will be invited!”
F PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
lorence Community PTA hosted stars at the annual Siuslaw Superstars Talent Show on March 8. “The evening was a huge success,” PTA President Tiffany Holdahl said. “We are very proud of all the kids who performed, the parents and teachers who supported them and all of the fans from our community who came out to cheer them on.” Elementary students sang, danced and joked their way throughout the night.
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY JODI O
’MARA
Mapleton High School’s Beyond Me Program students help district staff move classroom furniture around as McKenzie Construction completed Phase 1 and began Phase 2 of the high school’s remodel and construction.
SUBMISSIONS WELCOME Deadline for submissions is the 15th of every month. Be a part of School Zone, a monthly newsletter for students in the Siuslaw and Mapleton school districts. Email Siuslaw News Features Editor Chantelle Meyer at cmeyer@ thesiuslawnews.com
ARTIST OF THE MONTH — Chamber choir
Alex Kellerman
Alexander Kellerman was chosen by choir director Mr. Morganti as the March Artist of the Month. Alex is currently attending his last year at Siuslaw High School and lives with proud parents Marcy and Andrew Kellerman. His favorite song is “‘Phantom of the Opera,’ which we are actually singing right now.” Chamber Choir will have a choir festival in early April, and Alex believes the choir will “do really well. We’re really confident and the new people who have joined are catching on really quickly.” According to Alex, Mr. Morganti is “one of my favorite choir directors I’ve had so far. He’s really respectful and he really tries to help you learn what you need to do. I feel like I can competently sing better than I could a long time ago. When he started he took people that were recommended to him by the last choir teacher and then at the halfway point he let anyone in. Now whenever you
want to join the class you have to audition.” Mr. Morganti has taught Alex and his classmates how to take “control of your voice better, and actually being able to know where you have to stay. He goes through the notes with you for certain things and tells you how it’s supposed to feel. It feels different for certain notes, so me putting on a higher note I have to tighten up a little bit and a lower note I loosen up some. You can kinda tell, like some people can instantly know the notes they have to go and go there — I’m trying to learn how to do that. He’ll play the note or hum it to you and you hum it and try to keep that same feeling in your throat before the song is over.” Alex really likes Chamber Choir because “two of my best friends are in there. There’s nothing to complain about in that class. It’s really chill and we’re always friendly towards each other, there’s never two people that are
“When words fail, music speaks.” – William Shakespeare
BY AUDREY LOWDER Siuslaw High School Student
PHOTO BY CAROL JOLLEY
Instructor Bruce Morganti says Siuslaw High School's Chamber Choir is a group effort. He chose Alex Kellerman (center, in short-sleeved shirt) as the March Artist of the Month.
angry at each other.” Chamber Choir is made up of five sopranos, four altos, four tenors and two basses. Alex is fairly excited about graduation. “It’s kind of weird to think that this is my last actual summer, like I don’t have to go to school after this summer,” he said. As for his future planes, he said, “I’ve been looking at a whole bunch of colleges but I just don’t know. To be honest, I want to be a
game developer. You have to go to college if you want to be anywhere in the Triple A (video games produced and distributed by a midsized or major publisher). “A lot of colleges actually do have programs that do this, and some colleges are strictly for game designers. I’ve taken a few [programing classes] but I’m mostly self-taught. I’ve been using a lot of different game design software and I’m gonna try to make my own.”