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To fully serve the community, the Mid-county Memo offers this section to showcase upcoming special events, celebrations of milestones in our readers' lives, those seemingly small accomplishments that often do not receive the recognition they deserve, and everyday events that should be shared with friends and neighbors.
Memo Pad submissions for the November issue are due by Thursday, Oct. 15. For best results, e-mail Darlene Vinson at editor@midcountymemo.com. Or mail submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave., Portland, OR 97230. To leave a phone message, call 503-287-8904. The fax number is 503-249-7672.
Parkrose student named National Merit semifinalist
Officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation have announced the names of approximately 16,000 semifinalists in its 55th annual scholarship competition. Parkrose High School's Nathan Clement is one of the talented seniors who have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 National Merit Scholarships. Worth more than $36 million, the scholarships will be offered next spring. Approximately 15,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist level; from this group, scholarship winners will be chosen. Recipients are selected based on their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Scholarship winners will be announced beginning in April 2010.
Clement is the son of Todd and Terri Clement of Parkrose. The young scholar is currently ranked first in the class of 2010 with a 4.26 GPA. Clement is also taking a class at Portland State University this fall and was previously involved in jazz band and the school's We the People team. The National Honor Society member is also a varsity athlete, competing on the water polo and swim teams.
Clement was one of more than 1.5 million juniors entered in the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test last October. Current Parkrose juniors are invited to register to take the 2009 PSAT on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Registration for juniors costs $15, payable in advance at the PHS bookkeeper's office. Through a special statewide initiative, Oregon's Department of Education is paying for all high school sophomores to take the pre-college exam in October as well.
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| Gateway Elks Teenager of the Month Zaine Alexander Stapleton with Exalted Ruler John Lillestrand. |
Gateway Elks Lodge has selected Zaine Alexander Stapleton, a senior at David Douglas High School as its first Teenager of the Month for this school year. Stapleton is the son of Thom and Ronda Stapleton. He carries a 4.0 GPA, is a gifted artist, a member of the cross-country team a pole-vaulter on the track team, and plays alto saxophone in the jazz band.
An active volunteer, Stapleton has served as a mentor to students with special needs, chaperoned athletes at the Special Olympics, taught at Outdoor School and organized food drives and fundraisers at David Douglas.
His art has been shown at Portland International Airport and in the hallways of his high school.
Stapleton builds soapbox derby vehicles with his family and has developed an interest in electric cars. Currently he and his dad are restoring a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle.
Each month during the school year, Gateway Elks Lodge 2411 selects a top student from one of the local area high schools to honor as its Teenager of the Month. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks sponsors the program in order to focus public attention on outstanding youth within our community. The Teenager of the Month committee chooses from candidates based on several factors, including academics, school and civic involvement, sports and other notable, positive activities. The successful candidate will excel in multiple areas. Applications are available online, through school counselors or from the Gateway Lodge office. For more information regarding Gateway Elks Youth programs or any questions regarding the Elks in general, visit www.gatewayelks.com or call the lodge office at 503-255-6535.
Parkrose students named AP Scholars
Eleven students from Parkrose High School have earned AP Scholar Awards from the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on college-level Advanced Placement Program exams.
The College Board's Advanced Placement Program offers motivated students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement opportunities or both for successful performance on the AP exams. About 18 percent of the more than 1.7 million high school students who took AP exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP scholar.
Eighty-four Parkrose juniors and seniors took at least one AP exam in May 2009. The testers earn scores ranging from 1 to 5, with 3 as a passing score. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the number of exams taken and the students' overall performance on the national examinations.
Six graduates and one member of the class of 2010 qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are Rose Chuong (University of Portland), Jason Church (Linfield College), Elizabeth Lee (University of Washington), Connor Leines (University of Oregon), Caitlyn O'Mealy (Oregon State University), Christina Wolken (University of the Arts) and Nathan Clement (PHS Senior).
The AP Scholar Award was also awarded to four students who completed three or more AP exams, with scores of 3 or higher. The AP scholars are Carmen Avram (Stanford University), Karen Cole (Linfield College), Zach Forsyth (Mt. Hood Community College) and one current Parkrose Senior, Justin Loh.
Ninety percent of four-year colleges and universities award credit, advanced placement opportunities or both based on successful performance on the AP exams. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP exams typically experience greater success in college and higher graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP. In 2009, Parkrose High School offered AP exams in English language, U.S. history, statistics, government and politics, literature, music theory and calculus.
The College Board is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Among its best known programs are the SAT, the PSAT/NMSQT and the AP Program.
Charity honors volunteers
Nancy Childress, a tireless Gresham volunteer, was named SnowCapper of the Year by SnowCap Community Charities at the agency's annual awards event at the Leach Botanical Garden.
Childress was cited for initiating a food-tasting program in the agency's lobby. Not all food box foods are familiar. Nancy finds creative recipes that make use of the most challenging ingredients. Her bagel bread pudding was a huge hit when the agency received a terrific tote of bagels. Her recipe for SnowCap Chili was entered in the Fairview Chili Cook Off in September.
SnowCap Executive Director Judy Alley also presented an award to Old Chicago Restaurants, which was named Business Partner of the Year and named the Reynolds School District as Educational Partner.
Ann Richards picked up the award for Covenant Presbyterian Church of Gresham, which was named Faith Partner of the Year.
Individual awards were presented to Ardis Johnston of Gresham, Robert Trappe of Gresham, and Marie Squires of Troutdale; all of who volunteered more than 1,000 hours of service in the past year.
Trappe was also presented the Cheerful Giver award for his generous donations and good-natured work with volunteers.
First-time SnowCap volunteer Mercedes Turner of Fairview was named Newbie of the Year.
Special awards were presented to Maude Ballard of Portland and Lorie Wageman of Fairview. Both are retiring after many years of service. Wageman served SnowCap for more than 23 years and is retiring as assistant director.
Volunteers at SnowCap perform a variety of tasks, including registration, interviewing and processing, food pantry and food boxes, transportation, clothing disbursement, language instruction and referral services.
Elks seek scholarship applicants
Gateway Elks Lodge will award $2,000 in scholarships to local high school seniors; $1,000 to the top female winner and $1,000 to the top male winner. Winners from the local lodge go on to compete at the district level, where an additional $8,400 in scholarships will be awarded. District winners advance to compete for scholarships totaling $19,400 at the state level. State winners move on to the national contest, where four-year scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 a year are awarded.
Applications are due Nov. 2 and are evaluated on scholastic achievement, leadership and financial need. SAT or ACT scores must be included in the application. The national competition is open to any graduating senior; students do not have to be related to an Elks member to apply. Children and grandchildren of Elks members are eligible for additional scholarships. Information and applications can be found at www.gatewayelks.com/#mvs. National contest information is available at www.elks.org/ENF/Scholars.
Order trees now for fall and winter plantings
This year Friends of Trees will plant twice the number of street and yard trees as last year to help Portland meet its five-year Grey to Green Initiative goal of adding 83,000 trees to city streets. The Grey to Green partnership makes it possible for Friends of Trees to offer 8- to 12-foot tall nursery trees to east Portland residents for only $25 to $40, depending upon the neighborhood. The fee includes the wholesale price of the tree; its delivery; hole-digging; assistance in planting, stakes, mulch and follow-up maintenance checks. An added benefit is the neighborhood potluck that follows the community planting.
To order trees, homeowners in the Lents and Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhoods need to create an online account at www.friendsoftrees.org by Nov. 16; look for the heading called Order Street & Yard Trees. Centennial, Hazelwood and Mill Park residents must create their online accounts by Nov. 30 for a Jan. 30 planting. Residents in the Argay, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Russell or Wilkes neighborhoods need to create online accounts by Jan. 11 to buy trees for a March 13 planting. The deadlines allow time for the permitting process required before a street tree can be planted. Portland Bureau of Environmental Services canvassers working with Friends of Trees and volunteer neighborhood coordinators are assisting homeowners in ordering trees and processing the permits.
Friends of Trees is still looking for volunteers to help organize plantings in the Argay, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Russell and Wilkes neighborhoods. Friends of Trees provides training, guidance and advice to all neighborhood coordinators.
Neighborhood coordinators receive organizing assistance throughout the planning process. “Whitney has offered great support,” Hazelwood Neighborhood Coordinator Vinette Kennedy-Scott said of Whitney Dorer, neighborhood trees manager of Friends of Trees.
If you live in Argay, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Russell or Wilkes and you're interested in helping coordinate a planting, e-mail Greg Tudor at gregt@friendsoftrees.org or Andy Meeks at andym@friendsoftrees.org.
Learn conflict resolution skills, serve community
Resolutions Northwest is accepting applications for its annual volunteer mediation training and mentor program. This 38-hour basic mediation training is free in exchange for a one-year weekly volunteer commitment to help neighbors and communities in Portland resolve conflicts with one another. This opportunity is designed for people who are dedicated to helping people have challenging discussions and find mutually acceptable solutions together.
Training dates will be on Wednesday evenings, Jan. 6 and 13 and all day Friday and Saturday, Jan. 8, 9, 15 and 16.
The application deadline is Nov. 20. Applications are available at www.resolutionsnorthwest.org or 503-595-4890.
RNW is committed to providing culturally appropriate, relevant and accessible services to all communities in Portland. They seek a pool of volunteers who come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, are able or willing to connect to people both like and unlike themselves, can provide bridges to communities currently underserved by RNW programs and can support one another through this learning process.
To ensure equal access, RNW will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act or an alternative format of this application. Call 503-595-4890 with accommodation requests.
Liquor license renewals north of Burnside
All liquor licenses north of Burnside Street within the Portland city limits on both sides of the Willamette River will expire on Dec. 31, unless renewed by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. The city of Portland has approximately 2,400 establishments with a liquor license, about half of which are coming up for renewal at the end of the year. As part of the renewal process, the city of Portland makes recommendations to the OLCC on renewal applications using information gathered from neighbors, community organizations and public safety officials.
This annual renewal is an opportunity for communities to address problems or concerns with licensed establishments in their neighborhoods. Concerned neighbors and community organizations wishing to oppose a license renewal north of Burnside should advise the Office of Neighborhood Involvement as soon as possible. Licensed establishments not identified by the city of Portland as problems are processed as though they received a favorable recommendation. Opposition received by individuals and organizations is considered by the city before a recommendation is made to the OLCC. If neighbors have concerns but do not wish to formally oppose the license renewal, this is an excellent opportunity to engage in problem solving to address concerns informally.
Information about liquor establishments with ongoing problems must be received by Nov. 1.
Contact Theresa Marchetti, liquor licensing specialist at ONI, at 503-823-3092 or theresa.marchetti@ci.portland.or.us with your questions, concerns or complaints.
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