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north coast Volume 21, No. 7
northcoastcitizen.com
April 14, 2016
$1.00
420 Field of Dreams... Sink or Swim:
Celebration slated for Manzanita
NKN Elementary swim program stays afloat
By Jordan Wolfe
jwolfe@countrymedia.net
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celebration is coming to Oregon Coast Cannabis on Wednesday, April 20. Otherwise known as 420, the 21-and-over festivity will include live music from 1 to 9 p.m., provided by The Tsunami Drummers, The Rhythm Methods and other local musicians. An Oregon Medical Marijuana Program card clinic with an onsite doctor will be held,
By Jordan Wolfe
jwolfe@countrymedia.net
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Citizen photo by Jordan Wolfe Little leaguers practice on the newly completed field next the the Neah-Kah-Nie District Office in Rockaway Beach Monday. The field is ready for play.
Play ball: Build it and they will come
ek o 7 pm 8 pm
By Jordan Wolfe
jwolfe@countrymedia.net
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ockaway Beach has the newest Little League baseball field in the county after a large volunteer and community effort has worked to breathe new life into a dilapidated field just south of the Neah-Kah-Nie School District building. Neah-Kah-Nie School District superintendent, Paul Erlebach said “the field was this unused piece of property, and Scott Ernst approached the school board to create a dream field.” As the Neah-Kah-Nie Youth Athletics President, Ernst, saw an opportunity to create a
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as well as voter registration to prepare those unregistered for the Oregon primary. Oregon Coast Cannabis will have extended hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., all-day specials on local bud and offering free prizes to the first 10 customers, as well as hourly giveaways. “420 is a big day in the cannabis community,” says co-owner Hannah Hayes, “and this is the first 420 after prohibition. We want to have fun.” Oregon Coast Cannabis is located on 868 Laneda Ave in Manzanita. Call 503-368-4200 and ask for Hannah, or email hannah@orcoast-
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lamook YMCA’s Little League, parents have had to make a sometimes lengthy commute for games, but now Rockaway Beach can host games at the new field. “We now have one of the best little league fields south of Seaside,” said Isbell, proud to now have a field that will foster growth for the community’s baseball program. “We have the support of Neah-Kah-Nie’s head baseball coach, Rob Herder,” Isbell said, “we want to help these kids develop because we have kids learning the fundamentals of baseball when they get into
n See SWIM, Page A3
n See FIELD, Page A2
By the numbers: NKN principal reports college bound percentages By Jordan Wolfe
Including E-Edition
field appropriate for little league baseball players, according to John Isbell, board member and treasurer of the Mudd Nick Foundation and Treasurer for Neah-Kah-Nie Youth Athletics Association. “The kids are having to practice on 45 foot base paths and no pitchers mound,” Isbell said, referencing the fact that the little league has had to practice on the softball field. Due to scheduling conflicts on the usage of the field, as well as the physical differences between a softball and little league field, has made practicing difficult, according to Isbell. Being affiliated with Til-
ith an impending change in the schedule, Nehalem Elementary School’s Swim and Safety Program at NCRD will remain, not only as part of the standard school day, but also identical duration and frequency, next academic year, according to Paul Erlebach, Superintendent of the NeahKah-Nie School District. Following the implementation of an uninterrupted 90-minute literacy block, the school district and NCRD will reevaluate the schedule for swim lessons Erlebach, told the Citizen. “After analyzing the many brainstorming options for swim lessons, Neah-Kah-Nie School District staff, NCRD staff, along with parent input, clearly decided the only viable option is to continue with swim lessons during the school day,” he said. Erlebach also reiterated the mutual goal for the school district and NCRD is a weekly 30-minute swim lesson for all students. The literacy block, Erlebach says “just means it is the highest priority for the school district,” and is set to combat District reading scores at grades three, four and five that do no meet school administration and Board expectations.
eah-Kah-Nie School District officials know if you or your child stayed in college. At least, if you graduated in the class of 2008 through the class of 2015. On Monday night, during the Regular School Board Meeting, Dr. Heidi Buckmaster, Principal of Neah-Kah-Nie High School, presented data on college enrollment, graduation and persistence rates for students continuing their education. Buckmaster said “This data says what students are doing, but data doesn’t tell us why,” referring to
the reasons Neah-Kah-Nie alumni drop out of college or stay in school until they graduate. The data comes from National Student Clearinghouse, an organization that offers information to school districts on their students who pursue a college education. Buckmaster said that of the graduating class of 2008, 39 percent went to college directly following high school, 88 percent of the students who originally went stayed past their first year, and within a six-year pe-
riod, 16 percent obtained their diploma. However, Buckmaster noted that for every single class NeahKah-Nie School District
has data on, the percentage of students enrolled in college increased after the first year. Some students
appear to take a year off between high school and college. The class of 2009 had a college enrollment of 33 percent for their first year after high school, but during the second year increased to 49 percent of their graduating class. According to Buckmaster, 85 percent of the graduating class of 2013 reported that they would be going to college in the fall, however, only 55 percent of the graduating class went to college their first year out of high school. Buckmaster says she is curious how these trends compare at the state and
national levels. A shift in ideals and beliefs about studying at a four-year college not necessarily guaranteeing a good job or comfortable life, she added, may be one of the reasons there have been declines in college enrollment.
Following are percentages of NKN students by class who attend college after high school graduation: • 2008 - 39 percent • 2009 - 33 percent • 2010 - 67 percent • 2011 - 52 percent • 2012 - 55 percent • 2013 - 55 percent • 2014 - 50 percent • 2015 - 38 percent
Newly renovated Performing Arts Center opens at North County Recreation District
by Sierra Gjerde hanks to a great deal of effort from countless members of this incredible community and from the contributions of travelers, the North County Recreation District Performing Arts Center is open and operational. For the last 5 years we have been undergoing various stages of renovations. The most recent phase was freshly completed to reveal a leading edge Performing Arts Center. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our donors, sponsors as well as the TLT Grant Program. This project would not have been possible without your generosity and inspiration. The season began with a wonderful performance by the North Coast Symphony. With the community in attendance, they
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honored our new stage with a great display of local music. This showcase a great example of our regions artistic drive and young talent. This took place on Friday April 1 and we were able to get
got the crowd bobbing their heads and even got a few up on their feet breaking in the newly carpeted dance space. The rest of the evening was spent with presentations. One
through the entire evening without any mishaps or mischievous doings on April Fools’ Day. The following day we presented the official Grand Re-opening of the space, starting the afternoon out with more local music by The Tsunami Drummers and The Rhythm Methods. This
given by The Riverbend Players updating us all on what to look forward to with the oncoming season. We also saw a presentation from the Performing Arts Center Manager who took the time to thank all those who have contributed to the renovations and to show pictures of
the process. This time was also utilized to update those in attendance on the upcoming performances and opportunities for participation. The evening ended with kids from NCRD Youth Programs presenting a small snippet from their upcoming production of Robin Hood. With all this great entertainment, the stars of this show were the brand new seats. With great comfort and class, everyone was quite comfortable throughout the afternoon. If you haven’t had the chance to see our fresh venue, visit ncrd.org for more information on upcoming events and opportunities for participation. Thank you again for all of the wonderful support everyone has provided to North County Recreation District throughout this transformational process.