Headlight Herald
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2023
VOL. 135, NO. 41 • $1.50
TILLAMOOK, OREGON • WWW.TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM
Tillamook High School hosts Kermes fundraiser WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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See more event photos on A6
Dancers from Ballet Folklorico Group “Las Aztecas” perform a traditional dance at the Kermes event.
County steps in to help Beaver Water District WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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illamook’s Board of County Commissioners voted to dissolve the Beaver Water District at their meeting on October 4. The move was triggered by Oregon statute after the district failed to complete audits for three years and does not mean the district will be dissolved, rather, it allows the county to oversee correction of the district’s financial issues. The commissioners also approved a multi-family housing grant of $40,000 for the Seagulls Rest development in Bay City. The issues at the Beaver Water District came to the county’s attention in August when they received a letter of notification from the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, according to Board of Commissioners Chief of Staff Rachel Hagerty. At that point, the district had not submitted audits to the secretary of state for three consecutive fiscal years and failed to meet the deadling for submitting last year’s audit in September. Hagerty reached out to the district’s executive director and the secretary of state’s office and began working on the situation.
os Padres Unidos of Tillamook put on their fifth annual Kermes fundraiser event in the Tillamook High School cafeteria on September 30, drawing a large crowd to support Hispanic youth in the district. The event featured a wide selection of homemade Mexican dishes, displays of student artwork, dancing from student groups, and games and a bounce house for the kids. “The tradition for us for this September independence celebration is to be as Mexican as you can,” said Tillamook dual language program teacher Maiko Oloarte. The annual tradition started in 2017 and has continued strong after a covid-caused hiatus in 2021. The event is a fundraiser put on by Padres Unidos to support cultural enrichment activities, such as the annual Dio de los Niños celebration, as well as two college scholarships for Hispanic students in the district. The event mirrors those
held across Mexico in September at schools to help raise funds. September is chosen as a month of celebration not only because of the return to school, but also to mark the independence of Mexico and other countries across Latin America from Spain, which in many cases occurred in September. At the event in Tillamook, the crowd was able to purchase tacos, quesadillas, tortas, fresh pastries, horchata and other delicious food, including the crowdfavorite, traditional Mexican pork stew, pozole. The Mexican Ballet Folklorico Group “Las Aztecas,” whose members are students in the district, performed for the crowd along with two other groups of younger students. Each of the district’s dual-language classrooms also displayed artwork at the event that celebrated Hispanic heritage. While the event focused on celebrating Mexican culture, it welcomed all members of the community and featured student art highlighting cultures from across Latin America.
International teachers amplify cultural exchange in Tillamook dual language program WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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dire staffing shortage in Tillamook School District’s dual language program last spring led to an international recruitment effort, with which the district was able to find and hire three, experienced teachers, allowing the program to continue. The new teachers have brought not only teaching skills, but enthusiam and unique cultural backgrounds to their classrooms and the
community, and say they are enjoying and learning from the experience. “A dual program is not only learning about language,” said Maiko Oloarte, who is teaching sixth grade this year, “it’s a window to the world and I am impressed in how open minded and how welcoming this small community is.” Oloarte, who arrived in Tillamook from Mexico, is joined by Katherine Cienfuego from El Salvador, teaching kindergarten, and Grace
Gonzalez from Costa Rica, teaching third grade, as new teachers in the dual language program. The program was put in jeopardy last May when the departure of three teachers left holes in the teaching roster that would have forced its discontinuance. After traditional recruitment efforts did not yield candidates, Director of Bilingual Programs and Services Cassie Thiemens had to get creative in her search. SEE DUAL LANGUAGE PAGE A6
Tillamook dual-language program teachers Maiko Oloarte, Katherine Cienfuegos and Grace Gonzalez (left to right) pose for a photo at the recent Kermes fundraising event held at Tillamook High School.
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SEE BEAVER WATER DISTRICT PAGE A6
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