REPORTER CENTRAL KITSAP
7pm
FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2014 | Vol. 29, No. 40 | WWW.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM | 50¢
Brownsville adds STEM
BY SERAINE PAGE SPAGE@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Leslie Kelly/staff photo
Son Donald, left, Coleta and Nick Corey at their Silverdale farm in May of 2013. Nick died last week at age 83.
Mr. Corey was a real cowboy BY LESLIE KELLY LKELLY@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Coleta Corey remembers her husband, Nick, as kind, generous and big-hearted. But first and foremost, he was a cowboy. “He wouldn’t go anywhere with out his cowboy hat on the top of his head,” she said. “I’m sure he’s still wearing it in Heaven.” Nick Corey died July 2, at 83. According to his wife, he had suffered with dementia in the past few months, but died of heart failure. Nick and Coleta are known in Kitsap County for starting
“Corey’s Day on The Farm,” an annual event that allows special needs children the opportunity to experience farm life, including petting animals, riding in the hay wagon, and lassoing wooden horses. When the event first began in 1968, the Coreys hosted it on their farm, outside of Silverdale. But as it grew, the event was moved to the Kitsap County Fairgrounds where it is held each June. Coleta recalled one of the early years of Corey’s Day on The Farm. “Nick would go to the school and help load the kids on the school bus and ride it
back here to the farm with the kids,” she said. “He’d tell me about how the kids were just so excited they could’t stop talking. Then, after the day was over, he’d help load the kids up and ride the bus back to the school. He said the ride back was quiet because the kids were all worn out.” “He got such a kick out of those kids,” she added. Coleta and Nick met in Nebraska where they both grew up. She was born in Grant and he was born in Wauneta. They met in Sutherland, Nebraska when she was a telephone switchboard operator.
“He would come in and talk to me while I was working the switchboard,” she said. “He was kind of shy and I think he just needed somebody to talk to.” By 1960, they were married and had three boys, Randy, Scott and Daniel. Nick was working as a tree trimmer, but the family was having a hard time. He went to work for the county road department, but it was only a temporary job. There was another baby on the way. “Sometimes he’d work all summer just to have the SEE COREY, A9
Brownsville Elementary is about to become the first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) school in the Central Kitsap School District starting next year. Starting next year, students will see an increase in the use of technology and math skills, said Brownsville Elementary Principal Toby Tebo. “We see society as everybody’s on their phone. It’s kind of detaching,” he said. “(Yet) it can be a unifying tool to get them to think. It’s where common core is going, making a claim and backing it up with evidence.” Tebo said it is his hope that “toys” like tablets will turn into “tools” for learning experiences. Students will start working with Android tablets and Chromebooks in the next year with more implementation to follow in the coming years. Tebo hopes to see a one-to-one ratio for the technology tools for students in the future. “If it doesn’t add value, it’s just a shiny toy,” he said. The idea of school of choice was a vision of former interim CKSD Superintendent Hazel Bauman who thought par-
ents, staff and students should have an option of being involved in an educational experience that might have a particular theme tied to it such as STEM. For Tebo’s school, he knew it would be STEM since his students had always excelled in math, and his staff was interested in the prospect, he said. Although Tebo was hesitant at first to dive into STEM as an option, the feedback was overwhelming, and Tebo thought it best to go ahead with the idea. “Our staff, they have a high capacity for new stuff,” said Tebo. “They kind of want to be on the cutting edge. They’re always wanting to do more. This was something that I wanted to put on the back burner because I didn’t know about the capacity. And they’re like ‘let’s do this.’” After meeting with nearly 20 teachers, Tebo and his team developed a proposal via Google Docs to present the idea to the school board. His presentation stated that 90 percent of his staff spent two hours collaboratively to draft the presentation for the school board. On June 20, board members voted to approve a STEM budget for the 2014SEE STEM, A9
Library patrons weigh in through online survey BY LESLIE KELLY LKELLY@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
An online survey answered by more than 2,000 people informed officials at the Kitsap Regional Library that patrons want more evening and Sunday hours, and more copies of books, ebooks and audiobooks. Library officials released the findings of the survey last week in an email to registered users. The results will be used by the library’s board and staff to determine its strategic plans
for coming years. In all, 90 percent of those responding said they would give the library “an overall assessment of eight, nine, or 10 on a scale of one to 10,” with 10 being the highest rating. “Fewer than one percent of respondents gave KRL a score of five or less,” the report stated. Of those taking the survey, 92.5 percent said they would “highly recommend KRL to family and friends,” and 98 percent thought KRL was important because it provided access
to materials and resources. Other reasons for the library’s importance were “because it promotes literacy and the love of reading,” (at 95 percent) and “because it improves the quality of life in Kitsap County,” (at 93 percent). As far as what the library has to offer, the top ranking answer included books, movies and music. Next was trained staff to answer questions and give recommendations. Other important items included downloadable ebooks, audiobooks and
music, classes and events for adults, and computer or wi-fi access to the internet. Respondents said they wanted more hours at their neighborhood library and thought more evening hours and Sunday hours were needed. In terms of things respondents thought the library could add or improve were interlibrary loans with libraries that are not part of the KRL system, giving recommendations to readers on books, adding a mobile app, and helping
patrons with computer skills, tablets and devices. KRL spokesman Jeff Brody said some of those services are available. Indeed, the inter-library loans are happening and last year, more than 3,700 requests SEE KRL SURVEY, A9