Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
December 10, 2015 Volume 165, Number 52 - $1.00
Hawks Fall
Ready for Sale
Open House
The Hawks fall to Dixon 46-33 in Big Northern Conference action. B1
The Oregon Chamber of Commerce is selling Christmas ornaments. A9
A retirement open house will be held for Don Griffin at the Nash Center on Dec. 11. A4
Work continues on the Oregon Library project By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Renovations at the Oregon Public Library are continuing. Work got underway last month when excavators arrived to dig the hole for an elevator. Packard Excavating, Oregon, began the project Nov. 5 by preparing a pit for the foundation of the elevator on the northwest side of the brick building. Mild November and December weather has meant concretet work on the elevator enclosure could be
done sooner than next spring as originally planned. Library Director Andrew Dettman said the elevator will mean the library is in compliance with Americans with Disabilties Act (ADA) standards. The library renovation project also includes two ADA-compliant restrooms and turning the lower level into the children’s area. That, in turn, will free up space in other parts of the Workers from Quality Ready Mix pour concrete behind the Oregon Library Tuesday in preparation for the installation library, Dettman said. The art gallery on the of an elevator for the historic building. The project should be completed in 2016. Photo by Earleen Hinton second floor, where some children’s programming has been held, will return to Turn to A3 By Chris Johnson replacement will be. candidates will appear on the it official. He then gave cxjohnson@oglecounty Huntley has enjoyed her ballot. Huntley a hug and thanked news.com time as the county clerk. O’Brien will be listed first, her for serving the county. “I have enjoyed this job followed by Cook. Hallock The Primary Election will For the final time, Ogle and serving Ogle County,” will appear third on the ballot be held March 15, 2016. County Clerk Rebecca she said. “I left the position due to filing his paperwork Huntley will step down from Huntley raised an American on the ballot and the voters after the date to be included her post on March 18. in the lottery. Two years are left in a fourWhen driving up to the Flag basket over her head will have a choice.” Monday morning. When Huntley first ran for Reddington signed the year term she was elected to church Sunday afternoon, it Huntley was conducting the position 18 years ago she lottery paperwork to make in 2014. was clear that the church was the place to be in Mt. Morris. the election lottery ritual was one of three candidates Cars lined the streets for she has done for the past 18 running. It is only fitting that after four or five blocks. Anyone years. “This basket was a gift her replacement will be one not knowing the concert from (former county board of three candidates running was being held would have member) Shirley Clayton,” for the position. wondered why so many cars said Huntley. “Using it for Chief Deputy Clerk Laura were in the area. the lottery always gives me Cook, Oregon, Deputy Clerk For those in the church, warm feelings.” Tiffany O’Brien, Chana, and they knew that the musicians Huntley announced that Jeff Hallock, Oregon, are and singers were putting on a she was retiring from her all seeking the Republican fantastic show. The performance, led by position early in the election nomination for a two-year Dr. Matthew Guschl, Davis cycle so candidates had time term. Ogle County Judge John Junction, was a powerful to file nominating petitions to run during the primary. Redington had the honor rendition of traditional Ogle County Clerk Rebecca Huntley holds a basket This was done, she of pulling numbers out of music. Monday morning to allow Ogle County Judge John said, to ensure the public the basket. These numbers Turn to A2 has the choice in who her will determine the order the Redington to randomly select the ballot order for the
Lottery determines ballot order
Christmas story
told through song By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com The sounds of Christmas surrounded packed pews Sunday afternoon in Mt. Morris. A standing room only crowd gathered at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church for the annual Christmas Concert. This program described the story of Christmas through singing linked with narration. “Bethlehem’s Child” was performed by a dedicated group of volunteer singers and musicians from northwest Illinois.
primary election. Photo by Chris Johnson
OHS teacher brings entertainment to math class By Christopher Heimerman cheimerman@sauk valley.com Whether or not Danyel Larsen is funny is immaterial. Same goes for math, the subject she teaches at Oregon High School. Nonetheless, she was pretty doggone funny while going over how to graph sin and cosine waves during her seventh-period honors precalculus class Wednesday afternoon. “Why does ‘K’ stand for vertical shift, when ‘H’ is for horizontal shift?” Kelsey Handschuh asked. “Because it starts with a silent ‘K,’” Larsen said. “You know. Kuh-Vertical.” Then there was the debate over why Larsen kept drawing the unit circle over and over again on her transparency. “I can’t put it on the board,” she said. “I’d keep turning around. I’d get dizzy.” Put it on the back wall, a student suggested. “Then you’d all be turning
around,” she countered. “Who do you want to be dizzy? Me or you? I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.” A tattoo was suggested. “No tattoos,” she said, laughing, “no tattoos. How about I learn it, and tattoo it on my brain?” It was an overview of material the students already knew. The subject matter was boring, she said. But for the last period of the day, the environment was fun. From the moment she entered her second-floor classroom, Larsen was engaging students. Making sure her students know she cares is the key to being honored three times in the month of October alone. She was one of six teachers in the district to win a Those Who Excel award (the fourth straight year at least five Oregon teachers have earned the honor) from the state Board of Education. She was also one of five finalists in the state for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, earning her a $10,000 award
In This Week’s Edition...
Danyel Larsen teaches a Pre-Calculus at Oregon High School. Photo by Alex Paschal
from the National Science Foundation and an invitation to the nation’s capital for the national awards ceremony. Finally, she received the Lee Yunker Mathematics Leadership Award from the Illinois Council of Teachers
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B7-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5 Marriage Licenses, A4
of Mathematics. “What class it is, however challenging the material, doesn’t matter,” she said, “because it’s always about connecting with the kids, on a human level.”
Oregon Library, A9 Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1-B2 State’s Attorney, B4 Zoning Permits, B5
Practical application Five-eighths of her second-period AP calculus BC class, all seniors, popped by after school to corroborate the humanconnection theory. “It just feels like I’m there with a group of friends and associates,” Paul Reckamp said. “We’re all there as equals trying to get the same thing done.” Joe Miranda’s a bowler. “There are all sorts of angles and trajectories, and proportions of oil on the lane that affect every shot I’ll take,” he said. “I’ve got to take all those things into consideration.” Cole Burke is a wrestler. “You’ve always got to be thinking about all the possibilities on how you can get to a solution,” he said. “It’s a similar thought process to math.” Will Coots plays French horn. So does Larsen. “We had a lot to talk about, and math helped me think about music in a more logical sense,” he said. “Usually I’m the dreamer who just goes off and does
whatever he wants, but math has said, ‘Hey, these are some rules you have to follow.’” Zoe Nelson simply enjoys being eased into a class that involves complicated subject matter. She said that on Mondays, especially, they’ll take 5, sometimes 10 minutes catching up on what’s going on in their lives. During Wednesday’s seventh-period class, bad math puns caused waves of groans. The jokes all came from the students. Evidently, it’s a trickle-down effect. “How many bad math jokes do I make? A lot,” Larsen said. “I’ve got bad transitions, too, and the kids like those.” “We’re only laughing at you, because you’re thinking that it’s funny,” Coots said. “That’s because they are funny,” she countered, deadpan. Breaking the ice As a student in Hononegah, Larsen was quiet. “I didn’t say much at all,” she said. Turn to A8
Deaths, B6 Mary Beth Etnyre, Duane E. Linscott, Norma J. Nalley, Jacob L. Ramp, Cassie Ross, Evelyn L. Whildin
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