Terri Churchill The Annual Education Issue
CHS 2019 Graduates Choose Money-Saving Education Options for Future
By Anne Scheck
Meet Terri Churchill. Or maybe you already know her? She’s known as the super-mom volunteer of Central High School’s (CHS) graduating class. She (pictured above) and other parents organized fundraisers so effectively this year that a drug-and-alcohol-free party for 2019 CHS seniors – a trip to Bullwinkle’s Fun Center in Wilsonville – cost the graduates nearly nothing.
She’s hoping the same is true of her son’s post-CHS education.
“I’m still paying for my own college debt, so I’m happy he’s thinking about ways to avoid that,” she said. For her son, Kobie, who’s interested in mechanics, an apprenticeship is a likely option, she said. Like many in CHS’s class of 2019, he won’t be pursuing more education in the traditional pack-up-the-suitcases and off-to-the-dorm kind of way that seemed popular in the past.
“In the current state of American politics and economics, a four-year university and dorm life simply isn’t nearly as accessible as it used to be, so it’s natural that this generation of high school graduates wouldn’t gravitate in that direction,” said CHS student Amanda Larios, who seemed to be speaking for many of her classmates.
From seeking trade-skill training to opting for part-time enrollment in college, many of this year’s seniors are finding ways to slash the costs of higher education. This year's graduating class isn’t the first one that’s affected by the threat of college debt, but it seems to be a group that is more reluctant about taking substantial loans for college.
It’s also a group that shows an inclination toward finding the right fit in this economy – trade, apprenticeship and "gap" year options, said Marco Aguirre, college and career coordinator for CHS.
Interviews with several of the CHS’s graduating class – even with some students who consider themselves highly academic – indicate that many are heading to community college rather than a four-year campus. “I just don’t want the debt that comes from going straight to a university,” said one honor-winning senior.
Also, trade school and other vocational training now is viewed as secondary education, explained Van Holstad, who teaches social studies at CHS. These training programs – from drone-building to culinary arts – can be appealing because they don’t carry the same cost as a traditional four- year degree, he noted.
“This allows them (students) to start accumulating savings right away, without having to repay large loans,” he observed.
Twenty years after Oregon high school students climbed to a new peak enrollment at four-year universities, Oregon still puts more dollars into higher education than a majority of other states. However, expenses on these campuses continue to grow faster than the state revenue allocated to them.
Some students at CHS are headed off to four-year schools, including private institutions like Willamette University in Salem and the University of Portland. But the “Oregon Promise,” a tuition subsidy at two-year state colleges, makes Chemeketa Community College a major draw. (The “Oregon Promise” is available to most students who graduate with a 2.5 grade-point).
Since its start nearly five years ago, the “Oregon Promise” has increased enrollment at the state’s community colleges by four and five percentage points, according to a study that evaluated its effects, published this spring by Oded Gurantz PhD, assistant professor at the University of Missouri’s Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs. (See CHS Principal Donna Servignat’s profile in The Bulletin Board.)
And worries over money can go a long way toward derailing even high academic achievers once they unpack those suitcases in a freshman residence hall. In an investigation that followed the entering class of a large public university, those students who didn’t feel pressured by debt – a situation researchers call “feeling financial security” – performed just as well as their SAT scores and high-school grades predicted they would.
But this wasn’t true for the very same academically-oriented, high-level freshmen students who had “significant concerns about meeting their financial obligations in college,” according to the study’s author, Carrie Leana PhD, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.
“Students who were worried about paying for college were less likely to realize their academic potential,” she concluded. "The cost of college is pretty daunting," agreed Paul Evans, Oregon state representative for Independence and an alumnus of CHS. However, that isn't the only reason for the shift away from signing on for four continual years of higher education at a university, he said. The workforce needs are changing -- there is a growing need for trade talent, he said.
At one time, that was solved – at least partially – by joining the military, Rep. Evans explained. However, those technical-training programs have declined while others in the private sector have grown.
To some extent, this new model represents a kind of “apprenticeship programming,” allowing students to get the sort of hands-on education that often allows them to work while learning. "It's a trend we need to pay attention to," he said.
Such high-school graduates are showing "an ability to think innovatively," he observed.
But CHS’s career counselor Mr. Aguirre cautioned that some students need to explore funding alternatives more fully. There are scholarships available, said Mr. Aguirre, who has helped some students locate those resources. For example, he found scholarship money for a student who wanted to get auto-mechanic training – and for whom even the price of that program was a barrier. "You don't have to have all this debt," Mr. Aguirre said.
CHS 2019 Graduates Choose Money-Saving Education Options for Future
By Anne Scheck
Meet Terri Churchill. Or maybe you already know her? She’s known as the super-mom volunteer of Central High School’s (CHS) graduating class. She (pictured above) and other parents organized fundraisers so effectively this year that a drug-and-alcohol-free party for 2019 CHS seniors – a trip to Bullwinkle’s Fun Center in Wilsonville – cost the graduates nearly nothing.
She’s hoping the same is true of her son’s post-CHS education.
“I’m still paying for my own college debt, so I’m happy he’s thinking about ways to avoid that,” she said. For her son, Kobie, who’s interested in mechanics, an apprenticeship is a likely option, she said. Like many in CHS’s class of 2019, he won’t be pursuing more education in the traditional pack-up-the-suitcases and off-to-the-dorm kind of way that seemed popular in the past.
“In the current state of American politics and economics, a four-year university and dorm life simply isn’t nearly as accessible as it used to be, so it’s natural that this generation of high school graduates wouldn’t gravitate in that direction,” said CHS student Amanda Larios, who seemed to be speaking for many of her classmates.
From seeking trade-skill training to opting for part-time enrollment in college, many of this year’s seniors are finding ways to slash the costs of higher education. This year's graduating class isn’t the first one that’s affected by the threat of college debt, but it seems to be a group that is more reluctant about taking substantial loans for college.
It’s also a group that shows an inclination toward finding the right fit in this economy – trade, apprenticeship and "gap" year options, said Marco Aguirre, college and career coordinator for CHS.
Interviews with several of the CHS’s graduating class – even with some students who consider themselves highly academic – indicate that many are heading to community college rather than a four-year campus. “I just don’t want the debt that comes from going straight to a university,” said one honor-winning senior.
Also, trade school and other vocational training now is viewed as secondary education, explained Van Holstad, who teaches social studies at CHS. These training programs – from drone-building to culinary arts – can be appealing because they don’t carry the same cost as a traditional four- year degree, he noted.
“This allows them (students) to start accumulating savings right away, without having to repay large loans,” he observed.
Twenty years after Oregon high school students climbed to a new peak enrollment at four-year universities, Oregon still puts more dollars into higher education than a majority of other states. However, expenses on these campuses continue to grow faster than the state revenue allocated to them.
Some students at CHS are headed off to four-year schools, including private institutions like Willamette University in Salem and the University of Portland. But the “Oregon Promise,” a tuition subsidy at two-year state colleges, makes Chemeketa Community College a major draw. (The “Oregon Promise” is available to most students who graduate with a 2.5 grade-point).
Since its start nearly five years ago, the “Oregon Promise” has increased enrollment at the state’s community colleges by four and five percentage points, according to a study that evaluated its effects, published this spring by Oded Gurantz PhD, assistant professor at the University of Missouri’s Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs. (See CHS Principal Donna Servignat’s profile in The Bulletin Board.)
And worries over money can go a long way toward derailing even high academic achievers once they unpack those suitcases in a freshman residence hall. In an investigation that followed the entering class of a large public university, those students who didn’t feel pressured by debt – a situation researchers call “feeling financial security” – performed just as well as their SAT scores and high-school grades predicted they would.
But this wasn’t true for the very same academically-oriented, high-level freshmen students who had “significant concerns about meeting their financial obligations in college,” according to the study’s author, Carrie Leana PhD, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.
“Students who were worried about paying for college were less likely to realize their academic potential,” she concluded. "The cost of college is pretty daunting," agreed Paul Evans, Oregon state representative for Independence and an alumnus of CHS. However, that isn't the only reason for the shift away from signing on for four continual years of higher education at a university, he said. The workforce needs are changing -- there is a growing need for trade talent, he said.
At one time, that was solved – at least partially – by joining the military, Rep. Evans explained. However, those technical-training programs have declined while others in the private sector have grown.
To some extent, this new model represents a kind of “apprenticeship programming,” allowing students to get the sort of hands-on education that often allows them to work while learning. "It's a trend we need to pay attention to," he said.
Such high-school graduates are showing "an ability to think innovatively," he observed.
But CHS’s career counselor Mr. Aguirre cautioned that some students need to explore funding alternatives more fully. There are scholarships available, said Mr. Aguirre, who has helped some students locate those resources. For example, he found scholarship money for a student who wanted to get auto-mechanic training – and for whom even the price of that program was a barrier. "You don't have to have all this debt," Mr. Aguirre said.
(Pictured: Susie Rout, Connie Dodd-Gilliland, Ambrosia Sutton, Terri Churchill) CHS Moms Say Their Grads Found Ways to Cut Costs
At a parent meeting in preparation for the CHS senior trip, several mothers of graduating high school seniors said their children were cutting the costs of higher education by going a route than wasn’t taken so often by their diploma-earning predecessors a decade ago.
One reported that her offspring will attend Western Oregon University – but live at home, not in a residence hall, to save money; Two of the CHS grads are headed off to two-year community college programs, one with vocational training in mind; Another is taking some time to decide the best course of action, which in the past was referred to as a “gap year” but not now. Today it’s often called a “work year,” a period seen as a way to make a more-informed career decision and earn money for whatever educational path lies ahead.
At a parent meeting in preparation for the CHS senior trip, several mothers of graduating high school seniors said their children were cutting the costs of higher education by going a route than wasn’t taken so often by their diploma-earning predecessors a decade ago.
One reported that her offspring will attend Western Oregon University – but live at home, not in a residence hall, to save money; Two of the CHS grads are headed off to two-year community college programs, one with vocational training in mind; Another is taking some time to decide the best course of action, which in the past was referred to as a “gap year” but not now. Today it’s often called a “work year,” a period seen as a way to make a more-informed career decision and earn money for whatever educational path lies ahead.
The CIVICS LESSON: Student Success Act Passes
Central District’s Superintendent Weighs In On New Law
The Student Success Act, which flew through the legislature this spring and is expected to inject about a billion dollars into Oregon public schools this next year, comes with a few strings attached. School districts must develop a “continuous improvement plan” and show evidence of it, such as frequent meetings with parents and teachers aimed at improving outcomes.
Asked about this provision, Jennifer Kubista EdD, superintendent of Central School District 13J, said administrators are still waiting for more guidance from the Oregon Department of Education on the issue. But she’s been holding public forums for the past several months at schools throughout the district.
“I believe our approach, through the community and staff chats, meets part of the criteria.” she said. “Once the draft strategic plan and continuous improvement plan is developed, we will again have several community meetings for community, families, and staff to review and give additional feedback,” she added.
Central District’s Superintendent Weighs In On New Law
The Student Success Act, which flew through the legislature this spring and is expected to inject about a billion dollars into Oregon public schools this next year, comes with a few strings attached. School districts must develop a “continuous improvement plan” and show evidence of it, such as frequent meetings with parents and teachers aimed at improving outcomes.
Asked about this provision, Jennifer Kubista EdD, superintendent of Central School District 13J, said administrators are still waiting for more guidance from the Oregon Department of Education on the issue. But she’s been holding public forums for the past several months at schools throughout the district.
“I believe our approach, through the community and staff chats, meets part of the criteria.” she said. “Once the draft strategic plan and continuous improvement plan is developed, we will again have several community meetings for community, families, and staff to review and give additional feedback,” she added.
The INDY HOP: The Rumor Mill and Roth’s Grocery
Will Central High School Students Lose A Lunch Venue?
The rumor mill has it that Roth’s grocery store, the lunch haunt of many a Central High school student, may be moving up Monmouth Avenue to the “S Curve.” Executives at the store’s headquarters, in West Salem, declined to comment on this widely speculated relocation. However, clerks at the store say if there is a westward move to the site a few blocks away – which isn’t certain – they’re going to miss some of the CHS regulars who pop in around noontime for cheese sticks and ice cream bars.
The vocal, fast-moving CHS consumers seem reflective of a finding this spring by Piper Jaffray, an investment banking group, which surveyed teens to determine where they put their money. Top spending for male adolescents was on food; Meal and snack-buying came in at number two for their female peers – behind shopping, with shoes leading that list of purchased items. It’s not known what percentage of Roth’s clientele is represented by those food-seeking forays from CHS customers coming across the street. But dining on food items from the grocery aisles now practically is a panther tradition.
Will Central High School Students Lose A Lunch Venue?
The rumor mill has it that Roth’s grocery store, the lunch haunt of many a Central High school student, may be moving up Monmouth Avenue to the “S Curve.” Executives at the store’s headquarters, in West Salem, declined to comment on this widely speculated relocation. However, clerks at the store say if there is a westward move to the site a few blocks away – which isn’t certain – they’re going to miss some of the CHS regulars who pop in around noontime for cheese sticks and ice cream bars.
The vocal, fast-moving CHS consumers seem reflective of a finding this spring by Piper Jaffray, an investment banking group, which surveyed teens to determine where they put their money. Top spending for male adolescents was on food; Meal and snack-buying came in at number two for their female peers – behind shopping, with shoes leading that list of purchased items. It’s not known what percentage of Roth’s clientele is represented by those food-seeking forays from CHS customers coming across the street. But dining on food items from the grocery aisles now practically is a panther tradition.
THE BULLETIN BOARD
Central High School Principal Looks Bock on Her First Year
Many of the students of Central High School’s 2019 graduating class have something fairly significant in common with their principal – community college. Some CHS seniors are seeking the same advantage at a two-year institution that Principal Donna Servignat (photo at left) sought when she started her college education – substantial cost savings.
Eventually, Ms. Servignat went on to a four-year university, then got a master’s degree and taught French before moving into school administration. Then, after serving as one of four vice principals at Hillsboro High School in suburban Portland, she was hired for the top job at CHS.
She stepped into a role preceded by three previous years in which different principals were at the CHS helm. That makes her the fourth principal in as many years. How is she feeling about her first year on the job? Just fine, she said. But that’s not the way others say they perceive her. An unofficial poll of teachers and students buttonholed in the main CHS hallway this spring for their opinion say she’s not doing fine, she’s
doing great.
As she reflects over the past year, Ms. Servignat called it one of learning -- about the students, the teachers, the families, the place. It was a time of “building relationships,” she said. But it came during a period of some tumult, of such acute budget tightening that regular school was called off for a walk-out that convened at the state capitol as teachers and others protested for more state educational funding.
In an educational era when collective-bargaining clashes are common and high schools face challenges ranging from student mental health crises to pressure for pumping up scores on statewide testing, “I think it's important to believe in ‘positive intent,’” Ms. Servignat said.
No matter what the point of contention is, “advocacy is coming from a place of passion,” she stressed. The perspective of “positive intent” helps keep her from taking anything too personally, she added.
Known as a good listener, Ms. Servignat said it takes more than hearing what’s said to reach conclusions about festering issues. Nor is it simply the ability to come up with a compromise. “It’s not just asking ‘How can I give a little?’ to make something work out,” she said.
She doesn’t think she achieved this personal style on her own. She got a big part of it growing up as the daughter of a teacher, in San Diego. She often assisted in her mother’s classroom after school, sometimes by helping students with their homework. “It was an early connection to the people-oriented aspect” of the profession, she recalled. This early mentoring led her to become a tutor, which helped her earn money in college.
She also gained confidence and poise through performing arts, which also are a big part of life for some students at CHS. As a teenager and college student, she acted in plays and musicals. But it wasn’t just the time on stage that provided personal growth – she learned organizational skills backstage, too. Putting on a theatrical production required attention to detail and meeting deadlines, which helped her prepare for a career in fast-changing education.
Making swift transitions are a current part of her personal life, too. She’s the mother of two adolescents, and she commutes from the Portland area to CHS. “Seeing (my own) kids go through these changes has been very helpful,” she said. And, as for the drive down the I-5: “I love coming to work every day,” she said. “I really do.”
In fact, the high variability is her favorite part of the job, she said. And she especially loves the flexibility of life at CHS. At Hillsboro, “we had to align with three other high schools,” she said. “Here it’s easier to shift, to change and to adjust,” she said.
Central High School Principal Looks Bock on Her First Year
Many of the students of Central High School’s 2019 graduating class have something fairly significant in common with their principal – community college. Some CHS seniors are seeking the same advantage at a two-year institution that Principal Donna Servignat (photo at left) sought when she started her college education – substantial cost savings.
Eventually, Ms. Servignat went on to a four-year university, then got a master’s degree and taught French before moving into school administration. Then, after serving as one of four vice principals at Hillsboro High School in suburban Portland, she was hired for the top job at CHS.
She stepped into a role preceded by three previous years in which different principals were at the CHS helm. That makes her the fourth principal in as many years. How is she feeling about her first year on the job? Just fine, she said. But that’s not the way others say they perceive her. An unofficial poll of teachers and students buttonholed in the main CHS hallway this spring for their opinion say she’s not doing fine, she’s
doing great.
As she reflects over the past year, Ms. Servignat called it one of learning -- about the students, the teachers, the families, the place. It was a time of “building relationships,” she said. But it came during a period of some tumult, of such acute budget tightening that regular school was called off for a walk-out that convened at the state capitol as teachers and others protested for more state educational funding.
In an educational era when collective-bargaining clashes are common and high schools face challenges ranging from student mental health crises to pressure for pumping up scores on statewide testing, “I think it's important to believe in ‘positive intent,’” Ms. Servignat said.
No matter what the point of contention is, “advocacy is coming from a place of passion,” she stressed. The perspective of “positive intent” helps keep her from taking anything too personally, she added.
Known as a good listener, Ms. Servignat said it takes more than hearing what’s said to reach conclusions about festering issues. Nor is it simply the ability to come up with a compromise. “It’s not just asking ‘How can I give a little?’ to make something work out,” she said.
She doesn’t think she achieved this personal style on her own. She got a big part of it growing up as the daughter of a teacher, in San Diego. She often assisted in her mother’s classroom after school, sometimes by helping students with their homework. “It was an early connection to the people-oriented aspect” of the profession, she recalled. This early mentoring led her to become a tutor, which helped her earn money in college.
She also gained confidence and poise through performing arts, which also are a big part of life for some students at CHS. As a teenager and college student, she acted in plays and musicals. But it wasn’t just the time on stage that provided personal growth – she learned organizational skills backstage, too. Putting on a theatrical production required attention to detail and meeting deadlines, which helped her prepare for a career in fast-changing education.
Making swift transitions are a current part of her personal life, too. She’s the mother of two adolescents, and she commutes from the Portland area to CHS. “Seeing (my own) kids go through these changes has been very helpful,” she said. And, as for the drive down the I-5: “I love coming to work every day,” she said. “I really do.”
In fact, the high variability is her favorite part of the job, she said. And she especially loves the flexibility of life at CHS. At Hillsboro, “we had to align with three other high schools,” she said. “Here it’s easier to shift, to change and to adjust,” she said.
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