By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The stack of cutout hearts were covered in reassuring messages: “You are precious,” “We believe in you,” and “We love you” amongst others. Given that Valentine’s Day was just around the corner, it would have been easy to assume that the hearts were meant for romantic interests, but [...]

  By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes There are some things teachers can learn, like planning backward. Planning backward means taking the point of a lesson and then finding ways to work up to it in ways that engage and ignite students’ parts in the learning process. In Jim Taylor’s McNary High School jazz [...]

By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The instructors and students of McNary High School Fine Arts Department are hoping Keizerites find time and some extra cash and bring both along to the fourth annual Knight of Song dinner and auction March 9. “We want the folks to see what McNary is doing now. We’re [...]

By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes One day almost 20 years ago, Linda Gerig was working with a group of new fifth grade students in the library at Kennedy Elementary School and the students began chatting about the many things they had in the U.S. and how they compared to what they had in [...]

McNary leadership class has money to give away

By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes When it comes to organized sports at McNary High School, there are only so many spots to go around, which means that a number of students who would like to participate find themselves filling the time in less-than-advantageous ways. McNary teachers Marlo Cleary and Dawn Reichle Bailon often [...]

By HERB SWETT For the Keizertimes English-language learners (ELL) were the subject of several speakers from the audience at the Jan. 23 Salem-Keizer School Board meeting. All the speakers, who included Keizer residents Hugo Nicholas and Vickie Falcon-Vazquez, complained that little progress had been made in the last several years in ELL achievement. Annalivia Palazzo-Angulo, [...]

By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes McNary High School is looking for a few good volunteers to help guide current students to the next level of their education careers. “Volunteer advisors would be responsible for meeting with those kids a couple of times a year, finding out what their plans are and formulating a [...]

By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes By almost any measure, McNary High School’s Air Force Junior Reserves Officers’ Training Corps (AFJROTC) has been a resounding success. In just its first semester as part of the school’s offerings, the program has attracted more than 100 students and proven it can stand among the region’s best. [...]

  By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Before arriving on American shores as a Rotary Club exchange student, Pepita Schmidt-Rave had studied English for the better part of seven years in Landau, Germany. It still didn’t quite prepare her. “The first day I was here everything was really confusing, I had everyone asking me [...]