Teachers get more respect in China, says exchange teacher
Bill Myers
staff reporter
Zhang “Wendy” Wei, an exchange school teacher from China, says education gets more respect in China than in America.
In her late 20s, the exchange teacher is an observer and teacher of Chinese culture at schools in the Battle Ground School District. She was one of 25 teachers selected to participate in a 2006-07 American Field Service International Exchange Program.
Zhang hails from Yulin in the Shaanxi Province in central China where she teaches English as a second language to middle school students. She and her husband, a policeman, have a 3-year-old son.
During a 10-month visit to the U.S., Zhang is staying in Brush Prairie with hosts, Gary and Michelle Sloan.
Zhang said that an average of 50 students attend classes where she teaches in China. She said students in China don’t move from class to class. Teachers who specialize in and teach only one subject to two or three classes each day do the moving. This process, and a tendency for Chinese children to be very well-behaved, makes it possible to teach larger classes, she said.
Fewer than 20 percent of students in her average class in China live in single-parent households, said Zhang. In America, teachers frequently have classes with half of the students living in single-parent households. Divorces are not as common in China, she said.
In China, teachers have more time to grade papers, prepare lesson plans and keep in close touch with parents, said Zhang.
Children in China normally start kindergarten at ages 3 or 4, said the exchange teacher. Pre-schooling is common for younger children.
Primary students are taught good behavior in addition to basic education courses such as Chinese language, mathematics, science, politics (similar to social studies in the U.S.), art and music, Zhang said.
Students in China don’t disrupt classes with bad behavior, said Zhang. Instead, they sit quietly, and raise hands to ask questions. When called upon to ask a question, a student will stand. The student sits again only with a teacher’s permission.
Teachers in China stay in close contact with parents, often enough to learn telephone numbers, said Zhang. She said that Chinese parents want their children to do well in school and attend universities. She said teachers will call parents even when students appear to be distracted or are inattentive.
Zhang said a typical school day in China starts with a solemn flag-raising ceremony that honors fallen soldiers and other national heroes. The ceremony is followed by jogs with teachers around playground areas.
Classes of 45 minutes have 10-minute rest breaks between them. After second period, teachers lead students through eye exercises designed to strengthen eye muscles and reduce incidents of near-sightedness.
Zhang said students where she teaches in China are allowed to go home for two-hour lunch breaks. Classes resume in the afternoon, with students completing seven classes by the end of each day.
Teachers lead organized calisthenics after the sixth class period. During the seventh period of each day, students are allowed to work on homework with a teacher present who can answer questions.
Chinese students strive for good test scores because only students with excellent scores earn coveted placements at state universities, said Zhang. China is a very populated country, with only limited state university openings, she said. Students who fail to gain admission are left with the option of attending very expensive private colleges, she added.
September 10 is Teachers Day every year in China, said Zhang. During this day, teachers receive greeting cards from students and calls from parents expressing appreciation. “September 10 is the day when China celebrates their teachers each year,” she said.
Zhang, who will be in the Battle Ground School District for five more months, said American teachers work much harder than teachers in China. When asked if she likes America, she replied, “I like this country very much.” When asked which system of education she prefers, she paused and bowed her head slightly. “The Chinese system is better,” she said.

BG schools on schedule
Brandy Slagle
Staff reporter
Kevin Jolma can shuffle through a conversation about the construction projects he oversees as neatly as a deck of cards. A Battle Ground High School graduate and now operations director for Battle Ground Schools, Jolma quickly pulls up facts and figures of progress being made at building sites throughout the district.
Jolma is balancing four major construction projects along with several smaller projects at other schools. Maps and design sketches plaster his walls.
The projects all come as a result of the March 2005 construction bond, which Jolma said was approved for about $115 million. The local bond of $62.9 million was matched with a $36.7 million contribution from the state.
The district has spent about $31 million of the bond overall as of February 2007. The following bond projects are in various stages of construction.
Reinventing core Battle Ground campuses
Lewisville Middle, Captain Strong Elementary and Chief Umtuch Primary schools all share one school campus.
This summer, Chief Umtuch, which was built in 1972, will be dismantled.
The K-2 students who attend the school will either be absorbed by the new Daybreak Primary and Middle schools, which are scheduled to open in the fall, or go to Captain Strong next school year.
Captain Strong was built in 1989 to house grades 3-5. Classrooms have been added to the school to make room for incoming K-2 students from Chief Umtuch. Fifth grade students at Captain Strong will attend Lewisville Middle School or Daybreak next school year.
A new Lewisville will be built on the old Chief Umtuch site during the school year. As the 2008-09 school year begins, Lewisville students will be transferred to the new building if they do not live within Daybreak or the boundaries of another pair of new schools. Construction on these new K-8 schools has yet to begin.
Lewisville was constructed in 1965 and houses grades 6-8. It will be dismantled after the 2008-09 school year.
Battle Ground School Officials are still discussing what the original Lewisville campus will be used for once students are transferred out of the building.
Progress inside the building
Final coats of paint are being spread on 10 new classrooms at Captain Strong. Each classroom will have a teaching wall, said Jolma, which will be designated in either light green, blue or gold paint. Projectors are being installed that drop from the ceiling so classrooms will not require television sets. An advanced sound system has been installed to ensure teachers don’t have to shout to be heard or crank-up the volume during video presentations.
The new gym needs minor additions and the new cafeteria and commons are being installed.
Jolma said the project is nearly complete and totals about $5.23 million. He credits Union Corner Construction for being cooperative with the district.
“It’s challenging to build out a school when that school is still in session,” he said, “It is a huge concern for us to make sure the students stay safe and there are very few interruptions to the learning process.”
A sign posted on the construction site also reminds workers to watch their language while school is in session.
A committee will look at possibly renaming Captain Strong next year, said Kelly O’Brien, public information officer for the district.
Jolma said creating a new Lewisville campus at Chief Umtuch will be more cost effective than repairing the current building.
“Once it is done, it will be state of the art and last anywhere from 30 to 50 years,” he said.
Creating a replacement school will be a $20.2 million project. It includes 28 new classrooms, a media center and gym. It is the last major project scheduled for the district from the 2005 bond.
Finishing Daybreak Primary and Middle schools
Construction is pushing ahead to complete what will be Daybreak Middle and Primary schools on the southwest corner of NE 112th Ave. and NE 239th St.
Primer is being painted on interior walls. Jolma said the school was named in time for designers to incorporate the name of the campus into the building.
“We are going to be able to place sunbursts in the entrance of the school along the floor,” he said.
Construction fell behind during cold and rain snaps, said Jolma, but crews were able to bring the project back up to schedule in the last month.
“It will be down to the wire,” he said. “But for the most part we are on budget and on schedule.”
Jolma said Daybreak should be completed in August, with final touches being made up until classes begin on Sept. 4.
Both O’Brien and Jolma said using as many local crews as possible has made an enormous difference on the environment of the construction site.
“People will tell you they are building this school for their kids,” said O’Brien.
Condensing Amboy Middle School
The Amboy Middle School campus is being condensed. A field separates classrooms from the rest of the campus, including the administration building. Construction crews are adding classes to the existing classroom building and moving administrative office to the same building as well.
With some of the buildings having been constructed in the 1940s, Jolma said, Amboy Middle School is the oldest building in the Battle Ground School District.
“It’s very spread out which has been problematic for the administration and brings up security issues,” said Jolma.
The current administration area will be transformed into a community building.
Jolma said architects used the existing gym and classes. Construction crews are adding on nine classrooms, commons, administration offices and a media center. About 575 students attend the campus.
The project will cost $14.6 million.
“The foundation work is almost done,” said Jolma. “We are not out of the ground yet, but we are very close.”
Jolma said the first slab of cement was scheduled to be poured by the middle of March. He said he anticipates it will happen within the month.
“Once we get out of the ground on this project, things should happen pretty fast,” he said.
Amboy Middle School is scheduled to be completed in nine months, around Christmas break.
Initial plans have been sketched for sports fields on the 51 acres of land across SR-503 from Amboy Middle School on 22115 NE Chelatchie Road. School officials said the land is intended to be used as a future high school campus.
Jolma said a new high school in Amboy would eliminate long bus rides for students and allow them to remain within their individual community.
A $19.5 million bond item which would have been used to construct the high school failed to pass by about 3 percent in the 2005 election, said O’Brien.
Second K-8 campus
Boundaries are being set for a second K-8 campus which has not yet been named. A committee will be formed to name the school once boundary lines are drawn. The campus is located on 59 acres south of NE 209th St. between NE 167th and NE 176th avenues.
O’Brien said school officials would like to see the campus named by the end of the year.
Jolma said the project will go out to bid in April. It should cost about $30.8 million and will be “virtually identical to Daybreak, expect that it will be mirrored,” he said.
Completing other projects
At Lauren Middle School, an 8,000 square foot cafeteria and 87 new parking places will be constructed for $600,000.
At Battle Ground High School, $900,000 will be used to convert the cafeteria into a multipurpose room with a stage. The goal, said Jolma is to have both permanent and retractable seats. The retractable seats can be used for stage performances.
About $900,000 will also be spent on the Prairie High School auditorium.
Other projects, such as the replacement of a track and roofing repairs, were completed at Prairie High School. Also, Pleasant Valley Middle and Primary schools, as well as Glenwood Primary, have all had heating, ventilating and air conditioning work performed.
Overall, Jolma said, the number of change orders that have been placed are either as many as crews anticipated or less.
Jolma said Todd Construction, LSW Architects and Heery International construction managers have all been invaluable as well as the assistance of John Morris, who is Battle Ground Schools capital projects manager. Jolma said Morris deals with “the nuts and bolts of the job.”

Federal court clears City of Ridgefield
Bill Myers
staff reporter
A ruling by a judge at U.S. District Court in Tacoma granted a motion March 19 for summary judgment that lifted the City of Ridgefield, its police department, and former chief of police Bruce Hall from the path of a civil rights lawsuit brought by former police officer Carl Mealing.
One defendant, former city manager George Fox, remains in the lawsuit. Mealing contends that Fox ordered his termination and then informed a girl friend that he had fired Mealing because he is black. Fox contends he never said that.
In a 6-page ruling, judge Franklin Burgess said that to hold a local government liable for discrimination, a plaintiff must show that civil rights were violated by official policy or long-standing custom. “Cases make it clear that the unconstitutional discretionary actions of municipal employees generally are not chargeable to the municipality...,” he said. Burgess ruled that Mealing failed to demonstrate in his lawsuit that an official with “final policy-making authority” terminated him as an act of official government policy.
The judge also ruled that Mealing failed to give 60 days notice of his claims before filing a lawsuit. Mealing, after he was terminated as a probationary employee by Hall on Sept. 28, 2005, appealed the termination to the Civil Service Commission on Oct. 7, 2005. Mealing’s claim that he was illegally terminated based on racial discrimination came between Oct. 11 and Nov. 8, said the judge. Mealing filed a lawsuit against the city on Dec. 1.
The City’s attorneys had argued that its Civil Service Commission did not ratify actions to terminate Mealing by former city manager George Fox or Hall. Instead, the Commission placed Mealing on paid leave. They then offered reinstatement, which was refused. Lawyers for the City contended that Mealing withdrew his race discrimination claim once the Commission agreed to investigate, and withdrew other claims related to his termination before the City could take any action.
The judge issued a separate ruling to remove Hall as a defendant in the lawsuit. He ruled that Mealing failed to show that Hall had acted with an intent or purpose to discriminate against him. The judge concluded his ruling by saying that the evidence demonstrates that Hall did not willingly engage in acts to aid or abet (alleged) discriminatory conduct by Fox.
Reactions
Interim city manager Justin Clary said he is pleased with the judge’s decision.
City attorney Chris Sundstrom said Seattle attorneys for the Association of Washington Cities, the City’s insurance carrier when the Mealing episode occurred, did a fine job. “I didn’t have anything to do with it,” he said.
In fact, Sundstrom played a key role. He advised the Civil Service Commission to take actions in 2005 that were seen by a federal court in 2007 as important.

Fans support Ducks to end
The success of the University of Oregon men’s basketball team in the national playoff tournament inspired area fans to don their yellow and green garb and support the team.
The Ducks lost March 25, ending their run at the Final Four and a possible national title.
Some fans are graduates of the Eugene, OR school, while others support northwest teams even if they are in neighboring Oregon.
Curtis Crebar of Ridgefield graduated from the University of Oregon in 1979, having competed in track and field at the Eugene, OR school. He continues to support the Ducks and attends some games.
Crebar, an employee of United Airlines, serves as a wrestling referee and heads the Wrestling Association of Southwest Washington. He also coaches track and field at Prairie High School.
Crebar wears University of Oregon colors, hat and sweat shirt. “I let everybody know I am a big Ducks fan,” said Crebar, who has the familiar “O” symbol, which stands for the University of Oregon, clearly visible in his truck window.
“I was really pleased with how well they did (in the national tournament),” said Crebar of the Oregon basketball team.
Crebar said the Ducks did will because of their speed, depth and balanced shooting. Crebar said the team ran into trouble against a taller Florida team. “They had to hit all their shots,” said Crebar, “not just one guy.”
Don Coates of Brush Prairie, and his wife, Deborah, both graduated from the University/, Don in 1975 and Deborah in 1972. While Don did not compete in organized college athletics, he played on Mac Court in Eugene while a student at the school.
“I’m really pleased and proud of how they did,” said Coates of the team. “I feel real good about the season, the PAC 10 tournament and the national tournament.”
Coates expressed dismay about foul calls in the Forida game. The Ducks were whistled for 30 fouls and the Gators just 14. “That seems a little odd,” he said.
Coates holds season tickets to Duck basketball games and travels twice a week to Eugene. He was not able to get tickets to the first round of the national tournament played in Spokane. He said he plans to continue as a season ticket fan.
Coates has Duck clothing. “I keep my shoes on so no one can see my web feet,” he said.
Coates coached basketball in Alaska when the family lived there.
Coates said he expected the contest against the University of Nevada to be a good game. “They are similar teams, no big bruisers,” said Coates. “Both are fast.” Defense was the key, he said.
Coates hosted a party at his home March 23 for fellow Duck fans during the Nevada game.
Randy Rust of Battle Ground grew up in Harrisburg, OR, near Eugene, which gave him a connection with the University of Oregon. He played football and basketball in high school. He attended college in Portland, however, and is now a graduate student at Washington State University.
Rust holds season tickets to Duck football games, but does not regularly attend basketball games. He has all the Duck gear--hats, shirts, boxes, coat and stocking cap.
“The Running Rebels will try to run with the Ducks,” predicted Rust before that game. “And that will be there undoing.” Rust expressed confidence in the outside shooting of the Ducks’ basketball team.
Nick Nussbaumer, owner of Value Giant in Battle Ground, said he acquired inflatable Duck and Beaver mascots with merchandise purchases. He did not attend the University of Oregon but is a fan of the school and its sports programs.
Nussbaumer placed an 8-foot inflatable Duck mascot at the nearby Battle Grounds Coffee House primarily to rile Scott Harris, husband of owner Diane Harris, who is a sports fan but roots more for in-state teams.
Nussbaumer said his “Beaver” (Oregon State University) mascot is presently deflated and in storage.
Jan Smith, an employee of Value Giant in Battle Ground and a resident of Vancouver, has two nephews who graduated from the University of Oregon. Her brother has supported the Oregon State University sports program, “but is being converted,” she said. Smith watches the Ducks on television.

Spaghetti dinner, dancing to benefit mobile meals
A program that delivers meals to elderly people who are home bound will get a boost from a benefit set for March 24.
The Woodland Grange will sponsor a “night of music and dancing” that begins with a spaghetti dinner and ends with dancing to the music of the band “Uncorked.”
The dinner-dance will take place Sat., March 24, Woodland Grange Hall, 404 Davidson Ave. Dinner will be served from 5-7 p.m. and dancing is scheduled for 7-11 p.m. Cost is $6 for adults and $4 for children 6-12. Children 5 and younger may eat at no cost.
Organizer John J. Burke said proceeds from the dinner will go to the Woodland Meals on Wheels program.
Meals on Wheels is one of two senior meals programs in Woodland administered by the Lower Columbia Community Action Program (CAP) of Longview. One frozen meal for each day of the week is delivered by volunteers each Friday to people older than 60 who have difficulty preparing meals and are unable to go out for meals, said T.R. Davies, an administrator for the program. CAP hopes to increase the number of meals for the homebound elderly to two a day.
CAP also sponsors a lunch for seniors each Friday at St. Philip’s Catholic Church in Woodland. She said about 40 or 45 people attend the lunch.
“We have no income guidelines for Meals on Wheels,” Davies said. “That’s one barrier to getting people to sign up. People think it’s income-based.”
Only about six people in Woodland now receive the meals, but Davies said, “I’m sure many more need them.”
The program is funded through donations, and Davies said seniors who receive meals often donate, with the average donation about $1.41 per client. The maximum donation is $3 per meal.
Davies said the CAP kitchen in Longview prepares meals for people who follow diets for diabetes and those who have other dietary restrictions, such as low sodium.
To sign up for the Meals on Wheels program call Senior Information and Assistance, 360-577-4929.
Loaves and Fishes, the agency that provides meals for Clark County seniors, delivers meals to two Woodland residents.

Renovation of 1910 building stops
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Renovation of the 1910 building at 147 Davidson Avenue in Woodland has come to a halt and the building has been boarded up.
Real estate broker Art Lessard, who has been working with building owner Frank Ellis, said issues surrounding a requirement for sprinklers led to the decision to stop all work.
Tom Golik, president of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, brought the issue to the attention of Woodland City Council March 19, and said that the building’s owner had been told that a water line ran down an alley to the south of the historic building.
Lessard agreed that city employees had told the owner that a water line was laid in the alley, and he said, only recently did he learn that was not the case.
The line adequate to accommodate a sprinkler system runs on the north side of Davidson Avenue, across the street from the building and other historic buildings planned for renovation.
City building inspector Bob Jones said that in order to access the water line, the owner must tunnel under the street or dig up the street that was laid three or four years ago.
Ellis is not willing to dig under the street, Lessard said. All work has stopped and orders for materials cancelled, he said.
“When we first went to the city and asked about cooperation, they were elated,” Lessard said. “The city said that there was a water line in the back of the building.”
“We were told that with a certain construction on the roof, we wouldn’t need sprinklers,” he said.
The city requires that all commercial or industrial buildings larger than 5,000 square feet contain automatic water sprinklers. Jones said that the building permits for structures larger than 5,000 square feet contain a stamp in red ink stating that a sprinkler system is required.
The future of the two-story building is in doubt.
“I don’t know what will happen,” Lessard said. “Everything has stopped.”
Renovation began last fall, and Lessard said that about $10,000 worth of exterior decorative material has been purchased, and construction on the interior had been progressing smoothly.
One possibility is that Ellis will sell the building.
“I just don’t know what will happen,” Lessard said.
Jones said that city employees have been discussing the issue. One possibility would be to run a line from a main at Second Street and lay it in the alley.
“This might be something the city could participate in,” Jones said.
The city council did not commit to any participation when Golik discussed the issue.
During the restoration last fall, the building was gutted and the walls reinforced with steel.
“We took out 75 tons of material,” Ellis said at the time.
In the past, the building housed a butcher shop, a store and offices.
Two additional buildings, at 229 Davidson Avenue and the historic Woodland State Bank building at Third and Davidson, are being considered for renovation.