Sweet Home
Board president 'rides off into sunset'
by DAVID F. SHERMAN Managing Editor

Morrow

Sweet Home School Board President Michael Morrow capped his 10 years of service to the district by placing a cowboy hat on his head, thus fulfilling part of his lifelong dream.

"I always wanted to be a cowboy, and this is my form of graduation," he said. "So just like in my own western movie, I will put on my hat and ride off into the sunset."

He did not seek re-election this year.

Morrow's final meeting as a member of the board, held June 19 at the Vergils Community Center, was number 218 of his tenure. He said he missed only four meetings since being first elected to the board in 1997.

He also stated with confidence that during this time, he drank 2,017 cups of coffee while on School Board business.

"I'm a baseball fan and my daughter is a statistics major, so I just like to keep track of things," he confessed after the meeting.

"I started out wanting to record my activities as a board member, and it took off from there. It was pretty easy to do. My family schedule permitted me to attend many things in addition to the meetings, so it was interesting to follow."

Morrow's formal interest in education started when he attended his first PTA meeting in 1980.

"I was scared stiff. I didn't know what to do," said the man who always wore cowboy boots with his dress attire for School Board meetings.

"I always had a positive experience with the PTA and the board. Sweet Home has a great administration, and we have a great school district. I hope I will be remembered as a team player."

The meeting was also the end of the road for Board of Education student member Kelly Roberts, a graduating senior. Superintendent Geoff Hicks praised her contributions to the board and interest in the decision-making process.

"It was an awesome opportunity, and I would do it again in a heartbeat," Roberts said.

Also at the June 19 meeting, the board heard a presentation regarding a new grade seven science textbook. A faculty committee

recommended the district purchase the book published by Holt Science and Technology as opposed to one from Prentice Hall.

Don Stephans, a middle school teacher, said one factor helped guide his decision more than any other.

"Both books were copyrighted in 2007, but the Prentice Hall book says that Pluto is still a planet," he said, drawing laughter from board members.

The Prentice Hall books are also slightly more expensive and do not allow labs and tests provided on discs to be manipulated or altered.

The Holt discs are more adaptable and are available in multiple languages.

Improvements to the transition program offered to students moving up to middle school and high school were outlined to the board by middle school Principal Gregory Smorol and high school Principal Joleen Reinholz.

"One of our goals is to provide parents the opportunity to stay involved," said Smorol.

The annual walking tour of the middle school, designed for incoming sixth-grade students, had to be canceled last year because of construction. That won't be a factor in 2007.

The tour, plus parent meetings and informal visits, are designed to develop important teacher-student relationships, he said.

"That 'I know you' factor comes into play because a student may have seen a certain teacher during the summer," he said.

Reinholz said the process is even more important for students entering grade nine.

"I talk about our expectations from the very first day," she said. "Academically, socially and emotionally."

A Freshman Fun Fest will be launched this year, to be held in August. Activity stations and trust-building activities are planned, in addition to presentations from clubs and sports teams.

e-mail: dsherman@beenews.com