Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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Conservationists in Oregon are looking beyond their own species and to the state's iconic beaver to learn how to be more resilient to wildfires. By slowing down and spreading out waterways, research shows beaver dams significantly reduce wildfire burn severity. Maureen Thompson, director of conservation for the nonprofit Think Wild, said when it comes to wildfire prevention, beaver ponds are a big help. "That means we have late-season water for wildlife and for fire breaks. Firefighters in the...
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After a summer of planning, projects, and preparation, our students returned to McKenzie River Community School this week. There is nothing quite like the first morning of a new school year: buses arriving, students reconnecting with friends, teachers welcoming students, and hallways that have been quiet all summer suddenly coming back to life. Throughout the summer, I shared some of the work that happens behind the scenes while students are away. We talked about enrollment, facilities, summer meals, attendance, registration, athletics, and...
Oregon's unfinished fire season is the most destructive ever, burning more than 2.5 million acres and choking off clean air across the state. At the same time, Oregonians may misunderstand some aspects of the wildfire crisis, which could leave communities unprepared as fire seasons grow longer and more intense year after year. The Oregon Journalism Project analyzed recent data updated Aug. 24 by the National Interagency Fire Center to dispel some misconceptions. Most of the destruction takes pla...
I recently spoke with local DarkSky advocate Sha Spady about why a natural night sky matters: The conversation focused on “dark skies,” what that actually means? Sha Spady: Many of us remember the dark skies of our youth, laying on our backs in the grass, staring up at the Milky Way or Big Dipper, wondering if spaceships were going to land or if wild animals were going to come creeping out of the darkness and get us. Now, an estimated 80% of Americans live in areas where artificial lighting has become so pervasive and invasive the Milky Way is...
As Oregonians come to the aid of neighbors who have been forced to evacuate their homes due to wildfires, experts are reminding people to beware of disaster-related scams. In one survey from 2024, the Census Bureau found over three-quarters of disaster survivors experienced a possible scam within a month of the event. Paul Griffo, fraud prevention campaign volunteer lead for AARP Oregon, said the most important thing to avoid scams is to do some research before giving away money or personal...
After a summer of planning, projects, registration, and preparation, we have reached one of my favorite weeks of the year, in-service week. Our staff is back together, classrooms are coming to life, and in just a few days our students will return to begin the 2026–2027 school year. Throughout our Summer at McKenzie series, I have tried to provide a glimpse behind the scenes at the work that happens while students are away. In-service week is when many of those individual pieces finally come together. This week isn’t simply about getting cla...
If you have stopped by McKenzie during the summer, you know our campus never really shuts down. Still, there is a noticeable shift that happens around the middle of August. After weeks of projects, cleaning, planning and preparation, the buildings and grounds begin to come back to life. The quiet of summer starts to fade, and it begins to feel like the start of a new school year. We have reached that point. Thank you to all of the families who participated in student registration this past week. Registration is an important milestone in our...
Leaburg Library is pleased to introduce Patricia Culwell as our featured artist for the month of August. Her medium is acrylics, and her paintings will be on display through August 31st. Here's a bit about Patricia – in her own words: "Patricia's professional name is ELL. She spent her childhood drawing, where art became a quiet way to navigate distraction. In college, she became fascinated with rendering the human form, and after graduating she pursued illustration. In stolen moments with h...
The countdown continues! With August underway, the first day of the 2026–2027 school year is beginning to feel much closer. This week marks an important milestone in our preparations as we welcome families back for student registration on Tuesday, August 11, and Wednesday, August 12. Registration may seem like one more item on the back-to-school checklist, but for our staff, it is an important part of preparing to welcome students on August 31. Knowing which students will be joining us allows us to finalize class rosters, transportation routes,...
New data shows that over 7,000 more students in grades K–12 regularly attended classes in Oregon this past school year, an Oregon Journalism Project analysis shows. That bumps up the state's regular attendance rate by 1.3 percentage points to 64.5%, according to the data, which shows attendance figures at each school in Oregon through May 1. Oregon schools lag far behind the national average for regular attendance, which was 78% for the 2024–25 school year. In Oregon, more than 1 in 3 stu...
More than 2 million acres have burned in Oregon so far this year and with the increased risk of wildfire damage to homes and businesses, experts said now is the time for people to make sure their wildfire insurance is set up to work for them. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has issued an emergency order stopping insurers from canceling policies in the next 30 days and giving anyone in wildfire evacuation zones more time to file claims. Michelle Luedtke, communications and engagement director for the...
Believe it or not, the countdown to a new school year has officially begun. While summer is still in full swing, we’re now just a few weeks away from welcoming students back to McKenzie River Community School. For many families, August marks the transition from vacation mode back to school routines. For our staff, that transition has already begun. Preparing for the first day of school is a little like preparing to host a large family gathering. There are hundreds of details that must come together before the first guest arrives. Every classroo...
A new training program is helping to prepare police, paramedics and other first responders to better support older adults in rural Oregon during disasters like wildfires or extreme weather events. Research shows older adults are disproportionately affected by disasters, especially outside city centers. Julia Brown, community outreach and engagement manager for the nonprofit AGE+, which helped organize the free training sessions, said most emergency response systems rely on individuals to do thin...
For most Americans, seeing the Milky Way has become a rare experience rather than an everyday part of life. That was one of the key messages shared by dark sky advocate Sha Spady during a recent discussion about light pollution and its growing impact on both human health and the natural environment. According to Spady, an estimated 80 percent of Americans now live in areas where artificial lighting has become so pervasive that the Milky Way is no longer visible. Once common across the country,...
Oregonians in 13 counties are currently living under air quality advisories due to dozens of wildfires. While it is unclear how long the smoke will last, experts said there are simple things people can do to protect themselves and their families from smoke in their homes, and the strategies can also save energy and money. Smoke can easily slip into homes, so sealing up any cracks around windows, doors and vents to keep smoke out is a good place to start. Jami Seymore, spokesperson for the nonpro...
As the federal government pushes for more logging and grazing on Oregon's lands, state climate commissioners are calling for more ambitious goals to protect the state's land and water so they can capture carbon dioxide. The 13 voting members of the governor-appointed Oregon Climate Action Commission last week called to double goals they set just five years ago for capturing and storing additional carbon dioxide each year in the state's forest, grass, crop and wetlands. The targets are...
With several weeks remaining before the first day of school, it might seem a little early to talk about attendance. In reality, summer is the perfect time to begin building the routines and habits that help students have a successful school year. One of the strongest predictors of student success isn’t a particular curriculum, technology, or program. It’s simply being at school consistently. Students who attend school regularly are more likely to build strong relationships with teachers and classmates, stay on pace academically, par...
When most people think about summer break, they picture classrooms sitting empty and students enjoying a well earned vacation. While the pace of the school year certainly changes, one important part of our mission continues throughout the summer, making sure children have access to nutritious meals. For many students, school is more than a place to learn. It is also a place where they receive healthy, consistent meals each day. We know that hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation, and neither does our commitment to supporting children and f...
A new community-driven cleanup program is giving McKenzie River boaters an easy way to help protect one of Oregon's most treasured waterways. Modeled after a highly successful effort on rivers in Montana, the program places litter collection bags at boat landings throughout the McKenzie River corridor, encouraging anglers, rafters and other river users to pick up trash during their time on the water. Shelly Pruitt, who has coordinated the project over the past several weeks, said the response...
Leaburg Library proudly welcomes Jim Dinn, photographer, to the library's "Artists In Residence" program. His beautiful and innovative photography will be on display through July 31st. Jim has traveled the world with his wife Diana and his cameras, and has brought some of his captivating images to share with all of us. Here's a little bit more about Jim in his own words: Jim developed a love for photography in his teens, starting with a Kodak Instamatic. In high school he was introduced to...
For students, the first day of school begins when they walk through the front doors on August 31. New school supplies are unpacked, friends reconnect after the summer, and classrooms fill with the excitement of a new year. For those of us who work in schools, however, the first day of school actually begins months earlier. One of the things I enjoy most about summer is seeing the incredible amount of preparation that happens behind the scenes. While our buildings may be quieter without students, they are anything but inactive. Every department...
What would help Americans 250 years from now understand the Oregon of 2026? For the eight members of Oregon's congressional delegation who selected the state's contributions to the semiquincentennial congressional time capsule, the answers were as eclectic as the Beaver State's geography and people: A gemstone found only in eastern Oregon, a pair of socks, a mail ballot, sheet music from "Portlandia," a portrait of a trailblazing state senator and more. "Although there may have been skeptics...
While summer break gives students a chance to relax and recharge, planning for the next school year is already well underway at McKenzie River Community School. Throughout the summer, I'd like to use this space to give our community a behind-the-scenes look at the projects, planning, and preparation taking place as we get ready to welcome students back on August 31. This week, I'd like to begin with a topic that is at the heart of every school district, enrollment. When people hear that schools are encouraging families to register their student...
One of the questions I hear most often is, “How are we going to improve our school facilities?” It’s an important question, and one that deserves a thoughtful answer. Following the understandable defeat of our bond measures immediately after the Holiday Farm Fire, the district took a different approach. Rather than waiting for another opportunity to ask our community for local funding, we committed ourselves to aggressively pursuing every available state and federal funding source that could help improve our facilities while minimizing the i...
