The following article talks about the Culver FFA Chapter going to Leadership Camp. At this camp I won the “Most Outstanding Treasurer Award” and placed 3rd in ceremonies with the chapters advance team.

Culver FFA at Leadership CampCreated on Wednesday, 28 May 2014 10:40 | Written by Madras Pioneer | Culver FFA members attending the leadership camp included , from left, Taylor Roberts, Devin Krazsnavologyi, RaeAnne Slaght, Halie Bates, Cassie Metzentine, and Tiffany Belvoir.

April 23 to 25, The Culver FFA Chapter traveled to Suttle Lake, and stayed at the Suttle Lake Resort where they participated in the annual Central Oregon District Officer Leadership Development.

The chapter officers who participated were Halie Bates, Cassie Metzentine, Taylor Roberts, Devin Krasznavolgyi, Tiffany Belvoir, Raeanne Slaght, Seth Abbas, Faith Jones, Kenia Povis, Brandt Downing, Cheyenne Kinley, and Payton Matson.

While at camp, these 12 members participated in workshops put on by the state FFA officers, teaching them how to perform their position better, how to become better leaders, and other useful life skills.

During these three days, the members were encouraged to reach out of their comfort zones and befriend more members of the Central Oregon District. They also practiced proper dinner etiquette and manners in an arranged guest night.

The major competition that took place during this time was the FFA rituals contest. During this contest, each officer was required to state their respective duties under their office position, following the proper format of an FFA meeting.

The secondary team or assistant officers consisted of Taylor as president, Brandt as vice president, Seth as sentinel, Kenia and Faith as reporters, Payton as secretary, and Cheyenne as treasurer; this team placed first.

The primary team consisted of Taylor as president, Halie as vice president, Devin as sentinel, Cassie as reporter, Raeanne as secretary, and Tiffany as treasurer. The primary officer team placed third in the competition.

Friday morning at about 6 a.m., almost every member who attended camp participated in the very thrilling Polar Plunge in Suttle Lake. During this plunge, the members stripped down to their bathing suits, counted to three, and jumped together as chapters into Suttle Lake with a water temperature of 41 degrees.

The members of the Culver FFA enjoy this camp every year and always look forward to bringing new ideas home with them to better themselves not only as a team but also their chapter and community as a whole.

I was an active member in the building of the State Palisades Paddlewheel and spoke at several events explaining the project to the community. This article talks about the construction of the wheel and the grand opening day at which I was chosen to speak on behalf of the class for the project. This article has a few ending lines from my speech I gave that day. With my involvement in this project and other S.T.E.M oriented projects I was awarded the “Academic Excellence Award for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics”.

CHS Student Paddlewheel Helps Power Park

Created on Wednesday, 19 June 2013 09:00| Written by Susan Matheny | 

With the lifting of a wooden dam, Culver senior Tuck Williams released a flow of water, which set in motion a paddlewheel hydroelectric generator created by Culver students to help power campground facilities at Cove State Park.The paddlewheel’s dedication June 5, was the culmination of a year-long effort by Culver High School’s Science Technology Engineering and Math class, which uses real-life, hands-on projects to teach those concepts.Starting last October, STEM class instructor Dale Crawford took the students on a field trip

to the Crooked River Campground at Cove Park, to see ways the park conserves and uses energy.

“They showed us some energy-efficient resources,” Williams said, noting the class was looking for a group project and liked the solar panels on the park restrooms.

Chad Bethers of Elite Electric, who is a consultant for the class, said, “The students wanted to do an energy project, and I suggested a paddlewheel. I helped them design how it would look, but they did all the work.”

Williams said his favorite part of the project was “being able to work as a class and see what we could do. Everybody made models, did math to figure out the size of the pulleys, drilled holes for the bolts and carried (the paddlewheel) down here.”

Water flowing from an irrigation ditch turns the paddlewheel, which uses gears and pulleys to run a generator that creates power for the park’s electrical grid.

In the beginning, students studied various systems in class and experimented with different small-scale models, including a bicycle-powered generator.

Once work on the paddlewheel began, they put their earth science, math, and technology skills to work to understand the importance of water depth.

“They calculated how much water we had in the ditch and the water flow,” Crawford said, noting, “This is a tailings ditch (unused irrigation water) which later becomes a waterfall in the park canyon. The kids did all but the electrical work. They poured the concrete and built everything.”

Sophomore Keely Dobkins said what she enjoyed was, “getting to do hands-on activities. I don’t usually build stuff, so working with the tools was fun.”

Senior Kyle Macias said the STEM class taught them to work as a team. “Working in a group is hard, but it taught us communication skills and how to work together,” he observed.

Sophomore Tiffany Belvoir agreed. “We learned that one person can make or break the outcome of a situation. We utilized everyone’s strengths and improved upon their weaknesses,” she said, adding, “I hope the class is offered next year because it’s given us all the opportunity to face a real-world situation, and I’d love to take STEM again.”

The class worked in partnership with Oregon State Parks, Portland General Electric, Elite Electric, and the career development wing of the High Desert Education Service District on the project.

Depending on the amount of waterflow, Crawford said the paddlewheel should produce between 500 to 2,500 watts of power, possibly enough to power a couple of houses.

In the article below you will read about the Jefferson County Ford Family Foundation Cohort donating money to our local humane society. I am a member of this cohort and was involved in the decision of the fundraiser we put on for the shelter and the donation that we gave them.

Humane Society Receives DonationCreated on Wednesday, 12 November 2014 11:36 | Written by Madras Pioneer | Photo Credit: SUBMITTED PHOTO –

Steve Drynan, center, director of Three Rivers Humane Society, accepts a check from Glennys Lindsay of the For Family Foundation Cojprt/

On Oct. 22, the Jefferson County Ford Family Foundation Cohort presented Steve Drynan of the Three Rivers Humane Society a check for $1,500.The money was raised during several fundraising projects. The Three Rivers Landowners Association held a Gate to the Lake Run Walk Ride event which raised $1,090 for the animal shelter. In addition, a breakfast and a quilt raffle were able to raise the additional funds.

The Jefferson County Ford Family Cohort is currently working on an additional project that is expected to provide the Three Rivers Humane Society with an ongoing funding source.

“There have been many wonderful improvements at the animal shelter and we are very glad to see the great support of the various communities in Jefferson County,” said cohort member Glennys Lindsay.

I took part in a rigorous program that taught me leadership, communication and team skills that I utilize in everyday life. To learn those skills our teachers had the group do several public speaking projects and research ways that we could improve our community. Below are several photos of myself and other members of the cohort being involved in the program.

This article talks about the murals my Art Club and I painted for a local business in order to raise funds for an educational art trip. I am the founding member and President of this club.

Culver students' murals raise funds for trip to Europe Created on Wednesday, 29 January 2014 10:09 | Written by Holly M. Gill |  Students from art teacher Kyla Danos' classes at Culver High

School and middle school were hard at work last Friday painting murals at the Desert Inn in Metolius.

Instead of relaxing on their day off — a teacher in-service day — several students spent nearly five hours painting a bucolic landscape, featuring Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood in the background, and logos for the Oregon State Beavers and University of Oregon Ducks. A third, graffiti-type mural, will be added later.

The murals were commissioned by Larry Semm, the owner of Desert Inn, who was assisting the students in raising money for a spring break 2015 trip to Paris, France, and Rome, Italy. According to Danos, there are 13 students, from seventh

grade to high school, signed up for the trip, which will cost $2,800 per student.

As the President of the Art Club I help put on fundraisers and activities to raise art appreciation in my community. The photos below are all of a pumpkin carving fundraiser I helped organize for the Art Club last year. All the pumpkins pictured are ones that I carved.

I lettered as a Varsity Cheerleader two years in a row. During those years I was the cheer captain at all cheer camps and was awarded the most

outstanding leader.

At my first cheer camp I was awarded an All American Nomination and a ribbon for superior excellence in my performance and leadership.