Hood River, OR

Hood River Middle School Presents... "Princess Slob", A Musical

Next week Hood River Middle School premiers its very first attempt at a musical with "Princess Slob". The muscial was written and scored by Mr. Mark Steighner and is directed by Ms. Rebecca Nederhiser, Hood River Middle School's music teacher and stars a very talented cast of the school's staff and students. The production promises to be a great event for families of all ages and is a great example of the arts being alive and well in the Hood River Valley.

Experience the musical Feb. 17th & 18th, and the 24th & 25, at 7 p.m., with matinees on the 18th and 25th at 2 p.m. Hood River Middle School's Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and children, available at the door.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl For Kids' Sake! Columbia Gorge Teams Forming Now

Bowl For Kids' Sake is Big Brothers Big Sisters biggest fundraiser and is coming soon to Orchard Lanes in Hood River. The event will be held on Saturday, March 10, 2012, but teams are forming now and captains will be accepting pledges.

Currently, in the Columbia Gorge, there are 69 youngsters who have a Big Brother or Big Sister and there are 28 more waiting for one. With your help, BBBS of the Gorge hopes to help 85 kids in 2012. I (Gretchen) personally know and work with four children who have Big Brothers and know what a huge difference the program has made in their lives. It's a cause that is well worth supporting.

How can you participate?

1. Become a team captain, recruit a team then gather pledges. Team Captain Info and Pledge Sheet

2. Become a local business sponsor. Call Kristin Reese at 541-436-0305

3. Challenge your team to support a match for 3 months=$325, 6 months=$650, or 12 months=$1,300

4. Make a pledge to a team

Contact Big Brothers Big Sisters at bbbs@nextdoorinc.org or 541-436-0305.

Wordless Wednesday - Pinned!

This is our son, Sam, at Monday's middle school wrestling match at Cedar Ridge Middle School in Sandy, Oregon. Sam wrestles for Wy'East Middle School and is having a killer season, pinning both his opponents at this match and two opponents at last week's competition. He wrestles again tomorrow at Wy'East. The wrestling program in the Hood River Valley is huge and a program to be proud of. The Hood River Wrestling Club starts kids out at the tender age of 5, grooming them through elementary school then into middle and high school. Sam's in blue.

Hood River Valley High School Ranks 7th Statewide On Graduation Rate!

Oregon State School Superintendent, Susan Castillo, announced on Jan. 27th the percentage of high school students who graduated in 2011 in 296 schools statewide. Hood River Valley High school graduated 86 percent of it's high school students, placing it squarely in 7th place and well above the state average of 67%.

Hood River principal, Karen Neitzel, attributes this accomplishment to several innovative programs and to great teachers, attracted to living and working in our gorgeous valley. Some of those programs include scheduled home visits when students show dips in grades or frequent absences, mental health counseling services, on-site day care for children of teen parents, bilingual attendance contacts and prevention outreach workers who establish helpful relationships with students.

And remediation isn't the only solution. HRVHS is noted for innovative and engaging community building through school-wide activities and events that give students a chance to connect.

Hood River Valley Youth Basketball Season Underway

Girls and Boys, 3rd through 6th grade basketball league play officially started yesterday with the league's first game of the season. The opener was delayed by a week due to inclement weather and massive power outages last week. The teams began practicing the first week of January, although a week and a half of practices were cancelled due to the weather, too. But things are back on track.

Our son, Ben, plays on Parkdale's 5th and 6th grade team and they won their first game with a score of 26 to 24, with the winning basket made just 3 seconds before the end of the game. It was truly nerve wracking.

The basketball league is run through the Hood River County School District's Community Education Department, which offers a huge variety of sports and classes for all ages, all year round, through the valley.