A transcript of an oral history interview of Debbie Braymer on the Century High School Booster Club. The interviewee, Debbie Braymer was at the time a part of the Booster Club, which recognizes students who do well academically or in their activities/clubs. Because of budget cuts due to the failure of Measure 28 the organization worked extra hard to support students and staff.
A transcript of an oral history interview of Tien Le, Jordi Frances, Kristy Spencer, and Behnia Behnoush on their experiences as foreign students at Century High School. The students explain that they were attracted to America as it promised the experience of a different culture. The students wondered if it was like what they saw on TV or in the movies. The interview reveals that the students were glad to have shorter school year but were stressed because of the extra homework, their teachers seemed stressed too. Each of the students explained their enjoyment in the variety of classes. They felt the news of Iraq War was often biased, and had to watch and read other sources.
A transcript of an oral history interview of Katia Kennedy on the current year at Century High School. Mrs. Kennedy began working at Century in 1997 as a German and French teacher. Because of the loss of 17 days at the end of the year, morale among the teachers was low, there is a division among the teachers. Mrs. Kennedy explains her feelings that the students are missing out and whats more is the lost of trust from the community in the school district. Another issue of hers was with the results of the decison, information was not communicated correctly, there was too much information control or limited and selective information.
A partial transcript of an oral history of Ted Zehr on the current year at Century High School. It is noted that the interview is actually longer but there was difficulty with the tape recording. At the time of interview, 2002, Mr. Zehr had been at Century since its opening in 1997. Since then he has been a vice principal, except for the first six months when he was a math teacher. The year of 2002, the school was very crowded, as a result there was great deal of stress with cuts and scheduling. Mr. Zehr expresses a particular favor towards SAFFE, a student organization supportive of teachers and students. The loocal reaction to cuts had people frustrated, as the Hillsboro School District had to cut days but neighboring Beaverton School District did not.
A transcript of an oral history of Ted Zehr on Century High School. Mr. Zehr came to Century High School the summer before it opened in 1997 to be head baseball coach. He was also given the task of programing the new computer system and helping to train staff. Previously he had coached baseball at Hillsboro High School. At the time of the interview, Mr. Zehr was vice principal.
A transcript of an oral history of Gail Young on Century High School. Gail Young was a part time teacher at Hillsboro High School as a special education teacher. She transferred to Century High School when it opened in 1997. It was important to her to work under principal Phil Barnekoff whom she admired. Ms. Young was in favor of the block schedule. She was also on the naming committee for the school as well as the Site Council. At Centruy High School, Ms. Young was involved in the international studies program, at the time of the interview she was teaching American studies.
A transcript of an oral history of Ron Webb on Century High School. Mr. Webb was on the planning team for Century High School and became the Athletic Director. He had previously taught health and activities director and baseball coach at Glencoe High School. He wanted a first class athletic program with well respected teachers and coaches. They have won some league championships and Ben Friberg was a state winner in wrestling.
A transcript of an oral history of Detective Samuel Urias on experiences as the School Resource Officer at Century High School. Detective Urias was the school Resource Officer. His job was to insure the safety of the students, staff, and property. He also acted as a mentor and counselor to the students, and mediator when needed. Yet another duty of Detective Urias was to act as a truant officer and DARE officer. The first year the school was open there were gang issues to deal with, including a riot and the arrest of a student threatening the school.
A transcript of an oral history of Jerry Taylor, Century High School Counselor, on current challenges at Century High School. Jerry Taylor has been a counselor at Century since it opened in 1997, and the coordinator of the counseling center for the past three years. The majority of the interview covers the teachers vote on waiving a part in their contract that has to do with the number of classes they teach. The first vote failed. The second vote passed with the stipulation that this would by the last time they would vote for the waiver. The consequence of this is that a new schedule of classes would have to be introduced the following year. This will hopefully lead to less time spent discussing contracts and more time spent discussing programs and what is best for students. Mr. Taylor explains feeling that the national coverage of the Hillsboro School District cutting school days will get the legislature in Salem to act.
A transcript of an oral history of Jerry Taylor, Century High School Counselor on Century High School. Jerry Taylor was on the Site Council for Century High School during its second and third years. An interest of Mr. Taylor's is the concept of developing “schools within schools”. This concept would foster better sense of community and help all students succeed. This Is also a goal of principal Montgomery. One of the many things that Mr. Taylor was involved in was the WINGS program, a nationally recognized guidance program. He became a part of the core team, along with counselor Lynn Miller, earlier than the rest of staff.
A transcript of an oral history of Guy Takahashi on Century High School. Mr. Takahashi came to Century High School when it first opened. Mr. Takahashi spent his years student teaching at Gaston. Initially he worked security at the school as well as acting as both the wrestling and football coach. The first year was difficult, as there were not any seniors to act as “leaders” within the school and the students came from such a wide array of background making for a diverse population. Mr. Takahashi's primary goal as wrestling coach was to build a state champion team.
A transcript of an oral history of John Stotka on Century High School. Mr. Stotka requested transfer to Century High School from Hill-Hi School. Mr. Barnekoff, the new principal, was a friend of his and many of his friends were transferring to Century High School. He had previously taught in Racine, Wisconsin; Superior, Wisconsin; Juno, Alaska; Lincoln City, Oregon; and St. Mary’s of the Valley in Portland. In 1986 Mr. Stotka began working at Hillsboro High School. In coming to Century, Mr. Stotka left his traditional field of science to teach in the Computer Lab, Lab 2000. This is where he taught for three years. At the time of the interview, Mr. Stotka was substitute teaching.
A transcript of an oral history of Gregg Steward on designing the buildings for Century High School. Gregg Stewart was the architect for Century High School. He met with a group of 30 people to discuss the educational program and type of facilities they desired. Mr. Stewart wanted to school to not only have what he called 'an impressive front door', but for it to have a strong presence within the community. In fact, it was his wish that the facility did not become departmentalized. The school was designed to have a centralized communication area with interest and general classrooms mixed together. Some of the curriculum was going to be integrated and teachers were going to take a team approach. Perhaps Mr. Stewart’s favorite feature of the school is the amount of natural light coming into the school.
A transcript of an oral history of Randy Steck on Intel's involvement with Century High School. Randy Steck was vice president and general manager of the Performance microprocessor division at Intel when Century High School was planned and built. At the time he resided within the Century High School district and was a member of the boundary committee for Century High School. Intel was approached by Hillsboro School District approached for help in making Century High School a technology advanced school. Mr. Steck met with Mr. Barnekoff and Mr. Parker. Together it was decided that Intel would donate parts that it manufactured, plus an additional one million dollars to purchase about 4,500 PCs. Intel also provided high-end Pentium 1 chips for the computers. Mr. Parker organized a computer lab to put the PCs together. To ensure that everything was built correctly, Intel donated labor, time, and networking materials. To this day, Intel continues to support Century High School with as-needed donations, speaking engagements, and sponsorship of clubs and activities.
A transcript of an oral history of Allen Schmertzler on Century High School. Mr. Schmertzler was a teacher at J. B. Thomas Junior High then at Hillsboro High School before being chosen by Mr. Barnekoff to be on the planning team for Century High School. He was the only social studies teacher to apply. He was looking towards working with new people interested in making changes in education. He helped to hire teachers in his curriculum area and order books, etc. Wanted to give the students more freedom of movement in the school, some of that didn’t work out.
A transcript of an oral history of Lynn Scheller on Century High School. Ms. Scheller was on the planning team for Century High School and served on several committees, including the design team for the auditorium as she had a theater background. She began teaching at Glencoe High School and then at Evergreen High School. Ms. Scheller applied for a position on the planning team and was chosen by Mr. Barnekoff. She and Mr. Morton planned the English department and helped to select the teaching staff. Started Key Club and FAME CAM.
A transcript of an oral history of Larissa Salas on Century High School. Larissa was a sophomore student at Hillsboro High School before attending Century High School in 1997 as a junior. Her first impression of the school was that it was “hospital-like” but very beautiful. She thought it was a good idea for the school to focus on technology. Mrs. Parich helped her get a scholarship to Portland State. During the interview she exaplains her partiallity towards the block schedule and thought it was effective preparation for college.
A transcript of an oral history of Joe Rodriguez on Century High School and recent events such as the Iraq War and budget cuts. Mr. Rodriguez felt the war in Iraq provided opportunities for meaningful discussions for students, and teachers in the social studies classes. The bulk of the interview discusses the state’s school funding cut that led to the district removing 17 days from the academic calendar. During the interview, Mr. Rodriguez expresses his thoughts on the opening of Liberty High School. He states that it will be an expense that in the long run is good for the school district. The Waiver vote ended with all four high schools voting to be on block scheduling, allowing more time in the classroom for each class. he also explains concern about the “No Child Left Behind” act for three reasons: Firstly – it is minimally funded by the federal government, Second – it is being mandated in a way that is counter productive to public schools, and Third – it is done in isolation, there is no cohesive program.
A transcript of an oral history of Joe Rodriguez on Century High School. In 1990, Mr. Rodriguez was principal of Glencoe High School and was part of a planning team put together by Dr. Miller to look at enlarging Glencoe and Hillsboro High Schools and constructing a new school. In June 1994, he left Glencoe High School and went to work in the district office where he was responsible for facilities and worked with the construction teams. Mr. Rodriguez was one of the members involved in getting the school bond passed, along with Dr. Nikki Squire and Caroline Ortmann. He was also a major contributor to the redrawing boundaries for the three high schools as well as Liberty High School.
A transcript of an oral history of Mrs. Robinson on Century High School. Mrs. Robinson has been involved with Century High School for 3 years as a member of the Site Council. The responsibility of the Site Council is to oversee the staff development. The year of the interview, 2002, they focused on improving reading scores, voting to stay on the block schedule and implementing “Academic Seminar” for the teachers. Mrs. Montgomery, the principal, is a member of the Council. Mrs. Robinson was previously a part of the planning team for Westview High School, she was also a teacher. As an administrator she is involved with the CIM, CAM, and PASS programs.
A transcript of an oral history of Rick Rainone on building Century High School. Mr. Rainone was the construction project manager and was involved in the design, building process and construction of Century High School. During the interview, he expresses feeling that the building meets all expectations for being a great building for learning. One challenge on the project was to make the building design fit on a small site. They had one construction manager to handle all the contractors, which provided a more team-oriented approach. The biggest challenges were staying within the budget and to solve problems in a timely manner and as a team.
A partial transcript of an oral history of Dave Parker on Century High School. Dave Parker was a science teacher at Hillsboro High School from 1990 to 1997. While there, he headed the group that installed the first “wide area network” in the district with a grant from Intel. Mr. Barnekoff asked him to design the computer and communication system for Century High School.
