[quote style=”2″]Senator Seeking to Increase Oregon Graduation Rates[/quote]
It was hard to say who was more impressed Wednesday afternoon at Hermiston High School – the students who met a United States senator, or the senator himself at the innovation of the students and the programs at HHS.
Near the end of a session with a handful of students, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden told the group that he plans to take to the floor of the Senate in the coming weeks and brag about efforts at HHS to keep students engaged and on the path to graduation.
“Oregon is No. 1 in a number of things,” Wyden told the students. “But we’re fourth from the cellar in terms of graduation rates.”
Actually, according to a report from the National Center for Education Statistics, only Washington, D.C. (62 percent) has a lower graduation rate than Oregon (69 percent). The graduation rate for Hermiston High School is typically in the mid-80 percent range.
Wyden is making an effort to increase Oregon’s graduation rate and says one of the big keys is providing students with classes and activities that excite and engage them.
He talked about a key provision in the Every Child Succeeds Act, which replaces No Child Left Behind. The provision the senator highlighted would allow schools with low graduation rates to receive federal dollars to develop programs designed to keep students involved in school and go on to graduate.
When he was a student, Wyden said it was basketball that kept him in school. On Wednesday, Wyden heard from a number of students about classes and programs that motivate them to stay in school, graduate and go on to a successful life.
Students outlined for the senator business-related classes and activities such as Decca and FCCLA that help prepare them for potential careers in marketing and business. Freddy Gonzalez ticked off his extra-curricular activities including serving as vice president of Decca, vice president of the National Honor Society chapter, working with Generation College and is the HHS student representative for the Hermiston School Board.
“Wow – that’s a lot of hats,” Wyden said.
Hannah Reese, Salma Anguiano and others took the time to detail for the interested senator their school-related business ventures such as baking, marketing and selling food and beverages during lunch hours and sporting events.
Later in the afternoon, Wyden visited the site of one of the homes built by students in the Columbia Basin Student Homebuilders Program. Wyden said it was obvious that HHS offers its students a wide range of activities and classes that not only keep kids engaged, but allows them to enter the real world with marketable skills.
“The spark I see in you can really turn our graduation rates around,” he told the students. “To have a school in Eastern Oregon take the lead is so great. You guys have a great chance to be role models. These are exactly the types of programs I want to highlight.”
