A transcript of an oral history of Mrs. Koellmann on being an advisor at Century High School. While working in Salem at McKay High School, Mrs. Koellmann was interviewed for the activities director position at Century High School. The interviewed was conducted with Dawn Montgomery, Lynn Scheller, and Ron Web and later in the day she was hired. The school had gone through three previous activities directors: Guy Takahashi, Nancy Haake, and Dave. As a result, her goal was to build consistency into the program and build school traditions.
A transcript of an oral history of Vicky Lindberg on Century High School. Vicky Lindberg became the counselor on the planning team for Century High School and put together the first curriculum handbook. Earlier in her career she had been the counseling coordinator at Hillsboro High School for 10 years. During the interview she discusses the school’s diversity, the block schedule, as well as organizing curriculum and registration out of the district office with Mr. Barnekoff
A transcript of an oral history of Mrs. Mabry on Century High School. Mrs. Mabry was hired by Phil Barnekoff with the intensive purpose of creating the Physical Education department at Century High School. Formerly, Mrs. Mabry had taught a form of adaptive physical education at Thomas and Poynter schools. Also throughout this time she coached volleyball at Glencoe High School. In the course of the interview, she recalls her experiences as part of the planning team as well as, working with other creative and like-minded individuals.
A transcript of an oral history of Christina Mahoney on Century High School Site Council. Miss Mahoney was at the time of the interview, a student representative along with Dave Morgan, on the Century High School Site Council. The responsibility and duties of these student representatives was to provide input from the student perspective. The administrators on the council are Mr. Struckmeier, Mrs. Montgomery, Mrs. Peterson, Mr. Croley, and others. For the duration of the interview, she discusses her role on the council and some decisions she has been involved in.
A transcript of an oral history of Dawn Montgomery, Principal of Century High School, on the school. Dawn Montgomery had been an assistant principal at Evergreen Middle School when she came to Century High School in 1997 as a vice principal. She put together the Student/Parent Handbook the first year. There were three vice principals: Mr. Orme, Mr. Zehr, and herself. She became principal after 2 years. Century High School was planned to be community based, inter-departmental, and focused on small communities within the school.
A transcript of an oral history of Dawn Montgomery, Principal of Century High School, on changes within the school in the current school year. During the year of the interview, 2002, comprehensive finals were to be replaced by performance assessment, leading to better skill assessment and more instructional time in the classroom. Principal Montgomery expresses disappointment that Measure 28 did not pass, as it resulted in no increased funding. Because of this days will be cut from the school year. Liberty High School opening next year will relieve over-crowding at Century. The CIM and CAM programs are still important, especially CAM as it provides students a look at career choices.
A transcript of an oral history of David Morgan on Century High School Site Council. David Morgan at the time of the interview, was a student representative on the Site Council. Part of the duties of the students given this postition was to govern the curriculum and participate in scheduling decisions. Principal Dawn Montgomery and vice principals Kathy Robinson and Mary Peterson also participated.
A transcript of an oral history of Gary Morton on planning Century High School. Mr. Gary Morton was part of the first block schedule school in Hillsboro. At the time, Mr. Morton taught AP English, Art, and Interpretation of Film. Mr. Morton was also involved in coaching high school basketball, including Damon Stoudamire’s father at Washington High School.
A transcript of an oral history of Gary Morton on Century High School budget cuts. Gary Morton was on the planning team for Century and started as an AP English teacher. The impact of cutting 17 days off the school year has lowered morale among the teachers. Teachers are being transferred to other schools, some are being let go. Mr. Morton feels the national coverage is embarrassing for Oregon. He states that he will be retiring at the end of 2002, before the PERS retirement system is changed.
A transcript of an oral history of Nikki Squire on Century High School. Nikki Squire’s involvement with Century High School began as a member of the original planning team, before the first bond measure was put forth. She was the assistant superintendant of the district for curriculum and instruction. Her early role was to listen to different groups of people who would be involved in the high school and form a ‘vision’ for the school, and to help with the overall design. Two areas of controversy were attendance boundaries and staff assignments. One of her ideas, was the clock tower that can now be seen at the entrance of the school.
A transcript of an oral history of Tom Oberhue on working at Century High School. Mr. Oberhue began teaching economics to seniors the second year that Century High School was open. He then became the technology coordinator/system administrator for their network. There is now an independent digital technology department.
A transcript of an oral history of Tom Oberhue on current year at Century High School. Tom Oberhue has been at Century for five years, beginning as a social studies and economics teacher. At the time of the interview, he was head of the digital technology program and was teaching Network Technology. Mr. Oberhue explains that the year has been both eventful and challenging due to the budget cuts. He further elaborates on the idea that the vision for the school is quite different for everyone. He expresses looking forward to having fewer students and feeling more like a community. Oberhue recalls his childhood, growing up in Beaverton, and feeling that it was disappointing to see Oregon struggle with school funding. Overall, everything from 9/11 to the Iraq War created an underlying stress within the school and the community. During the academic year, five students received a CAM in digital technology; this being a first for Century. One of his current goals is to get the CCNA, Cisco Certified Network Associate degree, which is considered an industry standard.
A transcript of an oral history interview of Tracy Olsen on being a student at Century High School. Tracy Olsen attended Century High School the first year it opened, 1997 as a sophomore. Her first impression of the building was that it was “hospital-like”, due to the stark white walls. She recalls everyone working exceptionally hard to establish a sense of school spirirt and identity.
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.
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
