KFCS Friday News Flash
January 12, 2024
In this Issue
- ThoughtExchange on EagleRidge
- Upcoming School, Community Events
- Student Success Corner
- Sky Lakes Wellness Center Lifestyle Medicine Facts
- KUHS Alumni
- Phone App Download for District Website
- Join Our Team
- KFCS Board of Education
EagleRidge High School ThoughtExchange
We need your input on "What thoughts or questions do you have about EagleRidge High School joining Klamath Falls City Schools as one of its high schools?". To gather your feedback, we're using a tool called ThoughtExchange . All of our voices matter, so your participation is crucial and valued.
Click here to participate: https://tejoin.com/scroll/569178560
You'll be asked to respond to one open-ended question, consider and assign stars to some of the ideas shared by others and learn what's important to the group.
Your thoughts and stars are confidential. You can come back as often as you'd like to participate and, in fact, we ask that you do come back to star some of the new ideas shared since you first participated.
Upcoming School, Community Events
School Board Recognition Month
KFCS Board of Education Board Chair Trina Perez, right, and KFCS Superintendent, Keith A. Brown.
Klamath Falls City Schools joins the other 196 school districts throughout Oregon to celebrate January as “School Board Recognition Month." Our KFCS Board of Education members spend countless hours of unpaid time working to provide the best possible education for our students.
They also serve as the corporate board of directors for one of our community’s largest employers. Celebrating School Board Recognition Month is one way to say thanks for all they do.
This past Monday during the district's monthly Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Keith A. Brown took a moment to thank each board member for the dedication and time they each spend on the KFCS Board of Education.
Each board member was presented with a framed certificate and given a tumbler as well.
Please join us this month in thanking our Klamath Falls City Schools board members: Vanessa Bennett, Andrew Biggs, Patrick Fenner, Andrea Jensen, Kathy Hewitt, Trina Perez, and Ashley Wendt-Lusich for serving on the KFCS School Board.
Quarteto Nuevo Visits Ponderosa and KU for Music Clinic
By Joaquin Aguilar-Flores, KFCS
Musicians at Ponderosa Middle School and Klamath Union High School were left puzzled but inspired after the professional group, Quarteto Nuevo, visited them for a performance and clinic.
Quarteto Nuevo is in Klamath Falls for a performance they will be having at 7:30 p.m. Friday, January 12 at the Ross Ragland Theater but wanted to take a moment to encourage the young musicians at Ponderosa and Klamath Union.
The group is made up of four musicians, Damon Zick, who plays soprano saxophone and woodwinds, Kenton Youngstrom, the group’s acoustic guitar player, Jacob Szekely, who plays cello and Felipe Fraga on percussion.
Education Director at the Ross Ragland Theater, Dawn Loew, helped bring the group of four to Klamath Falls City Schools, and started their day at Ponderosa.
KFCS music instructors Allen Haugh, Drew Langley and Brent Hakanson, brought their classes to the school’s gymnasium for a performance and clinic to help students understand likely a new style of music they have not heard before.
Quarteto Nuevo is based in Los Angeles, and is a world chamber jazz ensemble. Ponderosa students were filled with the sound of music as the group played several selections.
After its second song was performed, the group began to interact with the many middle school students and enlightened them with basic and complex music theory. Zick introduced a song he wrote, named Hector, Desmond and Titus, which, to many, would sound familiar for the style of song and the specific melody played throughout the arrangement.
“What part of the world do you think this song came from? Would you agree, it comes from something off, Aladdin,” Zick said.
Throughout the performance, Zick and the rest of his band members stressed the importance which any young musician surely has heard from their band director, which is the importance of learning musical scales.
In music, a scale refers to a collection of notes which makes the song you are listening to. The song Zick composed has a particular sound and could easily be thought to have come from an Aladdin movie and played in parts of Central Asia to modern China.
Zick used Hector, Desmond and Titus to teach Ponderosa musicians something new but vital in their growth as a musician.
“If we play Hector, Desmond and Titus in a major scale, you will see how much different the song will sound when the song is originally a mode of the harmonic minor scale,” Zick said. "To change the sound, all you have to do is, in the major scale, make the third note a half step lower and the sixth note a half step lower."
Quarteto Nuevo also shared to the group about playing in different time signatures during a song and took a moment to answer question from the middle schoolers.
“It was really great to see a percussionist perform in a non-conducted band. I really, really like percussion. I have been doing it since I was seven and I am trying to continue doing it until maybe college,” Ponderosa eighth grader, Marcail Muno, said.
The music group then drove to Klamath Union to perform in the school’s band room, filled with the school’s top orchestra and band classes. Some of the musicians who had their instruments in hand had the opportunity to play alongside the group and learn a brief lesson from Szekely.
Szekely, who has spent time traveling and playing cello for recording artists Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake, took a moment to improvise with seven students on their instrument under his direction.
As a demonstration, Szekely drew a line on the board which gradually grew or trickled down. Each student played according to a different diagram, which each student interpreted in their own way and improvised in a solo.
“I want you to not even think of counting or a scale or the mathematical part of this but use the language part of your brain,” Szekely said.
“It got me thinking in a different way. When I was called on to do it, I was in a bit of panic at the first part but then you get into what works and what doesn’t. You then see if you build off something new or you continue with what you had in mind," Klamath Union 10th grader, Nathaniel Soriano, said.
Klamath Union senior, Miles McCalister, also a cello player, had the difficult task of playing for Szekely. McCalister also plays in the Klamath Symphony Orchestra and along with Soriano, has ambitions of possibly majoring or minoring in music.
“What I was left with most was to kind of break away from what classical musicians kind of think of as music and think in a different mindset when it comes to improvising and music," McCalister said. "This absolutely inspires me. It is my goal to be that good."
Music by Quarteto Nuevo can be found on Spotify. The group has been composing new movements of its Jazz Road Suite for each state the group visits. The song called The Journey, written by Fraga after time spent in Oregon, will be played for the first time ever Friday at the Ross Ragland Theater.
Pelicans soar in Henley Freeze and High Desert Classic
By Joaquin Aguilar Flores, KFCS
Klamath Union swimming and wrestling was well represented in two popular swimming and wrestling competitions in the Klamath Basin this past weekend.
The first significant snow fall this year coincidentally fell in time for the Henley Freeze swimming event this past Saturday at the Ella Redkey Pool.
The freeze has a long history in the basin, and is the only outdoor swimming meet in Oregon for high school swimmers.
Klamath Union senior Brooke Nelson stood out amongst female swimmers as she won the girls 100 backstroke event.
"It is a really fun and unique meet. It is cold. We are definitely a little slower during this meet because your muscles are cold," Nelson said. "We are hoping it will be another great year for our girls team. I am hoping to get a school record in the 100 back this year."
Nelson and fellow swimmer Isabela Coffman, who won the girls 200 freestyle at Henley Freeze, are eager to help the KU girls swim team remain a top team after a historic and remarkable season last year, which was the first year the girls swim team at KU won the Skyline Conference.
"I think it is very high energy this year. The girls are excited, everyone is excited to be here. We did pretty well in our relays today, I would say. You want to beat your teammates but you hope everything goes well for them," Coffman said.
Coffman and Nelson, along with Hazel Squibb and Elsie Baumann, won the girls 200 and 400 freestyle relays for the Pelicans.
Senior KU boys swimmer Dominic Armijo finished in first place in the boys 100 butterfly as he clocked an impressive 59.95-second effort.
Armijo, who also won the boys 200 individual medley, said he is obsessed with breaking Klamath Union's school record in the 100 butterfly this year.
"We have a great team this year and did not lose too many guys," Armijo said. "I am really hoping to break the butterfly record. I was like a second off last year at state, and I have just been trying to work at that so far."
Senior Augustus Hendricks has the ambition to break the school's record in the boys 500 freestyle.
"It is something I really hope I can do this year, and I hope to get top two or three at state as well in that event," Hendricks said.
Fellow senior Carter Harmon was at ease swimming where KU practices weekly, at Ella Redkey Pool, as the Henley Freeze unfortunately was its one and only home event.
"We are all in the same lane this year as a team and it has been a great start to the year," Harmon
said. "I have been trying to get a personal record in the breast stroke and get faster, nothing too crazy but just faster and get better as an individual."
Armijo, Harmon, Hendricks, along with Max Hendricks, won the boys 200 medley relay.
At the top of the podium
At the High Desert Classic, Klamath Union came away with three wrestlers who won their respected weight classes.
In the 106-113 weight class, Chris Stromberg took home first-place honors for the Pelicans. Teammate Levi Hicks, took home the top honor in the 150-pound weight class.
In the girls division, KU’s Mahlea Butler won the 121-137 title.
"I want to get back to the state competition again after having it not end how I hoped last year," Hicks said. "We have a lot of wrestlers who can make it to the state competition. We have a great team here at KU and I am glad we represented our team well today. All of us who got on the podium and those who wrestled did great today."
Sky Lakes Wellness Center Lifestyle Medicine Facts
Tobacco
Everyone knows that tobacco isn't great for you. For many people just knowing that it causes cancer of the lung, mouth and throat, voice box, esophagus, stomach, kidney, pancreas, liver, bladder, cervix, colon and rectum, and a type of leukemia, as well as other diseases like COPD, peripheral vascular disease, heart attacks, strokes, ectopic pregnancies, diabetes, blindness, and premature babies is enough to WANT to quit, but quitting is just so hard. I usually tell people that if you want to quit using tobacco, be it chewed or smoked, you need at least 2 things: first, you need a replacement for nicotine. For some people that is a different source of nicotine, like patches, gum, or lozenges. There are new products like Zyn that are nicotine containing pouches specifically for those who chew. You can also replace nicotine with medications like Wellbutrin or Chantix, which reduce cravings in general.
Second, and the thing most people forget, is that you need a replacement for the habit. Most people absolutely need something to do with their hands, something with which to take breaks, or something to do with their mouth. Often, they use gum, lozenges, pouches like Zyn, toothpicks, sunflower seeds, or hard candy. If you are interested in quitting, you should also choose a quit day – some meaning full day in the future by which you plan on quitting. Do whatever you need to do to be ready to quit by that day, and then enact your plan. If you start up again, just choose another day – it takes on average 7 attempts to successfully quit forever, so just go ahead and try again as soon as you can. Finally – we will be talking about vaping in another post. tl:dr: it's better than cigarettes, but not by much.
Thanks for reading! If interested in hearing more about our programs and resources, please call us at 541.274.2770 or visit our website at www.SkyLakes.org/Wellness
Have a question? Submit yours by emailing us at SkyLakesellnessCenter@skylakes.org
Information provided by
Stewart Decker, MD, MPH, FAAFP, FWMS
Jeanette Rutherford, MA, LPC
Jennifer Newton, RD, LD, CDCES, MPH
KUHS Alumni
The new district website has an Alumni page for graduates of KU. This past week, six KU alumni sent us updates on their lives since they graduated. Take a look on the KU Alumni page on the district website. And, if you are an alumni, be sure and send us YOUR update!
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES - JOIN OUR TEAM!!
Apply for a District Job Opening
Become a Substitute Teacher or Paraprofessional in our District
PARENT LINKS
Click Here for the Family Friendly 2023-2024 School Year Calendar - English
Click Here for the Family Friendly 2023-2024 School Year Calender - Spanish
Synergy SIS Portal
Electronic Flyers for Your Students School
Thrillshare
How Will I Know if School is Cancelled?
KFCS Board of Education
Andrea Jensen, Zone 1, Roosevelt - andrea.jensen@kfcityschools.org
Andrew Biggs, Zone 2, At-Large - andrew.biggs@kfcityschools.org
Vanessa Bennett, Zone 3, Conger - vanessa.bennett@kfcityschools.org
Kathy Hewitt, Zone 4, Mills - kathy.hewitt@kfcityschools.org
Trina Perez, Zone 5, Pelican - trina.perez@kfcityschools.org
Patrick Fenner, Zone 6, At-Large - patrick.fenner@kfcityschools.org
Ashley Wendt-Lusich, Zone 7 At-Large - ashley.wendt-lusich@kfcityschools.org