The Double R Show

Winter's Turn

Roger Robertson, aka Double R Season 3 Episode 130

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Episode Highlights: 

As the Winter Solstice approaches, it’s time for winter to have its turn. We catch up with Oregon Coast Community College and Taft 7–12 as Winter Term takes the stage—music, school plays, and Tiger sports are all in full swing, including tonight’s Winter Band and Choir Concert.

And for the Sharks? Game on there, too. Curious about Community Education or an accredited course offering? Check out Catch the Wave. It’s your turn.

  • Dave Price, Vice President, Engagement, Oregon Coast Community College
  • Nick Lupo, Principal, Taft 7-12

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Jana

Welcome to the Double R Show, the podcast that features everything about North Lincoln County. The Double R Show, directed and produced by Paul Robertson and hosted by the voice of Lincoln City, Roger Robertson.

RR

Welcome to the Double R Show. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. It's getting closer and closer. Closer and closer all of the time. Double R here along with Son Paul. And today on the uh Double R show, uh, we'll have an opportunity to talk to Dave Price. And Dave has got a lot of information about the Oregon Coast Community College that is critically important.

Son Paul

Yeah, there's lots of new stuff happening in uh what we're calling winter's turn here on the Double R show. It's winter's turn or winter's term. Uh so Dave's gonna highlight a lot of stuff's coming out of the uh Oregon Coast Community College. And we also are gonna have high school. Yeah, Principal Nick uh Nick Lupo is gonna join us as well. So it's all about education and winter's turn as the weather has turned. Hopefully for the better as we move out of this long slog of wet, cold weather we've been having, or wet wet warm, maybe more so.

RR

But we'll find out school is uh important and uh it's a critically important people listen to this program for the community college and the high school. They will continue right after this.

LCCC

Woven Legacies is a special sale of kill's rugs, bags, shoes, jewelry, and home decor made by artesians in Turkey. Sale of these items at the Lincoln City Cultural Center will support the center and also the ongoing care of Julie Reynolds Otraman. All treasures of Woven Legacies were imported by Julie and her late husband, Senator Otraman. View the entire display today at the Lincoln City Cultural Center and own a treasure destined to become a family heirloom.

PSA

For more than two decades, the Oregon Cultural Trust has supported over sixteen hundred arts, heritage, and humanities nonprofits across the state. Find out how to match your qualifying cultural donations to the Oregon Cultural Trust, increase funding for culture in Oregon, and qualify for up to a hundred percent refund in the form of a tax credit. For details, visit culturaltrust.org.

RR

The Sharks are at it again. With this is Dave Price from the Oregon Coast Community College. And from the chess board to the nonprofit board service, the pieces are aligned for an enlightened winner. Now it's your move. Good piece.

Dave Price

Well, thank you, Roger. Uh, someone has been reading their Catch the Wave magazine that we mailed uh out to all Lincoln County residences earlier this month. And yeah, we are excited about our winter term. There's a lot to choose from to keep you warm, keep you active, keep you learning and engaged this winter.

RR

The classes come about how?

Dave Price

Well, it's basically folks like you and producer Paul who step out of the community and say, Hey, I'd like to share my skills with the community and my neighbors. And they step out and say, I know a little something about marketing or about uh knitting, or in the case of my daughter who just taught at the college, a little bit about geology. And you just step up and share that. And we provide a venue and we help market the class, and it's really one of the best things we get to do.

RR

It is classes for all types of learners. Uh uh, the the older people like myself that can go to some of the classes for free, correct?

Dave Price

We occasionally have free classes. I'm thinking of one that we did in November, which featured Peter Hatch and Lisa Norton from the Confederated Tribes of Silets Indians. Almost a hundred, maybe more than a hundred people turned out to the cultural center to hear their talk about the history of the Solettez tribe. But many of them uh do have a nominal fee so that we can pay the instructor. And so we try to keep that fee as low as possible. And unlike our credit classes, we don't offer a senior waiver for those fees.

RR

There's like you say that that's the ones that I was thinking of.

Dave Price

You're free to take a class like uh oceanography at Oregon Coast Community College if you're age 60 or better, with and I'm not guessing, Roger, but uh with um I made it. Okay, good. Congratulations. But uh that waives all of your tuition, although you do have to pay fees and books, which we can explain uh if you're interested in looking into that.

RR

Now, before we sat down with the uh interview, you had some things uh on your plate uh that that you wanted to make certain that we got in.

Dave Price

Well, just a couple quick things. First, I just want to thank the voters in Lincoln County yet again. This was back in May of 24, but you may remember I darkened these podcast doors many times for a couple of years talking about our Center for Trades Education. And I want to let people know that if they drive up to our Newport campus, they will see that we have finished grading the site.

RR

Oh, it is already underway.

Dave Price

We removed the trees and uh we've got the gravel down, we've got a protective fence up, and now that the site is gonna sit for the rainy season, and it has been rainy. Yeah, I do understand. Yeah, and uh so we are gonna let that site sit until sometime in March, and then we'll be bringing in equipment to do the underlayment and the plumbing and electric and foundation work.

RR

Does it surprise you how quickly this is all coming to pass?

Dave Price

Well, I mean, every week we're in meetings where we're looking at things like I mean, it's getting exciting. We're looking at color, we're looking at the sides of the walls and what they're gonna look like, we're looking at the mass timber that's gonna be inside, we're looking at the height of the building, and we are already value engineering because you know, everything costs twice what we expected it to cost. I mean, anyone who's importing anything knows that, whether it's metal or timber or electronics, and uh and you have to factor that in. And we understood that this was gonna be a thing, but you know, remember we set our budget back in 2023 when we first took the motors. Yeah, yeah. So and the building's gonna be spectacular, but we're just having to pinch every penny. And so there's a lot of work going into that. But every meeting we come out inspired and fired up because it's gonna be a great learning space.

RR

For that one person that did not hear what the building usage will be.

Dave Price

It's gonna be trades education, Roger. We're gonna start with a variety of different marine technol or maritime technology and welding courses. We're probably gonna have our our pre-apprenticeship program in there, which is gonna grow markedly with the new space, and that's gonna help provide employers, uh, whether that's GP or whether that's you know, a car repair place here in Lincoln City, with folks. I I say GP, I mean the Georgia Pacific paper mill in Toledo, with people who are job ready, understand how to use hand tools, understand workplace safety, they've got CPR certification, they can drive a forklift, all these things that right now are really burdening employers and uh and also slowing the earning potential of our students. We're gonna take care of that before they leave the building. And then we're gonna be doing some really interesting programs and a lot of other areas. And we just secured a million dollars in congressionally directed spending from Val Hoyle, who got this through uh got this through Congress. Thank you, Val, with the support of both our senators. And this is going to help fund those seafood-related technologies, and that could be a lot of things from our maritime programs, whether that's servicing refrigeration or engines, to a lot more. So it's gonna be fun to watch.

RR

Before we let you go, uh the the classes uh that are forthcoming uh for the community college and college credit. Uh talk a little bit about that and how far a student can take themselves before they even go off to OSU, uh University University.

Dave Price

Oh, yeah.

RR

Yeah, on and on.

Dave Price

Something else I didn't even write on my list to talk about, Roger. We're bringing a new program to students' uh natural resources that is going to allow students to graduate after two years at Oregon Coast with a and enter OSU's College of Forestry as a junior. And what's fascinating about this is it's coming through the Yakona Nature Preserve, supported by Bill and Joanne Barton. And this is going to provide students with two years of a natural resources degree that is non-extraction focused, i.e., a conservation focus of uh of natural resources management. And then you enter the Oregon State University College of Forestry, which is more of an extraction historically program. And I think we're gonna change the tenor and the flavor of what is done in that college because of this program over the long run. I'm super excited. And so, yes, uh students can join us at Oregon Coast and they can graduate, transfer off, and uh earn a uh and enter a four-year degree at any Oregon university, usually with a junior status.

RR

I think we'll take a break and we'll come back and we'll talk a little bit more with Dave Price about some of those classes that lead to that college degree. That and more right after this.

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RR

If you're looking for great early garden fresh produce, it's Kenny's IGA in the Bay Area of Lincoln City, four generations of Morgans caring for your every grocery need. All your favorite beverages are full deli, meat produce, and of course, groceries. Our guest is Dave Price from Oregon Coast Community College, and uh recently uh a former president of the college was recognized and thanked for her many years of service and what she helped accomplish.

Dave Price

Yeah, thanks for bringing that up, Roger. I just want to mention that Brigitte Risling, um, who was my president for over 10 years at the college, she joined the year after I joined. She got us independently accredited and accomplished a great deal more. Uh, we started a lot of new programs. In fact, in 2017, she gave birth to the idea of this community, uh, this uh career in technical education center, the OCAT building, that we're now under construction almost 10 years later. So she was named President Emerita by the Board of Education, and uh that is a title that she will be able to maintain uh for the rest of her life. She'll have an email address, she'll have an official title, she'll have a library card, all the perks, Roger. Uh a library card. Can you believe it? And uh we're just super thrilled. Uh, and we also we held that ceremony at the board meeting held in the newly named Brigitte Rysling boardroom at the Newport campus.

RR

I think uh she becomes the second person to uh be uh bestowed that title bestowed upon.

Dave Price

Indeed. In fact, the first uh President Emeritus Patrick O'Connor showed up for the event.

RR

Very nice, very nice indeed. Okay, let's talk a little bit about the uh students uh in high school going to Oregon Coast Community College and saving themselves thousands of dollars down the road.

Dave Price

Yep. Uh there's two channels to do that. The first is dual credit. Dual credit costs the student nothing. It is taught at the high schools, right here at Taft uh High School in North Lincoln County, as well as the others. And these are taught by talented Taft instructors and they're supported by faculty at Oregon Coast Community College. And then uh should a student plow through those options, and many do, they can continue racking up credits by taking early college, which is one one class a term, and it is free tuition. Now, books and fees are covered by the students, but then uh they can take a second course for half tuition. And the the exciting news on that front is Georgia Pacific has uh generously supported this program with a $10,000 contribution that we're going to be able to use to make this program more equitable, so that if you have a student who would like to do early college, has the grades to do early college, but can't afford the textbooks and the fees, that's no longer going to be an issue up to the first 10,000. It's huge because it's been the one hurdle that that program has because the school district can't afford to fund every student that wants to do that. And we can't afford to give that education away. We have to pay our instructor. And now uh Georgia Pacific is making that doable for a a growing number of students, and we're very excited about that.

RR

Which brings me to the next point. Uh, apparently, the community college does have a fund, if you will, uh that people can contribute money to for scholarships, a scholarship fund, or do you?

Dave Price

We absolutely do. Uh, you can visit Oregoncoast.edu and just look for the foundation. There's any number of ways you can contribute. And we have one special program that some folks may have seen recently on social media. When I was a business owner here in Lincoln County, I uh worked with a gentleman named Ron Spiso that many of your listeners may have. Absolutely. Ron was my business advisor through the Great Recession and probably is responsible for my business still surviving today. And um, he died in 2023, but uh we've created a fund in his honor called the Lighthouse Fund. And uh we now have a match uh by Rob Thompson of Thompson Sanitary in Newport. He's offering up to $10,000, matching every contribution anyone will make through the end of not just this year, but January 26th to uh anyone who will donate anything, whether it's $50 or $200 or $500 to the Ron Spiso Fund. And what we're gonna use those funds for is to provide emergency assistance for businesses that need just that extra bump. Uh, I need to get a certain license, I need to get a I need to get a certificate, I need to get something that's going to help me grow my business, employ more people right here in Lincoln City, they can come to us and we might be able to fund that with the Spiso Fund.

RR

As I look at your current catalog and uh flip the page in the first thing comes up, winter 26, uh a number of classes, uh all sorts of it's not just general education or is it general education?

Dave Price

Well, uh, you know, the that general core, you know, as a community college in Oregon, we're only allowed to provide one in 200 level courses for the most part. Um, we have a couple of exceptions to that, but generally speaking, we are giving you that foundation, those courses that you were gonna have to take anyway in Corvallis or Eugene or wherever. And so why not take them here at home where you can live at home, support your family, uh, keep your job, keep your friends, and make sure that when you stay in high school stay, stay in high school, of course. But then when you're ready to go to university, if that is your path, and you don't have to choose that path, but that uh you've saved a lot of money and you know exactly what you do like and what you don't like, helping you ensure that you don't take classes that aren't the right fit for you and don't fit your career goals.

RR

So, somebody that wants to do that, is there a counselor that they can work with to begin with? Uh what's the process?

Dave Price

Yeah, right here in Lincoln City, you just pop in and you visit with Carol Martin. She is our North Center advisor, she's our student success coach. She spends one day a week at Taft High School, but otherwise, she's available in our building, and I highly recommend people talk to her. You can book an appointment anytime. And if you need to make that appointment via Zoom, you can do that too, but you can meet with her in person. I just left her just a few minutes ago to come here. She's at our Lincoln City building, and uh that's Oregon Coast.edu slash advising.

RR

So it's critically important to be on the right track from the get-go.

Dave Price

Totally. There's a student I well, there's a would-be student I keep bumping into when I'm checking out at uh at uh McKay's of all things. And this gentleman keeps seeing my my badge I'm always wearing that says Oregon Coast, and I'm always wearing logoed apparel. And he's like, Yeah, I'm gonna see you there one day. And I said, I'm ready right now. And and and we we've had enough uh shopping aisle conversations for me to know that I think his hurdle is you know, like all of us, I can't write a check right now for college. And what students don't understand is first, you may be Pell eligible. You may not be writing a check for college. Most of our students are Pell eligible. And if you don't know what a Pell grant is, look it up or come talk to Carol. And uh and we can help you get through college, earn that credit, and and get your career going uh to the next level without cash out of pocket in many cases, or in a way that you can afford in other cases. And so that's what I really want to drive home with students like that and potential students like that.

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RR

Well, this is the principal at Taft High School, Nick Libgou. Uh and it's not just the high school, it's uh seven through twelve.

Nick Lupo

Yeah, high school, middle school, seventh grade through twelfth grade.

RR

Okay, Nick, uh you just finished a presentation here for your junior class. Uh take a vet to school day. Why?

Nick Lupo

Yeah, um, we got approached many years ago, five or six years ago, about um doing the History Channel and Spectrum coming out here. It's one of those emails you get where you're like, should I delete this or not? But it has been a great experience because we have gotten veterans just about every year um that they've come, kind of veteran here, and also we get our local politicians here and people to come support. But I think it's just information. I mean, kids don't get sometimes access to go outside of Lincoln City to get in information, to get experiences. And so when we can bring experiences here to the school, it's really beneficial to them because they don't get to hear these stories, they don't get to hear them from uh our veterans, they don't get to hear them from our state representative or our senate uh representative. And so I think it's great. Even to hear from Susan Walkie every year is just a a great way to showcase what we're doing in the community. Also just give them a little bit of voice and FaceTime with some of our local politicians and our veterans.

RR

So I was really taken by the respect that was shown by the students.

Nick Lupo

Yeah, they do a good job every year and to get here and and to listen and and again I think some of the stories they never heard before. So it's it's good to have them sit back and listen to some of their their uh their stories, whether it be from the politics side or from the military side, because that's just interesting to hear about.

RR

We have moved out of fall season to winter, and we look forward in the winter session, if you will attack high school, to have 712 what?

Nick Lupo

Uh well academically we end semester in the winter, and so my always my goal is to have students be successful academically, pass their classes, attend school. I mean, that's the biggest thing, you know, get those experiences here. Um, you know, athletically, we know we start basketball, we start swimming, we start uh wrestling, and so um, same thing. We want kids to be participating in something, whether it's not athletics. Our drama program is uh doing a play this this winter, and so our music program has shows this winter, and so you know, I want them to be involved in in the school. I want them to have access to anything, you know, whether it be sports, academics, uh, or extracurriculars. And so that's my that's my biggest thing for all of them. Be involved.

RR

You had uh an opportunity to have a little remodel done inside the building.

Nick Lupo

Yeah, so we have been talking about it for years, and the Bond has let us do this, and so our front uh walkway here in front of the gymnasium has gotten re remodeled to have a full concession stand um with a window actually that leads into the gym so they can view. And then we've got uh seven single stall bathrooms right out front there, and they are just awesome. Like it's just it's just great to have the students to go in there and have privacy. People visit the building can come in, they're easy to use. And so we're looking to have uh that same um look be upstairs in our bathrooms upstairs as well. So that's a remodel of gonna happen a couple years from now to do that. And uh right now uh we have the stage being remodeled. So the stage is being remodeled the curtain's going up you know as we're talking right now curtain's gonna go up we're gonna have new flooring in there a new sound system new lighting in there and uh we're getting some new chairs uh because we do a lot of different things with the community people come in and use the facility and also we have our stuff that we use it for here too.

RR

As you look around your your building down your facility any needs that you see that the you're hoping the community will be able to address the bond is a really great thing.

Nick Lupo

They voted for the bond and that's our next priority is really getting to spend that bond money on the things that we voted for. So that's the biggest need at the moment you know that's a that support in the bond is just a showcase of what they believe in in our schools. So that's what I really want them to do. All our bond projects are going to happen over the next three to five years and I'm excited to see them take place.

RR

Student population wise are we growing or are we holding steady where where are we at?

Nick Lupo

Taft actually has about 30 extra high school students this year. Our middle school is down a little bit but we're actually we're looking it's about to stay about the same we're about seven six seven sixty a little bit more than that and that's you know up from recent years. So we're not totally declining we're not totally increasing but we're we have a little bit of a uh extra enrollment. What kind of involvement can the community do with the high school do to help the high school community involvement yeah I I think I mean obviously anytime a a parent or a guardian has a student here in the building you know we want them to be involved in the school in any capacity and so that is the main thing if you're a parent or a guardian to be involved in the school be involved in your students we have lots of different communication tools and apps that they can use. If I'm a member of the community that does not have a a person here come to the games come to the plays I mean I'd love to see them come and join and see the things that kids are doing here. If you want to volunteer there's processes to do that as well but I want to see that community kind of keep growing in in supporting the school any way they can. You know some people do it financially some people do it with time and then again if you're allowed to come see what the kids showcase here. There are lots of opportunities and lots of different needs within the facility within the building within the classroom correct oh yeah always I mean we're we're looking at uh potential budget cuts and things and uh you know always making sure that the money is spent in the right spots uh you know for students so those needs uh are always take place every single year and so um we work with backpacks youth business for youth excellence for youth we work for the food bank who you know we do a lot of different things to connect with uh different organizations nonprofits in the in the city and those people help us out with food and clothing and and uh backpacks and supplies that we maybe couldn't afford to give some of the students and then just general things that the teachers need every single day is uh is always a need and we try to support our teachers with the best best stuff. All right and Kitty any other item that you would like the community to know that uh is a burning within you we turned over only one teacher last year and so I don't know uh you know I've been here about 12 13 years within the school district and I have not done that and so that is a huge thing to tell the community like you know we still we have a lot of great teachers here we have people who are working here want to be here in the community and so we want to keep that culture building and so to turn over one teacher is awesome.

Jana

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RR

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RR

541-9946977 serving Lincoln Tillamock and Yamhill counties Northwest septic service Sherogan's Casino Resort is going to be celebrating in a grand style for the new year. All through the holiday season right all through the holiday season but in particular on the floor right now you'll see a brand new car they're gonna give away not one but two uh one New Year's Eve one new year's day these are brand new cars that somebody's gonna win wow cool so make certain of uh uh put on your party hat and get up to Chinookin's uh get your name in the in the box as many times as humanly possible and of course you could always go up there and have a nice dinner you could have uh uh a nice lunch uh a beverage of your choice and uh just enjoy the celebration the new year's celebration at Chinookwin's casino resort they've got a few games up there too right a couple of games yeah you might find something that particulars your fast we were in there the other day and threw uh you know a nice tenor at uh one of those uh slots there the big wheel of fortune one uh you know I think we've got to turn it again to see get to get to the fortune spot but it was a good time so yeah it is a good time and uh the the food is good the staff is wonderful well yeah like you had that uh great event just a few weeks ago there up there at Chinook wins that the Angels ball yeah and it was wonderful prime example of uh the staff and and the food and and and the space so yeah really it was wonderful to the fact that the staff was so attentive they weren't on top of you but they were right there every time you wanted something yeah and our thanks to uh the entire staff at Chinook Wins Casino Resort on behalf of Angels Anonymous for all that they do all year long but in particular for the Festival of the Trees. We'll be back in just a moment with more about the upcoming events in the Interradar community.

Zellers

Home style cooking in a hometown atmosphere hi I'm Adina from Zellers Restaurant in Rose Lodge in Lincoln City join us daily for good fun and great food.

RR

You can even kick up your heels at Zellers and welcome back to the double hour show I'd like to draw everybody's attention to the fact of the landslide that happened on Highway 229 this community alert has been sent to us uh reminding people that uh to look for debris on the Sluts River, Sluts Bay and the nearby beaches if you come across personal items like photos or documents please report them to the Law Enforcement Department uh provide a description of the item and where it was found. Call the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office non-emergency phone number at 541-2650777 or the Lincoln City PD non-emergency phone number 54194 3636 a lot of people lost a lot of stuff Paul and this would be our opportunity to help them retrieve hopefully some of those treasures that have been lost yeah yeah it's a really tough time for a lot of families out there and uh we uh wish them the best uh over this trying time well we are getting awful close to Christmas uh next week I believe we're gonna have somebody in a red suit oh good did you get a call in from uh scheduled it with the elves I've been told some of the elves and Santa may even make an appearance on the show next week oh even Santa okay well that's high grade okay that's yeah tough time of year to get him I know that he's quite busy hugely busy but uh if Dave Price can do it so can Santa yeah yeah yeah you know Dave was uh sharing a lot of great stuff too by the way you know with the uh the new programs that they're looking to bring and he just uh he noted uh that that natural resource program you know that they're working on it's still in progress just as an FYI they're they're uh still got a lengthy approval process but uh it's just one example of the wonderful things that the college has been working on and putting together uh over the last uh few years here now coming up and our special thanks as well to uh the principal at Taft High School Nick Glupo uh for coming on board bringing us up to date what's happening up at the high school and it's good stuff yeah it's really great stuff and uh you know like he was saying you know go to a game go to the plays go enjoy some of the you know fine work that people are doing uh stay in contact just see what's going on at Taft and talking about things going on uh the winter twenty twenty six fun guide uh for the Lincoln City Parks and Rec department has been published it is out it is chucked full of different activities that people can enjoy during the winter time yeah because it's winter's turn here and uh you know January through March I think that runs a like you said jam-packed uh and just a great publication uh to to get your hands on and uh as Dave was talking about uh in the program the catch the wave uh their uh winter term uh program is out as well so it's your opportunity to um take a turn for the better yeah you know make your move you know there's a chess uh you know you can learn chess on there there's some board stuff you know lots of board stuff we were hearing about so lots of good things to do and uh with the community college both the accredited side as well as just the community ed.

Son Paul

So we'll be back next Christmas day. Christmas day you know midnight uh we're gonna try to get that phone call in with Santa uh so hopefully you know he can pick up that that'll be good.

RR

Just depends upon how those uh hot red and green lines are to the North Pole or he may be out in the in the stratosphere someplace we'll we'll try to catch up with Santa on the program next week. And that'll do it to the Dunes on a double R show for Paul and Jenna I am double R.

Jana

Have yourself a happy day and a very Merry Christmas you've been listening to the Double R Show join Roger and Paul Robertson as they explore everything about North Lincoln County the Double R Show produced by Always Productions and hosted by Roger Robertson. Have a story email contact at alwaysproductions dot com or call four five eight two zero one three zero three nine for the double R Show I'm Jana Gron