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Show .Vernal Express, Wednesday. FMruary 9. 2005 AH McCarrel turns 80 l : smml Lee Gagon, principal of Naples Elementary school, and Rob Stearmer, principal of W. Russell Todd Elementary, provide an update of the progress made in the school district through the K-3 Reading Initiative. K-3 Reading Initiative continues to be successful '. Uintah School District Principals Lee Gagon and Rod Stearmer provided an update jon the success of the K-3 Reading Initiative in elementary elemen-tary schools in the district. ; Gagon said the project was originally brought to the attention atten-tion of the district by Dr. Larry iGein, director of Human Resources for the district. The principals of the elementary schools had been meeting once a month to try to find out what was working and what wasn't working in the classrooms. She said the No Child Left Behind Act was "a kick in the pants" that forced them to recognize where the teaching methods were failing. Gagon said one of the things they discovered was that most of the children who were being left behind were those who were not read to in the home and who had no opportunity to read aloud to an adult in the home. This was often the case 'in single parent households or in homes where both parents must work full time. This forced the teachers to accept the fact that while parental help was needed, the teachers would have to rely on themselves and improve the teaching methods they were using. With so few hours of classroom time, teachers' Were forced to trim' down the breadth' 1 of the curriculum and in many cases to eliminate favorite projects. proj-ects. This action provided more time to concentrate on reading instruction. Gagon said the district had to provide cutting edge teaching teach-ing methods for teachers who are continually in competition with video games and television. televi-sion. The K-3 Reading Initiative project provides that training with a consistent, self-supporting system. The initiative is a three year project with a total cost to the district of $400,000. Stearmer said about half of that cost is spent on teacher training and the rest pays for materials. All teachers receive five days of training per year. One teacher teach-er from each school receives 25 extra days of training and becomes the coordinator of the project. The coordinator can then keep the project going internally, maintaining the self-supporting aspect of the project. Stearmer said the investment has been money well spent. It was an integral part of the success of Todd Elementary, which was recently removed from the list of schools that need improvement. Stearmer, whq is principal at W. Russell Todd Elementary, said that once a school was on the list, it was anticipated that it would be nearly impossible to make enough progress to be removed. He and the teachers at Todd Did You Take VIOXX? r a very short time. Stearmer said that 90 percent of the students entering kindergarten kinder-garten at Todd Elementary are not ready when they begin their educational career. Those numbers num-bers now change dramatically during the kindergarten year with 87 percent of the students being well prepared to start first grade. In addition to academic aca-demic success, Stearmer said they now have fewer students referred to special education, which he said can end up being a "life sentence" for students. Teachers also deal with fewer discipline problems when the school is able to meet the needs of all the students. With a history of an 85 percent per-cent dropout rate for west side schools, the improvements that Utah Mini Pivots, Inc. Zimmatic & Greenfield Pivot School coming to this area Feb. 11, 2005, 10 am - 3 pm Lunch provided. - . J MIM7 To register, call WHY DO YOU WANT TO RE-ESTABLISH RE-ESTABLISH YOUR CREDIT? 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These are available at the school to anyone who wants to see the progress that has been made through the K-3 Reading Initiative. 435-528-3098 0 Aubrey (Mac) Allen McCarrel, a long time Vernal resident, celebrated his eightieth eighti-eth birthday on Feb. 4. An open house was held for him that evening at the Golden Age Center. Mac, as everyone calls him was born to Raymond and Josephine Powers McCarrel, at Fox Park, Wyo. on February 4, 1925. His father worked in the lumber business which was also a job that Mac did as he grew up during his teenage years. When Mac was seven years old tragedy struck home when his father drowned in the Green River while trying to dislodge a job of logs that he was working on. This left his mother with four young children. A few years later she married Siguard Swenson. Following the outbreak of World War II, Mac joined the army in 1942, and was sent to Camp Roberts, Calif, for his basic training in field artillery, after which he was sent overseas over-seas on an Italian luxury liner called the Monticello. Throughout his army career Mac saw a lot of countries and ocean, as well as a lot of military mili-tary action. He was involved in five theaters of sevice in the South Pacific and Japan before returning to the United States. Some of the places he visited included Australia, New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippine Islands and Japan. He saw a lot of action in the Dutch East Indies and made two landings on the island of New Guinea. He was with the 158 Combat Team and they made the first landing on Luzon in the Philippines. When the war ended in Europe and the Germans were defeated, Mac and thousands of service personnel in the South Pacific knew they still had a lot to do. In time his outfit started taking special training for the THE NOW PHONES. AT WOW PRICES. fA LG-3200 FREE After 25 mail-in rebate wilh 2-year agreement Venn! 110W. Main, 719-4444 Wooserelt 192 N. 200 E.. 722-0935 Price 125 S. Hwy. 55, 037-4440 ORDER NOW AND RECEIVE FREE SHIPPING MrafettKraWMaGopNteBraL Hii Mi.it ilwii anTM 11 1 intbiini il In Ml aj Uaalal faai MMImtitmKfmimttattttmttfttmmfmt, n M aJaaaaaaataMa.aTllii invasion of Japan. They had been told to expect at least seventy-five percent casualties. What good news it was to them when they heard that the atomic atom-ic bombs had been dropped, which was followed shortly with Japanese surrender. Mac returned to the States on Dec. 2, 1945, where he was honorably discharged on Dec. 21, 1945. He had spent three years in the service of his coun- try and had received two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart, all for distinguished distin-guished service. Following his discharge, Mac came to Vernal and soon found a job. In time he met a beautiful beauti-ful young girl by the name of Adoree Belcher. He soon decided decid-ed he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. They were married on Jan. 17, 1948. They were a happy devoted couple and soon made plans to start a family. They were blessed with four wonderful children, three daughters and one son. They were very proud of their family fam-ily and the progress they were making as a team. Mac and Adoree had twenty three wonderful years together before Adoree lost her life in a terrible car wreck on April 29, 1971. It was a devastating time for them all but Mac was the kind of man who had the courage and determination to see things through and go on for his family. He knew that hard work helped cure a lot of a man's problems and this is what he did. Mac had always been a good worker. Some of the work he did was for Morrison Knutson on the Union Pacific Railroad. He had worked as a chuck tender on wagon drills and on a dragline. drag-line. In later years he worked a lot in the building of dams and tunnels, one being the Flaming Gorge Dam. He worked in the state of Washington on canals and aqueducts at Grand Coulee LG-5550 pi Aftn 'Ml mniMn rehate J t yr--frt I polyphonic ringtum "vJ " V speaker phon ADD - A - With qualifying plans of $50 service agreement required. CELLULAR L XehJ Mrfree Wireless, 111 2021 CMMRMMlcitfMSi 21721 Dam and on the Chief Joseph Dam at Bridgeport, Wash. He also worked on the Los Angeles Aquaduct in the Owens Valley. Coming back to Vernal he worked in the oil patch with Ross Construction. He later went to work for Uintah Water Conservancy District In 1990 Mac decided it was time to retire. He put a lot of years into work during his lifetime. Also in 1990, after going with her for some time, he married Verlie Anderson Stringham on August 17. She was just the person he needed as they enjoy many of the same things. They loved traveling, of which they did often and Mac wants to make at least a couple more trips soon. They are planning to go back to Washington D.C. area in the spring where he wants to visit the World War H memorial. He would also like to take Verlie to see the Owens Valley in California where he used to work and then to historic his-toric Death Valley. Mac has loved sports and he enjoyed getting outdoors to go hunting and fishing. He has also been in the American Legion where he served as Commander and has also served in the Disabled American Veterans doing an outstanding job as treasurer for fourteen years. Mac is a very active member mem-ber in the LDS Church. He is very proud of his children and grandchildren. He has fourteen grandchildren, twenty-four great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild on the way. His children are Georgia (Mike) Vander Linden, Vernal; Rod (Janet),Lapoint; Linda (Pat) Hendrickson, Alpine; and Penny (Robert) Braithwaite, Manti. We love you very much Dad and wish you a very special 80th birthday. Georgia, Rod, Linda, and Penny Plus, get free gift certjHcete rewards when you text message. UNE '9.95 or more. New activation and 2-year i . ' : , rr" L Ms St. 711- 108 Iff MdRi 71974(0 S5L2ML, 724-1411 800 235-5663 () aariMa.l 4a.a laQaajIka aaJataaaVaaaaarta' tnalaa iUm I i |