OCR Text |
Show Vernal Express Wednesday, August 27, 2008 A9 Highway crews find pit house 'I . - -5..':.. -JZUr- 1 " " f i ,H i ,4 ..ana , pTy V i 7 ''A D' A KANAB (AP) - Surveyors clearing the way for a highway project came across an unexpected unex-pected find: a home site nearly 1,200 years old. Pit houses aren't uncommon uncom-mon in Utah but archaeologists noted the one found just north of Kanab because it was so well preserved. The home was found amid red sandy soil just east of U.S. 89 in 2006. Crews digging through the site finished their work last week. The house measured about 13 feet across and included a hearth, storage containers and several broken pots. The single-family home probably prob-ably belonged to members of the Virgin Anasazi, a prehistoric culture that once lived along the Virgin River, according to Kevin Kitchen, a Utah Department of Transportation spokesman. State officials said the site sat undisturbed just below the surface for centuries, extending extend-ing several feet beneath the ground. "What is so amazing about the site is the pristine condition it is in," said UDOT archaeologist Pam Higgins. "My adrenaline was through the roof." Jody Patterson, a vice president presi-dent for Moab-based Montgomery Montgom-ery Archaeology, said a similar site was excavated a few years ago during a pipeline operation. "The (new site) was extensive, but not unexpected," she said. Archaeologists at the site along U.S. 89 also found rabbit and deer bones and stone drill bits probably used for making jewelry. "What was interesting was finding shells and what appears to be turquoise," Patterson said. Principal Robert Stearmer shows a rendering of the new school facility that will be completed by the year 2010. The new school will be built around the existing gymnasium and auditorium with the first phase beginning begin-ning this fall. A new beginning starts at Eagle View Elementary By Tabatha Peaks Express Reporter When the doors opened for the first day of school at Eagle View Elementary Monday, principal Robert Stearmer and his staff were prepared to begin not only a new school year, but hopefully a new legacy. "Absolutely across distance, time and communities, this school will be 'Safe, Respectful and Successful," said Stearmer, "That's who we are." The embattled school was-nearly was-nearly closed after below-average attendance rates and failing to meet annual yearly progress standards set by the school district and the No Child Left Behind act. Students faced the prospect of being bussed to schools outside the area. But the Ute Tribe and school community challenged the Uintah School District, and after committing to improving the performance and attendance of their students, which make up about 70 of the student body, the district decided to keep the school open. Ramalda Guzman, Ute Tribe representative, said the community com-munity didn't want to have their children bussed out of the community, and were willing to contribute time, money and resources re-sources to educate the students locally. "We are a society based on family," said Guzman. "We felt the same way as other communities commu-nities about having the school in our community. And we were willing to make a commitment to help our students succeed." The school, which was once Todd Elementary and West Middle School combined, will undergo an extensive remodeling over the next two years. The auditorium au-ditorium and full-sized gym of the middle school will be renovated, and as pieces of the new school, which will include grades k-8, are finished, the remainders of the old schools will be demolished. The new school is estimated to be completed in the summer of 2010. Stearmer said past conflicts about the school are just that, things of the past, and his focus this school year is what it has always been during his 35-years in education teaching the children. chil-dren. "We have a diver se population here, including not only Native Americans, but also an increasing increas-ing number of Hispanic, Black and Polynesian students," said Stearmer. "The term melting pot means that you lose your identity and I lose mine. I prefer to think of the student body as a big salad, where each culture brings something positive to the mix. Each community has a right to be recognized, respected and educated." Stearmer said he belie ves that teaching social skills, respect and acceptance is just as important as academics, and tries to validate each student as an individual. Each student is given a VIP business busi-ness card that has their name on it, along with the school's motto. Students who are called . to Stearmer's office are held accountable ac-countable for their actions, and Stearmer helps them create a plan to change their behaviors. Guzman said the tribe has committed to helping students by instituting a zero tolerance truancy policy, and offering community com-munity resources to parents who may need help meeting the new policy. "We want to let our parents know that if they can't get their kids to school, or they have to miss school, that we're here to help," said Guzman. "There are times when we have cultural is- Utah to get $800,000 to study water issues The Utah Geological Survey is getting $800,000 in grant funds from the Department of Energy and National Energy Technology Laboratory to research water issues as they relate to conventional conven-tional oil and gas recovery, along with potential oil shale development develop-ment in Utah. The UGS announced Wednesday Wednes-day that the study will be done by the University of Utah, Colorado School of Mines, and several industry in-dustry partners operating in the Uinta Basin. One of the goals is to look at resolving environmental barriers to possible shale development. devel-opment. The research will look at issues is-sues such as water disposal and the impact of oil shale extraction on aquifers. One of the big unanswered questions for critics of tapping into an estimated 800 billion recoverable barrels of oil from the tri-state Green River formation, forma-tion, which includes Utah, is how much water will be required for production and the footprint that large-scale shale production will have on water quality. u m T:iiiht bv Rnchel Larson - - 1 As Aw F()i iiumc inr(rina(i)ii till 7S9-6S23 j sues that may cause kids not to go to school. For instance, if a family member dies we typically take five days off to be with family. fam-ily. We're not asking our families to change that, we're just asking them to make sure they get their child'shomeworkandmake sure they do the work while they're gone." Stearmer and tribe officials hope the new school will offer opportunities to unite the community, com-munity, including space for after-school programs, sports programs pro-grams and community events. The Ute Tribe has paid for several portable classrooms to be used during the construction, and has pledged funds for various community programs. Guzman said the tribe is "willing to help any way we can, " and that education is important to the community. She hopes to see more programs and training in the school, including helping teachers understand the cultural diversity of the students. Stearmer said he feels that he's assembled a staff that can do just that. Eagle View staff includes 20 regular teachers, three special education teachers, support staff, one Title 1 specialist, special-ist, and Title 7 specialists, whose job is to enhance the education process for Native American students. While Stearmer knows he has his work cut out for him, not only teaching students but also shattering stereotypes within the community, he's confident the students will prevail and be successful. "The problem with the world is we don't know how to get along," said Stearmer. "Our students will absolutely be safe, respectful and, especially successful." (SET PtBQlJaDncBQQDnT Your neighbor working hard to serve your needs TM Propane 0Gas Diesel Oil Lubes Dean Townsen Roosevelt, Utah Operations Manager - Retail Dean Townsend serves as Western West-ern Petroleum's Operations Manager for retail. He is in charge of making sure operations op-erations go smoothly at our Convenience stores. Not only does he manage the Lcl store but he spends a lot of time pumping fuel for our customers and helping with the little things that go on day to day. His main priority is customer service. Everyone knows Dean as the dependable, lift the heavy stuff, all around handyman sort of guy. He is also the soft cuddly teddy bear dad to his four girls and the "man of her dreams" to his wife. He does it all, works a very tough day, coaches the softball team and remodels t the house. He is the MasterCard for all of the dance competitions, soft-ball soft-ball tournaments, volleyball games and whatever else life throws at him. If there is ever a chance to be on a team, they choose Dean because he has all of the useful and useless knowledge, just ask him and he can tell you almost anything. We think the world of him and he deserves the best. i f eJ S " Come See Vernal's Fastest Selling New Home Community... 5UN5UR5T TLRRACL Model 227 1,080 Sq Ft. $149,9S0 Payments only $947month 6.64APR Model 210 1,296 Sq Ft. $164,950 Payments only $l,142month 6. 650 APR Model 829 1,820 Sq Ft. $189,950 Payments only $l,200month 6.651 APR I r S Over 105 homes sold! Only 15 left!! S $0 down$0 closing costs available S 6.5 Fixed rate on a 30 year loan!! Why rent? Monthly payments under $1,000! ! I 'Panifnl mihim-. In r.hanaa.. |