The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

Todd Jones returns to West Linn High School

After a year of working for the governor’s office on a team of five to improve public education, Todd Jones, social sciences and history teacher, has returned to West Linn for his eighth year.

Jones is very involved at West Linn and has been teaching in the district for 14 years, he coaches track and cross country at Rosemont Ridge Middle School and is the adviser for the Model United Nations team. For the past year, Jones has been working in state politics and the education system, trying to improve the quality of education in Oregon. To participate, he needed put his teaching, coaching and advisor positions on hold for a year, with the intention of picking them back up in this school year.

“I agreed to the one year leave only under the condition that I could return to teaching at West Linn in fall 2012,” Jones said. “I love it here.”

Jones’ journey over the last year began in June 2011, when a law established the Oregon Education Investment Board. The board was given the task of bringing alignment to the state’s education system, from preschool to college, in both programs and budget. To help encourage the advancement and enforcement of the law, Governor John Kitzhaber built a team of five people, including Jones.

While serving in the Governor’s office for eight months, Jones’ first responsibility was policy research and to report to the Governor’s office and the new board the results of his research. His research and reports were focused on finding the best education practices and strategies across the nation. He also spent time in outreach, telling people around the state about their work and the direction they were trying to move the education system.

Finally, last February, Jones spent most of his time meeting with legislatures persuading them to pass an additional bill which assists the change in Oregon’s public education.

For the last three months of his year on leave from West Linn, Jones spent time working on the Chalkboard Project, an independent foundation that promotes teacher quality. On the project Jones helped a team of teachers from around the state develop a list of recommendations for the improvement of teaching in Oregon.

At the beginning of the school year, Jones returned to all of the positions he held before going on leave. Today, Jones continues to balance his commitments between teaching and politics.

“I will continue to work with a couple advisory councils working to support and strengthen teaching and learning in Oregon, but I have no interest in leaving this profession. I love being a teacher, and mostly, I love being a teacher here.”

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About the Contributor
Christian Marvin, Athletics Co-Editor

He aims, he shoots, he scores - basketball is one of many activities that Christian Marvin, junior and Athletics Editor, has an affinity for. In fact, a life full of friends, church and sports is one that he leads daily. With his hands full of engaging activities, in and out of school, Marvin looks forward to an exciting year.

This school year, Marvin has a full schedule on his hands. Physics is his favorite class because it is less rigorous than a handful of his other AP and Honors classes. He enjoys being on Amplifier because he “likes to write and there’s always something to do”.

Though he does not know exactly what path to take in the future, he does know that he wants to try his best in high school and start from there.

“I’m really want to get good grades this year, especially because I’m taking some hard classes,” Marvin said. “I also want to be more involved in service projects too.” At home, Marvin prefers to eat, relax and then do homework. He and his sister have two fish: Marvin’s is Flo, and his sister’s is King Triton. Despite his busy schedule, Marvin always finds time to spend for himself and with his family. Marvin enjoys eating chicken alfredo and drinking root beer and Dr. Pepper as well.

Out of school and home, Marvin is an avid participator in his church. Every Sunday, he teaches kindergarten at church, and attends youth group every Wednesday. In addition, Marvin also goes to Night Strike, a program in which he feeds homeless in downtown Portland.

“I like getting to play with the kids and teaching them,” Marvin said. “The kids are really fun and I like getting to know them.”

As for the sports aspect of his life, Marvin plays basketball. He prefers not to play on a school basketball team, but rather plays for enjoyment. Marvin’s specialty is shooting half-court shots and dunking on a ten foot net. He enjoys playing with friends because it is more fun, and there is a friendly competition.

Marvin hopes to complete his junior year and enjoy his last year in high school. He believes that can get through his high school life with the help of his family and friends. In all aspects of his life, he hopes to be successful and take the next step of his life.

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Todd Jones returns to West Linn High School