Exciting new projects are happening in Bethel!

We are thrilled to announce that beginning next week (May 22), Kalapuya will launch its YouthBuild program and begin construction on a new Career Technical Education (CTE) building! This building will be located southwest of the Kalapuya barn and replace the current softball field near Prairie Mountain. Construction is set to take place through October pending no construction delays.

About Kalapuya YouthBuild 
Kalapuya students will be involved in the construction of this new CTE building from start to finish. This project is a part of the Kalapuya YouthBuild program, a CTE pathway that will introduce and train students in multiple high-wage trade pathways including framing, construction, plumbing, electrical, sheet metal. Students will also gain experience in advanced degree professions related to construction and low income housing development such as architecture, engineering, land use planning, nonprofit management. Students will gain the skills, technical knowledge, academic foundations, and hands-on experiences that will prepare them for high-skill, high-demand and high-wage careers.

Once completed, Kalapuya students will use the new CTE building to construct low-income housing units and tiny homes that will support local families transitioning out of homelessness, disabled veterans, or other underserved populations. This program will provide students with valuable education, training, and career planning services and it will also connect them to direct action that serves a critical community need. 

Mark your calendar for Willamette High School, Sunday, August 28 from 1-4:30 pm. 

• Each student will receive shoes, socks, backpacks, games.
• Please call your child’s school to sign up for a time to attend. If you have students in more than one school, you can sign up all of your children by calling one school. You do not need to call the school for each of your students.
• You will have a time assigned, so please arrive at that time, not before. We have carefully assigned times to honor state safety guidelines.

Help us keep Project Hope safe (COVID-19 Procedures): Face coverings are not required but be prepared to keep 6ft distance from others. Please do not attend if you are ill, or have been around someone who is ill.

Sorteo de regreso a la escuela de Proyecto Esperanza 

Estamos encantados de anunciar que Proyecto Esperanza se llevará a cabo nuevamente este año.

Marque su calendario para el Domingo, 28 de agosto de 1 a 4:30 pm en la Preparatoria de Willamette.

• Cada estudiante recibirá zapatos, calcetines, una mochila y juegos.
• Por favor llame a la escuela de su hijo/a para inscribirse y obtener un horario para asistir. Si tiene estudiantes en más de una escuela, puede inscribir a todos sus hijos llamando a una escuela. No es necesario que llame a la escuela por cada uno de sus estudiantes.
• Se le asignará una hora, así que llegue a esa hora, no antes. Hemos asignado tiempos cuidadosamente para cumplir con las pautas de seguridad estatales.

Ayúdenos a mantener seguro el Proyecto Esperanza (Procedimientos COVID-19): No se requieren cubrebocas, pero prepárese para mantener una distancia de 6 pies de los demás. Por favor, no asista si está enfermo o ha estado cerca de alguien que está enfermo.

As the oldest of four siblings, Martinez said she naturally gravitates towards leadership and caretaking, and over the course of her childhood has looked at careers like being a police officer or firefighter.

But Martinez has landed on a slightly different path and will instead head to Lane Community College this fall to begin classes to become a nurse.

“This choice just feels like the right one,” she said. “I get to take care of people and get to know them instead of taking care of them for just a little bit like a first responder.”

Martinez will soon graduate from Kalapuya High School, a place that she said has given her the confidence, structure and focus due to smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.

Prior to enrolling at Kalapuya about 18 months ago, Martinez said she was struggling with her grades, mental health and self-worth.

“I’ve always kept my feelings to myself and have been scared to ask for help because I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone,” she said. “When I went into high school things only got worse. I struggled to even get to school, combined with anxiety and depression, it was a rough start going in.

Upon switching to Kalapuya about halfway through her junior year, however, Martinez, said she was able to slowly turn things around.

“When I finally decided to switch here, slowly started to ask for more help,” she said. “I wanted to change and graduate and knew the only way to do that was to ask for help.”

“When I started I only had 8-10 credits and now I have nearly all of my credits,” she said. “Here, I’m able to practice and be myself and the confidence to ask for help – I’m able to advocate for myself.”

Now, Martinez is working to apply for scholarships, federal aid, jobs and any other opportunities that will allow her to continue her education. She’s excited for her next steps and is eager to continue on her path to becoming a nurse and attributes her newfound drive, in part, to Kalapuya staff.

“I am just so thankful for this small, friendly environment that has taught me how to ask for help,” she said. “Talking and socializing has always been hard for me because I overthink things, but the teachers and staff here have helped me to realize that asking for help doesn’t mean you’re less than. There’s strength in being able to say ‘hey I need help with this.’”

Graduada de Kalapuya seguirá una carrera en enfermería

Gabriela Martínez, de 18 años, quiere que su futuro implique cuidar a los demás, y es un papel con el que dijo que siempre se ha sentido cómoda.

Como la mayor de cuatro hermanos, Martínez dijo que naturalmente gravita hacia el liderazgo y el cuidado, y en el transcurso de su juventud ha buscado carreras como ser oficial de policía o bombero.

Pero Martínez ha está tomando un camino ligeramente diferente y en su lugar se irá al Colegio comunitario de Lane este otoño para comenzar las clases para convertirse en enfermera.

“Esta elección se siente como la correcta”, dijo. “Puedo cuidar a las personas y conocerlas en lugar de cuidarlas un poco como un primer respondedor”.

Martínez pronto se graduará de la preparatoria de Kalapuya, un lugar que, según ella, le ha dado la confianza, la estructura y el enfoque debido al tamaño más pequeño de las clases y la atención más individualizada.

Antes de inscribirse en Kalapuya hace unos 18 meses, Martínez dijo que estaba luchando con sus calificaciones, salud mental y autoestima.

“Siempre he guardado mis sentimientos para mí misma y he tenido miedo de pedir ayuda porque no quería molestar a nadie”, dijo. “Cuando entré en la preparatoria, las cosas solo empeoraron. Luché incluso para llegar a la escuela, combinado con la ansiedad y la depresión, fue un comienzo difícil.”

Sin embargo, al cambiar a Kalapuya a la mitad de su tercer año, Martínez dijo que pudo cambiar lentamente las cosas.

“Cuando finalmente decidí cambiarme aquí, lentamente comencé a pedir más ayuda”, dijo. “Quería cambiar y graduarme y sabía que la única manera de hacerlo era pedir ayuda”.

“Cuando empecé solo tenía de 8 a 10 créditos y ahora tengo casi todos mis créditos”, dijo. “Aquí, puedo practicar y ser yo misma y la confianza para pedir ayuda, puedo abogar por mí misma”.

Ahora, Martínez está trabajando para solicitar becas, ayuda federal, empleos y cualquier otra oportunidad que le permita continuar su educación. Está emocionada por sus próximos pasos y está ansiosa por continuar en su camino para convertirse en enfermera y atribuye su nuevo impulso, en parte, al personal de Kalapuya.

“Estoy muy agradecida por este ambiente pequeño y amigable que me ha enseñado a pedir ayuda”, dijo. “Hablar y socializar siempre ha sido difícil para mí porque pienso demasiado las cosas, pero los maestros y el personal aquí me han ayudado a darme cuenta de que pedir ayuda no significa que seas menos que. Hay fuerza en poder decir ‘oye, necesito ayuda con esto'”.

So much so that Brown is already enrolled in one botany class at Lane Community College, and plans to enroll full-time in the program the college this fall. He’s also applied to more than 50 scholarships in an effort to continue his plant-related studies.

Brown, who uses the majority of his free time to learn about plants, study plants, or work at Grey’s Garden Center – surrounded by plants – said he discovered his passion shortly after transferring to Kalapuya from Willamette High School. His love of plants has grown so much that he hopes to one day start his own community farm

“Prior to coming to Kalapuya, I was only mildly interested in school and was just kind of hanging out with friends, not really engaged, doing things I probably shouldn’t have been doing,” he said. “But everything I was sort of waiting for was here.”

Brown said that several staff members at Kalapuya have had a big influence on him and prompted him to change the way he approached school and his education.

“Staff here prompted me to turn things around,” he said. “They provided me with the personal attention I needed to make me feel seen and valued for who I am. The layout of this place is great, too. There are lots of windows and beautiful views everywhere and a lot of classes and opportunities be outside.

Brown said his interest and passion for plants began to blossom as he was able to spend more time outside as a part of school, including wildlife class, trips to the mountains, journaling about and drawing plants – and of course working on the Kalapuya Farm.

“One season over the summer I worked on the farm as long as I could, up to the first day of school, which was really amazing,” Brown said. “I got to grow my love of botany, but also learned about how to feed people and how plants are food, where food comes from and I got to teach younger students about it, too.”

In the future, Dylan hopes to offer similar opportunities to kids and families.

“I have this really big dream of starting a community farm that has all kinds of things – food production, a space to educate, an entire area dedicated to teaching people,” he said.

While Dylan has already technically finished taking classes at Kalapuya, he is excited to partake in graduation in June, and to continue his learning at Lane Community College.

“There’s so much to learn it gets a little frustrating,” Brown said. “But in my mind, plants are better than video games – it’s not like they run out of batteries or come to an end. I’ll always have plants.”

Contractors’ bids will be revealed April 28. Work is set to begin this summer with a planned opening to students in the fall of 2023.

The Kalapuya work is the first of four major construction projects made possible by Bethel’s $99 million bond passed overwhelmingly by voters in November 2020. Coming soon are the new Cascade Middle School, a vocational education building at Willamette High School, and covered play structures throughout the District.