Anonymous donor gives $100,000 to Education Foundation
 

News staff writer

Dr. Pat Evenson-Brady had some big news to share in her superintendent’s report to the school board Wednesday evening.

“We recently received a $100,000 anonymous donation to the Hood River County Education Foundation,” she said, adding that the funds were unrestricted and could be spent for anything other than administrative expenses.

In other business:

• Speaking of calendars, the first of this year’s new built-in emergency closure makeup days, Feb. 15, will indeed be a school day for all east county schools, she announced, due to Tuesday’s “snow day.”

Cascade Locks will have to wait until Feb. 1 to know whether there will be school for them on that day.

If there is a closure between now and Feb. 1, they will have school on Feb. 15; but if not, they will have the day free. The district has promised to give parents two weeks’ notice on whether there will be school on makeup days.

• Members of Hood River Valley High School’s Earth Club made a presentation to the board about an opportunity the school has to install a residential-sized wind turbine on school grounds.

According to club advisor and science teacher Ted Cramer, Energy Trust of Oregon will put up $25,000 for a Skystream 3.7 “residential power appliance,” complete with installation and at least five years of maintenance. Earth Club members have been doing research to see whether it would be feasible for the school, and have interviewed most of the school’s neighbors.

Last year the school was offered the very large wind powered generator that North Cheatham had installed at Apeasay Orchards, but it turned out to be not a good fit with the school.

“It was too big, too hard to move, and we really wanted something on campus that the kids could be involved with and learn from,” Cramer said.

The school board will make a decision at its next meeting to give members a chance to weigh the information they were given.