The Bend-La Pine Schools Summer Lunch program will kick off June 16 at nine locations throughout Bend and La Pine. The free lunch program, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, expects to serve more than 31,000 nutritious meals to children during summer vacation.

"School lunches are the main source of nutrition for many students," said Terry Cashman, director of Nutrition Services for Bend-La Pine Schools. "In our district, 35 percent of students - 5,400 - receive free or reduced-price meals each school year."

Cashman says that the summer lunch program ensures that every student has access to a well-balanced meal year round. "School may be out for the summer, but we still need to make sure kids have a healthy meal every day," he adds.

Free lunches will be offered Monday through Friday, June 16 through August 22. All children, ages 18 and younger, are welcome to receive a lunch at no cost. Lunches include a sandwich or hot entrée, fruit, vegetable, low fat milk, and an occasional dessert.

Parents are encouraged to attend, and may bring their own lunches, but cannot eat any of their child's lunch. However, parents may purchase a meal of their own for $3. Registration is not needed to participate.

Meals will be served Monday through Friday from June 16 through August 22. Lunch will not be available on July 4. 

The summer lunch program will take place at the following locations and times:

* Al Moody Park, 2225 NE Daggett Lane, Bend, 11:45 am - 12:45 pm
* Boys & Girls Club-Ariel, 1707 SE Tempest Drive, Bend (closed June 30 - July 4), 12:30 - 1:00 pm
* Boys & Girls Club-Downtown, 500 NW Wall Street, Bend (closed June 30 - July 4), 11:45 am -12:45 pm
* Juniper Elementary School, 1300 NE Norton, Bend, 12:00 - 12:30 pm
* Kiwanis Park, 800 SE Centennial, Bend, 11:25 am -12:25 pm
* Larkspur Park, 1700 SE Reed Market Road, Bend, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm
* Sun Meadow Park, 61150 Dayspring Drive, Bend, 11:35-12:35
* La Pine Elementary School (front playground), 51615 Coach Road, La Pine, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
* Discoveryland Preschool, 16629 Burgess Road, La Pine, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

The "Lunch and Learn" summer reading program is scheduled from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at Al Moody Park, Juniper Elementary School, Kiwanis Park, and Sun Meadow Park, Monday - Friday from June 23 through August 1; and at La Pine Elementary School from June 23 through August 15. There will be no Lunch and Learn on July 4.

For more information, please call the Bend-La Pine Nutrition Services office at 383-6090.

Senior Jordan Cartwright and sophomore Carl Henning placed 2nd and 3rd for autmotive skill

This month, Mountain View High School sent three students to the Oregon SkillsUSA contest to test their automotive skills. Senior Jordan Cartwright and sophomore Carl Henning placed 2nd and 3rd in the contest respectively for automotive knowledge and hands-on skills.

Students from all over the state competed at the April 11-12 event at Linn Benton Community College. The contest included a written exam, student resume, a mock interview and 13 different hands-on stations testing automotive knowledge.

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. The contest helps students build confidence by demonstrating their skills.

"The biggest benefit of the competitions is the confidence it builds in the student, whether they place or not. Just to compete is to succeed," said Automotive Instructor Pat Garcia. "By going up against other students, they see that they know more than maybe they think they know."

Both students plan to continue their automotive studies with full scholarships to Wyoming Technical Institute.

For more information contact Pat Garcia, Mountain View High School Automotive Instructor, 383.6360.

For second year in a row, the school's FBLA team will send students to nationals.

La Pine High School's Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) team has had a surge this year in membership and competitive awards, and is sending four students to national competition after winning top seats this month at the state conference.

The students competed against their peers from around the state at the April 15-18 FBLA Leadership Conference in Portland. The competition included on-line tests, as well as speaking and production events. The four students who placed first or second will compete in nationals in Atlanta, Georgia on June 26.

"The students really represented Bend-La Pine Schools very well," said advisor Stacey Yeager. "Of the 22 students who competed, more than half of them placed in the top 10 at state competition."

In addition to the individual placements, the team received the Oregon Chapter Membership Award for increasing team membership by 47 percent.

FBLA provides opportunities for students to develop skills and demonstrate what they have learned. "The best part about the Conference is seeing our students in action," said Yeager. "They are doing what they prepared and practiced for. They are developing those skills that they will use in the future. So whether they place or not, it's a thrill to see our students walk away with more confidence, as well as with skills they didn't even know they had."

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is the premier organization for student leaders preparing for careers in business, management, entrepreneurship, and information technology.

The following students received awards:

Accounting:
Scott Perkins (12): First place

Business Ethics-Team Event:
Stacey Harder (12) and Erica Janssen (10): Second place

Client Services:
Nygil McCune (12): Third place

Desktop Publishing:
Cassie Schulz and Audrey Ewing (12): Fifth place
Samantha Bebout (12) and Andreya Karrer (10): Seventh place

Help Desk:
Spencer Miller (11): Second place

Impromptu Speaking:
Ashley Rose (12): Third place

Personal Finance:
Kayla Morgan (12): Fifth place

For more information contact FBLA Advisors Stacey Yeager or Steve Parnell, La Pine High School, 322.5357.