Author: Judy Bushy

Judy Bushy fell in love with the beauty of Creation along the Klamath River Valley and the friendly little town at the top of California, Happy Camp when moving here over forty years ago. She would like to share the many wonderful things about this special place where in some ways time has stood still and the beauty of forest, river and sky surround us. Yet modern technology is helpful and Computer Center is available to all of the community. It is a community that has built a log cabin school in 1933 so that our young people wouldn't have to leave to continue their education, and can still do remarkable things working together. In difficult times, our Klamath neighbors care!

Public Hearing: Transportation Needs

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The Siskiyou County Public Works Dept. is holding a Public Hearing next week to get input from Happy Camp residents about public transportation needs in our area. We all have a pretty good idea what those problems are, but the Siskiyou County Public Works Dept. needs to hear from the people who are affected.

If you can speak for yourself or on behalf of a friend, neighbor, family member, client, etc. please plan on attending.

The Public Hearing will be held on Monday, June 4th from 12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM at the Happy Camp Family Resource Center.

Family Resource Center, Public Hearing, Public Works, Siskiyou County, Transportation

Happy Camp High Distinguished School

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To some, Happy Camp High School with only 87 students, may seem humbly insignificant. This little school has the high distinction to come to be a Distinguished School, recognized by the State of California. This was awarded after the school had undergone rigourous evaluation. As Dick Holmes, Superintendent of the Siskiyou Union High School District, said, most of the people at the big award ceremony in Anaheim didn’t even know where Siskiyou County was, let alone Happy Camp.! But little Happy Camp won the award. We can be very proud of our principal, Ernie Micheli, and the teachers and staff who work diligently to give our students a good educationm and a dose of love and concern.

A letter that Ernie Micheli wrote last year sums up just some of the ways that Happy Camp High School works to educate our future citizens and community members. “We are a small school with an enrollment of 87 students. We are in the middle of a six-year Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation.

“Fully 100% of our sophomores passed the math segment of the California High School Exit Exam last spring—92% did so with the Language arts portion of the same test. Also, we are compliant with “No Child Left Behind” requirements. Our Academic Performance Index has been rated at 780. Because of our academic successes, we (have been awarded) Distinguished School status.

“Technologically we have 3 computer labs available. Our shop program completely built a motorcycle and is currently building a hotrod. We also field an eight-man football team and volleyball teams in the fall. During the winter months we have four basketball teams—2 girls and 2 for the boys. Spring has baseball, softball and track available for students.

Ernie also said that the “hard working staff that is caring, informed and current in their academic area” is responsible for this success. He sees students interacting with their instructors and fellow students to learn each day. We will indeed miss Mr. Micheli as principal but, as he said, he has high expectations that “we will continue to have positive experiences.”

When the committee came to check out the school for this distinguished School award, they talked with students and teachers, with staff and with members of the community. They observed classes. They asked questions. They learned that Spanish classes with Dorie Ekman-McDonald and German classes with Angelika Brown are taught. Some students even study the Karuk language during Indian Club at lunch. Jennifer Goodwin has taken Indian Club students to visit colleges they might someday attend as well as having these Indian Club meetings, which are open to all students whether Native American or not.

They learned students have won awards in desk top publishing with classes by Diane Oliver at the high school lab and Rosie Bley at the Computer Center. There are basic computer classes with Monica VanBaren also. VanBaren also teaches the upper social studies classes and counsels students to meet their goals. They saw that the school is cooperating with the Forest Service in providing Fire Science class as an elective class taught by Dan Bushy. This enables some of our students be better prepared for summer jobs or a career in fire fighting or forestry.

They learned that there was also an Emergency Medical Technician training in the spring with the help of Ambulance crew. Living in such a remote and isolated place, there are times when EMT service is all that we can get before a 75 mile journey to the nearest hospital. This training will be of benefit to the students just “in case” in their own lives, as well as to some members of the class are interested in nursing or medicine careers.

Students who need special help are assisted to have an appropriate education by Elizabeth Laney and her aide, Carol Dyer. Cate Roscoe is the new teacher in math and her enthusiastic students have been measuring things all over the building, inside and out. John Kufner is still faithfully teaching science as he has since my first son was in high school. Larry Gabbert taught the kids to build a custom motorcycle that has won awards. Denise Bearding not only teaches English subjects. but has also gathered the students writing in a publication, “Indian Expression,” and enhanced their artistic talents.

Besides teaching Freshman Social studies and other important areas, Dorie Eckman-McDonald, with the help of Cate Roscoe, has had a study time for students on Wednesday evenings during the school year. Not only are teachers there to help students with homework that may be causing them difficulty or to catch up from an absence, but they feed them supper too. In this and countless other ways, the staff of Happy Camp High School encourages and nurtures the students of our school

Give them a hand when you see them, and “congratulations!” on having a Distinguished School!

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New Signs of Painting the Town

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Arnesons

Ray and Roberta, better known as Bobbi, Arneson have a brand new business in town. Ray, who is well known along the Klamath River for transforming windows and signs, murals and motorcycles with his artistic design, is now located in his new shop at Indian Creek Road just west of Davis Road intersection.

Besides fanciful dragons that adorn their vehicle, to Easter Rabbits in the spring and kittens romping in the pumpkin patch in October, Rays paintings adorn all sorts of sites in Happy Camp. He also restored the painting at the Scott Valley Drugstore mural in Etna, California last summer.

Business, The Arts in Happy Camp

New Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Elected

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Chris Sorenson

Chris Sorenson is the new president of the Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce.
By Judy Bushy

The Happy Camp Chamber Of Commerce elected a new board of directors in March. The new board will take office in April and serve until March 31, 2008.

The new President of the Chamber is Chris Sorenson of Mosaic Press. Chris and Beth Buchanan moved to Happy Camp several years ago. For Chris, it was a new experience, but Beth grew up in Happy Camp. They bought the printing part of Naturegraph publishing, and began Mosaic Press.

Vice President is Jon Grunbaum who works in fisheries in the Happy Camp District of the Klamath National Forest.

Instead of one secretary the job will be shared by two co-secretaries, Roberta Arneson and Rita Manley King. Roberta served as secretary when Bob Schmalzbach was Chamber President and helps her husband, Ray the Painter in his sign painting business. Rita is with Jade Springs Development, which is headquartered at the Happy Camp Mini-Mall on Davis Road.

Treasurer is Lehel Garami who, with Laura, manages the Evans Mercantile. Evans is the oldest continuously operating business in Happy Camp but Lehel and Laura have added hardware and expanded the gardening and feed parts of the business.

Roberta Collum of Elk Creek Campground and Montine Blevins of the New 49ers’ Prospecting Club are also on the new Chamber board of directors.

When the new board recently met they gave a word of appreciation for the previous board of the Chamber. James Buchner was a great president and his leadership in the advertising and promotion of the area was greatly appreciated. He also attended sports shows to widen the contacts with potential customers. Roberta Collum was a good Vice President and took over in the chair when James was unable to be in town. Montine assisted her in preparing great meals for Chamber events and planning the Community Tree Lighting in December. Rosemary Boren took over the treasurer position a few years ago after a lapse in treasurer postion left the accounts in unprecedented array. Rosemary got them entered on her computer and got organized with top efficiency for several years now. Judy Bushy served as Secretary since Janeen Snopl resigned except for the years Jean Dulong, Joe and Becca and Roberta Arneson volunteered for the job. Eugene Kravis and Lehel Garami filled out the membership of the board of the Happy Camp Chamber.

The Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce was started twenty-one years ago at the Elk Creek Campground. Jim Jones, Merilee Adamson, Ben Roeser, Gini Hyde and Howard Garthwait were some of the first presidents. Howard Garthwait was called into service several times through the years, Rick Huston; Liz Ramos Cochran was the President from 1994 to 1995. Harvey Shinar, Debbie Wilkinson, Eddie Davenport, Cheryl Wainwright, Bob Schmalzbach, and James Buchner have been in the presidency in the last decade.

As James Buchner stated, the job of the Chamber is “to promote and encourage business, commerce and quality of life for the citizens of Happy Camp and the Highway 96/Klamath River Corridor.” In order to do this the Chamber has often entertained town meetings with political candidates or elected officials of the county and state. The Chamber of Commerce started the Neighborhood Watch on the recommendation of Charlie Byrd and Kay Bryan when there was a great deal of burglary and theft every night. This action turned the situation around and the crime rate plummeted when the Watch became active.

Over the years the Chamber has hosted St. Patrick’s Day dinner, Show & Shine auto events and World’s Sweetest Bike Rally Fourth of July weekend at the River Park.

In all these ways the Chamber has promoted and enhanced life in Happy Camp and along the beautiful wild Klamath River.

Business, Chamber of Commerce

Happy Camp Cubs Bridge to Boy Scout Troop #52

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Just over a year ago, the Cub Scouts of Happy Camp were revived! This year, the time for the annual Blue and Gold Banquet has come and the boys had a lot of accomplishments, good times and fun to look back on.

Happy Camp Scouts

They’ve hiked and done community service. They’ve served breakfast to hundreds of bikers. Camped and learned archery and riflery and sang songs at the top of their lungs. There is no one that can sing like an energetic pack of Cub Scouts! The Webelos, Den 5 under the den leaders Louie Tiraterra, Jr. and his sister Eileen, with help from Lucille Tiraterra also have prepared themselves to become Boy Scouts.

That is just what happened at the Blue and Gold banquet last Friday. They became Boy Scouts of Patrol 2 of Troop 52. Carol Sharp who is Scoutmaster for the Patrol 1 Boy Scouts, and her Troop welcomed the boys across the bridge to the Boy Scout campfire where each boy received a neckerchief of their new rank. Kyle Stockton, Christopher Riehm, Pihnuftuff Ellston, James Simmons were the Boy Scouts. Barrett Harrison, Alex Garcia, Casey Tiraterra, and Jacob Gonzales were the Webelos of Den 5 bridging to Boy Scouts.

The delicious chicken for dinner was generously donated by Parry’s Market. The Happy Camp Elementary opened the kitchen for Ginny Bunnell to cook the chicken in their ovens for the banquet. Christina Kelley and Dan Stewart led the Wolves of Den 2 in singing just before the meal. Wolves also won the award for having the best-decorated table which they had done in an Aloha theme as they’ve been practicing the Hula and playing Hawaiian games for the month of February.

Andy Tripp of Crater Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America joined the group for the Banquet and shared a few minutes of Friends of Scouting. The Pack and Troop each got a ribbon for their flag also. From Crater Lake Council.

Danielle Cruz-Riehm gave boys, Michael Riehm and Frank Davis from the Tigers Den, Sam Davis and Jeffrey Kawyer from the Wolves and Jacob Gonzales of the Webelos their award for participating in Snowcapades. These boys went to Lake of the Woods to the Cub Scout camp on a recent Saturday where they played in the snow. The Tigers also received a lot of awards; Michael Riehm, Frank Davis and Chaance Rasmussen made maps of the community and have been watching the stars too.

Tina Kelley presented Carl Mayton and Silas Yoshomoto with awards for achievements they have earned and Erica Kawyer presented boys with additional awards.

Some of the awards from the Rain gutter Regatta had not been given at the previous Pack Meeting and so Skyler Bunnell, John Cook, Casey Tiraterra, Alex Garcia, and Barrett Harrison and Skyler also received his Bear Badge.

Cub Master Dan Bushy introduced Vickie Simmons as the new chairperson for the Scouting committee. Cherie Estes is handling the bookkeeping and Pastor Bill Estes represents the Charter organization, the Happy Camp Assembly of God The leaders of both the Pack (Cub Scouts) and the Troop (Boy Scouts) wish to thank all in the community who have so generously given them help and support in the past year. . Thanks especially to Parry’s Market, Happy Camp Elementary School and Ginny Bunnell.

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