Editorial

A time of transition

As graduation day fast approaches at high schools, near and far, excited seniors are getting fitted for their caps and gowns.

It will be a proud day for the Class of 2000 and their family and friends.

We wish them all the best with their work careers or their college careers.

While tossing study books into cardboard boxes and heading for the beach is probably high on most would-be graduates to-do list, the coming weeks are also a good time to start thinking about college.

Meanwhile, for Canby High grads who are about to finish their four-year college careers, it is time to start a career, make some money . . . and begin repaying college loans.

The state Financial Aid Agency is seeking to dispel the murky myth of college loan repayments, and has launched a web site to assist student borrowers.

The months of May and June find Oregon's college and university graduates anticipating their futures, and the Oregon Student Assistance Commission (OSAC) wants to remind students that part of planning for the future involves budgeting for repayment of student loans.

As college costs have increased annually, a greater number of Oregon students and their families have borrowed money as a way to pay for an education.

Oregon college students borrow $400 million annually, and the average debt balance for a graduate in the Class of 2000 will run $10,600 - all of which must be repaid.

There is one persistent myth about student loans - that college students do not repay their loans.

In reality, the Oregon student loan default rate today (a loan at least 270 days past due) is the lowest it has been in two decades, OSAC reports.

The current student loan default rate is below 8 percent, and the vast majority of students are making regular loan repayments. The decline in the default rate is due in large part to the strength of the job market and the robust state and national economies.

In addition to efforts to help borrowers already past due in their payments, OSAC has begun a new initiative to keep student borrowers out of trouble in the first place. Oregon student borrowers should visit OSAC's new web site at www.collegeloan.org, where they can get valuable information on loan repayment and contact numbers to help them keep their payments current and their credit healthy.

The OSAC was created by the Oregon Legislature in 1959 and administers a variety of state, federal and privately funded student financial aid programs for the benefit of Oregonians attending colleges.

Last year, the agency awarded $16 million in need-based grant aid, nearly $6 million in privately funded scholarships, and guaranteed $116 million in loans from private lenders.

If you have a child or a friend who needs advice for repaying student loans, OSAC can be reached at (541) 687-7400, or online at www.osac.state.or.us.

Letters to the editor

Thanks, Canby, for allowing
us to share the gift of music

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Canby community for its help and support during our recent fund-raising activities.

We raised the necessary money to fund our trip to Victoria, B.C. through can and bottle drives, basket raffles, car washes, candy sales, a lot of hard work and a great deal of community support.

We also had some timely assistance from Cutsforth's Thriftway, Papa Murphy's, Godfather's Pizza, the Knights of Columbus, the Kiwanis Club and several individuals.

Your assistance allowed the advanced orchestras of Ninety-One School and Ackerman to study at the Victoria Conservatory of Music.

This experience allowed us to learn music from a different perspective. It taught us that music, for some people, is not just a class you take in school. It can be a way of life.

We learned new ways to approach music's difficulties. We learned, too, that our dreams can become real when we decide to make it so.

The reports I have received from the students who went on this trip are very positive and enthusiastic. We learned much more than I had expected.

I very much appreciate the wonderful contributions made by this community. I especially wish to thank the parents who gave time and money and more to make this trip a reality.

It is a privilege to be a part of a community as giving and supportive as Canby.
Robert Koehler
orchestra teacher
Canby High School

Rock Creek Cemetery volunteers
performed a valuable service

Again we thank the volunteers who came and did what they believed to be their "community service" at the Rock Creek Cemetery on May 13.

There were about 30 advisers and young people from the LDS Church in Canby, Lorell Hock and her grandsons, Pat Cummings, Harold Yoder, Fred Utter, Ernie and Irva Graham. Others like Lorene and Dale Leabo, who come throughout the year to weed-eat are a great encouragement also, as are those who donate in memorium.

The board of Rock Creek Cemetery Association wants you to know that since we know that everybody's time is valuable to them, we greatly appreciate the time and effort you have given to this work.
Thank you.
Ernie Graham
President Rock Creek Cemetery Board
Canby

The community helped
transform our playing fields

Canby Kids Junior Baseball would like to say a big "thank you" to all of the coaches, parents and players who participated in the annual field day cleanup and preparation.

Your hard work has helped transform the fields that our kids play ball on. This was one of the best turnouts in years, and everyone's help is greatly appreciated.

It truly takes a team effort to make this a successful organization, and it's great to see the response we are getting this year.

Community involvement and support is what makes organizations that serve our children possible. It's also part of what makes Canby a great place to live and raise our families.

So once again, thank you!
Richard Peralta
Canby Kids Junior Baseball Board member

VFW seeking vets for
membership in Aurora club

I am searching for a way to reach the veterans of our community and surrounding area who have fulfilled their duty to Uncle Sam in one or more of our recent wars.

If they, male or female, served overseas or were assigned to a foreign theatre of operations, we invite them to pursue membership in the Canby/Aurora Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

The post meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Aurora. I can guarantee you will not find a friendlier group to associate with.

We have a most excellent auxiliary. In fact, we have to work hard to stay ahead of them. So, come visit us and give your wife an evening out with you.

Attend Post 6057's next meeting Thursday, June 8.
Herman A. Bergman
Chaplain
Canby