 Dawn Dean has devoted her life to teaching. After obtaining her degree at Bushnell University, she began to work as an Instructional Assistant in the Western Placer Unified School District near Sacramento, California, and then moved to working in the resource room. It was a natural transition for her to become a substitute teacher, and when she began to teach 5th grade in Creswell, it was where she would remain until becoming Veneta Elementary School’s new principal last autumn after the retirement of former principal Lisa Latham.
Dean, who received her Administrative License from the University of Oregon, would have been happy to remain a 5th grade teacher, had a position as a principal not come up. In fact, when she interviewed for the Veneta Elementary job, she confided to her husband Troy, that she didn’t think she’d gotten it. However, she received a call on a Tuesday, one day after the interview took place, and was told the district wanted, in fact, to hire her. In the months since taking the helm, Dean has found she loves being a principal. “I used to love on the students as much as I was able,” she reflects. “Now, I can love on the students, staff, and the families.” Dean has been told that it is not wise to make a lot of changes in the first year of being a school principal and she is heeding this advice. Once the school year ends in June, she will then reflect on what went well and what could be changed and then make a decision. In the meantime, she will focus on the students, whom she describes as “caring” and “loving” and the staff, which she describes as “amazing.” She tries to make a point of being out of her office as much as she can so the students can see her, and they can interact. She also keeps her hand in teaching and will fill in for teachers who must be absent for one reason or another, most recently taking a P.E. class so the teacher could be away coaching a sports team. During last December’s tree lighting, Dean, who grew up in California singing in choirs and participating in drama, led a school choir in singing a selection of carols. Family is important to Dean as well. Married to Troy, a pastor and professor at Bushnell University, for 30 years, she is the mother of three sons – Tanner 26, Dakota 25, and Chase 24. For ten years during their childhood, she was a stay-at-home mom, a time she recalls with immense fondness as being there for them at this age was of great importance to her. Tanner is following in his parents’ footsteps and is an Instructional Assistant at Shasta Middle School in Eugene. He is working on getting his master’s degree so he can teach. Dakota works in the fashion industry in New York and Chase works in the tech field. Dean is proud of her sons and what they have accomplished, all of whom she describes as “single and available.” Life hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Dean and her family, however. Several years ago, she was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma the “size of a marshmallow but not as fun to eat.” Brain surgery was required so it could be removed and today, Dean, who possesses a strong religious faith, enjoys full health that she credits to God and His goodness. Dean looks forward to spending many years as Veneta Elementary School’s principal and getting to know the myriad children who come through its doors just as she once got to know her 5th grade students. She loves Veneta Elementary, and she hopes she can be as much of a positive influence on the children here as she was when she was in the classroom so that when they look back years from now on their elementary school experience, it will be with fondness towards a principal who truly cared for their wellbeing and wanted to make their days at Veneta Elementary School the best they could be. Fun fact: Dean worked at Disneyland right out of high school doing sales on Main Street. At one point, she was asked to play Snow White but said no after learning she would have to sign an agreement to stay out of the sun so her skin would be pale due to the cosmeticians using the same amount of make-up on everyone who played a character.
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 Lane County Sheriff’s Deputies have taken one suspect into custody and are searching for a second in conjunction with several Veneta area burglaries.
Within a two-week period during October of last year, a restaurant, a residence, and a market were burglarized. Austin James Blaylock, 30, was identified by deputies as one of the suspects. After search warrants were issued at two Veneta residences associated with Blaylock, evidence was found linking him to the crimes and he was taken into custody on two counts of Burglary in the 1st Degree, four counts of Burglary in the 2nd Degree, five counts of theft in the 1st Degree, Theft in the 2nd Degree, and Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree. As of January 14th, he remained in custody at the Lane County Jail. Deputies have also identified Charles Guy Younkin-Stec, 33, of Veneta, as an additional suspect in the burglaries. A search warrant was applied for and granted for his trailer, located in the 88300 block of Ridiculous Road. Before it could be served, however, Crow High School was burglarized and suffered a loss of more than $10,000 worth of items. Deputies then learned that Linn County had discovered evidence linking Younkin-Stec to a residential burglary from earlier in the summer of 2024. Younkin-Stec has not been able to be located and taken into custody for the seven listed burglaries, partly because local residents associated with him have refused to cooperate with authorities. Younkin-Stec has caused significant hardships and financial loss to Veneta-area businesses, residents, and students. Anyone with information on his whereabout is requested to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541-682-4141.  DeAnna Townsend poses in her office with mixed breed puppy Fiona. DeAnna Townsend saw a need and decided to fill it. Her work at the Veneta Service Center assisting the unhoused brought to her attention just how food insecure they are, and this in turn, led to her requesting a Little Free Pantry that could be installed just outside of the Service Center building.
A part of the Waste to Taste program, a food rescue and free food box program that works in partnership with bakeries, grocery stores, restaurants, and farms to salvage food and redistribute it to those in the community, the Little Free Pantries work to address hunger at a ramped-up level. LFP’s are maintained by a crew of volunteers and the owner of the property where the LFP is sited accepts responsibility for its care. Veneta was fortunate enough to receive a specially painted LFP and it was accessible 24/7. It proved popular, but because of the mental illness suffered by some members of the homeless population, there would always be a mess that would have to be cleaned up. Townsend realizes that those who are doing this are unwell, but more recently four youths have taken to vandalizing the LFP and a decision was made to remove it from its prior location due to a desire to balance providing this service with protecting patrons of the Service Center, the majority of whom are seniors. Often, there would be broken glass near the front entrance and other items strewn about would also present a tripping hazard. Townsend says the youths responsible for the vandalism were caught on the security cameras that were installed two months ago in response to the messes and appear to be either in fifth grade or early middle school. The Service Center’s location between Dairy Mart and American Market means kids frequently pass by as they go to one store or the other to purchase candy and soda pop. It is unknown who the kids responsible are, but the video has them at the Service Center after dark. “They are doing this to be stinkers,” Townsend states matter-of-factly. Things finally reached a point where the Board of Directors, in agreement with the volunteers whose task it was to maintain the LFP, decided it had become too much to have to clean up the mess left behind daily. It was time for it to go. It saddened them to have to make this pronouncement, but they saw no other alternative. Then, Savannah Celeste, owner of Luava’s Place, offered to host the LFP in front of her business and it was given a second chance to feed the hungry. Townsend toted the LFP down the block on a hand truck to its new home where it will still be monitored via cameras so offenders will be caught as continued messes are all but guaranteed. Townsend stresses that the LFP is not designed to have strings attached and if it is destroyed, it will be replaced by Waste to Taste. Nevertheless, it is disheartening to see the destruction wrought by those whose minds are not functioning properly but even more so by youngsters who seemingly have no respect for the property of others. At the same time, Townsend says, some of the unhoused have pushed the limits and have had to be told if they cannot be respectful, they cannot be on the Service Center property following gatherings that have taken place after hours beneath the covered area behind the building. Drinking and smoking have occurred and when staff have been working late, they have reprimanded those who have been partaking in this behavior to stop. Meanwhile, Townsend and others continue to work to meet the needs of the unhoused via programs that provide tents and tarps as well as air mattresses, cots, tie downs, and hygiene products courtesy of money received in a grant. Showers are available once a week and laundry can be dropped off on Wednesday and picked up on Friday. There is a general sense of compassion for the unhoused and work will continue to see that they have food they can easily access and at least a rudimentary shelter to protect them from the elements. While it may get frustrating at times, Townsend and the others who strive to assist those in need know they are not there to judge those who are unwell and unhoused but to care enough to want to extend a hand, a smile, and acknowledge their humanity while doing what they can to make things just a little easier.  Music is more than a past-time for Jen Sennet-Franklin. It’s a passion, and she loves nothing better than to share this enthusiasm with others. For the past twenty years, she has performed with her brother-in-law at area wineries such as Hayworth and Sarver. While he plays the guitar and she plays the ukulele or the box drum, the two sing a selection of classic rock, pop, and folk music for the pleasure of those who are there as guests. It’s a lot of fun and while she admits to still having performance anxiety after all these years, Sennet-Franklin likes being able to do this.
It was while working at Fern Ridge Middle School in 2019 as an assistant in the band room under teacher Cameron Siegel that Sennet-Franklin learned how to play the ukulele. Already able to play the guitar, she learned the basics of ukulele from merely being in Siegel’s class and observing. It was fun, and she enjoyed adding this instrument to her repertoire which also includes the violin, the flute, and more recently, the piano. Then, Covid hit, and the schools were closed. To fill her time, Sennet-Franklin busied herself with visual arts such as making sun catchers and wind chimes. Eventually, an opportunity arose in early 2021 to teach Tots Rock, a child/parent music class in Eugene. Sennet-Franklin jumped at the chance. She worked to put a class together and this proved to be a positive experience as she gained skills in lesson planning and getting her young pupils to calm down. This in turn led to teaching opportunities at preschools in the Veneta area followed by teaming up with former music teacher Amy Humphrey to teach ukulele at Veneta Elementary. This came about when it was learned that the school was looking for someone to teach music after a grant had been received to fund the teaching of music in the schools in a program similar to Artist in Residence. Elmira Elementary already had a ukulele program so Sennet-Franklin also started teaching there and this, in turn, led to teaching after school and summer school programs. Life was good and Sennet-Franklin was busy in a most enjoyable way. She loved her students, and she loved imparting her knowledge of music to them. Then, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and found herself fighting for her life. All that she had been doing came to a screeching halt. Fortunately, treatment has thus far been successful, and she has gone into remission but now she must pick up where she left off and to that end, she has begun teaching ukulele and voice lessons in a large, refurbished shed on her Jeans Road property. It’s a welcoming space that features a small piano and an ornate antique desk as well as a blue chaise lounge where her students can sit. To accommodate little legs, the chaise’s legs were shortened so youngsters could sit more comfortably. Some of her wind chimes and sun catchers hang in the windows and the ambiance is one of feeling welcome and being able to relax. Her husband did the drywall and the air conditioning and will also eventually add a porch and a fence. Having the lessons here in this shed will allow Sennet-Franklin to rest between sessions as she is still getting her health back and she is also teaching smaller groups. Recently, she has begun an incentive program to get her students to practice by allowing them to choose a prize after reaching a goal of 200 minutes of practice time with the goal being to inspire them to want to practice. “It’s a nice niche,” Sennet-Franklin says about what she does. “My performing adds to the lessons, and I look for opportunities for the kids to perform.” Recently her students gave a ukulele performance at Applegate Regional Theatre and while she knows they get nervous, Sennet-Frankling wants them to feel comfortable on stage and be able to work through their nerves. Sennet-Franklin also teaches adult classes in her shed classroom and has also taught at the Service Center. It has been her experience that people will start out with the ukulele and then transition to the guitar. Because of its small size and few strings, students, particularly children, feel successful sooner with the ukulele. It’s been an interesting, rewarding path that Sennet-Franklin has followed with her music, one that she probably could not have imagined initially, but one she now cannot imagine not having done. Because of her, countless children have been given an introduction to the beauty of music that they may not have had otherwise, and they have gained skills in playing an instrument. This could become a lifelong love for some of these kids and one day, one of them could well go on to become the next generation to teach and impart a love that was once imparted to them. |
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