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SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM Tips to combat cyberbullying during a complicated school year Sarah McQueen Willamette Connections Academy Starting off the school year hasn’t been easy for many students with the ongoing pandemic, and the threat of cyberbullying may make things worse. When the coronavirus forced schools to switch to emergency on- line education, many worried that cyberbullying would soar. However, new research shows that both bully- ing and cyberbullying actually dropped by up to 40%. With the gradual return to in-per- son learning, bullying has increased, in part due to perpetrators engaging in both types of activities, according to the study. According to the latest national figures, one in five high school stu- dents has reported being cyberbul- lied. However, the frequency was higher for middle schoolers, which aligns with what I observed a few years ago as a brick-and-mortar middle school teacher. Some kids at this age just want to look cool so they do anything to make that happen, even if it means putting others down. Smartphones, social media apps and online games have become es- sential for teens and tweens to keep in touch with friends. During the pandemic, many schools added Zoom, Google Classroom and other digital platforms for educational purposes, tempting internet trolls to interfere. The more time young people spend on screens, the more likely they are to encounter a cyberbully. Cyberbullies threaten, humiliate and do other cruel things through texts, tweets, email and online video games. Experts say more of this ha- rassment happens on teens’ favorite social media including TikTok, In- stagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Discord and YouTube. A cyberbully can pack a bigger punch than the schoolyard bully be- cause the digital attack can go viral, amplifying the victim’s painful ex- perience across the internet. Studies show cyberbullied children are at higher risk for anxiety, suicidal thoughts and academic problems. Cyberbullying has serious conse- quences, so it’s important for fam- ilies to take positive actions before and after situations arise. Several groups promote October as National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month to inform parents, educators and students about ways to combat cyberbullying. for all of their social media ac- counts to you? What about install- ing parental control software to stop inappropriate content from bullies? Do your research and de- cide which measures should be tak- en to help protect your child. Encourage teens to be responsi- ble digital citizens by showing you which apps they use and how they’re staying safe online. Strong privacy settings so only friends can connect and avoiding links and at- tachments from unfamiliar sources are also good preemptive mea- sures. Open communication Some students are afraid or em- barrassed to talk about cyberbully- ing with their parents so adults should nurture open communica- tion. Let kids know they can come to you if they’re being digitally ha- rassed and that they will receive your unconditional support. Know your options Students should have a safety plan in case cyberbullying happens to them. A 2020 national study indicated 60% of the time tweens blocked the cyberbullies, and in over half the cases kids turned to parents for as- sistance. Retaliating could make things worse, so it’s better to look at op- tions like reporting cyberbullying to social media sites. Parents may also want to meet with school offi- cials or contact their local police, if necessary. Buddies not bullies Bystanders sticking up to sup- port the person being bullied can make a big difference. When I’ve witnessed students defend their peers, it deescalates tense situa- tions – whether in person or online. There are simple things that by- standers to bullying can do to help diffuse the situation such as ques- tioning the behavior, changing the subject or using humor to redirect the conversation. Reaching out privately to check on the person who was bullied and letting them know that you care can also have a positive impact. With technology changing so rapidly, I worry about what cyber- bullying will look like when my 8- year-old stepdaughter gets into middle school. Raising awareness about cyberbullying is a year- round effort and we need more fam- ilies taking steps to protect their children from these harmful situa- tions. Ounce of prevention Resources for families Block bullies by teaching kids how to be safe online and monitor their activities in cyberspace. To help pre- vent cyberbullying, parents should be honest with students about ground rules and expectations when they first start using digital devices. You know what’s best for your family but consider being proactive. Should your children provide logins h stompoutbullying.org h cyberbullying.org/report h onlinesos.org h iheartmob.org h pacer.org/bullying h safeoregon.com Sarah McQueen is a Willamette Connections Academy Middle School teacher. Tracy Loew Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK State regulators have fined Dis- count Towing and Recovery $67,575 for multiple environmental viola- tions. The northeast Salem towing and recycling company broke laws regu- lating hazardous waste, used oil, waste tires and stormwater, the state Department of Environmental Quality said in its penalty order. Many of the violations posed a risk of serious environmental harm, and have not yet been corrected de- spite numerous requests from DEQ, the order says. Company owner Donald Duddles said he didn’t correct the violations because he also was dealing with complaints from the city of Salem about the number of cars on the property. “I stepped off onto the city stuff and forgot about keeping in touch with the state,” he said. “I have a head injury. Sometimes I get stuck in the here and now.” Dudley has appealed the fine. No hearing has yet been scheduled, DEQ spokesperson Lauren Wirtis said. DEQ inspectors visited the facil- ity, at 3750 Mainline Drive NE, on July 13, 2020. They found as much as 13,228 pounds of accumulated hazardous waste stored at the facility. The waste was in both labeled and unlabeled containers, none of which were marked as hazardous waste, and none of which were dated. Inspectors also found at least 50 improperly stored waste lead-acid batteries, 10 improperly stored mercury-containing switches re- moved from vehicles, two unla- beled 55-gallon drums full of oil stored outside, and a used oil filter draining oil into the ground. They also found about 4,000 unusable tires in piles at the facil- ity. The company does not have a waste tire storage permit. The company does not have per- mits to store, treat or dispose of hazardous waste, had never trained employees in hazardous waste requirements, and had no records of conducting required weekly inspections of hazardous waste storage areas. The company also operates an oil/water separator, which dis- charges to Claggett Creek. The company does not have a required permit for the discharge. Tracy Loew is a reporter at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at tloew@statesmanjour- nal.com, 503-399-6779 or on Twit- ter at @Tracy_Loew. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 | 3B See’s Candies CEO Pat Egan considers Oregon his home Capi Lynn Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK When Pat Egan be- came CEO of See’s Can- dies in 2019, he set a goal to visit each of the com- pany’s nearly 250 retail shops. He wanted inside in- formation on the brand, store associates and customers. One location he al- ready had intel on was Salem, where he lived and worked for nearly two decades. Egan was a frequent customer at the down- town See’s on Liberty Street NE, sandwiched between a Chinese res- taurant and the former JC Penney building, first buying treats for himself while a student at Wil- lamette University Col- lege of Law. “My study group used to go to Golden Crown, which is right next door,” Egan said during a re- cent Zoom interview with the Statesman Journal. The temptation of See’s, which sells choco- lates and candies by the piece or the box, was nearly impossible to re- sist. He became a regular, even braving long lines on some of the shop’s biggest days of the year, buying gifts for his wife at home and colleagues at the Oregon State Cap- itol. Egan was a longtime political insider who worked for two gover- nors — John Kitzhaber and Ted Kulongoski — and was influential in state utility and trans- portation issues. His ca- reer path led him from the Capitol to PacifiCorp in Portland, then NV En- ergy in Las Vegas, and fi- nally to See’s, all parts of Warren Buffet’s Berk- shire Hathaway empire. Buffet bought the Bay Area-based candy chain nearly 50 years ago in 1972. Egan joined See’s in 2018 as president and the following year be- came the top executive of a company that makes over 26 million pounds of candy a year, is known for its black-and-white color scheme and free samples, and is celebrat- ing its 100th anniversa- ry. And yes, eating what he calls “the best candy on the planet” is part of the job. Choosing a favorite candy is not easy Towing company fined $67,575 for environmental violations | Egan’s office is at See’s headquarters in South San Francisco, upstairs from a retail outlet and surrounded by production facilities. Proximity alone is an occupational hazard that led him to experi- ence his version of the “Freshman 15,” a term used to describe the weight students tend to gain during their first year of college. “It’s a real thing,” Egan said. “I narrowed it down after that to two pieces a day. Sometimes more.” On Fridays, he skips breakfast because he participates in a taste- testing panel. Picking a favorite See’s candy for him is al- most like picking a fa- vorite child. It tends to change, depending on the day, mood and sea- son, and he’s proud of all of them — his three chil- dren and the more than 100 varieties of sweets. Oldest daughter Madison graduated from Oregon Health & Science University and is doing her residence in a rural family medicine pro- gram in Klamath Falls. Son Matthew is working on his doctorate in elec- trical engineering with an emphasis on renew- able energy at the Univer- sity of Nevada, Reno. And youngest daughter Bridg- et is a junior at the Univer- sity of California San Die- go studying cognitive lin- guistics. As for the candy, Egan said he loves anything coffee-flavored. But, if he had to pick just one favor- ite, it would be the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Heart. “It was the first piece we introduced in my time here, and it had been a lit- tle over four years since any new piece had been,” Egan said. “But I would say that even if it wasn’t something that I had a part in introducing.” Donating inventory while shut down As sweet as his job has been, there have been un- expected and formidable challenges. When production had to be halted last year be- cause of COVID-19, and 249 stores all well-stocked for Easter had to be tem- porarily closed, Egan had to decide what to do with the inventory. It was only the second time in a century the com- pany’s operation was in- terrupted. The other was during World War II when production was derailed because raw ingredients such as butter, sugar and cream were rationed and in short supply. See’s prides itself in us- ing the finest ingredients and no preservatives, which means its candies have a limited shelf life. Most are meant to be sold and consumed with- in 60 to 120 days of pro- duction. To experience the best taste and texture, the company recom- mends enjoying most sweets within 2-3 weeks of purchase, according to a post on its Facebook page. With hundreds of thousands of boxes of candy it couldn’t sell and would soon expire, Egan coordinated efforts to do- nate it to hospitals, police and fire departments, and charitable organizations throughout the West. He called in favors with friends in Las Vegas and Portland, and at Oregon State University, where he graduated in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in histo- ry and is a past member of the alumni association board. He also recruited his oldest daughter, at the time attending OHSU, to help organize distribu- tion. It was estimated nearly 1 million people received a See’s treat. Salem’s inventory went primarily to frontline workers at Salem Hospi- tal, where two of Egan’s children were born, and to the Keizer Community Food Bank, which helped distribute to community members. Relying on experience in the company The Salem store was closed for about 4 1 ⁄ 2 months in 2020. Employ- ees were furloughed for two weeks, then collected unemployment. Once production re- sumed, they began taking phone orders in late July for curbside pickup and by late August, the store was re-opened. By then, devoted cus- tomers everywhere had found new ways to get their See’s fix. In addition to ordering online and having their favorite candy shipped to their door, two other contact- less shopping options for safety and convenience were introduced: “Click- ...Pick...Go! and a partner- ship with DoorDash. Fast forward to more than a year later, and a steady stream of custom- ers arrives at the Salem See’s on a recent weekday morning. Other than masks being required and free samples being pre- wrapped, it seems like business as usual. Salem has a dedicated and experienced team that includes store man- ager Susan Williams (eight years with the com- pany), assistant manager Robyn Skog (40 years) and sales associate Kelly Winkle (40 years). “We’re doing great there,” Egan said, “in large part because of those peo- ple.” He said many of his employees have been with See’s for decades. The last time he visited the Salem shop was in April, posing with the trio for a “teamie” — that’s what he calls the selfies he takes with team members at each location. This one captured 90 years of See’s experience. He’s the “roo- kie” of the group. Egan welcomes any chance he gets to visit the seven Oregon locations. The others are in Beaver- ton, Eugene, Happy Val- ley, Lake Oswego, Med- ford and Portland, accord- ing to the Shop Locator on the website. “I still consider Oregon very much my home,” said Egan, whose time in the State Capitol included working as chief of staff for former Gov. Kulongos- ki. Egan and his wife, Ka- ren, have a place on the Oregon Coast in Manzani- ta, near where he grew up. He lived in Nehalem with his grandmother and graduated from Neah- Kah-Nie High School in 1986. And when the Beachie Creek Fire forced evacua- tions from the Santiam Canyon last Labor Day, Egan arranged with a friend involved with the American Red Cross to de- liver six pallets of candy from San Francisco to the Oregon State Fairgrounds for evacuees. Williams and Winkle appreciated the gesture. They both live in the can- yon. Salem will always have a special place in his heart. He and Karen made homes in the Englewood and Brush Prairie neigh- borhoods when their chil- dren were young. Capi Lynn is the States- man Journal’s news col- umnist. Contact her at clynn@StatesmanJour- nal.com or 503-399-6710, or follow her on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ. 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