♥♣qrst✉ s✈✇①③ ④✉ ⑤⑥⑦⑧
The Observer
Survey offers insight into
realities of local teen drinking
⑨⑩ ❶❷❸❹❹ ❺❻❼❽❾❿❹❾❼
➀➁➂ ➃➄➅ ➆➇➈➅➂➉➅➂
Every year La Grande
School District and our stu-
dents have the opportunity
to participate
in the Oregon
Healthy Teen
or Oregon Stu-
dent Wellness
Survey. Stu-
✐❥❦♣❧♠♥❧❦ dents answer
questions on a
wide range of health top-
ics that include: school cli-
mate, mental and emotion-
al health, substance use,
parenting and parenting
attitudes, and personal or
community safety factors.
While students may be
asked various demographic
information to aid in devel-
oping survey results, stu-
dents are never asked their
names or other personally
➊➋➌➍➎➊➏➐➑➒➌ ➊➍➓➔→➣➐➎➊➔➍ ➎➔
maintain the anonymous
nature of the survey. Ad-
ditionally, parents have the
right to opt their student
out of the survey, but most
students enjoy the chance
to honestly respond and
see community results. As
a district, we encourage all
students to participate as
the information is essential
in helping us to know how
best to serve students and
meet their needs.
As an assistant prin-
cipal at LHS, I was fre-
quently asked questions
about substance abuse at
our high school. Commu-
nity members and parents
were concerned about a
wide variety of substances
in our community and how
these various trends im-
pacted our student body
and their families. While
La Grande is a rural com-
munity, we have students
who struggle with mari-
juana, tobacco, alcohol,
large amounts of over-the-
counter medications and
methamphetamine
that
can result in any number
of outcomes including hos-
pitalization and premature
death. Student use of vapes
with marijuana or tobacco
products has exploded and
is increasing in our state,
county and local schools.
La Grande School District,
law enforcement, Union
County Safe Communi-
ties Coalition and various
community agencies and
partners frequently work
together to help students
avoid behaviors and ad-
dictions that impede their
progress toward their
brightest future.
Alcohol use in high school
has been a problem for a
long time. Stories of week-
end parties, binge drink-
ing and drunk driving have
permeated our culture and
can be readily seen in most
movies that address adoles-
cents. The truth is that most
teenagers know who drinks
regularly, where they can
get alcohol, and where the
next party or opportunity
to drink will be. What is
encouraging is that, accord-
ing to the Oregon Student
Wellness Survey, fewer and
fewer students are choosing
to drink and participate in
at-risk behaviors common-
ly associated with regular
alcohol use/abuse.
In 2016, only 37.8 per-
cent of 11th-grade students
had never consumed alco-
hol. In 2018, that number
increased to 42.3 percent
(an increase of 4.5 percent),
with 22.4 percent of stu-
dents admitting to consum-
ing alcohol within 30 days
of taking the survey (a de-
crease of 5.5 percent since
2016). What is interesting is
that most students believe
friends and other students
are drinking more regularly
than they really are. In the
2018 survey, when students
were asked their perception
of other students drink-
ing within their school, the
majority responded they
believed more than 80 per-
cent of the student body
had consumed alcohol in
the last 30 days. The survey
showed that only 22.4 per-
cent of students had con-
sumed alcohol in the last 30
days, a 57.6 percent overes-
timate of reality. A review
of past surveys shows the
same pattern of student use
declining over time along
with an increasing percep-
tion that “everyone else is
doing it.”
While we may be winning
the war against underage
drinking in our community,
two statistics are alarming.
First, students who choose
to drink are drinking more
hard liquor (e.g., vodka,
rum, scotch, bourbon or
whiskey) than they have in
past surveys with wine and
beer usage declining. The
use of hard liquors and the
impacts on the adolescent
Warren graduates from basic
brain are concerning. Fur-
thermore, the mixing of
hard liquors and drugs or
prescription medications
increases the possibility of
tragic consequences. Sec-
ond, students were asked
in the survey where they got
the alcohol they consumed.
A growing percentage in-
dicated they got it from “a
parent.” From 2016 to 2018,
fewer students got alcohol
at parties, from a 21-year-
old, from an older sibling or
a stranger, but rather went
directly to a parent (a 3 per-
cent increase in the last two
years). Parents continue to
be an essential component
in helping their children
stay safe by reducing their
children’s and their friends’
access to alcohol.
La Grande School District,
Safe Communities Coalition
and our partners encour-
age families to help educate
their students on the risks
of underage drinking. While
we may believe that “every-
one is doing it” and popular
culture supports that mes-
sage, the data is clear that far
fewer students are consum-
ing alcohol regularly. While
we have work to do, we ap-
preciate parents, friends
and siblings who have tough
conversations and actively
work to keep each other
safe. Thank you for all your
❡❛✂✂
UNION — The follow-
ing students in 7th grade
through 12th grade were
named to the Union High
School honor roll for the
➏→↕➎ ↕➌➣➌↕➎➌→ ➔➓ ➎➞➌
✄ ➦ ☎✆✝
19 academic year. To claim
this distinction, students
must have earned at least
a 3.50 GPA on a 5.00 scale.
7th grade
Kaci Baxter 4.257, Mari-
✞
➌➒➒➌ ➫→➐↔ ➍➋➌→
✟ ➙ ✄☎✟ ➟ ✠ ➐➨➋➐
Blackburn 3.986, Lindsey
Butler 3.971, Katy McCants
3.775, Mason Droke 3.70,
Titus Davenport 3.65, Noah
Wells 3.538, Gabriel Brandt
3.529.
8th grade
Jacob Burton 4.30, Dan-
ielle O’Reilly 4.30, Noah
Platz 4.30, Samuel Baxter
4.043, Nicholas Baxter
4.029, Mary Baxter 3.986,
Jazmyne Gonzales 3.80,
Caleb Later 3.757.
3.914, Carter Blackburn
3.857, Kaylee Lantis 3.771,
Sydney Antoine 3.743, Is-
rael O’Reilly 3.714, Monte
Kirby 3.67, Cole McLean
3.657, Jordan DeFries
3.557, Brooklynn Lathrop
3.514.
9th grade
Audrey Hill 4.30, Au-
drey Wells 4.30, Kaylin
Nowak 4.257, Callie Glenn
4.214, Virginia Kuhl 3.80,
Angelina Brandt 3.714,
Treyton DeFries 3.575.
11th grade
Emilee Freeman 4.50,
Rory Hill 4.50, Andrew
Lackey 4.50, Jaimee Bax-
ter 4.357, Hunter Coon
4.317, Jacie Kromwall
4.317, Brianna Kohr 4.314,
Zachary Johnston 4.30,
Ashlyn Baxter 4.171, Jax-
on Blackburn 4.071, Tyler
Olson 4.071, Kylie Bruce
3.986, Aubrey Sellick
10th grade
Adam Lewis 4.314, Ri-
ley Later 4.129, Keegan
Glenn 3.914, Jace Phillips
ÙÛ Ý❰
♦ Ð❰Úä❐
❚
❤
✁ ❰Ò❐ ❒❰Ú çÚÓÙÚ✃Ù ❤ Ý❰Ö×➱❰ÚäÞ
✃ÑÔ ❒ÖÔÙÙ➱Þ Ð❐Ö❐ÚÓ➱å ÑÐ❰ä➮❰Ó❐ä ÛÐÙê Ï❰
Ò✃Ö ê✃➱✃Ó❰Ðå ÓÐ❰✃Ú✃ÚÑ ❰Ó ➬Ù✃ÚÓ
❚
❒❰Ú çÚÓÙÚ✃ÙÞ ❐ã❰Òæ Ô❐ ❰✃Ðê❰Ú ÖÙêØ➱❐Ó❐ä ❰Ú ✃ÚÓ❐ÚÒ✃ð❐
❤
❐✃ÑÔÓ ❮❐❐× ØÐÙÑÐ❰ê ÓÔ❰Ó ✃ÚÖ➱➮ä❐ä ÓÐ❰✃Ú✃ÚÑ ✃Ú ê✃➱✃Ó❰Ðå
ä✃ÒÖ✃Ø➱✃Ú❐ ❰Úä ÒÓ➮ä✃❐ÒÞ ç✃Ð üÙÐÖ❐ ÖÙÐ❐ ð❰➱➮❐ÒÞ ØÔåÒ✃Ö❰➱
✤ ÓÚ❐ÒÒÞ ❰Úä Ï❰Ò✃Ö ❮❰ÐÛ❰Ð❐ ØÐ✃ÚÖ✃Ø➱❐Ò ❰Úä Ò×✃➱➱Òæ ç✃Ðê❐Ú
❮ÔÙ ÖÙêØ➱❐Ó❐ Ï❰Ò✃Ö ÓÐ❰✃Ú✃ÚÑ ❰➱ÒÙ ❐❰ÐÚ ÛÙ➮Ð ÖÐ❐ä✃ÓÒ
ÓÙ❮❰Ðä ❰Ú ❰ÒÒÙÖ✃❰Ó❐ ✃Ú ❰ØØ➱✃❐ä ÒÖ✃❐ÚÖ❐ ä❐ÑÐ❐❐ ÓÔÐÙ➮ÑÔ
ÓÔ❐
t Ùêê➮Ú✃Óå t Ù➱➱❐Ñ❐ ÙÛ ÓÔ❐ ç✃Ð üÙÐÖ❐æ
Swalberg wins bingo jackpot
➌↔➔→➎↕➙
Scott Carpenter is the
director of educational
programs for the La
Grande School District
and a member of the
Union County Safe Com-
Union School District releases honor roll
➆➇➈➅➂➉➅➂ ➈
ñòóô➶➷➷➵➼ óõ ö➾➶➹➷ ➽➾ô➵➷➾÷➹ ø➵÷➘ ñ➵➸ù➶ú➵
ûæ❒æ ç✃Ð üÙÐÖ❐ ç✃Ðê❰Ú çÐÓÔ➮Ð ➬æ ý❰ÐÐ❐ÚÞ ❰ þâèÿ ÑÐ❰ä➮❰Ó❐
➳➵➸➺➻➼ ➽➾➚➪➶➹➘ ➚➴➾➷➾
➬➮➱✃❐ ❒❮❰➱Ï❐ÐÑ ❮❰Ò ÓÔ❐ Õ❰Ö×ØÙÓ ❮✃ÚÚ❐Ð ÙÛ ❰ Ð❐Ö❐ÚÓ Ü➱Ñ✃Ú
Ý✃ÙÚÒ Ï✃ÚÑÙ Ú✃ÑÔÓÞ ÖÙ➱➱❐ÖÓ✃ÚÑ ßàáâ ÙÚ ÓÔ❐ ❐ãÓÐ❰ ÒÙÛÓ Ö❰Ðä
Ø➱❰åÒæ çÚ ❰ÓÓ❐Úä❰ÚÖ❐ Ð❐ÖÙÐä ❮❰Ò Ò❐ÓÞ ❮✃ÓÔ èé Ï❰Ò×❐ÓÏ❰➱➱
Ø➱❰å❐ÐÒ ÛÐÙê ÓÔ❐ Ü➱Ñ✃Ú Ó❐❰ê ÕÙ✃Ú✃ÚÑ ÓÔ❐ Ñ❰ê❐Òæ ❒❮❰➱Ï❐ÐÑ
ëÐ✃ÑÔÓì ❰ÖÖ❐ØÓÒ ÓÔ❐ Ö❰ÒÔ ÛÐÙê Ý✃ÙÚ íÐ❐Ò✃ä❐ÚÓ î❰ÓÔå ï➱✃ð❐Ðæ
❲✷✡✛✡ ❆✛✡❀✷✡② ❁✚❂❃
✹✒✑✇ s✑✬✥✑✒✥ ✇✔✑ ✔✘s
✘✇✘✙ ✘✒✗ ✇✔✘✧ ✔✥
❉✡☛☞✌✍✎✡✏ ◆✑✑✒✓✔✕✖s✗✘✙ ✬✑✦✥✗
✑✖ s✔✥ ✩s ✗✑✩✒✪✼✺✑✖✗ ✻✩✬✩✧❄
❋✚✛✜✢✏✓✔✥ ❖✣s✥✖✦✥✖
✲✵✵✭ ✯✒❝✻✕✗✥ ✘ ✪✑✑✗✾✿✕✘✻✩✧✙
❢✖✑✒✧ ✗✥s★ ✔✘s
❞✔✑✧✑✭
✇✥✗✗✩✒✪✫ ✥✒✪✘✪✥✬✥✒✧✫ ❈✚✜✜❅✎✍✶②
✘✒✒✩✦✥✖s✘✖✙ ✘✒✗ ✣✩✖✧✔
✢❊✛☛●❍✚✚■✏✓✔✥
❢✑✖✬s✭
❖✣s✥✖✦✥✖ ❝✘✒➆✧ ✪✥✧ ✧✑
❲✡☞☞✍✎✮✏ ✯✧✥✬ ✬✕s✧ ✖✕✒ ✥✦✥✖✙ ✥✦✥✒✧ ✩✒ ❯✒✩✑✒ ✘✒✗
✇✩✧✔✩✒ s✩✰ ✬✑✒✧✔s ✑❢ ✧✔✥
✺✘✻✻✑✇✘ ❝✑✕✒✧✩✥s✭ ❏✕✧ ✇✥
❝✥✖✥✬✑✒✙✭
❝✘✒ ✬✘★✥ s❞✘❝✥ ✘✦✘✩✻✘✣✻✥
❆✎✎✍✱✡✛✢☛✛②✏ ✲✳✧✔✫ ✴✵✧✔✫ ❢✑✖ ✧✔✑s✥ ✪✖✑✕❞s ✧✔✘✧ ✧✘★✥
❞✔✑✧✑s ✑❢ ✧✔✥✩✖ ✥✦✥✒✧s
✴✳✧✔✫ ✸✵✧✔✫ ✳✵✧✔ ✑✖ ✬✑✖✥✭
✘✒✗
✪✘✧✔✥✖✩✒✪s✭
❇✍✛✶✷☞☛②✏ ✹✒✑✇ ✑❢ ✘
❯✒✩✑✒ ✑✖ ✺✘✻✻✑✇✘ ❝✑✕✒✧✙ ❘✡☛❊✷ ❅✢✏
❑ ▲▼P◗❙ ❱✸✵❳ ❨✩❢✧✔ ❩✧✭✫
✖✥s✩✗✥✒✧ ✧✕✖✒✩✒✪ r✳ ✑✖
✽✘ ❬✖✘✒✗✥✫ ❖❭ ❪r❫✳✵
✑✻✗✥✖✼ ✽✥✧ ✕s ★✒✑✇ ✧✔✥
❑ ❴❵▼P◗❙ ✒✥✇s❜
✗✘✧✥✫ ✧✩✬✥ ✘✒✗ ❞✻✘❝✥ ✑❢
✧✔✥ ❝✥✻✥✣✖✘✧✩✑✒ ✘✒✗ s✥✒✗ ✘ ✻✘✪✖✘✒✗✥✑✣s✥✖✦✥✖✭❝✑✬
✖✥❝✥✒✧✫ ✪✑✑✗✾✿✕✘✻✩✧✙ ❞✔✑✧✑✭ ❑ ❣▼◗◗❙ ✳✸❱✾❪❳✴✾✴❱❳❱✭
Send us your
Community item
3.843, Autumn Daggett
3.786, Gannon Carreiro
3.68, Taylar Daggett
3.657, River Sol 3.657, An-
thony Goodwater 3.614,
Hannah Bello 3.529, Cole
Tobin 3.514.
12th grade
Abriel O’Reilly 4.50,
Ruby Ferguson 4.24,
Heather Haefer 4.20, Eliz-
abeth Verhelst 4.12, Skylar
Fitzpatrick 4.06, Crystal
Marks 4.00, Dustin Smith
3.86, Eve Goodwater
3.833, Ashley Scott 3.80,
Rosalyn Morton 3.66,
Forrest George 3.575,
Cheyenne Whipple 3.557,
Colton Rickert 3.50.
Exercise your body, mind and creativity at the library in April
New movement classes
➝→➊↕➞ ➏➒➣➟ ➠➡➊➍➜ ➡➎→➌➌➎➟➢
➐→➌ ➍➔➛ ➑➌➊➍➜ ➔↔➌→➌➋ ➐➎
in which a young teen
in 1980s Dublin forms a
band to impress his crush.
The library’s third annual
Peeps Diorama Contest is
underway. The contest will
run April 8-12 and is open
to all ages. Pick up an entry
form and rules at the library,
or download the form from
our Facebook page.
Teen Writing Circle
meets from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
on April 11 and 25. Make
Dragon Eggs at iCraft at
4 p.m. April 19. The mid-
dle school book club meets
Cook Memorial Library.
After the ongoing Gentle
Yoga class — which is free
and for adults, held from
noon to 1 p.m. on Wednes-
days (except the second
Wednesday of the month)
— a new Vinyasa/Active
Yoga class will be held
from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Both yoga classes are free
and for adults, taught by
Kitia Chambers. Partici-
pants should wear com-
fortable clothing. Some
mats and chairs are pro-
vided. No registration or
experience is required.
The second new class is
Ballet Basics for adults.
Ballet Basics is a free class
focusing on ballet funda-
mentals for the beginning
adult. The one-hour class
will be held at 5:15 p.m. on
Tuesdays from April 9 to
May 28. Registration is re-
quired for the ballet class
only.
Also for adults, the Page
Turners book club will
meet at 1 p.m. April 9 in
the Archives Room. The
book for April is the novel
“Chariot on the Mountain”
by Jack Ford.
Foreign Film Friday
in April is on the 12th
at 7 p.m. Watch a 2016
➐➎ ➤➥➤➦ ➧➙➣➙ ➔➍ ➎➞➌ ➏→↕➎
Thursday of the month.
The high school book club
meets at 4:30 p.m. the
same day. Contact Celine
❆ ✁ ✂✄☎✄ ✂✄ ✆
✁ ■✝✞❛ ✟✄ ❆✠✄ ✟②
❍❏❏▲ ▼ ◆❖❖P◗❘❙❯❏❖ ❱P❲
❏❳◗❏❨❨❏❩❯ ❖❏❲❬❘◗❏ ❭❪❫◆❭❭❴❵
✼✽✾✿❀❁ ❂❃❄❅❁❇
✡☛✡☛☞ ✌✍ ✎✏✑ ✒ ✓✔✕✖✗✘ ✏✙✚✛
for details. Teen events are
open to those in middle
and high school.
Toddler Time is on
Mondays at 10:20 a.m.
Little ones age 14 months
to 4 years and their care-
givers are invited to sing,
dance and play at this
weekly event. Children’s
LEGO club for age 5-12 is
on the second and fourth
Tuesdays of each month
from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Chil-
dren’s Storytime includes
crafts every Thursday
at 10:30 a.m. Baby Tot
Bop, for those 3 years old
and younger, is held Fri-
day mornings at 10:30.
All children’s events take
place in the Community
Room.
Children ages newborn
to age 5 may be signed up
for the Dolly Parton Imag-
ination Library online or
at the library. Participants
receive a free book in the
mail each month through
➎➞➌➊→ ➏➓➎➞ ➑➊→➎➞➋➐➨➙ ➩➒↕➔
for age 5 and younger,
Ready2Learn library cards
are available. Every month
the card is used, the child
is automatically entered
into a prize drawing.
The Literacy Center of-
fers tutoring to all ages.
Hours are 2:30 p.m. to
4:30 p.m. on Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday.
Call for an appointment,
or drop in.
The library encourages
community members to
participate in a city-wide
reading challenge, “Read
Together La Grande,” to
reach a shared goal of one
million minutes of read-
➊➍➜➙ ➫➔ ➎➔ ➭➊➎➨➔➯➐➜→➐➍➋➌➙
beanstack.org to sign up or
download the Beanstack
Tracker app for Android
or iOS.
Cook Memorial Library
is open from 10 a.m. to
6 p.m. Monday through
Thursday, from noon to 6
p.m. on Friday, and from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat-
urday.
Visit us at 2006 Fourth
St., La Grande, or call us
at 541-962-1339. Find
out more on our website,
➭➊➎➨➔➯➐➜→➐➍➋➌➙➔→➜➲➒➊➑→➐→➨
and Facebook page.
❜❏▲❘◗❙❲❏❝ ❞❢❯P❝ ❣P❤❏
❘❩❖❢❲✐❥❦❧ ✐❥♠ ◆❩❩❢❘❯❘❏❖
✺✜✢✣✤✥✺✣✢✦✧✜
❚♦★★ ❋✩❡❡ ✪✫✬✭✭✫✮✬✮✫✪✯✮✰
✱✱✱✳✩❡❡✲✫✴✵✶✷✩✸✵✹❡✳✵❡✻
❑❁❈✽❉ ❊❁❁●