2A — THE OBSERVER
D AILY
P LANNER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2019
LOCAL
La Grande, Elgin teachers garner recognition
By Dick Mason
The Observer
TODAY
Today is Friday, Nov. 15, the
319th day of 2019. There are 46
days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
On Nov. 15, 1942, the naval
Battle of Guadalcanal ended
during World War II with a deci-
sive U.S. victory over Japanese
forces.
ON THIS DATE
In 1777, the Second Conti-
nental Congress approved the
Articles of Confederation.
In 1806, explorer Zebulon
Pike sighted the mountaintop
now known as Pikes Peak in
present-day Colorado.
In 1864, during the Civil War,
Union forces led by Maj. Gen.
William T. Sherman began
their “March to the Sea” from
Atlanta; the campaign ended
with the capture of Savannah
on Dec. 21.
In 1935, the Commonwealth
of the Philippines was estab-
lished as its new president,
Manuel L. Quezon, took offi ce.
In 1937, at the U.S. Capitol,
members of the House and
Senate met in air-conditioned
chambers for the fi rst time.
In 1958, actor Tyrone Power,
44, died in Madrid, Spain,
while fi lming “Solomon and
Sheba.” (Power’s part was
recast with Yul Brynner.)
In 1959, four members of
the Clutter family of Holcomb,
Kansas, were found murdered
in their home. (Ex-convicts Rich-
ard Hickock and Perry Smith
were later convicted of the
killings and hanged in a case
made famous by the Truman
Capote book “In Cold Blood.”)
In 1961, former Argentine
President Juan Peron, living in
exile in Spain, married his third
wife, Isabel.
In 1966, the fl ight of Gemini
12, the fi nal mission of the
Gemini program, ended suc-
cessfully as astronauts James
A. Lovell and Edwin “Buzz” Al-
drin Jr. splashed down safely
in the Atlantic after spending
four days in orbit.
In 1984, Stephanie Fae
Beauclair, the infant publicly
known as “Baby Fae” who had
received a baboon’s heart to
replace her own congenitally
deformed one, died at Loma
Linda University Medical Cen-
ter in California three weeks
after the transplant.
In 1987, 28 of 82 people
aboard a Continental Airlines
DC-9, including the pilots, were
killed when the jetliner crashed
seconds after taking off from
Denver’s Stapleton Interna-
tional Airport.
In 2003, two Black Hawk he-
licopters collided and crashed
in Iraq; 17 U.S. troops were
killed.
Whether in a classroom
with a leopard gecko or at
a swimming pool leading a
triathlon, elementary school
teachers Sarah Jacobson
and Kelly McLaughlin know
how to make a splash with
their students.
It is why both recently
received buoyant news —
word that they were selected
as the Union County win-
ners of the Community
Bank Apple Appreciation
Awards for teachers.
Jacobson, a fourth- and
fi fth-grade teacher at
Grande Ronde Academy in
La Grande, learned of the
news at a school assembly.
“I was completely sur-
prised,” she said.
Jacobson said the only
hint she had came from one
of her pupils.
“The student said, ‘I know
something I can’t tell you,
but you will be pleased,’” she
said.
McLaughlin, a physical
education teacher at Stella
Mayfi eld Elementary School
in Elgin, also was caught
off guard when she received
word of the award via a
phone call.
“I had no idea,” she said.
Stella Mayfi eld Principal
Tom Sorensen is delighted
that McLaughlin is being
recognized.
“She is truly worthy of
this honor,” he said. “She is
very dedicated to kids and
the community.”
McLaughlin is in her sev-
enth year at Stella Mayfi eld.
She was a classroom teacher
her fi rst fi ve years before be-
coming a physical education
teacher there in 2018-19.
“I’m loving it. I was a PE
major in college, so this was
a perfect fi t,” said McLaugh-
lin, an Eastern Oregon
University graduate.
She said the chance to
help children is the best part
of her job.
“It is the kids. I love work-
ing with them,” McLaughlin
said.
McLaughlin, who grew up
south of Klamath Falls, said
she had long dreamed of
being a teacher.
“Both of my parents were
teachers so it is in my blood,”
she said.
McLaughlin has started a
number of new programs at
Stella Mayfi eld, including an
annual spring triathlon for
fi fth- and sixth-graders in
which students swim, bike
and run. She hopes to open
the triathlon to the public
this spring.
“I want it to be a commu-
nity event,” she said.
This is symbolic of
McLaughlin’s community
Dick Mason/The Observer
Sarah Jacobson, a fourth and fi fth grade teacher at Grande Ronde Academy,
discusses the fi ne points of a wildlife skull with her students.
mindedness. Sorensen said
she is excellent at reaching
out to local businesses and
organizations like the Lions
Club and get them involved
in school programs.
“She does a good job of
partnering with the com-
munity. This is important
because we are a commu-
nity school,” Sorensen said.
The principal also said
McLaughlin has an endear-
ing sense of humility.
“It is diffi cult for her to ac-
cept compliments,” he said.
Jacobson has been at
Grande Ronde Acad-
emy about a year less than
McLaughlin has been at
Stella Mayfi eld. She is in
her second year as a full-
time fourth- and fi fth-grade
teacher at Grande Ronde
Academy and before that
was a part-time teacher and
member of the GRA offi ce
staff.
“She is an outstanding
teacher and very dedi-
cated,” said Grande Ronde
Academy Principal Phillip
O’Reilly.
Darcy Pedro, an adminis-
trative assistant at Grande
Ronde Academy, echoes this
praise.
“She does not stop. She is
one of the fi rst ones here at
the start of the day and one
of the last to leave,” Pedro
said.
The administrative as-
sistant added that Jacobson
is accessible to her students
24/7, noting that she encour-
ages students to send her
text messages after school if
they have any questions.
“Even when she is at
home she is there for her
students,” Pedro said.
Jacobson’s classroom
is fi lled with additions
designed to make subjects
the students study in
textbooks jump off the page,
sometimes in a literal sense.
These include her class-
room’s pets — four frogs,
several guinea pigs and two
leopard geckos, which are
lizards found in Asia and
throughout Afghanistan.
The guinea pigs are what
Jacobson’s students are
watching now with great
anticipation.
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THANKSGIVING
Dinner
Community Connection Nutrition
Department is once again providing
Th anksgiving Dinners that will serve a family of 4 for $ 35.00.
Th ese are designed for those families that are too busy to cook and
there is no work for you! Th ese meals also make wonderful gift s for
those families that are struggling.
Contact Sydney Gleeson @ Commnity Connection
541-962 5851
See the Impact of
Your Generosity TODAY
If you are 70½ years old or older, you can take advantage of a simple way to
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“To oppose something is to
maintain it.”
— Ursula K. Le Guin, American
writer (1929-2018)
“One of the guinea pigs
is about to give birth. The
students are pretty excited
about that,” Jacobson said.
Her classroom’s many
other features include
animal skulls and furs and
geologic materials. Jacob-
son often has her students
handle objects like these
when they can be tied in
to the curriculum being
studied.
“Kids love hands-on
activities,” Jacobson said.
The Grande Ronde Acade-
my teacher has two degrees
from EOU, an undergradu-
ate degree and a master’s in
teacher education.
Her background includes
two years working for the
Peace Corps in Romania
from 1998 to 2000. There
she was impressed with
how the educational system
focused on developing all
elements of a student,
including character. Today
she is applying what she
learned in Romania to her
classroom.
“I want my students to
be good citizens,” Jacobson
said.
The Community Bank
Apple Appreciation Award
acknowledges current
elementary school, middle
school and high school
teachers. The winning teach-
er from each Community
Bank location in Northeast
Oregon was presented
with an Apple Appreciation
Award trophy and asked
to choose a club or student
organization at their school
to receive a $200 donation
from the bank.
Jacobson chose to have
her donation go to GRA’s
robotics club and McLaugh-
lin had hers go to Stella
Mayfi eld’s triathlon.
OFFICE OF GIFT PLANNING / 503-228-1730
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presents