Wednesday,February24,2021
Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
15
Winter play goes virtual
GORGE LEARNS
Screenshot from Gorgelearns.com, a new service of The History
Museum of Hood River County.
Ryan Zoellner photo
HR Museum launches
regional online
educational tool
Last week, The History
Museum of Hood River
County launched its latest
outreach effort: GorgeLearns.
com.
The project is a website
designed to connect people
with educational resources
from the Columbia Gorge re-
gion. Topics include history,
music, art, and technology
presented in short videos and
lectures collected from local
cultural institutions.
Samples include:
■ Lorena’s story, and
the Oregon Workers Relief
Fund that sustained her and
her family after her loss of
agricultural work, and the
work of The Next Door Inc.
to provide funding to needy
families, courtesy of donors.
■ Celilo Stories: Tribal
members tell first-hand
stories of the Columbia River
and Celilo Falls before it was
inundated by creation of The
Dalles Dam.
■ Mt. Adams Insititue Vlog,
videos of Gorge-wide wildlife
and natural area conserva-
tion work, set to music.
The project came about
as the “Capacity Building
Initiative” of the museum’s
AmeriCorps volunteer, Ryan
Zoellner. It was designed
especially with older adults
in mind — many of whom
have been disconnected from
cultural resources due to
the pandemic. The website
is built to be as accessible
as possible, with explainers,
easily navigable text box-
es, and options for visual
and auditory impairment
accommodations.
While Zoellner handled
the logistical details, much of
the technical work was made
possible through collabo-
ration with web-designer
Andy Wade, and staff at the
museum. Despite temporary
closures due to COVID, the
museum hopes to continue
to be a force for learning
and engagement through
efforts like this, according to
Director Anna Goodman.
Visit the site, GorgeLearns.
com, or contact Zoellner
at outreach.hrchm@gmail.
com .
Williams takes helm at
Chenowith Elementary
Phil
Williams,
currently vice
principal at
The Dalles
High School,
will be step-
ping in as the
Phil Williams principal at
Chenowith
Elementary for the remainder
of this school year following
the immediate resignation
of Monica Darnall, who had
planned to leave at the end
of the year, according to a
press release from Interim
Superintendent Theresa
Peters.
Williams has more than
a decade of administrative
experience at the elementary
and secondary levels.
Peters said Darnall had
previously notified staff
and parents at Chenowith
Elementary that she would
be resigning at the end of
the year, but circumstances
changed and due to personal
reasons, she will be return-
ing to her home in Utah
immediately.
For the next five months,
she will provide the district
with consultation services
regarding specialized
programs, including Dual
Language instruction.
Hood River Valley High School’s Performing Arts Department will broadcast its winter play, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned by Being
in a Bad Play,” via YouTube on Friday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.; login and donation information can
be found at hrvhstheatre.wordpress.com. The play features 10 actors, all of whom filmed their parts individually over the course of four
weeks. Seen in this film still are actors Max Spears, Benjamin Bauman, Fiona Tesky Larsen and Ella Harvey. The play also features Seth
Kelly, Abigail Rankin, Knox Foster and Yasmina Mayo, as well as HRVHS music teacher Dan Kenealy and guidance counselor Raenell
Rafferty.
Film still courtesy of Tay Lynne
In a first, HR Museum gives
students a virtual tour
Virtual tour
explores local
history
On Jan.22 The History
Museum of Hood River
County was able to make his-
tory of its own. Staff and vol-
unteers hosted the Museum’s
first ever virtual tour.
The tour was given online
for over 70 third grade
students. Four classes from
Cascade Locks and Westside
schools gathered in their
homes to learn about the
history of innovation in the
Gorge.
Later, students asked
questions like: “How does
the Museum get its exhib-
its?” “How old is the oldest
artifact?” and of course,
“Does the Museum have any
dinosaur fossils?”
The tour covered much
of the Museum’s current
exhibit “Ingenious! Creativity
and Invention in the Gorge,”
which has been mostly un-
available for public viewing
due to closures for COVID-19
safety.
The Museum has been
closed since nearly the first
lockdowns in March.
Virtual outreach has long
been a goal for the History
Museum.
Funding from the Oregon
Cultural Trust has made it
Evelyn Charity and Vanessa
Banuelos lead the museum’s
first virtual tour.
Screenshots by Ryan Zoellner
possible to do programs like
this now and in the future,
according to board chair
Debby Chenoweth.
Evelyn Charity, a former
teacher from Hood River
Valley High School and
museum board member, led
students through the exhibit,
volunteer for outreach, pro-
accompanied by Museum
associate Vanessa Banuelos. vided technical support.
Ryan Zoellner, the Museum’s
Anyone who would like
Jesuit Northwest AmeriCorps to schedule a tour with the
Museum contact staff at 541-
386 –6772 or info@history-
musuemhoodriver.com .
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