B2
Columbia Gorge News
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
www.columbiagorgenews.com
HRV teacher awarded
Oregon’s Regional
Educator of Year award
Hoppe
■ By For Stephanie
Hood River County School District
The Oregon Department of Education
(ODE), in partnership with the Oregon
Lottery, has named Jim Donnelly, Hood
River Valley High School teacher, a Regional
Educator of the Year. The award celebrates
knowledge, dedication, innovation, and
leadership.
According to the Oregon’s Teacher of the
Year website, the program was created to
recognize exemplary public school educa-
tors, including Oregon teachers who inspire
students and make a positive impact in the
communities in which they live. For 2022,
Donnelly is one of 16 educators across the
state who received the recognition and $500
reward. The top three finalists will be named
in the fall and receive an additional $2,000
reward.
Donnelly graduated from HRVHS in 1995.
He earned an undergraduate degree from
Oregon State University in English.
He earned a master’s degree in creative
writing from University of Iowa. After com-
pleting his graduate degree, Donnelly spent
10 years working for Dartmouth College and
Oregon Health and Sciences University in
public relations and internal communica-
tions. In 2008, he started coaching wrestling
at HRVHS with the athletics director, Trent
Kroll, and realized he enjoyed mentoring
young people. Donnelly earned his teaching
degree online and taught English for three
years at Dufur High School before joining
HRVHS five years ago. In 2019, Donnelly
became the HRVHS success teacher, working
with ninth grade students to support them as
they transition into high school.
Fellow HRVHS teacher Kevin Haspela said
Donnelly’s work with the ninth grade success
program reminded him of his mother unty-
ing his fishing line or shoelace knots for him
when he was a child. Haspela said he would
pass these crazy knots to his mom and she
would always take a ridiculous amount of
HRVHS teacher Jim Donnelly has been named Regional Educator of the Year. He is pictured above with
high school colleagues.
Contributed photo
HRVHS success teacher Jim
Donnelly
time to untie them for him.
“Untying difficult knots takes patience,
skill, perseverance and love,” said Haspela.
“Jim has given all of these things to our
school community, and especially our ninth
grade students.”
Donnelly is supervising the summer
program at HRVHS this July. Hood River
County School District plans to double the
size of the summer program and is offering
14 new experiential classes, ranging from
glider piloting, to cooking, to woodworking,
to creative writing.
Donnelly said, “I’m excited for kids and
teachers to have fun at school again — we’ve
missed that.”
In addition to supervising the summer
program, Donnelly is involved in several
initiatives around creating greater equity in
schools and helping students to develop the
social and emotional skills they need to be
successful human beings.
Donnelly said he admires his students.
Some of his students have experienced trau-
ma and difficulties that would overwhelm
the most resilient of adults, according to
Donnelly. “These students still show up at
school willing to give it their best shot. I think
of that every time I walk into the building,” he
said. “It’s all about creating greater equity in
our schools so that all students have a clear
shot at success on their own terms. There
are a lot of students who look at the amazing
opportunities we have at HRV and feel like
those programs are for the ‘other kids,’ and
by ‘other,’ they mean wealthy and/or white.
As a teacher, I see my role as challenging my
students to meet high standards while si-
multaneously doing everything I can to kick
down barriers that get in their way.”
HRVHS Principal Columba Jones said,
“(Donnelly) is dedicated, reflective, and a
strong advocate for equity. He has had a
tremendous impact on our students, staff,
and administrative team. Jim is a difference
maker not just for our most vulnerable pop-
ulation of students but for our entire staff at
HRVHS.”
She added, “In the leadership role as the
Ninth Grade Success Coordinator, (Jim) has
been instrumental in closing the opportunity
gap for all of our student subgroups. Students
receive support via a class created and taught
by him that emphasizes the development
of skills under Social-Emotional Learning,
Opportunity, and Academic Readiness,
(S.O.A.R).”
Donnelly said he wants people to re-
member him as someone who was kind and
helpful along the way. As an author who
has written fiction, Donnelly said he has put
himself into the heads of his characters to
see the world as they do. He said this writing
process is good practice for developing em-
pathy. With students and colleagues, he said
he likes to think he can see things from their
point of view. Also, wrestling teaches you to
work through the grind.
“The years go fast in education, but the
days can be long,” he said. “You need to be
able to keep grinding away when the goal
seems very far out ahead.”
In addition to his teaching role, Donnelly
coaches middle school girls wrestling and
advises the HRVHS eSports club.
Outside of work, he plays online chess,
walks his dogs, and occasionally writes fic-
tion. He is also focused on being a father and
getting his 13- and 15-year-old kids ready for
launch.
Donnelly’s personal motto is, “Don’t
let the perfect be the enemy of the good
enough.”
HRCSD congratulates Donnelly for
his Regional Educator of the Year award.
Donnelly will be leading summer school
for HRVHS this year. More information may
found at bit.ly/2S2Yl1W.
For more information on Oregon’s Teacher
of the Year program, visit oregonteacheroft-
heyear.org.
GLENWOOD NEWS
Glenwood High honors 2021 graduating seniors
By Mary Pierce
■ Our
three Glenwood
high school and junior high
school rodeo cowgirls did
very well at the State Finals
in Okanogan. In the high
school rodeo, Joslyn Arnold
finished in fourth place
for the year in breakaway
roping, which qualified her
for the National High School
Rodeo Finals in Lincoln,
Nebraska July 18-24. She
finished sixth for the year in
goat tying, qualifying her for
the Silver State International
Rodeo in Winnemucca,
Nev., June 30 through July 7.
She finished her freshman
year of high school rodeo as
Reserve Champion Rookie
of the Year. Congratulations,
Joslyn. We wish you great
success in your two upcom-
ing rodeos.
In junior high school
rodeo, Peyton Sanchey
finished ninth for the year in
pole bending and ninth for
the year in barrel racing, also
qualifying for the Silver State
Rodeo. Emma Patterson fin-
ished sixth in barrels for the
year and 19th in pole bend-
ing, and she, too, qualified
for the Silver State Rodeo.
These three Glenwood
cowgirls have really repre-
sented their Goldendale
High School/Junior High
School Rodeo team and their
Glenwood community well.
We are so proud of all three
of you and will look forward
to following your competi-
tion at upcoming rodeos.
As you read this, the 86th
Glenwood
Ketchum
Kalf Rodeo
is just over
a few days
away. I hope
you have all
marked your Mary Pierce
calendars
for June 19-20, Father’s Day
weekend, to come enjoy
a really good show. The
rodeo also features food
and souvenir vendors, a
western beer garden, and,
on Saturday evening, live
music by Countryside Ride.
Sunday begins with Cowboy
Church in the dance hall, the
traditional Cowboy Breakfast
at the school, and the rodeo
parade through downtown
Glenwood, ending up at
the rodeo arena. The grand
entry starts at 12:30 p.m.
both Saturday and Sunday,
followed by the exciting
rodeo action.
Ten eighth graders were
promoted to high school in
a very nice program on the
evening of June 4. Guests
were seated at tables dec-
orated by the students and
their parents. Mrs. Bridget
McLaughlin gave a great
address to the students, and
Isabella Bensel, Glenwood
High School freshman, gave
a moving speech welcoming
these eighth graders to high
school. Refreshments were
served by the Glenwood
Women’s Club. This bright,
dynamic group of young
people will be a great
addition to the high school
Prepare for unexpected
power outages with a
Generac home standby
generator
REQUEST A FREE QUOTE!
877-557-1912
FREE
7-Year Extended Warranty*
A $695 Value!
Limited Time Off er - Call for Details
Special Financing Available
Subject to Credit Approval
student body this fall.
The following day, June
5, the five members of the
senior class of 2021 were
honored at their graduation
in the school gym. Each stu-
dent’s guests had their own
section of chairs, allowing
for 40 guests per student,
still socially distancing the
groups while allowing for a
good-sized audience. Jake
Eldred was chosen by the
class to give the commence-
ment address. Jake knows all
five students well, including
his daughter Nahaleigh
Schuster, so addressed
each senior personally with
great advice for their futures
beyond high school. It was
a very moving address and
many of us had tears in our
eyes when the address was
over. Jake also represented
the Glenwood School Board
of Directors to hand out the
diplomas as Superintendent
Heather Gimlin called each
senior up.
Nahaleigh will attend
Blue Mountain Community
College in Pendleton, taking
a course of study to become
a veterinary technician.
Those of us who know
Nahaleigh are not surprised
that she would choose a
career focused on animals.
She has a great love for hors-
es, dogs, and nearly every
other type of animal. Emma
Odom will attend Central
Washington University,
majoring in education, with
a focus on early childhood
education.
Glenwood High graduating class of 2021: Preston Bartek, Emma Odom, Duly Morris, Nahaleigh
Schuster, and Derek Gimlin.
Bo Arnold photo
Preston Bartek and Duly
Morris both will attend
Northwestern Lineman
College in Meridian, Idaho,
in the fall. Derek Gimlin
will attend Perry Technical
Institute in Yakima, fo-
cusing on becoming an
electrician. We wish all five
young Glenwood graduates
much success in their future
endeavors.
I’m sorry I did not write
down all the scholarships
that were presented and
will report it when I get that
information. I am happy to
report that two outstanding
students were presented
with the Good Joe and Good
Jill awards. These awards are
for students who demon-
strate strong character
traits that the late Donald
Hoodenpyl was known for
when he attended Glenwood
School. Donald died in an
accident at age 20 while he
was in the U.S. Navy, and the
Glenwood Women’s Club
started this award program
in 1957 in his memory. This
year the two students chosen
by the high school student
body and all the staff were
sophomore Landon Sanchey
and freshman Isabella
Bensel. Congratulations to
both Landon and Isabella.
We are also happy to
report that Forrest Putnam,
son of Nate and Betsy
Putnam, was named to
the Dean’s Honor List at
Cedarville College in Ohio
for spring 2021. In order to
make this list, the student
has to obtain a 3.75 GPA or
higher for the semester and
carry a minimum of 12 credit
hour. Forrest is majoring in
mechanical engineering.
Congratulations, Forrest.
Please send any news items
for next week’s paper to gmp-
ierce09@gmail.com.
SERVING THE
ENTIRE GORGE
Wall to Wall Cleaning for your pipes!
Our Jetter is ready to clear your slow drains.
• New Construction
• Industrial
• Commercial
• Residential
• Remodels
• Service & Repair
• Drain Cleaning
• Camera & Locate
• Backflow Testing
• Water Heater
Installation & Repair
BONDED & INSURED
OR #177235
WA #CAMPSPL938Q9
10% Veterans Discount!
Visa, Mastercard & Discover
*To qualify, consumers must request a quote, purchase,
install and activate the generator with a participating
dealer. Call for a full list of terms and conditions.
SUBSCRIBE for less than a fancy cup of coffee per month.
subscribe@gorgenews.com
541-296-2141 ext. 112
HOOD RIVER | THE DALLES | WHITE SALMON
Columbia Gorge News
ColumbiaGorgeNews.com