OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017
Founded in 1873
DAVID F. PERO, Publisher & Editor
LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor
BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager
JEREMY FELDMAN, Circulation Manager
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
OUR VIEW
E
ach week we recognize those people and organizations
in the community deserving of public praise for the good
things they do to make the North Coast a better place to
live, and also those who should be called out for their actions.
SHOUTOUTS
• Astoria High School art teacher Mickey Cereghino,
who was recently named the 2017 Teacher of the Year and the
Certified Staff Member of the Year during the Astoria High
School Foundation’s annual “Tradition of Excellence Awards.”
Cereghino was recognized for inspiring, motivating, encourag-
ing and helping students excel in school.
• Seaside Public Library Director Esther Moberg, who
was elected president of the Oregon Library Association. As
president, it will be Moberg’s responsibility during her yearlong
term to advocate for the health and well-being of all academic,
public, school and special libraries throughout Oregon. Moberg
has been working at libraries for more than 14 years and called
the opportunity to serve an “honor.” She will begin her term in
September.
• The Knappa High School baseball team, which marched
through the high school state playoffs and into the 2A/1A cham-
pionship game today for the third consecutive year. The Loggers
beat Regis 5-3
in a semifinal on
Tuesday at Teevin
Field after post-
ing back-to-back
playoff wins of
15-1 and 22-2.
The Loggers play
Reedsport today in
Keizer, just north
of Salem. Astoria’s
team, the other
North Coast school
in the playoffs, lost
7-2 to La Grande
in its 4A semifi-
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
nal Tuesday. The
The Knappa Loggers play for another state
Fishermen ended
baseball championship today in Keizer.
their season with a
20-6 record, and it closed out the careers for a successful senior
class as well as the coaching career of Dave Gasser, the all-time
leader in victories — 750 — in Oregon high school baseball.
• Ocean Park, Washington, chef Nanci Main, who concluded
a culinary career that spanned more than 45 years last week-
end. Main, who with the late Jimella Lucas, operated Nanci &
Jimella’s Cafe & Cocktails, and The Ark prior to that, has pre-
pared meals for presidents, has been featured in numerous TV,
radio and personal appearances, and won numerous awards and
written cookbooks. She said her proudest accomplishments are
the people she has mentored and inspired, and the legacy she and
Lucas leave behind.
• Clatsop Community College’s underwater robotics team,
which recently became the only Oregon qualifier for the finals
of a global competition. The eight-member team, which only
receives $500 in dedicated funding through the college, is rais-
ing money to compete in the competition in California in late
June with its self-built submersible robot, Lazarus. The team has
formed a GoFundMe page at http://tinyurl.com/mzoky55.
• Ilwaco, Washington, High School freshman Blake
Kukula, who won the individual boys 1B/2B state high school
golf tournament last week. Kukula carded a 145 in the two-day
tournament, finishing seven strokes ahead of the second place
finisher. Ilwaco finished second in the team standings.
CALLOUTS
• Oregon Democratic Senate leaders who may block
efforts to let voters decide whether to create an impeachment
process in the state. Oregon is the only state in the nation that
has no mechanism for executive impeachment and the state
House recently voted 49-5 to send a constitutional amendment
to voters to create an impeachment process. The measure would
allow the House to impeach a statewide official on the grounds
of malfeasance in office, corruption, neglect of duty, felonies or
misdemeanors. The process would require a three-fifths major-
ity vote in the House. The official would then face a trial in the
Senate, where conviction would require a two-thirds majority
vote. However, as in 2015 when a similar bill was considered,
it was rejected by Senate Democratic leadership who say the
state’s recall process is sufficient enough to remove an elected
official from office. Voters should be allowed to decide the
issue.
Suggestions?
Do you have a Shoutout or Callout you think we should know about?
Let us know at news@dailyastorian.com and we’ll make sure to take a
look.
GUEST COLUMN
School gardens sprout up
with help of community
Susan Cody/For The Daily Astorian
Students plant vegetables and herbs at Lewis and Clark Elementary School. The plants were donated by
Blackberry Bog Farm in Svensen.
By SUSAN CODY
For The Daily Astorian
T
he Clatsop Kids GO program
at elementary schools is
celebrating spring with the
planting of vegetables in garden
boxes built for the
occasion.
The program
was designed
by The Way to
Wellville to help
students develop
healthy eating habits; healthy
behaviors; healthy body image;
healthy emotional development;
and learning skills, such as growing
their own food.
If kids grow their own vege-
tables, they’re more likely to eat
them. A Cornell study concluded
that when school garden-grown veg-
etables were added to school salads,
kids were more than four times as
likely to take a salad.
“A garden offers a rich learning
environment,” said Mary Blake, a
Seaside master gardener. “A garden
is a practical, magical, beneficial
path to awareness. It increases
their access to sun and fresh air.
They become less stressed and can
become productive in a learning
environment that includes science
— biology, botany, healthy soil,
pollination. It gives them a deep
relationship with nature.”
Clatsop Kids Go coordinator
Sarah Brown said, “It is awesome
to see a vision of kids being able to
participate in gardening and access
healthy foods at school. It’s thera-
‘A garden offers a rich learning
environment. A garden is a
practical, magical, beneficial
path to awareness. ... They
become less stressed and
can become productive.’
Mary Blake
a Seaside master gardener.
peutic and nutritious, and also takes
physical effort to sustain, which are
some of the central goals of Clatsop
Kids GO.”
Community steps in
The program was seeded with
a $40,000 grant from Providence
Community Benefit fund, and has
sprouted interest from numerous
businesses and volunteers since its
inception. U.S. Bank contributed
$5,000 and others have supplied
time, funds and materials.
Master gardener volunteers
Barbara and Ed Hassan built the
raised garden boxes from donated
materials.
“I would love to give a big shout
out to the forestry industry for their
collaboration to make the gardens
possible,” Brown said.
Donations were made by:
• Hampton Lumber — wood for
the boxes
• Teevin & Fischer Quarry
— soil
• 3D Landscaping — time and
use of machines
• Greenwood Resources —
money for supplies
• Lewis and Clark Timberlands
— money for supplies
• Blackberry Bog Farm — vege-
table and herb starts
Students and teachers embraced
the garden concept and sprouted
seeds in their classrooms. “The kids
are so excited to see the progress
and taking ownership of the proj-
ect,” said teacher Meghan Garsjo, as
she shoveled soil to fill the planters.
“Teachers, students and par-
ents as well as other community
volunteers are really making it all
possible,” Brown said.
“Way to Wellville and Clatsop
Kids GO are happy to start these
projects and get the ball rolling,
coordinating efforts. But for the
project to be sustainable, it makes
the most sense that the school shows
genuine interest and effort. And
Lewis and Clark Elementary has
done that.”
Susan Cody, a former deputy
managing editor for The Daily Asto-
rian, works with Way to Wellville.
WHERE TO WRITE
• U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici
(D): 2338 Rayburn HOB, Washing-
ton, D.C., 20515. Phone: 202- 225-
0855. Fax 202-225-9497. District
office: 12725 SW Millikan Way,
Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005.
Phone: 503-469-6010. Fax 503-326-
5066. Web: bonamici.house. gov/
• U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D): 313
Hart Senate Office Building, Wash-
ington, D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-
3753. Web: www.merkley.senate.gov
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D):
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20510. Phone:
202-224-5244. Web: www.wyden.
senate.gov
• State Rep. Brad Witt (D):
State Capitol, 900 Court Street N.E.,
H-373, Salem, OR 97301. Phone:
503-986-1431. Web: www.leg.state.
or.us/witt/ Email: rep.bradwitt@
state.or.us
• State Rep. Deborah Boone (D):
900 Court St. N.E., H-481, Salem,
OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1432.
Email: rep.deborah boone@state.
or.us District office: P.O. Box 928,
Cannon Beach, OR 97110. Phone:
503-986-1432. Web: www.leg.state.
or.us/ boone/
• State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D):
State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E.,
S-314, Salem, OR 97301. Telephone:
503-986-1716. Email: sen.betsy john-
son@state.or.us Web: www.betsy-
johnson.com District Office: P.O.
Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056. Phone:
503-543-4046. Fax: 503-543-5296.
Astoria office phone: 503-338-1280.
• Port of Astoria: Executive
Director, 10 Pier 1 Suite 308, Asto-
ria, OR 97103. Phone: 503-741-3300.
Email: admin@portofastoria.com
• Clatsop County Board of Com-
missioners: c/o County Manager, 800
Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria, OR
97103. Phone: 503-325-1000.