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THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, MAy 27, 2021
Risk: County will be at moderate risk through June 3
Continued from Page A1
“The science is clear: vaccines are
very effective in keeping people safe
from COVID-19, and they are the
key to returning to normal life and
lifting health and safety restrictions
statewide,” Brown said in a state-
ment. “This disease remains danger-
ous for those in communities with
high rates of unvaccinated individu-
als. That’s why I’m encouraging all
Oregonians to roll up your sleeves,
take your shot and get a chance to
change your life. It’s never been eas-
ier to get vaccinated, and you may
just end up a winner through the
Take Your Shot, Oregon campaign.”
Astoria Mayor Bruce Jones,
along with the Astoria-Warrenton
Area Chamber of Commerce and
Warrenton Mayor Henry Balensifer,
had called on the governor last week
to eliminate the warning week for
counties moving into lower risk lev-
els for the coronavirus.
“We certainly expressed pretty
strongly that we thought — at least
going down — the warning week
was ... harmful,” Jones said. “It
didn’t help us and it did hurt us, so
I’m glad that they removed it.”
Clatsop County is one of three
counties that will be at moderate
risk through June 3. Fifteen counties
will be at high risk and 18 will be at
lower risk.
Counties with a population of
30,000 or more are evaluated for risk
based on virus cases per 100,000
over two weeks and the test positiv-
ity rate for the same period.
Counties at moderate risk have
a case rate between 50 and 100 per
100,000 people, and may have a test
positivity between 5% and 8%.
As of Saturday, Clatsop County
had 79 cases per 100,000 over a
two-week period. Test positivity was
3.4%.
Capacity for indoor dining at
restaurants and bars in counties at
moderate risk is 50% or 100 peo-
ple, whichever is smaller, with an
11 p.m. closing time and a maxi-
mum of six people per table. Up to
150 people can dine outdoors. Tables
must be limited to eight people.
Gyms, indoor pools, museums,
theaters and other entertainment
venues can operate at 50% of capac-
ity or 100 people total, whichever is
smaller. Indoor full-contact sports
are prohibited.
Grocery stores, pharmacies, retail
shops and shopping malls can oper-
ate at 75% of capacity.
Churches can convene at 50%
occupancy indoors or 150 people
total, whichever is smaller, and 250
people outdoors.
Indoor social gatherings must
be limited to eight people from two
households in counties at moderate
risk. Outdoor gatherings can have 10
people.
Indoor and outdoor visits are
allowed at long-term care facilities.
Employers should recommend
remote work if able.
The county has recorded 1,004
virus cases since the pandemic
began. According to the county, 25
were hospitalized and eight have
died.
Fireworks: Other events will return with limits Graduations: Astoria
has several plans in place
depending on risk level
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Two other iconic Seaside
events, the Seaside Beach
Volleyball Tournament and
Hood to Coast, will return
with limited formats, Owen
said.
The beach volleyball
event is planned for the sec-
ond week in August. “We still
have questions about capacity
size, so we’re going to open
registration with about half
the capacity and have the abil-
ity to expand as we get more
authorization,” Owen said.
The tournament, which
was canceled last year as a
result of the pandemic, is
the largest program for the
chamber. In 2019, the tour-
nament featured about 1,600
teams playing among three
divisions.
“The volleyball event is
not only one of the biggest
things for our city but for our
chamber,” Owen said. “It’s
four days, with anywhere
between 7,000 to 10,000 peo-
ple a day. It’s incredible how
much impact that has.”
The Hood to Coast relay
returns Aug. 27 and Aug. 28,
with 12-member teams run-
ning 199 miles from the top
of Mount Hood to the beach.
The relay team lottery has
filled its limit, with 1,050
Hood to Coast running teams
and 400 Portland to Coast
Walk teams.
Hood to Coast will have
a runners’ party at the beach,
Owen said, with a beer gar-
den hosted by chamber
volunteers.
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Ky Jennings
Seaside will not host Fourth of July fireworks this year.
online classwork. In Jew-
ell, seniors hit graduation
requirements by February
and many started taking
college-level classes with
the school district’s support.
“It was real evident from
our seniors that they were
ready to move on,” said Jon
Wood, the Jewell School
principal.
“They didn’t quite have
it all,” he added. There was
no senior prom, no home-
coming. “But they had quite
a bit and we’re going to try
to make it as good a party
for them as we can on the
12th.”
Some schools are plan-
ning for a return to more tra-
ditional graduation ceremo-
nies in June, but are hedging
their bets as the pandemic
continues.
Astoria High School
has several plans in place
depending on the coun-
ty’s risk level by the time
the June 5 commencement
arrives.
The number of guest
passes each graduate is
allowed will be based on
whether the county is at a
low, moderate or high-risk
level. If the county moves
into extreme risk, only 100
people will be allowed
inside CMH Field, where
the commencement and
awards ceremonies will be
held.
As of Tuesday, Lynn
Jackson, the principal, was
hopeful. Regardless, the
ceremony will unfold “in a
much more open manner”
than last year’s graduation,
he said.
Last June, Astoria gradu-
ates spent much of the cere-
mony in their cars. The cer-
emony itself was a sort of
hybrid, rolling several tra-
ditional pieces of the usual
festivities into one socially
distanced event. This year,
graduates will enjoy a num-
ber of activities that the
Class of 2020 had to forgo,
including a senior break-
fast, a grad walk and a more
traditional commencement
ceremony.
Masks and some social
distancing will still be
required. Like other school
districts, Astoria plans to
provide a livestream of the
graduation ceremony.
Because of the uncer-
tainty about what may or
may not be possible under
state pandemic guidelines
leading up to graduation,
but also because of interest
from students, Seaside High
School opted to go with the
same drive-thru, parade-
style ceremony it held last
year.
On June 10, graduates
will arrive by car at the new
high school then proceed
to the Turnaround at the
end of Broadway for their
diplomas. The ceremony
will conclude at the Seaside
Civic and Convention Cen-
ter parking lot.
The Warrenton-Ham-
mond School District is also
following last year’s script.
Graduates will celebrate
on June 11 with a vehicle
procession from the Ham-
mond Marina and through
downtown to a drive-in
ceremony.
Unlike last year, though,
some pre-graduation cer-
emony traditions are able
to return: There will be a
homecoming week this
year, as well as a homecom-
ing carnival.
Knappa School District
opted for an outdoor cere-
mony. Physical distancing
and capacity requirements
will still apply, but masks
are optional. Seating will be
designated by family.
The ceremony, which
will take place on June 12,
will also be broadcast on
demand.
College: Designation could
help enhance existing programs
Continued from Page A1
LEFT: Mikayla Parker cut off 13 inches of her hair to donate. MIDDLE: Chloe Parker cut off 10 inches of her hair to donate to other
children. RIGHT: Katharine Parker cut off 14 inches of her hair to donate.
Donation: Girls got to dye their hair pink
Continued from Page A1
While the organization
will accept as few as 8 inches
of hair per donation, Parker,
who is the head secretary
at Seaside High School and
serves on the Sunset Empire
Park and Recreation District
Board, was able to give 14
inches, with Mikayla donat-
ing 13 and Chloe 10.
This isn’t the first time
Parker’s daughters have
donated. About two years
ago, Parker said, the girls
started expressing a desire
to cut their hair. As they
were discussing how much
hair the girls wanted to cut,
Parker presented the option
of growing it out a bit more
to donate.
“I left it up to them, and
they got really excited about
being able to do that for
another child,” Parker said.
“They donated their hair
and they were really proud
of that and really excited to
make that contribution to
somebody’s happiness.”
Although there are dif-
ferent organizations that
accept hair donations, the
Parkers chose Children With
Hair Loss for a couple of
reasons. First, the agency
doesn’t charge their recipi-
ents for the wigs. Individu-
als can apply for a free wig
every year until they turn
21. Additionally, that they
are dedicated to children
and young adults “resonated
really well with our family,”
Parker said.
She used the experience
to explain to her daughters
the reasons someone might
need or desire to wear a wig.
Children can lose hair as a
result of cancer, alopecia,
severe burns, trichotilloma-
nia and other rare diseases
and disorders.
“It makes them think of
the bigger picture outside of
themselves,” she said.
Fast forward to last year,
when the family was just
preparing for their regular
haircuts: Salons shuttered
temporarily because of the
coronavirus. As they waited
— and their hair continued
to grow — they revisited the
idea of donating again. This
time, however, they decided
to do it as a family.
Parker left it up to her
daughters how much they
wanted to cut and donate.
“We’re not pushing
them,” she said. “Yes, we
want to make another child
happy, but they also need to
be happy in how they feel.”
According to the girls,
that was exactly the
outcome.
Mikayla said it “feels
good to try something new. I
like having short hair.” Plus,
she added, she appreciates
the idea “that I’m giving to
someone and making that
person very happy.”
Chloe said she likes
donating to others “because
it makes them happy, and it
makes me happy to be giv-
ing them hair.” She cut off
the same length as the last
time, so it didn’t make her
nervous.
As a fun addition, the
girls got to dye their hair
pink after the donation.
While donating hair is
nothing new, Parker said,
she sees now as the opti-
mal time for people to con-
sider making the decision,
since many have voluntarily
or involuntarily been grow-
ing out their hair for the past
year or so.
“Right now, with people
like myself who grew their
hair out crazy long, there is
this opportunity,” she said.
significant drop during the
coronavirus pandemic.
Chris Breitmeyer, the
college president, said “as
the college develops its
strategic enrollment man-
agement plan over the
summer and into the fall,
we hope to leverage oppor-
tunities brought about by
being named a center of
excellence.”
The designation does
not alter the college’s plans
for its maritime program,
but it could enhance the
ability to access grants or
other types of funding to
help with new projects,
Breitmeyer added.
The designation also
could help enhance exist-
ing programs, he said,
“particularly if we gain
access to equipment or
form partnerships that
allow for new types of edu-
cational experiences.”
Bill Antilla, a longtime
instructor in the college’s
maritime science pro-
gram, had advocated for
national recognition of the
program for more than 17
years. Breitmeyer credited
Antilla, who has retired,
with playing a pivotal role
in the college receiving
the center of excellence
designation.
Antilla said the designa-
tion opens doors to import-
ant resources.
“Given the critical
nature of maritime trans-
portation to our econ-
omy, changes such as this
that allow the industry to
improve safety and effi-
ciency of operations have
the potential for signif-
icant economic impacts
throughout the region,” he
said.
The designation “rec-
ognizes the tremendous
value that your institution
provides to our nation by
developing and prepar-
ing students for demand-
ing careers in our vitally
important maritime indus-
try,” Lucinda Lessley, the
acting administrator for
the Maritime Adminsitra-
tion, said in a message to
the college.
“Your graduates have
made outstanding con-
tributions to the industry
over the years,” she contin-
ued, “which is an excellent
testimonial to the superior
academic and professional
education and training
they received while attend-
ing Clatsop Community
College.”