A4
V IEWPOINT
Hood River News,
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
O ur readers write
JOE PETSHOW
Publisher/President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
CHELSEA MARR
General Manager
JODY THOMPSON
Advertising Manager
DICK NAFSINGER
Publisher, Emeritus (1933-2011)
TOM LANCTOT
Past President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
Editor
TONY METHVIN
Columbia Gorge Press Manager
DAVID MARVIN
Production Manager
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Town Hall
Support
Wilhelm
We continue to see hard times
for our schools, and that is why I
am asking you to join me in sup-
porting Kris Wilhelm, as a candi-
date, running for the Hood River
County School Board, Position 1,
Westside Hood River AND Cascade
Locks.
Kris’s platform is simple, she
will represent kids, teachers and
parents. I have known Kris since
we were young and grew up in the
valley together. She is a HRV grad-
uate and currently lives on the
Westside of Hood River. Kris has
always been one to ask the hard
questions and do the research. If
she is on the board you can be sure
that she won’t vote on something
before trying to understand the
subject fully. With a background in
Public Relations, she will strive to
communicate with her con-
In a classroom setting,
local officials talk
education and more
M
onday’s pre-town hall meeting with Sen.
Jeff Merkley (story, A1) was well-attend-
ed, and as effective a half-hour gathering
of a group of public officials as you could
ever expect to see.
Port infrastructure, school funding, federal budget
issues, county payments, and even electronic smoking
devices — the source of one of Merkley’s biggest frus-
trations as a legislator — received a quick but pointed
piece of the senator’s attention. He considers the
porous restriction on sales of e-devices and associated
products to be a significant health hazard for youth,
and decried the Food and Drug Administration’s
“foot-dragging” in enacting rule changes pertaining to
use, possession, and sale of such items to adolescents.
The group of 30 or so officials, and a few citizens,
met at Hood River Middle School, down the hall from
the cafeteria where 75 or so residents would gather a
short time later to hear from Merkley.
The pre-session convened, fittingly, in a science
classroom. It was on the same day the State Senate ap-
proved the $7.235 billion K-12 biennial budget regard-
ed as too small by most educators, including Superin-
tendent Dan Goldman, who was present. When
Merkley remarked that the K-12 allotment was an in-
crease from the current level, Goldman noted, “But
the investment does not keep pace with costs,” adding
that per-student funding actually goes down.
Also in the room were officials from the County
Commission, Hood River and Cascade Locks city and
port, and Columbia Gorge Community College.
The conversation returned to education with
Merkley’s hedged prediction that change is coming
via legislation aimed at replacing the federal struc-
ture known as No Child Left Behind, famous for leav-
ing a lot of students and districts pulling up the rear
by what Merkley calls “high stakes testing.”
Testing requirements were termed by Goldman as
“traditionally states’ issues increasingly becoming
federal ones” and Merkley said that “a significantly
diminished federal role comes out of this legislation.”
When he restated that 90 minutes later near the
end of the town hall, it drew applause, indicating how
welcome is the idea, to many people, of returning
more local control to ways we assess our kids’ educa-
tion, and the rewards or consequences owed to schools
that excel or fall behind.
stituents regarding any decisions
that are made, as she would like to
represent YOU, the people of Hood
River and Cascade Locks. She is
passionate about issues happening
in our schools and I know she
could make a difference. It is im-
portant, now more than ever, that
we have representatives that can
help us weather these times with
clear explanations on what is being
passed through our School Board.
Please help me support Kris Wil-
helm and vote for HRC School
Board, Position 1, May 19, 2015.
Julie Clark
Hood River
Mountain Elegy
These trees aren’t worth much
We would say, climbing up through
The dark tree tunnel
They won’t cut them.
Second growth Fir and Ponderosa,
some Oak Some diversity here, some
habitat, some peace.
Sometimes, glimpsed through the
weave of branches An Old One,
gnarled and strong, around which
The undergrowth keeps a respectful
distance.
Emerging from the dark trees, a
bright ridge At the top, a grassy rest-
ing spot With lichen covered stones.
Either way you look from here,
there is a volcano.
The ridge runs south to the foot of
Wy’East, the Lonely Mountain Across
the river to the north, the bulging
Pahto.
And low down in the valley be-
tween them
The town where we live.
Our habitat is safe
But just up there, the sacred stones
are gone.
In their place, a leveled dirt plat-
form for the machines.
And the trees lie as they were cut
No longer holding their dark
spaces.
The complexity of light filtering
through branches Gives way to the
harsh sun.
Venka Payne
Hood River
April 8, 1975: Leaving Saigon, Vietnam
By MAUREE DONAHUE REVIER
40 years ago our family went to
the beach for spring break, where I
celebrated my 11th birthday. That
beach was warm and sunny; we
snorkeled and swam and rode bi-
cycles, and climbed through aban-
doned helicopters.
That beach was Pattaya in
southern Thailand … after the
R&R base for the US soldiers was
closed but before it became the
“hot” travel destination. After
break, we retur ned home to
Saigon, Vietnam, to finish the last
few months of school and our tour
with the American Embassy.
That Sunday when we arrived
home – Easter Sunday, March 30,
1975 – family from Indiana called:
they were concerned about the sto-
ries they were hearing and wanted
us to leave right away. As usual,
my parents soothed their parents’
concerns saying the stories are al-
ways worse than the reality.
But Monday we found out that
the North Vietnamese soldiers had
crossed the border and were
marching toward Saigon. We went
to school and to work, as usual, for
the next week, waiting to see what
would happen.
But the soldiers kept marching
and we made plans to leave.
My mom sorted our belongings
into three piles: the most impor-
tant in the pile of what we take
with us, the next most important
in the air freight pile. The rest
would be sent by sea; we had no
idea if we would ever see our
things again. The air freight pile
was limited by weight and includ-
ed my sister’s Legos: if only the
airfreight made it out of Saigon,
the Legos would be shared be-
tween all three children: me, my
sister who was 9 and my brother
who was 3. If the sea freight made
it out as well, then the Legos would
go back to my sister.
At school, my class of 15 5th
graders hung out and talked while
our teacher, Mrs. Thorsen, filled
out our education records, so we
would have something to take with
us if we had to leave. Recess was
cancelled. And eventually, the
school was closed on Thursday
and we took home whatever texts
and books we wanted.
On the morning we were sched-
uled to leave – Tuesday, April 8 – a
South Vietnamese fighter jet flew
right over our house and rattled
the windows. We hid under the
dining room table until it was
quiet. Then ducked back under
when he made a second pass and
dropped two more bombs.
We had no idea what it was
about when it happened, and won-
dered if the North Vietnamese
were already in Saigon. But it
turned out it was a South Viet-
namese Air Force defector on his
way to bomb their president, who
lived a short distance from us.
That’s when I knew this was real.
Saigon always had a night cur-
few from either 10pm or midnight
to morning. But now they en-
forced a 24 hour curfew. How were
we going to get to Ton Son Nhut
Airport if we couldn’t leave the
house? Finally, we heard the cur-
few was going to be lifted for 2
hours in the middle of the day. We
loaded up our luggage, carry-ons,
and a small family heirloom
grandfather clock, which I carried,
and headed to the airport. I re-
member the streets being empty.
At the airport, I saw many
friends from school. Some of us
had tickets for the Air France
flight and others, like us, had tick-
ets for the Pan American flight.
But the pilots of these planes were
reluctant to fly to Saigon: too dan-
gerous. Finally, the Air France 747
arrived in the early afternoon and
was quickly boarded and pushed
back for take off.
Then it sat on the tarmac in the
tropical sun for another 3 hours.
Finally, we heard that the Pan
Am flight was coming in at dusk,
when the
747 would be more difficult to
see in the sky, thereby more diffi-
cult to shoot down. It arrived, we
said good bye to my dad who was
staying in Saigon, and boarded
quickly.
As the plane took off at dusk,
dark below us and purplish pink
sky above, I looked out the port
side windows to see bombs consis-
tently bursting on the dark hori-
zon. The lights of their bursts
faded as we safely rose into the
growing night, on our way home to
America.
■
Mauree Donahue Revier has
lived in Hood River for eight years.
Revier teaches ESL at Mid-Valley
and has three children who attend
Westside Elementary.
Photo by Maureen Donahue Revier
MAUREEN DONAHUE Revier, age 11, in the helicopter that is about to take her
from Vietnam.
ROUND TABLE
Top 10 programs for learning and playing in the Gorge
By PATRICK MULVIHILL
member over 16. Prizes will be
awarded to the top three teams. The
event is a fundraiser of Hood River
ince I moved to the Gorge
Wrestling Club and Columbia Gorge
in early March, I’ve been
Ecology Institute.
blown away (no wind pun
9. Cascade Mountain School –
intended) by the vitality of
MacGyver Camp (Grades 1-3, 4-6)
Hood River’s community.
Unlock your inner genius. Like se-
The people here are full of energy
cret agent MacGyver, students will
and enthusiasm, especially when
learn how to build things out of
it comes to educational and recre-
scraps, found objects and broken
ational opportunities.
tools. Students will spend the day
This spring and summer will be
outside in the Trout Lake
no exception. Coming soon
Valley, building forts, fires
is a tide of Community Edu-
and rockets, as well as other
cation programs for all ages
cool, hands-on projects.
and interests, ranging from
8. Aaron Meyer – Class-
the toughest of sports and
room Music Project (Ages
outdoor adventures to the
8-14)
finest of arts. Kudos to Hood
In this one of a kind pro-
River County School District
gram, children will learn
and its local community edu-
Patrick
how to make music from the
cation partners for building
ground up. Students will
Mulvihill
such a strong, diverse lineup.
learn to write lyrics and pro-
Heads up, here are the Top
duce/record their own music, which
10 exciting community education
they will receive in MP3 form. Then,
and recreation programs coming
they will perform their own song
your way.
alongside professional violinist and
10. Rural Rampage Adventure
composer Aaron Meyer in the Fami-
Bike Challenge
lies in the Park concert August 6 at
Teams of two will compete in an
adventure race that combines physi- Jackson Park.
Meyer will work with up to 25 stu-
cal fitness and problem solving
skills. The challenge will take racers dents on the basics of music compo-
on an exhilarating ten-mile bike ride sition, artistic interpretation and
recording technology. No previous
with five cheeky challenges to be
completed along the way. Rampagers musical experience necessary.
7. Smith Rock Climbing Camp
of all ages are welcome, however,
(Ages 11-18)
each team must have at least one
S
News staff writer
Climb the towers of volcanic ash,
aspire to reach their spires. Begin-
ning to advanced climbers are al-
lowed to progress at their own com-
fort level in a safe, encouraging and
“no pressure” environment. The
camp’s philosophy is to emphasize
personal safety through rope skills.
Basics include: tying a figure eight
knot, belaying and safety checks. Ad-
vanced skills include: rappelling,
building anchors, lead climbing,
multi-pitch climbing and charting a
vertical course over boulders and
rough earth.
6. Columbia Center for the
Arts – Skateboard Art (Ages 9-15)
Inviting shredders, skateboard
lovers and art lovers who want to
paint their own skateboard!
Michelle Yamamoto will guide stu-
dents through the composition and
graphic design process, the transfer
of their images onto the skateboard
deck and bringing those designs to
life in acrylic paint. A quality, Cal-
fornia-made skateboard deck is in-
cluded in tuition.
5. Rock Band! Summer Camp
Future rockers, punks and metal
heads, unite! Band members will
come together to play two cover
songs and write a song of their own.
Each group will perform their songs
in the newly finished Underground
Music Station in the Union Build-
ing, downtown Hood River.
4. Lego Physics (2nd, 3rdgrades
and older)
Westside Elementary will become
Lego Central throughout spring and
summer. With instructor Diana
Chenoweth, budding engineers and
architects can experience hands-on
science with Legos. There are four
courses to choose from which range
from basic structural integrity and
wheel balance to sophisticated gears
and pulleys.
The courses are a chance for stu-
dents to enrich their STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math)
skills at an early age, and of course
have fun while they do it.
3. Cascade Mountain School:
Mt Hood Mountain to Mouth
(High School Camp)
The ultimate science immersion
course. On this intense 12-day adven-
ture, students will conduct meaning-
ful ecological research on Mt. Hood
and through the Hood River Valley.
The party will embark on a 3-day, 2-
night backpacking trip on Mt. Hood,
explore the Eliot Glacier and then
take a white water rafting trip down
the White Salmon River. Students
can earn four high school credits if
they complete the course.
2. Summer Musical Theater
Workshop – “Mulan” (Ages 2-5 and
grades 5-11)
Hood River Middle School’s sum-
mer musical is Mulan, a thrilling
work of Disney lore. The theater
team is top-notch —and they’ll have
your back. Choreographer Teddy
Meyer will challenge you in the
dance and you’ll love every second.
The theatre’s full sound system will
ensures your lines and songs are
heard. Eric Meyer paints a fun back-
drop and builds amazing sets.
Later in the summer, the theater
will also present “New Kids,” with
the same great team, open to kids in
grades 4-10.
1. Columbia Gorge Racing As-
sociation: Learn to Sail (Ages 10+)
A true gem of The Gorge is its wa-
terfront, an internationally
renowned spot for water sports. The
Columbia Gorge Racing Association
has been hosting word class sailing
events since 1996, and has been
training sailors, from beginners to
Olympians, since 2004.
The program earns first place on
this list because it allows people of
all ages and skill levels to take part
in a legendary piece of the Gorge’s
cultural identity.
The program includes beginner
through advanced lessons and pro-
fessionally coached sailing clinics.
Learn at your own pace: sign up for
one session or the whole summer.
All classes are taught by U.S. Sailing
certified instructors in the CRGA’s
fleet. Participants under 10 must
have a parent’s permission. Lessons
will be held at both the Cascade
Locks Marine Park and the Hood
River Marina Basin.