B2 Wednesday, February 12, 2020
CASCADE
observations
From student to
teacher
By PEGGY DILLS KELTER
Name calling: Malicious rantings seem to be the norm these days,
not the exception. Accused murderer Jeremy Christian fills his speech
with hateful expletives, rendering it almost impossible to publish his
comments verbatim in the newspaper. Meanwhile, Donald Trump,
who as president should be the model for speaking with grace and
decorum, instead has the unrestrained audacity to re-name others
with what he thinks are clever plays on his rivals’ real names.
I’m lucky to say I’ve had but few labels attached to me, and none
that were truly hateful. But when I first came to Hood River over 40
years ago, it was shockingly commonplace to hear Spanish speaking
workers and their families referred to as “Beaners” and “Wetbacks.”
Today, in our local schools, much attention is given to teaching
students about name-calling and bullying. Educators work to model
kindness and tolerance.
In 2001, Veronica Sandoval and her family moved from Mexico to
the Hood River Valley legally through the visa process. Neither she,
her parents, nor any of her many siblings, spoke English. Her parents
and several siblings went to work in the orchards and packing houses.
The three youngest children enrolled in school. Veronica was placed
in Jane Osborne’s third grade class at Mid Valley Elementary.
The only name calling that Veronica heard addressed to her in
third grade was “shy.” Almost 20 years later, in that same classroom,
Veronica hears her students address her with another label — “Mae-
stra” or “Teacher.” Veronica loves this label. As for the shyness, she
smiles and says, “I’m still a little shy — it’s a work in progress, I guess.”
Indeed, Veronica’s work in progress to become the teacher she is
today is inspiring.
Even in elementary school, she knew she wanted to be a teacher.
She played “school” with her friends, and worked hard to learn En-
glish. By middle school, her language skills were really developing
and she began to feel she belonged. At Hood River Valley High
School, she was labeled completely proficient in English, exiting from
the language learner program in her sophomore year.
Staff at the high school thought Veronica had great potential, and
urged her to consider college. Veronica says, “Coming from my back-
ground, I didn’t really see this as a possibility. My parents didn’t have
the money to send me to college. I would need to get scholarships
and then my shyness — was it really my place? Could I accomplish
being there?” She earned her diploma, and other than one sister, was
the only member of her family to graduate from high school.
The deciding point to pursue college came her junior year. Her
father told her they could go back to Mexico after she graduated.
Veronica had grown up here — she didn’t think she belonged back in
Mexico. With the help from Carolyn Bondurant in the high school’s
counseling office, Veronica began pursuing her college dreams in
earnest. She applied for many scholarships, including the Ford Schol-
ar, a generous scholarship that would pay 90 percent of schooling for
four years. Veronica says, “A lot of people saw my potential when I
didn’t see it. I got the letter from Ford. I opened the envelope — it was
a whole family event — and saw the first word, ‘Congratulations!’ I
started crying. I knew it would be a chance for me, and for my whole
family.”
At Western Oregon University, she took a heavy load of classes,
earning her bachelor’s degree, bilingual endorsement and ESL en-
dorsement. “What drove me was my parents — knowing I wanted to
support them.”
Veronica married after college, and worked as a teacher in the
Salem area. Her dream was always to return to teach in the Hood
River Valley. But she wanted to experience what she calls “the rough-
ness of the profession,” so she and her husband stayed in Salem for
four years.
“I wanted to come back to work with teachers who had seen the
best of me,” she said. “I feel so grateful for the people who believed in
me when I didn’t believe in myself.”
She was hired this year to work at Mid Valley as a Dual Language
third grade teacher, teaching in the same room where the shy third
grader first began dreaming. She says, “Education — no one can ever
take that away from you, the knowledge you learn. Teaching — it’s
something that fills my heart.”
Farmers market
accepting vendor
applications
Hood River Farmers Market
is accepting applications from
potential vendors selling a va-
riety of goods like fresh fruits or
vegetables, meat, dairy products,
honey, artisan food products and
other agricultural goods. Vendors
that are able to offer organically
grown fruit, unique value-add-
ed products like jams, jellies,
and pickles, and prepared food
vendors with breakfast or lunch
items are encouraged to apply.
The market also features local
craft makers and artists.
There are many benefits to
selling at the market, said a press
release: “It’s a great opportunity
to build a local customer base
and get feedback about products.
Average customer attendance at
the Hood River Farmers Market
is 850, with over 1,000 in peak
season. Farmers markets also
provide an opportunity for new
business owners to learn from
a network of vendors and ex-
perienced entrepreneurs. New
vendors have found the market
to be a fun and profitable way to
share their products and engage
with their community.”
Vendor applications are
available at www.gorgegrown.
com/farmmarket/vendor or
can be picked up at the Hood
River County Library. Prior-
ity deadline is March 10, but
applications will be accepted
throughout the season.
Contact Market Manager
Hannah Ladwig to apply or
with inquires at 541-490-6420
or Hannah@gorgegrown.com.
HR Art Club
hosts acrylic
landscape class
Hood River Art Club will host
local and professional artist
Charlene Rivers on Thursday,
Feb. 20 for a workshop.
Rivers will show participants
how to create “a whimsical view
of Mount Hood, Parkdale and the
upper valley” in acrylic paints.
“Charlene will guide you
through her bold, beautiful ap-
proach to landscape painting,”
said a press release.
A pre-drawn 12x16 canvas,
acrylic paints and additional sup-
plies will be provided by Rivers,
said a press release. Participants
should bring brushes and other
materials they commonly use.
The workshop will be held in
the meeting room at Fish Food
Bank, 1130 Tucker Road, Hood
River, on Thursday, Feb. 20 from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There is a participant fee of $20
for Hood River Art Club mem-
bers and $25 for non-members.
HOOD RIVER NEWS | Hood River, Ore.
hoodrivernews.com
YESTERYEARS
Spanish influenza hits town in 1920
1910 — 110 YEARS AGO
The feature on the session
of the city council held Mon-
day evening was the passing
of the ordinance providing
for the closing of poolrooms
and bowling alleys Sunday
and at midnight Saturday. The
ordinance originally included
soft drink establishments, but
was amended before its final
passage to allow them to re-
main open. Believing that the
lid was being put on too tight,
Councilman Brosius moved to
strike the clause providing for
Sunday closing, but on being
put to a vote, the amendment
failed to carry.
1920 — 100 YEARS AGO
According to the latest fig-
ures available, there have been,
Hood River News archives
up to date, 28 cases of genuine
Spanish influenza in the coun-
ty section of Hood River since
the epidemic was first noted
Coffee “Break” for the county Heart Fund drive will come next Monday, Feb. 15, when restau-
several weeks ago. The majority
rants throughout the valley will donate coffee sale proceeds to the national Heart Fund drive.
of the cases are of a mild type
Practicing up, for publicity purposes, in the Hood River Bowl coffee shop this week, these local
and the alarming symptoms
men donated early as county Chairman Bruno Hukari, far right, watched with interest.
noted in the epidemic a year
ago are generally absent. A
number of the patients have
fully recovered, but several 1960 — 60 YEARS AGO
new cases have been reported
in the past few days.
Both Hood River High and
Wy’east announced this week
that each school’s nominee for
1930 — 90 YEARS AGO
the annual Bausch and Lomb
Frank Davidson, in charge know of the incident are
of the well drilling outfit of considerably interested in
At a meeting of the board of Science Award was also a top
directors of the Crystal Spring football star. Dennis Crowe,
the Apple Land & Orchard knowing how thick the vein
Water Co. last weekend, it was HRHS student body president,
Company, exhibited some is.
As far as it is known, this
decided to go ahead with the has been named that school’s
samples of high-grade iron
ore which was taken from a is the only mineral deposit of
project of bringing the water nominee. At Wy’east, Wayne
boring for a well in the Wil- any proportion ever found in
from this fine spring down Kanemasu is the winner.
from its source south of Park-
low Flat district last week. the valley, notwithstanding
The well is being drilled on the oft repeated tale of the
dale, to serve the Pine Grove, 1970 — 50 YEARS AGO
the place of Frank Masse, gold mine which is sup-
Odell, Willow Flat and other
and the vein of ore was posed to exist in the Mount
districts. It is expected that the
Price of the property was still
spring will serve more than 500 a key consideration this week
struck at a depth of 146 feet. Hood country and which,
families eventually.
So far it as been penetrated under the name of the Lost
when county commissioners
seven feet and continues Cabin Mine, has been the
discussed a proposal for county
to show ore containing 25 cause of wearing out of
purchase of the old Parkdale
1940 — 80 YEARS AGO
percent iron.
Primary school building. The
much shoe leather.
The ore is found in live
— Hood River News,
Two Hood River residents, structure and its site, declared
rock that contains no lava February 9, 1910
Mrs. Harry T. DeWitt and Mi- surplus property by the Hood
formation, and those who
nori Yasui, have furnished River County school board, is
considerable copy for the Or- currently in use as a day care
egonian in the past few days. center for migrant children.
Mrs. DeWitt inaugurated the
center was to have housed a season on the Deschutes River.
discussion on the term and 1980 — 40 YEARS AGO
30,000 square foot supermarket,
abuse of the term “housewife,”
a drugstore of 31,472 square feet 2010 — 10 YEARS AGO
while Yasui was interviewed for
County commissioners voted and 7,800 square feet of retail
a page on the status of Amer- 3-1 here Monday to honor an commercial space on property
While government stimulus
ican-born, American citizen appraisal filed by Louis Gehrig located near the intersection of dollars — now referred as the
children of Japanese parents in against zoning Port of Hood Rand Road and Cascade Street American Recovery and Rein-
River property in Odell for light west of downtown Hood River.
vestment Act of 2009 — are hard
the United States.
industrial use. The Port of Hood
at work across the country, a
River purchased about 30 acres 2000 — 20 YEARS AGO
project in Hood River acts as a
1950 — 70 YEARS AGO
in Odell and was seeking a zone
prime example of how the funds
The State Highway Commis- change on 16 acres that would
Spring chinook are shaping are not only keeping people on
sion on Tuesday announced development of a plant for an up for a spectacular run in 2000. the job, but how they’re con-
that it has passed in favor industrial door manufacturer.
Now entering the lower Colum- tributing to improvements that
of Hood River City Council’s
bia River, the salmon are expect- have long-term and economic
request for a warning light 1990 — 30 YEARS AGO
ed to begin passing Bonneville and environmental benefits.
system at the corner of 13th
Dam next month, and fisheries Hood River’s Farmers Irrigation
and Oak streets, the junction
A Salem-based investment managers predict the Mid-Co- District started the Indian Creek
of the Columbia River Highway company withdrew its appli- lumbia could see four times last Corridor Irrigation Improve-
and secondary highway traffic. cation before the Hood River year’s numbers.
ment Project Dec. 1 thanks in
The city requested a warning County City Planning Com-
Five and six years ago, the part to about $4 million ARRA
system here because of the mission, ending speculation run hit its all time low: 21,100 in funds provided to the district
heavy traffic and the danger to that the company would build 1994 and 10,200 in 1995, which through the Oregon Depart-
school children at this point. a 70,000-foot shopping center echoed four years later in the ment of Environmental Quality
The city sought a stop light, but west of Hood River. David Glen- 1999 return. But the floods of State Revolving Fund.
stated that a warning system, nie, of Glennie Property Invest- 1996 apparently swept a strong
■
similar to the one at the corner ments, said that his company class of 2000 to seas. If predic-
Compiled by Trisha Walker
of Ninth and Oak, would be had withdrawn the request due tions come true, there could be and Emily Fitzgerald, News staff
better than nothing.
to site condition problems. The a spring chinook sport fishing writers
F EBRUARY 11, 1960
VERBATIM
Well Drilling Outfit Strikes Vein Of Ore
‘Dammed to
Library hosts
Extinction’ shows variety of events
at HRVHS
during February
Theater dept.
fundraiser
Local filmmakers Michael
Peterson and Steven Hawley
will present their documentary
film, “Dammed to Extinction,”
on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. at
Hood River Valley High School.
This event will be a fund-
raiser benefiting the HRVHS
Theater Department. The com-
poser for “Dammed to Extinc-
tion,” Duncan Krummel, is a
Hood River native and graduate
of HRVHS.
The film chronicles the trials
and tribulations of a Pacific
Ocean orca pod whose exis-
tence is threatened by a dwin-
dling Chinook salmon popula-
tion as a result of damming the
Snake River. The film was able
to raise $5,000 through a crowd-
funding campaign to present at
BigSky.
“Dammed to Extinction”
won best feature film award
at the Eugene Environmental
Film Festival last year. A few
weeks later, it was awarded
best endangered species film at
the Wildlife Conservation Film
Festival in New York City. It
also won the audience choice
award at the Gig Harbor Film
Festival, said a press release.
“Dammed to Extinction” is
also featured on TEDx’s You-
Tube Channel, which has over
15.5 million subscribers, ac-
cording to a press release.
Black Histor y Month
events at the Hood River
County Library kicked off last
week. On Wednesday, Feb.
12, it’s “African Fabric Dye-
ing.” See Happenings, page B3
for details.
Cardboard body armor
Visit the Hood River Li-
brary Makerspace on Sat-
urday, Feb. 22 from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. to make your own
piece of body armor out of
cardboard. Hood River Valley
High School senior Brooklyn
Williams will lead partici-
pants through a simple pro-
cess of constructing a paul-
dron (shoulder armor) from
cardboard and other simple
materials.
This program is suitable for
children ages 8 and up only,
and preregistration is required
at 541-386-2535 or info@ho-
odriverlibrary.org.
For more information, visit
hoodriverlibrary.org.
Marvel Trivia
The Marvel Trivia event has
been rescheduled for Feb. 22
at 4 p.m. “Teens, adults and
skrulls welcome.”
Save the Date
March 14 is the return of
Feast of Words, the annual
“party in the library.” The event
features local food and drink,
silent and live auctions, with
proceeds this year used for ma-
sonry repairs on the original
1913 Carnegie Library portion
of the downtown branch.
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