COFFEE BREAK
Saturday, February 21, 2015
East Oregonian
Page 7C
Pawscars
honor
top
animal
actors
Helping your
PARENTS TALK BACK
children deal
with rejection
R
ejection season is nearly upon us.
While it used to be a rite of
passage for 17- and 18-year-
old high school seniors, younger and
younger children are now facing the
admissions process.
Parents have pushed for more
choices in education, and there’s
a growing number of magnet and
charter schools to serve public school
students. With these choices comes
greater responsibility
for parents to research
the options, maneuver
through the maze of
alternatives and then
handle the application
process.
But there’s a
trickle-down effect of
Aisha
constantly competing.
Sultan
Welcome to today’s
Parents talk back
high-stakes childhood,
where children as young
as third and fourth grade are enrolled
in private test-prep classes to give them
an edge on standardized test scores.
Fifth- or sixth-graders apply to middle
schools. Eighth-graders try for the best
high schools. Seniors wait for college
decisions, many of which should be
arriving in the next several weeks.
Families with the time and resources
to compete for selective institutions
have always done so. With the rise
of competitive public school options
and a greater willingness to invest in
childhood enrichment, that pressure is
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a third of teens reported feeling
overwhelmed by stress, and just as
many expected their stress to increase,
according to a recent survey by the
American Psychological Association.
Children navigate social rejection
almost daily: Someone doesn’t want to
play with them on the playground or
sit with them at lunch or invite them to
their party. It’s an essential part of life
to learn to cope with the feelings those
moments provoke.
What is the right age to face
institutional rejection? Does it make
more of an impact at a younger age,
or are young kids impervious to the
expectations we create in our heads as
we get older?
For those who might be facing their
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weeks, it’s good to keep such stumbling
blocks in perspective.
Annie Fox, author of “The Girls’
Q&A Book on Friendship: 50 Ways to
Fix a Friendship Without the Drama,”
says rejection can be character-building
if parents deal with it in a positive way.
“Acknowledge what (children) are
feeling,” she said. A child may feel hurt,
“less than” or that the decision isn’t fair.
“Be empathetic. Share a story when
you may have experienced the same,”
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you didn’t make a team, get a part or
a promotion that required a lot of hard
work. It’s helpful to talk about how
those disappointments opened doors to
other opportunities.
Setbacks create chances to do things
that would not have been possible if a
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For children who have access to
a good-enough education, having a
positive attitude and resiliency have
been proven to pay off in long-term
success. And, unlike a social rejection,
which is intensely personal, an
institutional rejection may often have to
do with factors completely outside the
control of an applicant.
You may think once you’re
established in your career, you’re done
with the rejection gauntlet. But then you
have children, and face those agonizing
choices and waiting games all over
again. Somehow, these decisions feel
even more fraught and stressful than
those you made for yourself. You’re
responsible for giving another person
their best opportunities.
It’s useful to remember and
appreciate the roadblocks we faced on
our own journeys.
I started kindergarten in public
school and graduated from the same
public school system, blissfully
unaware of high-stakes testing until I
showed up for the SAT one Saturday
morning. I only applied to two
universities, remarkably similar ones.
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rejection until I was either 19 or 20.
Back in those heady days of print
journalism, scoring an internship at a
daily metro newspaper was harder than
gaining admission to either college to
which I applied.
I tried for internships at papers
throughout the country, so I received my
share of coast-to-coast rejection letters.
But you know what happens when you
cast a net wide enough. Eventually,
something turns up.
It’s the way you chase those rare
triumphs through the rejections that
changes the direction of your life.
Ŷ
Aisha Sultan is a St. Louis-based
journalist who studies parenting in the
digital age while trying to keep up with
her tech-savvy children. Find her on
Twitter: @AishaS.
By SUE MANNING
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Honoring actors
brings out red carpets, couture and — some-
times — creatures.
A monkey who’s starred in 25 movies over
two decades was top dog at the sixth annual
Pawscars, the animal version of the Oscars.
Waving a statue over her head in triumph, a
beaming Crystal accepts the “lifetime diva
achievement award” looking every bit the
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during the show streaming online Wednesday.
The Capuchin monkey, who played a
Ben Stiller-slapping, key-stealing primate in
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monkey in “Hangover Part II,” is “the Angeli-
na Jolie of animal stars,” said “NCIS” actress
Pauley Perrette, who is hosting the show with
teen actor Lou Wegner.
Holding her tiny hand, Perrette asks the
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with some of the top leading men of all times
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Robin Williams — did you have a favorite?”
Crystal nods and chitters as her “answer”
appears on screen: “Robin did call me his fa-
vorite leading lady, but my favorite leading
man has to be my trainer Tom Gunderson.”
AP Photo/Stacy Gunderson
This 2008 photo provided by Stacy Gun-
derson shows Crystal, a 1-foot-7-inch fe-
male Capuchin monkey, painting in her
home in Los Angeles. Crystal, an animal
actor who has starred in more than 25
movies over nearly two decades, has
received a lifetime diva achievement
award as part of the 6th annual Ameri-
can Humane Association Pawscars.
AP Photo/Twentieth Century Fox, Barry Wetcher
This photo provided by Twentieth Century Fox shows Rocco, a pit bull puppy, being
held by actress Noomi Rapace in the film “The Drop.” Rocco is one of three puppies
used to portray a dog in the film. The trio of pups were awarded an American Hu-
mane Association Pawscar award for best young animal performer.
The show airs four days before the Acade-
my Awards and honors other animal actors in
categories such as best puppy under pressure
and best supporting equine.
As pets become more important parts of
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imal award shows have grown in popularity.
Pets already took the limelight at the World
Dog Awards, the Puppy Bowl and Kitten
Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday, and the West-
minster dog show.
Like the Oscars, the Pawscars wrap up
awards season but are far more low-key. The
hosts announce the awards from armchairs
in Perrette’s Hollywood guest house, while
Crystal perches on a nearby ottoman. Other
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cate and special treat.
Praise for animals on set doesn’t come
without detractors: People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals says live animals don’t
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Humane Association, the group hosting the
Pawscars, has a 75-year-old program that en-
sures the safety of animal actors and gives its
approval by allowing the familiar “No Ani-
mals Were Harmed” tagline to roll in movie
credits.
Other Pawscars include:
artist to bring to life Rocco, a dog that appears
in the mob drama. Puppies grow so fast that
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to make them match.
Best supporting equine
The award goes to Dale, a horse in “Dawn
of the Planet of the Apes” who carries the
apes’ leader. It looks like the apes ride bare-
back, thanks to special-effects markers on the
saddles that are removed in post-production,
Perrette said. In scenes where the horses ap-
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lights.
Best aquatic performance
The honor goes to Savannah, who plays a
dolphin that dies in “Dolphin Tale 2,” but she
avoided having to learn a death scene thanks
to animatronics. As for the other marine life,
the American Humane Association made sure
no animal worked more than an hour without
a break.
Best ensemble
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horse, Dharma the fox, Fred the rattlesnake,
Tess the dog, Sport the rabbit and Taiga the
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Best young animal performer DORQJWKH3DFL¿F&UHVW7UDLOIURJVFRYHUD
A trio of pit bull puppies won for their work sleeping Reese Witherspoon, but a foot-high
LQWKHODWH-DPHV*DQGRO¿QL¶VODVW¿OP³7KH barrier surrounding her meant no single frog
Drop.” It took T, Puppers, Ice and a makeup was lost, Wegner said.
OUT OF THE VAULT
Echo cagers return from championship to empty town
T
he Echo High School
boys basketball team
emerged victorious in the
Oregon State Class B basketball
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1953, beating the Elgin Huskies
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crowd at Willamette University.
So many Echo residents
attended the game that when the
basketball team rolled back into
town Sunday afternoon, the only
people there to greet them were a
handful of babysitters and Coach
George DeLap’s wife.
The coach estimated between
DQGSHRSOHIURP(FKR
SRSXODWLRQLQWKH
census) and the
surrounding
area traveled to
Salem to watch
the tournament.
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Al Swales said
the town was as
proud as it could
Renee
Struthers be of the team,
Out of the vault and related a
conversation
he overheard
at the tournament. One man
asked, “Where is this Echo?” A
bystander replied, “Three fourths
of it is in Salem now.”
The victorious teammates had
played basketball together since
they were in grade school, except
for latecomer Jim Tolan. Bud
Graham, Leward Collinsworth
and Gary Dorn earned a place
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Collinsworth was named tourney
high scorer with 56 points, 21
of which were scored in the
Saturday championship game.
The Echo squad won
each game of the tournament
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and Chiloquin 57-36 on the way
to the title game, capping their
season with 30 consecutive wins.
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quarter when the Cougars’ lead
was 20 points with a minute to
go; the second string widened the
lead by 5.
At the end of the game, the
team hoisted Coach DeLap
on their shoulders, and Echo
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FHOHEUDWLRQRIWKH¿UVWVWDWH
championship in Umatilla
County since Pilot Rock’s six-
man football team landed on top
of the heap in 1951.
Ŷ
Renee Struthers is the records
editor and book reviewer for the
East Oregonian. Contact her at
rstruthers@eastoregonian.com
ODDS & ENDS
Woman seeks world
record for catching
bridal bouquets
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)
— A Utah woman says she
has smashed the world record
for catching bridal bouquets at
weddings and now is seeking
recognition for it.
Salt Lake City’s Jamie
Jackson submitted an application
Wednesday to Guinness World
Records, saying she has caught
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the documentation to prove it.
The current record of 11
bouquets caught by Stephanie
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Jackson said she has attended
as many as 100 weddings over
the years because of her family’s
connections to musical theater
and their church. She jokes that
what started out as a hobby has
turned into “her sport.”
“It is something that you have
to plan for and you have to be
very strategic where you place
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strategy is to be right up in the
front because a lot of time the
brides don’t know how far they
are going to throw it.
“A lot of times it will hit a
ceiling, it’ll hit a chandelier ...
I’ve had many, many catches
where I’ve had to jump for
it. And I’ve hit little kids by
accident.”
Before she could apply to
Guinness, Jackson had to track
down all the brides whose
bouquets she caught to obtain
documentation and photos.
She said she was happy to
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still married. “I consider myself
a good luck charm,” she said.
Jackson has dispelled the
myth that a woman who catches
a bouquet will be the next to get
married. She said some people
joke that she’s purposely staying
single to catch more bouquets,
but she assures them that is not
the case.
“It’s just been a fun process
over the years,” she said.
Bill would repeal last
reference to dueling
in Idaho law
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A
151-year-old state law that
reportedly drew its inspiration
from the legendary duel between
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Burr and former Treasury
Secretary Alexander Hamilton
might soon be taken off the
books.
The House Judiciary, Rules
and Administration Committee
voted Friday to consider ridding
Idaho of the rule on jurisdiction
for out-of-state duels. The law
was passed during Idaho’s very
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Currently, the law states that
Idaho has jurisdiction if a person
dies in the Gem State after
getting injured in a duel out-of-
state.
Republican Rep. Thomas
Dayley joked that some
lawmakers may want to take
advantage of the statute before
its repeal would take effect in
July.
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Sheriffs’ Association had been
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laws to repeal from Idaho code,
he said. “Needless to say, this is
obsolete,” he told lawmakers.
The rule has been untouched
for most of its tenure, but it
was amended in 1986 as part
of a larger change to grant
jurisdiction to the entire state
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The 1986 amendment passed
the Senate unanimously, but it
passed the House by only one
vote because of a disagreement
over whether Ada County should
host the trial if it wasn’t clear
which county should.
The bill has its roots in an
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President Aaron Burr and former
Treasury Secretary Alexander
Hamilton, Kane said.
The duel took place in New
Jersey, but Hamilton died in
New York. Both states charged
Burr with murder.
Man creats black ice
to mask drunken-
driving crash
SPARTA, N.J. (AP) — A man
poured water onto a freezing
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into thinking the cause of his
drunken car crash was black ice,
authorities said.
Bryan Byers hit a guardrail
after running a stop sign in a
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police said. Shortly after the
crash, they said, a friend,
Alexander Zambenedetti,
showed up in his own car and
they then dumped 5-gallon
buckets of water onto the road to
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that’s transparent enough for the
roadway to be seen through it.
$QRI¿FHURQSDWUROLQWKH
area saw Byers walking in the
road and Zambenedetti sitting in
his car with two buckets of water
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a.m., police said. Zambenedetti
wasn’t wearing a shirt despite a
wind chill of 15 below zero, they
said.
Byers, who lives in Sparta,
confessed to the plan, which left
skid marks visible under the thin
layer of ice at the intersection,
authorities said.
Byers was arrested Saturday
and was charged with drunken
driving and other offenses.
His friend also was charged
with drunken driving.
Byers could not be reached
for comment by telephone
Tuesday. Zambenedetti didn’t
immediately return a phone
call. Both men are due in court
Thursday.
Police said it took a half-ton
of salt to melt the ice and make
the road passable.
“I’ve seen a lot of dumb
stuff,” police Sgt. Dennis Proctor
said. “But not this dumb.”
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saw Byers running toward
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believed that he was a deer
or maybe a bear on the road,
Proctor said.
He said Byers drove his car
to his home, about a half-mile
from the crash, after hitting the
guardrail before returning. But
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license plate was still on the
road.
