COFFEE BREAK Saturday, March 28, 2015 PARENTS TALK BACK Sending 12-year-olds completely off the grid 7 he most enriching, eye-opening learning experience happened nowhere QHDUP\FKLOG¶VVFKRROWKLV\HDU For 45 years, the Parkway School District LQ6W/RXLVKDVVHQWLWVVL[WKJUDGHUVWRDQ RXWGRRUVFKRRORQ<0&$FDPSJURXQGVD FRXSOHKRXUVDZD\E\EXV It’s a four-day experience; it used to be a week-long program, until budget cuts HOLPLQDWHGDGD\ “We talk about FRQQHFWLQJZLWKQDWXUH´ said Ron Ramspott, coordinator for Healthy Youth Programs for Aisha WKHGLVWULFW³,W¶VUHDOO\ Sultan Parents talk back about disconnecting with HOHFWURQLFV´ My daughter’s class recently took the trek into the wilderness (a very tame wilderness, as all the cabins have air conditioning and electricity) for lessons on water ecology, wildlife and soil quality, along with outdoor activities like horseback ULGLQJDQGKLNLQJ 7KHPRVWGDXQWLQJDVSHFWLVWKHDEVROXWH ban on any digital devices for the entire GXUDWLRQRIWKHWULS “We weren’t sure we were going to make LW´P\GDXJKWHUVDLG One of her friends packed grid paper in FDVHVKHJRW0LQHFUDIW'7V 7ZHOYHLVWKHSHUIHFWDJHIRUVXFKDQ LPPHUVLYHRIIWKHJULGH[SHULHQFH,WPD\ EHWKH¿UVWWLPHLQWKHLUFRQVFLRXVOLYHVWKDW they don’t have a tech device nearby for four FRQVHFXWLYHGD\V7KH\DUHSDUWRIWKDW¿UVW cohort who won’t remember a time before XELTXLWRXVKDQGKHOGVFUHHQV7KH\ZHUH WRGGOHUVZKHQ<RX7XEHZDVERUQ*RRJOH only four years older than them, has been WKHLUFRQVWDQWJXLGH Removing them from their hyper- connected, screen-saturated environments RIIHUHGVRPHRIWKHPRVWVLJQL¿FDQWOHVVRQV RIWKH\HDU 7KH\LPPHGLDWHO\QRWLFHGWKHORVVRI LQVWDQWDFFHVVWRLQIRUPDWLRQ “If you wanted to know how to do VRPHWKLQJ\RXKDGWRORRNLWXSLQWKH¿HOG JXLGHRUDVNDWHDFKHU´P\GDXJKWHUVDLG ³<RXFRXOGQ¶WMXVWVHDUFKLW´ It’s not surprising how often questions VWULNHDVL[WKJUDGHU'XULQJDFODVVRXWVLGH a student wondered what the most common URFNLQ0LVVRXULZDV1RSKRQHWR¿QGDQ DQVZHU2QWKHEXVDVWXGHQWZDQWHGWR VROYHD5XELN¶V&XEH6KHFRXOGQ¶W*RRJOH WKHVROXWLRQ7KH\FRXOGQ¶WHYHQFKHFNWKH time or set an alarm without resorting to DQDFKURQLVPVOLNHZDWFKHVDQGDODUPFORFNV ,QDGGLWLRQWR¿QGLQJQHZZD\VWRDFFHVV information and solve problems, they had to PDQDJHQHZZD\VWRFRPPXQLFDWH “We couldn’t contact our friends on the RWKHUWHDPVWKURXJKWH[WLQJ´P\GDXJKWHU VDLG,I\RXQHHGHGWRWDONWRVRPHRQH\RX KDGWRGRLWIDFHWRIDFH,PDJLQHWKDW 7KHKDUGHVWSDUWIRUKHUZDVEHLQJXQDEOH to document the experience through the FDPHUDVKHXVXDOO\FDUULHV ³7KHUHZHUHORWVRIWKLQJV,ZDVQ¶WDEOH WRWDNHSLFWXUHVRI´VKHVDLG7KDWZDV DQQR\LQJ$IWHUDOOWKLVLVWKHSLFVRULW GLGQ¶WKDSSHQJHQHUDWLRQ Eventually, the impulse to constantly document lessened, and the moment took on LWVRZQYDOXH7KHFDPDUDGHULHZDVYLWDO “I coped because I had 12 of my friends ZLWKPHLQDFDELQ´VKHVDLG 7KHDEVHQFHRIWKHLUSKRQHVDQGWDEOHWV proved less of a distraction at night, which is when most school children retreat into their GLJLWDOFRFRRQV “I got closer to people I wouldn’t have WDONHGWRRWKHUZLVH´VKHVDLG Even if the students didn’t think about that overtly, at some level, the experience reinforced the importance of human FRQQHFWLRQ But it wasn’t just the children who EURNHDZD\IURPWKHLUWHFKGHSHQGHQFH $VSDUHQWVZHKDYHEHFRPHDFFXVWRPHGWR WKHGLJLWDOWHWKHU6HQGLQJ\RXUFKLOGDZD\ without any way to check in on them runs FRXQWHUWRWKHSUHYDLOLQJSDUHQWLQJQRUPV Becky Lopanec’s daughter, Julia, also ZHQWRQWKHWULS/RSDQHFVDLGVKHPD\KDYH missed her daughter’s phone as much Julia GLG “I spent the week sending her random text messages knowing that her phone was off DQGDWKRPH´VKHVDLG/RSDQHFVHQWDVHULHV of texts during the next four days: “How’s WKHEXVULGH"´³:KR¶VLQ\RXUFDELQ"´³6OHHS WLJKW´³,¶POHDYLQJWKHOLJKWRQLQ\RXUURRP EHFDXVHLWPDNHVPHWKLQN\RXDUHKHUH´ ³'RQ¶WIRUJHWWREUXVK\RXUWHHWK´DQGVRRQ 6KHHYHQVHQWKHUSLFWXUHVRIWKHGRJV ³,W¶VKRZ,FRSHGZLWKKHU¿UVW RYHUQLJKW´/RSDQHFVDLG My own phone was a reminder of how WHUULEO\,PLVVHGP\JLUO,FDXJKWP\VHOI rereading our old text conversations while VKHZDVJRQH7KH\DUHKHDYLO\HPRML¶HG My daughter had a sentimental reunion ZLWKKHUVN\EOXHL3KRQHXSRQKHUUHWXUQ She cradled her phone in her hand like a GHOLFDWHEDE\ELUGZKHQVKH¿UVWVDZLWLQKHU EHGURRP ³:L¿´VKHVLJKHG³,W¶VVREHDXWLIXO´ 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. East Oregonian Page 9C Summer camp goes wild: .LGVILQGIXQDWDQLPDOVKHOWHUV By SUE MANNING Associated Press /26$1*(/(6 ² &KLOGUHQ who love to dance, act or play sports have summer camps spe- FLDOL]HGMXVWIRUWKHP%XWPDQ\ parents don’t realize that kids who are passionate about pets can have WKHVDPHLPPHUVLYHH[SHULHQFH 7KRXVDQGVRI\RXQJVWHUVDJHV 6 to 17 will attend day camps this summer at hundreds of animal VKHOWHUV DFURVV WKH FRXQWU\ 7KH urge to nurture animals starts HDUO\ ² HVSHFLDOO\ ZLWK SHWV becoming key parts of families ² JLYLQJ ULVH WR WKH SRSXODULW\ of programs that offer budding veterinarians and other young animal lovers a way to help dogs and cats and learn the responsi- ELOLWLHVRIRZQLQJSHWV ³7KLVLVDEVROXWHO\RQHRIWKH fastest growing programs at the VKHOWHU´ VDLG &KULVWHQ %HQVRQ executive director of the Humane 6RFLHW\ RI 6DUDVRWD &RXQW\ DERXW PLOHV VRXWK RI7DPSD )ORULGD %XW VKH VDLG WKH ¿UVW TXHV- tion from parents often is: “What are they going to do, clean the NHQQHOV"´ ³7KHVH FDPSV DUHQ¶W DERXW getting free volunteers in to scrub FDJHV´VDLG0LFKHOOH5DPRVGL- UHFWRU RI HGXFDWLRQ IRU WKH $UL- ]RQD$QLPDO:HOIDUH/HDJXH 63&$LQ3KRHQL[ 7KH\DUHGHVLJQHGWRLQWURGXFH children to animals and show WKHP KRZ WKH FUHDWXUHV ¿W LQWR WKHLU ZRUOG 5DPRV VDLG &DPS- ers learn to feed, exercise, wash, WUDLQDQGFDUHIRUGRJVDQGFDWV In some camps, older youths can watch a surgery, help with minor stitches and monitor an animal patient to test out careers in the ¿HOG &DUROLQH*RORQRI&ROXPEXV Ohio, is building a national da- tabase of camps on crayonsand- AP Photo/Chris Carlson In this March 16 photo, Mikayla McCarthy, 15, left, and Ashley Carter, 14, look at a red-tailed boa constrictor during the Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA spring kids camp in Phoe- nix. Thousands of youngsters from 6 to 17 will attend similar summer camps this year at hundreds of animal shelters across the country. FROODUVFRPKHUQDWLRQDOEORJIRU SHWVDQGNLGV6RIDUVKH¶VIRXQG over 250 shelters with camp of- IHULQJV “Many parents don’t know it’s an option for their animal-loving kids, and some of the shelters KDYHWUXO\LQFUHGLEOHSURJUDPV´ *RORQVDLG 6LVWHUV7DU\QDQG.D\OD$OHV- sandrino, 23 and 26, respectively, went to camp in Phoenix over a decade ago when the programs ZHUH MXVW JHWWLQJ VWDUWHG 7DU\Q $OHVVDQGULQR KDV VLQFH JRWWHQ her veterinary technician license and returns to the shelter each VXPPHU WR KHOS ZLWK FODVVHV .D\OD$OHVVDQGULQRLVLQKHUODVW year of veterinary school in Scot- land, and her sister awaits the day WKH\FDQVHWXSDSUDFWLFH “I thought I wanted to be a vet, WRR´ 7DU\Q $OHVVDQGULQR VDLG “One day, we got to go in where they were doing spay and neuter surgeries, and I instantly realized that was not something I could GR´ She enjoys taking tempera- tures, measuring heart rates or giving shots, so she became a vet WHFK “Since I was able to walk, I ZDQWHG WR EH DURXQG DQLPDOV 7KH\ DUH JUHDW VR FDOPLQJ DQG can cheer you up if you are hav- LQJDEDGGD\7KH\DUHWKHUDSHX- WLF´ VDLG$OHVVDQGULQR ZKR KDV ¿YH FDWV WKUHH GRJV D OHRSDUG gecko and a bearded dragon at KRPH $W WKH$UL]RQD$QLPDO :HO- IDUH /HDJXH 63&$ FDPSHUV get to meet exotic animals at WKHVKHOWHU¶VVDQFWXDU\*XDSRD 5-foot iguana, is the most popu- ODU5DPRVVDLG In Florida, the Humane Soci- HW\RI6DUDVRWD&RXQW\ODXQFKHG its camp three years ago to give children ages 7 to 12 a chance to bond with animals, play an- imal-themed games, make an- imal-themed crafts and hear IURPVSHDNHUV When camps start, about half the kids have pets at home, said %HQVRQRIWKHVKHOWHU:KHQLW¶V over, about two-thirds of the par- ticipants own animals, because their families have adopted furry IULHQGV OUT OF THE VAULT WWII bomber crashes kill 14 near Pendleton, Boise D uring World War II, Pendleton was a training site for bomber crews supporting the war effort in the 6RXWK3DFL¿F$SDLURIFUDVKHV killed 14 men and injured two more on March 16, 1942, when B-17 Flying Fortress bombers went down between Pendleton and Boise, Idaho, during separate routine night training exercises IURPWKH3HQGOHWRQDLUEDVH$ second crash happened just 10 days later, but all 10 crewmen SDUDFKXWHGWRVDIHW\ One of the B-17s crashed three miles southwest of Gowen Field, near Boise, at DSSUR[LPDWHO\DPRQ 0DUFK)RXUPHQZHUHNLOOHG in the crash, and two men were VHULRXVO\LQMXUHG2QHRIWKH À\HUVNLOOHGLQWKHFUDVKZDVQG /W&KDUOHV Hosford III, of Butler, Pennsylvania, the pilot of the ERPEHU7KH 25-year-old Hosford had been married Renee Struthers just a month Out of the vault before in the Pendleton base’s chapel to Helen Pruitt of Pendleton, and celebrated his birthday the day EHIRUHWKHFUDVKWRRNKLVOLIH 7KHVHFRQGERPEHUFUDVKHG 20 miles south of Pendleton in the Blue Mountains, and salvage crews struggled through the snow to recover the wreckage and the bodies of the 10 crew members, who all perished instantly in the FUDVK7KHZUHFNDJHZDVVWUHZQ over a mile-wide area after the plane hit one ridge and then caromed across the canyon to the RWKHUVLGH2QO\SDUWVRIWKHWDLO DQGRQHZLQJZHUHIRXQGLQWDFW $WKLUG)O\LQJ)RUWUHVV crashed shortly after takeoff on March 26, landing a half mile from the home of Jack Shafer, who owned a ranch six miles northeast of Pendleton, near $GDPV6KDIHU¿UVWFDXJKWVLJKW of the plane traveling at about 5,000 feet with smoke trailing IURPLWVPRWRUV$IHZPRPHQWV later the 10-man crew bailed out and parachuted safely to the JURXQG7KHSODQHWKHQZHQWLQWR a left spiral and crashed to earth ³OLNHDEDOORIÀDPH´DFFRUGLQJ to Shafer, strewing wreckage RYHUDKDOIPLOHDUHD7KH¿UVW $UP\PHQWRUHDFKWKHFUDVK VLWHZHUHVL[$IULFDQ$PHULFDQ privates from an infantry division stationed at Walla Walla, who were en route to Walla Walla from Pendleton when the crash RFFXUUHG7KH\WRRNFKDUJHRIWKH scene and stood guard duty until the crash crews could arrive from 3HQGOHWRQ)LHOG On a lighter note, one of the sergeants involved in the March 26 crash complained, “With all that territory to land in, I had to light on a barbed wire fence and WHDUP\SDQWV´ Ŷ Renee Struthers is the Community Records Editor for the East Oregonian. See the complete collection of Out of the Vault columns at eovault. blogspot.com ODDS & ENDS Driver gets ticket for driving with the ‘Most Interesting Man’ in carpool lane ),)(:DVK$3²$ Washington State Patrol trooper says it’s by far the best carpool scam he’s seen, but it didn’t ZRUN $V.20279SXWLW ³7URRSHUVGRQ¶WDOZD\VVWRS SHRSOHLQWKH+29ODQHVEXW when they do, they prefer ‘dos’ SDVVHQJHUV´ $PRWRUF\FOHWURRSHUSDUNHG DORQJ,QWHUVWDWHQHDU7DFRPD on Monday afternoon spotted a driver and a rather unusual ³SDVVHQJHU´SDVVE\KLPLQWKH FDUSRROODQH:KHQWKHWURRSHU stopped the car, he discovered WKH³SDVVHQJHU´ZDVDFDUGERDUG cutout of the actor who portrays ³7KH0RVW,QWHUHVWLQJ0DQLQWKH :RUOG´LQ'RV(TXLVEHHUDGV 7KHGULYHU¶VUHVSRQVH"³+H¶V P\EHVWIULHQG´ 7KH0RVW,QWHUHVWLQJ0DQ ZDVQRWFRQ¿VFDWHGEXWWKH driver was told not to use him DJDLQ &KDQQHOLQJWKHFDUGERDUG cutout, the State Patrol tweeted: ³,GRQ¶WDOZD\VYLRODWHWKH+29 ODQHODZEXWZKHQ,GR,JHWD WLFNHW´ Police track suspect through Snapchat )$,5),(/'0DLQH$3 ²$0DLQHPDQZKR¶GEHHQ wanted by police for several weeks made a couple of woman apparently did not know that the item she picked up and transported Monday was an ROGPRUWDUURXQG3ROLFHGRQRW believe the woman knew the SLHFHZDVSRWHQWLDOO\H[SORVLYH She told authorities that she found the item while cleaning her property in Sandia, about PLOHVQRUWKZHVWRI&RUSXV &KULVWL Employees at the recycling center recognized the mortar round, cleared out the place and FDOOHGERPEH[SHUWV AP Photo/Washington State Patrol, Trooper Tony Brock This Monday photo shows a cardboard cutout of the “The Most Interesting Man In The World,” otherwise known as ac- tor Jonathan Goldsmith, of Dos Equis beer TV commercial fame, strapped to the passenter seat of a driver who tried to use the image to qualify to drive the carpool lane on Inter- state 5 near Fife, Wash. critical mistakes that led to his FDSWXUH²KHVHQWRXWVRFLDO media messages pinpointing his ORFDWLRQ 7KH6RPHUVHW&RXQW\ 6KHULII¶V2I¿FHKDGEHHQORRNLQJ IRU&KULVWRSKHU:DOODFHRI )DLU¿HOGLQFRQQHFWLRQZLWKD EXUJODU\LQ-DQXDU\ Police tell the Morning Sentinel that on Sunday night they received tips from people who said Wallace had posted on Snapchat that he had returned to KLV)DLU¿HOGKRPH 6RSROLFHZHQWWRWKHKRXVH While they were searching with permission of the resident, they were tipped off that Wallace had posted a new Snapchat message saying police were in the house looking for him and he ZDVKLGLQJLQDFDELQHW+HZDV IRXQGLQWKHFDELQHW Woman drops off old mortar round at Texas recycling site &25386&+5,67,7H[DV $3²$ZRPDQUHF\FOLQJ some items she found on her 6RXWK7H[DVSURSHUW\LQFOXGHG what turned out to be a piece of ROGPLOLWDU\H[SORVLYHV &RUSXV&KULVWLSROLFHVD\ a bomb squad was dispatched and the mortar round was safely GHVWUR\HG1RERG\ZDVKXUW Police say the 62-year-old Jury convicts man of attacking woman with his cane 0(03+,67HQQ$3 ²$0HPSKLVPDQKDVEHHQ convicted of attacking a woman with his cane because his FLJDUHWWHOLJKWHUZDVPLVVLQJ 7KH6KHOE\&RXQW\'LVWULFW $WWRUQH\¶V2I¿FHVD\VDMXU\ convicted 57-year-old James Shettles of aggravated assault on 7XHVGD\DIWHUDWZRGD\WULDO Witnesses said Shettles confronted the woman in June 2013, angrily accusing her son RIWDNLQJKLVOLJKWHU7KHZRPDQ WHVWL¿HGWKDWKHWKUHDWHQHGWR blow her head off if he didn’t get LWEDFN Shettles swung his cane at her, but the woman was able to EORFNLWZLWKKHUKDQG+HWKHQ went into his home and retrieved what looked like a handgun and WKUHDWHQHGWRNLOOKHU Police later determined that it ZDVDWR\FDSJXQ