COMMUNITY
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
East Oregonian
HERMISTON
PENDLETON
Superintendent sets
goals for new school year
To the finders go the spoils
By BRITTANY NORTON
East Oregonian
Staff photos by Tammy Malgesini
Above: Gabriel Anderson, 9, and his father, Cam
Anderson, go through the treat line manned by
Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith, Angelique
Edmiston and Mayor David Drotzmann Tuesday
during National Night Out. The Anderson family
won an ice cream social block party for finding
the hidden medallion during a treasure hunt
leading up to Hermiston’s festivities.
Right: Hermiston Mayor David Drotzmann, right,
congratulates Grant Anderson, 14, and his father,
Cam Anderson, Tuesday during National Night
Out. The Anderson family won an ice cream so-
cial block party for finding the hidden medallion
during a treasure hunt leading up to Hermiston’s
festivities.
BRIEFLY
Heppner park
celebrates
upgrades
HEPPNER — A rib-
bon-cutting ceremony is
planned for the new Fit Park
in Heppner.
Located next to the Wil-
low Creek Water Park, the
new facilities include a pick-
leball court, outdoor exer-
cise equipment, a public
restroom, a regulation-size
basketball court with six
hoops, new walking paths,
additional paved parking and
an acre and a half of grass.
The event is Saturday at
2 p.m. at the park, located
at 433 Riverside Ave., Hep-
pner. The ceremony will
include music by Corey
Peterson. In addition, Blas
Elguezabal of Elite Perfor-
mance will demonstrate the
use of the exercise equip-
ment and give some brief
pickleball lessons.
For more information,
call the Morrow County
Unified Recreation District
at 541-676-5808.
Food excursions
seek huckleberries
MISSION — Several
First Foods Excursions are
planned through the Yellow-
hawk Prevention Program
and the CTUIR Department
of Natural Resources.
The Huckleberry Day
Trips are offered Thurs-
day through Saturday from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to Mount
Emily. Transportation is lim-
ited to 20 people per trip
and advanced registration is
required. Community mem-
bers are welcome to caravan
to the locations for family
fun, exploration and huckle-
berry picking.
Page 3A
chaotic family history.
The book club, which is
free and open to everyone,
meets the second Tuesday of
each month. Copies of “Hill-
billy Elegy” are available at
the library. For more infor-
mation, call 541-567-2882
or stop by the library at 235
E. Gladys Ave.
The Pendleton School
District
superintendent
outlined his goals for the
2018-2019 school year
Tuesday morn-
ing in a spe-
cial board meet-
ing at the school
district’s admin-
istrative offices.
Chris Fritsch,
entering
his
second
year
in
Pendleton,
gave a sum- Fritsch
mary of his four
main goals, including:
increasing his visibility
in schools, increasing his
visibility in the commu-
nity, improving commu-
nication within the dis-
trict and the community,
and showing progress in
all four areas of the school
district’s 2017-2022 stra-
tegic plan.
The
superintendent
proposed walking through
classrooms each week
and attending other dis-
trict events such as staff
meetings once a month.
He also suggested attend-
ing one athletic event and
one club activity for each
sport or organized group
throughout the year. How-
ever, school board mem-
ber Debbie McBee said
that goal seemed unfeasi-
ble and said it would be
easier to attend some club
activities, but not all, or
extend that goal over the
course of two years.
Fritsch also said he
hopes to reach out to
and meet five commu-
nity patrons and establish
meetings with three com-
munity patrons on a quar-
terly basis.
Fritsch’s third goal,
improving communica-
tion, is the same subject he
received his lowest score
in for his one-year eval-
uation. The East Orego-
nian reported in June that
Fritsch scored “basic,”
which is better than a score
of “developing” but worse
than “accomplished” and
“distinguished,” for his
collaboration with family
and community
members. How-
ever, board chair
Lynn
Lieual-
len
attributed
that score to
the “structure
of the district
hierarchy.”
To enhance
communica-
tion within the
district and commu-
nity, Fritsch plans to pro-
vide monthly messages
to parents and the public,
as well as weekly mes-
sages to district staff and
a weekly memo to the
board of directors. Also
on the agenda was an aim
to establish a marketing
plan for the 2018-2019
school year and plans to
update the key communi-
cators network — a group
of people that establishes
a two-way communica-
tion between the public
and the district — with
specific messaging.
Fritsch’s final goal —
to show progress in all
four areas of the strategic
plan — is an endeavor he
hopes to accomplish by
implementing a strategic
plan process for the 2018-
2019 year.
Fritsch began his ten-
ure as the Pendleton
School District superin-
tendent in July 2017 after
former
superintendent
Andy Kovach resigned
from his position in Feb-
ruary 2017, less than a
year after it began.
Evidence of progress
towards his goals will be
presented at executive
committee meetings Oct.
15, 2018, Jan. 14, 2019,
and April 15, 2019.
Contributed photo
People use new exercise equipment at the Fit Park, lo-
cated next to the Willow Creek Water Park in Heppner.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration is Satur-
day at the facility, which includes a pickleball court,
six basketball hoops, new walking paths, additional
paved parking and public restrooms.
For more information or
to register, contact Marissa
Baumgartner at 541-240-
8440, marissabaumgartner@
yellowhawk.org or Wenix
Red Elk at 541-429-7219,
wenixredelk@ctuir.org.
Bookminders
meets Tuesday
HERMISTON — A
memoir by J.D. Vance about
multiple generations of
his family and their strug-
gles is featured during the
upcoming Hermiston Pub-
lic Library book club meet-
ing, which is being held on
a new day.
Bookminders will dis-
cuss “Hillbilly Elegy: A
Memoir of a Family and
Culture in Crisis” Tuesday,
Aug. 14 at 1:30 p.m. at The
Pheasant Bar & Grill, 149
E. Main St., Hermiston. In
the New York Times best-
seller, Vance writes candidly
about his family’s transition
from being “dirt poor” to
middle-class life, yet never
fully escaping the legacy of
abuse, alcoholism, poverty
and trauma. The author also
shares how he still carries
around the demons of his
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION
& LAWN PARTY
August 22 • 11am-3pm
8/8
Cineplex Show Times
Live Music | Free Food | Raffle and Giveaways
Gas Discount | Bounce House and more!
$5 Classic Movie • Today • 12pm
The Sound of Music
$5 Children’s Classic Movie • Today • 10am
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Free Small Popcorn & Small Soda
CHRISTOPHER ROBIN [PG]
4:50 7:20 9:50
THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME [R]
4:20 7:00 9:40
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE -
FALLOUT [PG13]
3:40* 6:50 10:00
TEEN TITANS GO!
TO THE MOVIES [PG]
5:00 7:10 9:20
SKYSCRAPER [PG13]
4:10 6:40 9:30
* Matinee Pricing
wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216
PATIENT
APPRECIATION
EVENT
BBQ at Community Park • August 9th 4:30-6:30pm
Please join us as we give a big
Thank You to all of our patients and families!
SAVE 5¢ PER GALLON WITH
ARROWHEAD’S REZ CARD
REWARDS PROGRAM!
Sign up inside Arrowhead Travel Plaza!
Check our daily gas prices at
arrowheadtravelplaza.com
NEXT TO WILDHORSE RESORT & CASINO
800.654.9453 • PENDLETON, OR • I - 84, Exit 216
1100 Southgate, Suite 3, Pendleton OR 97801 • 541.276.5272
Must be 18 or older to enter. Management reserves the right to alter, suspend or withdraw
offer/promotion at any time. Owned and operated by CTUIR.