A10
FROM PAGE ONE
Wallowa County Chieftain
Skate:
Continued from Page A1
These kids truly want to
see something in this com-
munity that would be a
healthy activity and bring
everybody
together,”
Pickens said.
And while Pickens
had invited skateboarder
and motivational speaker
Brandon Novak to speak
at the opening event, it
was a story from Joshua
Bridgewater, who led
the charge to get the fi rst
skate park built, that stole
the show.
Bridgewater,
47,
who now lives in Long
Beach, California, made
the 20-plus hour drive to
Enterprise when learning
that the skate park was
being upgraded.
In the late 1990s,
Bridgewater moved back
to Enterprise after living
and attending school there
for a time as a teenager in
the late ‘80s.
He said he was proba-
bly the only skateboarder
in town, and maybe in the
county.
“Back then, I believe
I converted two kids. I
use conversion lightly,”
he said. “Skateboarding
isn’t about converting
Masks:
Continued from Page A1
Disagreeing, but
complying
But despite their dis-
agreement with the rul-
ings coming down from
the governor’s offi ce and
state health offi cials, the
districts plan to obey them.
“We’re not going to defy
the mandate,” Homan told
the Chieftain on Thursday,
Aug. 5.
“Our school year begins
Aug. 30 — and our admin-
istration and staff will again
strive to change directions
to meet this recent order,”
the letter from the ESD
board, which was read
Ronald Bond/Wallowa County Chieftain
Joshua Bridgewater, a former Enterprise resident, skates in
the halfpipe at the new skate park Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021.
Bridgerwater, who now lives in Long Beach, California,
helped lead the eff ort for the original skate park two
decades ago, but never got to skate in the completed park.
He made the trip from California to be at the opening event
for the new park.
at an Aug. 2 board meet-
ing, said. “Enterprise Dis-
trict No. 21 is prepared to
be a voice of advocacy for
our students, parents and
patrons. We will continue
to seek additional local
control, working in con-
junction with our admin-
istration and local health
authority to provide the
quality in person-in class
instruction our patrons
expect.”
Homan
explained
what the Joseph board is
seeking.
“Local control is the
ability for our school to
work with our local health
department,
community
and staff , and develop col-
laboratively what is best
for our school,” he said. “I
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
people, it’s about stoking
each other out. A really
positive outlet.”
Family circumstances
led to Bridgewater mov-
ing from the area for about
a decade. He returned in
his early 20s, still as one
of the few skateboard-
ers in the community, he
said, and decided there
was a need for another
outlet for youths.
“This
community
needs a skate park.
Something for the kids
that were like me, that
didn’t go the path of tra-
ditional sports, that were
attracted to maybe some
extreme sports, whether
it be skateboarding, roll-
erblading,”
Bridgewa-
ter said. “I started hitting
the pavement, did some
research (and) went to
City Hall.”
Support for the skate
park grew — not only
among youths, but par-
ents, too.
“I put all my heart
and energy and whatever
money we could raise
into the park,” he said.
“There was no concrete
here. This was the pro-
posed spot.”
The money raised —
Bridgewater said it was
about $20,000 — funded
the concrete pad.
Ramps were con-
had a phone conversation
with (state Rep.) Bobby
Levy yesterday. Our big
thing is pushing for local
control, but doing it the
right way through com-
munication with our leg-
islators, with (the Oregon
Department of Education),
with the governor, so that
is what we’re hoping peo-
ple will do.”
Homan, in a follow-up
email to the Chieftain, said
frustration comes from not
having an opportunity to
work with the state.
“(W)e are frustrated
with the lack of collabo-
ration with the state and
frustrated that the state has
put schools back in a situ-
ation that we have no con-
trol of,” he said. “Unfortu-
nately, I see schools in our
county and around the state
losing students at a very
high rate, thus also aff ect-
ing the fi nancial stability of
schools. I hope in the end
we do not lose school dis-
tricts in small communities
due to the exit of students.
We want our community
to know that we appreciate
them and are working to
do the best we can during
these times and we realize
the mandate can be very
divisive, and we want to
work together to gain our
local control back.”
Jones spoke highly of
the way the last year was
handled between the dis-
tricts and local offi cials.
“We’re not a fan of los-
ing local decision mak-
ing,” she said. “Wallowa
County is an amazing place
and we’ve had a great rela-
tionship with Dr. (Eliz-
abeth) Powers, who has
really helped us maneuver
through these uncharted
waters, and it’s (been) a
collaborative relationship
with all three districts, the
ESD, and Dr. Powers.”
Obey or pay
In
a
sense,
Jason Duby w
Jason Stewart and team roping during
of
overall champions e duo didn’t have the
Th
.
Chief Joseph Days ther round, but had the
fastest total in ei time of 12.2 seconds
fastest combined me almost $2,500.
to take ho
S
though,
OF
THE
JASON DUBY
JASON STEWART &
ere the
udly
Pro onsore d b y
p
structed shortly after
through a donation.
Bridgewater, though,
didn’t get to see the proj-
ect to fruition, moving
before the ramps were
completed.
“This is visually the
fi rst time I’ve seen new
ramps on the block of
concrete that has so much
sweat, blood and tears (of
ours),” he said. “My orig-
inal had a mini halfpipe
on it. That never came to
fruition until today.”
That
Bridgewater
could even dip into the
halfpipe Saturday is a
marvel in itself. He said
he was recovering from
the latest set of what is
now 41 surgeries related
to being born with spina
bifi da. He is partially par-
alyzed from the waist
down.
Yet he has continued
to be an advocate for the
sport, and uses it in his
work with special-needs
youths.
“I can tell you this is
an awesome outlet for
the youths of all ages,”
he said. “You can skate
despite limitations, phys-
ically, mentally, what-
ever. No matter what
your home life is like
… you can ride a skate-
board. It’s for everybody,
boys, girls, all ages.”
Spike:
Continued from Page A1
patients in Region 9 — which
includes Umatilla, Union,
Baker Malheur, Morrow and
Wallowa counties — at 25.
That’s higher than even the top
total from the spike in Novem-
ber (18) or December (17). The
number did drop slightly to 22
on Monday.
Regions 3 and 5 in South-
western Oregon are also seeing
unprecedented levels of hospi-
talizations due to COVID-19,
with 99 COVID patients in hos-
pitals in Region 3, and 119 in
Region 5 on Monday. Region 6
also reached a record with seven
hospitalizations on Sunday. On
Monday, OHA reported there
were 575 people in the hospital
statewide due to COVID.
The increase in cases is part
of a jump region and state-
wide, with 3,229 cases and 14
deaths from over the weekend
reported on Monday.
Vaccination rates in the
county have slowed to a trickle,
as well, though they are still
increasing.
Wallowa County’s over-
all vaccination rate has ticked
up to 49.1%, while the rate
of those 18 and older is up to
58.9%, and 67.8% of those 60
and older — those more sus-
ceptible to the virus — have
gotten a shot.
schools are really left with-
out an option but to follow
the rules after the Oregon
Health Authority added clar-
ifi ed information on Aug. 2,
which noted failure to com-
ply could be costly.
According to the text
of OAR 333-019-1015,
adopted by the OHA on
Aug. 2, “A school that vio-
lates this rule on or after
Aug. 12, 2021 is subject to a
civil penalty of $500 per day
per violation.”
The risk of being fi ned is
one that the schools had to
take into consideration.
“The challenge is, and the
board understands, we don’t
want to, but we will follow
whatever the orders are,”
Jones said. “If you know-
ingly disobey the law there
are consequences and penal-
ties in place.”
Beyond that, there is the
possibility that the Teacher
Standards and Practices
Commission could levy
punishments if teachers are
not compliant with the rule,
with those ranging from a
disciplinary letter to sus-
pending or even revoking a
teacher’s license, Jones said.
“We could technically
lose our jobs (if we dis-
obey),” Pinkerton said
during an Aug. 2 Enterprise
School Board meeting.
Pinkerton, in a follow-up
with the Chieftain, added:
“My knowledge is that
because when we do accept
our licensure, there is a
code of ethics which if (we)
break the law our license is
revoked. That is something
TSPC would be pursuing if
(educators) did not comply.”
She is opposed to TSPC
taking that kind of position,
saying that in doing so, they
are questioning the integrity
of teachers.
“I’m so against it. We
are educated, licensed pro-
fessionals making decisions
day in and day out to make
sure we are ensuring the
safety of our students,” she
said. “For them to hang this
over our head, in my opin-
ion, is an insult.”
Trent Danowski, dep-
uty director and director of
professional practices for
TSPC, wrote in an email to
the Chieftain that TSPC is
still working on what the
proper approach would be.
“The Oregon Teacher
Standards and Practices
Commission is reviewing
the Oregon Health Author-
ity directives, and is work-
ing in collaboration with the
OHA and other partner state
agencies to determine how
best to respond to reports of
noncompliance by TSPC-li-
censed individuals,” he said.
According to the latest
OHA rules, masks are to
be worn indoors at schools
during regular school hours,
during off -campus classes
or fi eld trips during school
hours, or educational activ-
ities outside of school hours.
The
exceptions
are
when an individual is eat-
ing, drinking or sleeping,
playing an instrument that
requires use of the mouth, in
a private offi ce with the door
closed, if a person is under
2, or during a P.E. class
that includes swimming or
another water sport, or a
sport where a mask could be
a strangulation hazard, such
as wrestling.
Social distancing of at
least 3 feet is also strongly
recommended.
Jones said the schools are
aligned in their position and
will continue working for
the ability to have control.
“We will follow, because
there isn’t really a choice,”
she said, “but we are going
to advocate like crazy to
have our local control back.”
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