6A — BAKER CITY HERALD
SCHOOLS
Continued from Page 1A
“I’ve just been in a two-hour meeting
with the leadership team today developing
tentative plans for reaching out to fami-
lies,” Witty said Thursday in a telephone
interview.
Administrators meet in the north confer-
ence room at the District Offi ce.
“Each staff member has a table that is
sanitized,” Witty said. “We practice social
distancing and sanitization.”
Administrators are prepared to adjust as
things change.
“We’re developing tentative plans for
reaching out to families within the next 48
hours by (school) principals,” Witty said.
He ticked off a short list of some of the
work in progress, including developing a
plan, as directed by the governor, to pro-
vide child care for the county’s emergency
responders and health care workers.
Breakfasts and lunches will continue
to be handed out curbside at schools, with
Keating being added beginning Monday.
Also beginning Monday, hot meals will
be provided at noon and a breakfast for
the next day will be delivered at the same
time. (See related information on Page 2A).
A total of 320 children 18 and younger
were served Wednesday, Witty said, and
the numbers have been increasing by 30 to
40 daily.
The District is prepared to serve as
many children as necessary in the coming
days to help ease the burden of families in
fi nancial distress and to ensure that young
people do not go hungry, he said. They do
not need to attend Baker schools to join the
meal program. And participants may pick
up food at the school most conveniently
located to their homes.
Instructional programs are at the core
of the discussions. Witty said administra-
tors will meet with certifi ed staff, includ-
ing teachers, on March 30 as plans move
forward. Roles for classifi ed employees also
will be determined in the coming weeks.
“We’re going to get more guidance from
(the Oregon Department of Education,
ODE) by the end of the week or the fi rst
part of next week about what education
will look like — including special educa-
tion, counseling services and Wi-Fi,” Witty
said.
Graduation requirements for seniors
and testing procedures also will be dis-
cussed.
Witty said he will meet on a conference
call with the ODE staff at 2 p.m. on Tues-
days and Fridays so that he can have high
quality information as quickly as possible.
In a message that went out to District
SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2020
staff Thursday, Witty outlined plans for the
mandatory March 30 meeting for certi-
fi ed employees, some of whom will gather
in the morning by grade level and area of
expertise at staggered 30-minute periods
in elementary and middle school libraries.
Baker High School staff will attend a vir-
tual morning meeting with BHS principal
Greg Mitchell and assistant principal Chel-
sea Hurliman.
Thomas Joseph, principal of Eagle Cap
Innovative High School, will meet with his
staff to schedule online learning programs
for their students. And special ed and
counseling staff will meet the afternoon
of March 30 with Barry Nemec, special ed
director, and Silas Turner, BHS guidance
counselor.
In his letter to the staff, Witty reminded
the District employees of their blessings
— and their obligations — going forward.
Witty wrote that in his visit with Brent
Kerns Thursday, the Baker Justice Court
judge told him that as of Saturday 600 em-
ployees will have been laid off throughout
the community as a result of the statewide
measures taken to stop the spread of
coronavirus.
“We are blessed that our base pay will
stay the same throughout this time frame
as long as we provide the services required
by the Oregon Department of Education,”
Witty wrote. “I would encourage all of us to
consider ways we can serve our neighbors
and the greater community during this
time.”
Although next week is the regularly
scheduled spring break, Witty said he
will gather the administrative team on
Wednesday to continue planning.
The superintendent said they are work-
ing to develop the best systems to support
students and families.
“We have no qualms about doing what-
ever it takes to get that done,” he said.
Witty said he believes it is imperative
that the District’s leadership team and
staff pull together to mitigate the impacts
of the school closures.
One way of doing that will be for the
District to track the cost of providing child
care for emergency service workers.
“If we have positive revenue, we will
donate that to the food bank or to other or-
ganizations in the community to help those
who are less fortunate,” he said.
Witty says he is asking his staff to be
“service-minded” and to be cognizant of
everybody’s health as their work continues.
“It’s critical we give one another grace,”
he said. “We’ve got to fi gure out how we
can help each other, and this might be
for an extended period. This is uncharted
territory.”
Baker athletic director talks
coronavirus and sports
By Corey Kirk
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
Being over 330 miles from
home, Baker School Dis-
trict Athletic Director Buell
Gonzales Jr.’s day did not go
according to plan.
Ready to watch the Baker
girls basketball team make
a run for its second straight
state title, Gonzales, along-
side coach Matt Sand, had to
break bad news when they
were en route to the gym.
Baker’s game wasn’t going
to be played in front of empty
bleachers.
The Bulldogs’ season was
over because of a more daunt-
ing opponent than they could
meet on the hardwood.
Coronavirus.
“That was crushing for
them,” Gonzales said of the
Baker girls, who were set to
play on March 12. “It was one
of the harder conversations
I’ve ever been a part of as an
educator.”
As he watched the news
break about coronavirus,
Gonzales was glued to its pro-
gression. When the Utah Jazz
and Oklahoma City Thunder
NBA game was postponed
due to Utah center Rudy
Gobert testing positive for the
virus, Gonzales said it felt like
the situation was destined to
hit home.
“It seemed like the sports
world started to fall apart at
that point,” Gonzales said.
The very next day —
March 12 — the Oregon
School Activities Association
“It was one of the hardest conversations
I’ve ever been a part of as an educator.”
— Buell Gonzales Jr., Baker athletic director,
talking about March 12 when the Baker girls
basketball team learned it wouldn’t have a
chance to defend its state championship
announced the cancellation
of all the remaining state
basketball games, forcing the
Bulldogs to come home.
The effects continued,
as one day later Gov. Kate
Brown announced that public
schools would be closed until
March 31, and the OSAA fol-
lowed suit in banning spring
sports games and practices.
When it came time to tell
spring sports coaches, Gonza-
les knew that these coaches
had to have been prepared.
“The information was out
in front, it wasn’t a shock to
anybody,” Gonzales said. “The
coaches were super disap-
pointed, as well as the kids.”
As the head of the athletic
department, the safety of
Baker’s student-athletes is
his top priority. However, he
does empathize with those
who feel possibly cheated out
of another season in their
sport, especially Bulldogs
who are set to graduate in a
couple of months.
“The only thing that you
can fashion this to is injury,”
Gonzales said. “It’s the fi nal-
ity of it.”
As the number of cases
continued to rise, Brown
extended the school closure to
April 28, and the OSAA did
the same.
That eliminates most of
the spring sports schedules
for Baker baseball, softball,
track, golf and tennis.
However, the season is still
not lost, as OSAA offi cials
hope to bring back sports by
late April. Gonzales is ready
to work with other schools to
make the proper modifi ca-
tions to get the most out of
the remaining schedules if
possible.
“As a league we are moving
forward with creating league
schedules,” Gonzales said of
the Greater Oregon League,
which includes Baker, La
Grande, Ontario and Mac-Hi.
“It would start with a week
or two of practices, and then
go right into league play.”
As the spring season
continues to loom with
uncertainty, Gonzales hopes
Baker’s student-athletes take
what their sport has taught
them in the Baker com-
munity and translate it into
fi ghting this pandemic.
“You can do it by being
patient, listening to other
people and helping out your
community when you can,”
Gonzales said. “Now is the
time to step up and continue
that mantra.”
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Three Ducks named
to All-American team
By Doug Feinberg
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK — Sabrina Ionescu has joined
an elite group, becoming a three-time All-
American.
The Oregon senior shattered the NCAA ca-
reer triple-double mark and became the fi rst
player in college history to have 2,000 points,
1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. She earned
a spot on The Associated Press women’s
basketball All-America team Thursday as a
unanimous choice from the national media
panel that votes on the Top 25 each week.
She was joined on the fi rst team by Oregon
teammate Ruthy Hebard, Baylor’s Lauren
Cox, Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard and UConn’s
Megan Walker.
Ionescu is the eighth player in women’s
basketball history to earn AP All-America
honors three times.
“Sabrina is a transcendent basketball
player,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said.
“There’s really nothing that she couldn’t do
on the court. She was the ultimate leader.”
Ionescu averaged 17.5 points, 9.1 assists
and 8.6 rebounds this season as well as hav-
ing eight of her 26 career triple-doubles.
Hebard was on the receiving end of many
of those passes and averaged 17.3 points
and 9.6 rebounds to help the Ducks win the
Pac-12 regular season and conference tourna-
ment.
“I’m happy for Ruthy. Sometimes she gets
overlooked. She’s so darn good and important
to what we do,” Graves said. “Not that she
played in the shadows so to speak, but she
wasn’t on top of everyone’s mind.”
Oregon teammate Satou Sabally made the
second team, giving the second-ranked Ducks
three of the top 10 players in the country.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
LEW BROTHERS LES SCHWAB Pritchard 1st-team All-American
210 Bridge Street, Baker City
541-523-3679
We gladly make appointments!
By John Marshall
AP Basketball Writer
The college basketball
season came to an emphatic,
dramatic end with the cancel-
lation of the NCAA Tourna-
ment. The dream of playing
under the bright lights of
March Madness, of possibly
hoisting a national champion-
ship trophy, wiped out by the
coronavirus.
“Getting these awards, it
brings brightness to my life
right now,” Seton Hall’s Myles
Powell said. “To have it end so
quickly was just like ... man.”
Powell added to his load
Friday when he joined Day-
ton’s Obi Toppin, Iowa’s Luka
Garza, Marquette’s Markus
Howard and Oregon’s Payton
Pritchard on The Associated
Press All-America fi rst team.
Pritchard went to the Final
Four with Oregon as a fresh-
man and was hoping to lead
the 13th-ranked Ducks back
as a senior. He never got the
chance, but will go down as
one of the greatest players in
program history.
The 6-2 guard was the
fi rst player in Pac-12 his-
tory to have 1,900 points, 500
rebounds and 600 assists
during his career. He also was
the fourth player in conference
history to lead in scoring (20.5
points) and assists (5.5).
“Obviously, it means a lot,”
Pritchard said. “Making fi rst-
team All-American is what a
lot of people dream for, so for
me to be making these fi rst-
team All-Americans, especially
AP, it means all my hard work
paying off.”
Tom Brady signs with Tampa Bay
By Fred Goodall
AP Sports Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — A new
look for the NFL: Tom Brady
in Tampa Bay pewter and
red rather than Patriots red,
white and blue.
The six-time Super Bowl
champion quarterback
signed a two-year, $60 mil-
lion contract in free agency
Friday, embarking on a “new
football journey” with the
Buccaneers.
The 42-year-old quarter-
back who spent the fi rst 20
years of his career with the
Patriots announced his deci-
sion in an Instagram post,
adding he’s thankful for the
opportunity.
“Excited, humble and
hungry ... If there is one thing
I have learned about football,
it’s that nobody cares what
you did last year or the year
before that,” Brady wrote.