LOCAL & STATE
6A — BAKER CITY HERALD
SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020
School board honors retirees
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
The audience was larger
than in recent sessions when
the Baker School Board met
Thursday night, but rather
than gathering at City Hall
as in pre-COVID-19 days, the
crowd appeared by video from
their homes, offi ces, schools
and other locations.
Director
Kevin Cassidy
even made an
appearance via
Zoom video from
Wallowa Lake
Palmer
where he and
his family were
gathered for a
pre-graduation
celebration for
his son, Kale.
The Board
Newman
presented glass
bowls as tokens
of appreciation
(to be presented
later) to retiring
staff members
including Betty
Palmer, who has Helgerson
served 27 years
in the District;
Debra Stuch-
lik, 28 years;
David Frazey,
29; Michael Mor-
Arendell
gan, 5; Cynthia
Johansen, 31;
Ramona Helger-
son, 26; Connie
Robinson, 26;
Tally Newman,
20; and Alita
Arendell, 7.
Johansen
Board Chair
Chris Hawkins
assured the re-
tirees that their
efforts over the
years have been
Robinson
appreciated,
even though the
coronavirus pan-
demic required
the absence of
the usual hugs
and in-person
Stuchlik
congratulations.
“It doesn’t
diminish our respect and ap-
preciation for everything you
have done,” he told the group
from their various remote
locations.
The Board next honored
Aiden Rosales, a Brooklyn
Primary School student, and
Beka Shaw, recently elected
BHS student body treasurer,
as the “Promise Students
of the Month.” Mugs and
certifi cates recognizing them
as outstanding students also
will be presented later.
BHS Principal Greg Mitch-
ell, after fi rst honoring Beka,
next recognized
one of his teach-
ers, Maggie
Banta, who
has received an
“Inspirational
Banta
Teacher Award”
from Eastern
Oregon University. She
was nominated by Corrina
Stadler, an EOU freshman
and 2019 BHS graduate. In
her nomination, Stadler cred-
ited Banta, who teaches social
studies, with inspiring her to
pursue a career in education.
Students and staff from
Keating Elementary also
spoke enthusiastically about
their participation in a project
with NASA during the year.
Principal and head teacher
Amanda Wilde introduced
the student presenters: fi fth-
graders Hayden Churchfi eld
and Jain Elsner and fi rst-
graders Baylee and Blaine
Myers.
Wilde and teacher Toni My-
ers led the students through
the presentation to introduce
the Board to the NASA RA-
DIOS program.
NASA, of course, is the
well-known acronym for the
National Aeronautics Space
Administration. RADIOS,
on the other hand, is a lesser
known acronym for Remote
and Distance Interactive
Online Sessions.
The Keating School, with
an enrollment of about 25
students in Grade K-6 this
year, was among 14 Oregon
schools chosen to participate
in NASA RADIOS this year.
“We already were prepar-
ing for what was coming,”
Wilde said of the experi-
ence with remote learning
brought to Keating School
via livestreaming from Space
Center Houston prior to the
shutdown because of the
coronavirus pandemic.
Students talked about their
lessons about the Interna-
tional Space Station, a virtual
tour of the Space Center and
a study of Mars. To show their
appreciation, the Board and
school administrators will
receive a special thank-you
card that includes a Milky
Way candy bar and the mes-
sage “Your Support is Out of
This World.”
“Thank you to the School
Board and all of the admin-
istrators who make all of the
magic happen at this school,”
Wilde added from her remote
site.
Next, Baker Middle School
principal Skye Flanagan
was joined by technology
staff member Lynde Roberts
and teachers Sarah Villar-
real, Baker Middle School
language arts teacher;
Nicole Sullivan, BHS science
teacher; and Andrea Beld-
ing, a fi rst-grade teacher at
Haines for a presentation
titled “Technology Upgrade to
Meet and Exceed the Chal-
lenge of COVID-19.”
Flanagan said the technol-
ogy team has found during
the District’s distance learn-
ing experience required by the
coronavirus pandemic, that
improvements are needed.
“We really weren’t set up
tech-wise for something like
this to happen,” Sullivan told
the Board. “Our systems don’t
sync well.”
That should be remedied
by next school year, Flanagan
and Roberts told the Board.
A new system soon to be in
place throughout the District
will put Baker schools at the
forefront of technological ad-
vancement, the two men said.
The District will move
to the Schoology learning
management system, which
provides fl exibility for staff
and students regardless of
whether in-person classes
meet in the fall or if distance
learning will continue to be
required. It also will help pro-
vide instruction to students
who cannot attend school
because of illness or because
they are uncomfortable in a
larger classroom setting or
because their family is away
on a vacation, team members
said.
Geno Bates,
South Baker
Intermediate
School principal,
added his en-
thusiasm to the
Bates
new technology
system coming
to the District.
“It’s exciting for my teach-
ers,” Bates said. “I think this is
going to enhance our teaching.
It’s at the forefront of educa-
tion.”
Superintendent Mark Witty
said Friday that the techno-
logical improvements are “a
strong, decisive investment
primarily paid for through
CARES money (federal
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security Act).”
The District will spend
$600,000 in 96 classrooms to
upgrade systems, add new
laptop computers and ensure
that all students have access
to high quality devices such
as Chromebooks for older
children and iPads for the
younger ones, Witty said.
Teacher training on the new
system will begin as soon as
possible and will be a focus of
the fall in-service training as
well, he said.
“This system will really in-
tegrate technology,” Witty said.
“It will be easier for staff to
provide high-quality lessons.
“We’ve never had this level
of integration,” he added. “I
don’t know of a district in
Oregon that has.”
MEMORIAL
Continued from Page 1A
Army veteran Summer Curry will
speak, and Mooney will offer a prayer.
Bugler Duncan Pierce will play taps.
The ceremony will be different from
past years due to coronavirus precautions,
said Mooney, who served for 14fi years in
Mooney
the U.S. Army.
Although everyone
is invited to attend,
Heritage Museum
Mooney said the plan
is to limit the size of
Remains Closed
any single group to
A Memorial Day
25, to comply with
tribute on Page 6A of
the limit in the state’s
Thursday’s issue of
phase one reopen-
the Baker City Herald
ing guidelines. And
mistakenly listed the
in each group social
Baker Heritage Museum
distancing will be
as being open on
encouraged.
Monday, May 25. The
“We don’t want
Museum, at 2480 Grove
to be huddled into a
St., remains closed
single group like we
due to the coronavirus
may be used to in
pandemic. The Baker
years past,” Mooney
County Museum
wrote in a post on
Commission hopes
the Veterans Hope
to reopen the facility
Ministries Facebook
on June 5, but has not
page. “Smaller groups
made a fi nal decision,
scattered throughout
said Terry McQuisten,
the cemetery would
museum director.
be a better plan at
this point.”
Volunteers will be
placing large American fl ags to create the traditional
Avenue of Flags in the cemetery on Monday morning
starting at 6 a.m. Volunteers are also needed to remove
the fl ags starting at 5 p.m. on Monday. Volunteers can
call Doug Riggs at 541-519-7424.
Veterans Hope Ministries
Mooney said he and his wife, Shellie, have been
talking with local veterans for many years, trying to
understand what services could help veterans and
their families.
He said their ultimate goal is to start a Veterans
Hope Center in Baker City where veterans could
gather to take part in a variety of activities, including
art, woodworking and potentially classes in entrepre-
neurship and other topics.
Art, in particular, can be an effective therapy for
veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder,
Mooney said.
He said he has talked with many local veterans who
also want to volunteer in the community but aren’t
sure how to get started. Helping connect those veter-
ans to volunteer opportunities is another of Mooney’s
goals.
He said he was gratifi ed that several businesses and
residents, with just a few days notice, donated money
to buy smaller fl ags that will be placed on veterans’
graves at Mount Hope Cemetery today.
Trump calls churches
‘essential,’ calls on states
to reopen this weekend
ners and limiting the size of gatherings.
But that guidance had been delayed for
WASHINGTON — President Donald
more than a month by the administration un-
Trump said Friday that he has deemed
til Trump abruptly changed course Thursday.
churches and other houses of worship “es-
“I said, ‘You better put it out.’ And they’re
sential” and called on governors across the
doing it,” Trump said Thursday at a Ford Mo-
country to allow them to reopen this weekend tor Co. plant repurposed to make ventilators
despite the threat of spreading the coronavi- in Michigan. “And they’re going to be issuing
rus.
something today or tomorrow on churches.
“Today I’m identifying houses of worship
We’ve got to get our churches open.”
— churches, synagogues and mosques — as
Trump on Friday stressed the importance
essential places that provide essential ser-
of churches in many communities and took
vices,” Trump said during a hastily arranged issue with some of the businesses that had
press conference at the White House, where
been allowed to reopen.
he didn’t take questions. He said if governors
“Some governors have deemed liquor
don’t abide by his request, he will “override”
stores and abortion clinics as essential” but
them, though it’s unclear what authority he
not churches, he said. “It’s not right. So I’m
has to do so.
correcting this injustice and calling houses of
The Centers for Disease Control and
worship essential.”
Prevention had prepared a draft of reopening
“These are places that hold our society
guidelines for churches and other houses of
together and keep our people united. The
worship weeks ago that included measures
people are demanding to go to church and
like maintaining distance between parishio-
synagogue, go to their mosque,” he said.
By Jill Colvin and Deke Miller
Associated Press
LEW BROTHERS LES SCHWAB
Bentz vs. Spenser for Walden’s seat
SALEM (AP) — Alex
Spenser has won the Demo-
cratic primary in Oregon’s
2nd Congressional District
race.
Spenser of Klamath Falls
will face former state legisla-
tor Cliff Bentz, who won the
GOP contest. Voters in No-
vember will chose a replace-
ment for Rep. Greg Walden,
the Republican who didn’t
run for a 12th term in the
conservative region covering
the rural eastern and central
part of the state.
Bentz will have the advan-
tage in the fall in the pre-
dominantly Republican part
of the state.
Spenser won a close race
among four other Democrats
vying for the 2nd District
Democratic nomination.
The 2nd is the only Oregon
U.S. House District repre-
sented by a Republican.
Oregon’s four Democratic U.S.
House members all won their
primaries.
Flood damage closes forest roads
Due to fl ood damage, the 5110 road on the
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest southwest
of La Grande is closed at the junction of the
51 road.
Repairs were underway Friday but there
is no estimated reopening date. Travelers
should avoid the area.
Flood damage also prompted the closure
of Road 54 on the Umatilla National Forest
about 14 miles southeast of Pilot Rock.
The road, also known as Pearson Creek
Road, washed out in several places during
heavy rain earlier this week.
Other roads with fl ood damage include
Road 10 between Dale and Olive Lake, and
side roads off Road 53 between Ukiah and
Heppner, particularly the Sugarbowl Creek
area (Roads 5308 and 5309).
210 Bridge Street, Baker City
541-523-3679
We gladly make appointments!