News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, May 13, 2015 A11 Learning from the ground up Dayville students immerse themselves in local resources Blue Mountain Eagle DAYVILLE – A group of Dayville School stu- dents immersed themselves in the local area’s careers and natural resources for a week earlier this spring. A series of activities took them off campus to Malheur Lumber Co., where they toured the saw- mill; the Oregon Department of Fish and Wild- life screen shop; a local ranch, for a close-up look at a livestock operation; and the Painted Hills and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, for a stop at the Paleo Center and hiking with a ranger. They also spent time planting native shrubs and trees – mountain mahogany, mockorange, sage and more – in an area burned by the South Fork Complex fire in 2013. The field trips were planned during the week that many other Dayville High students were gone on an educational trip to Washington, D.C. Science teacher Jim Latshaw said the school planned the special days as an alternative for the stu- dents who weren’t able to make the D.C. trip. The hands-on activities were accompanied by on-site and classroom lessons about the concepts of natural resources, restoration, habitat types, geology, and more. The students also created journals about their experiences. Participating were Hunter Hopkins, Courtney Nichols, Austin Walker, Gabe Walker, Cheyenne Nichols, Cody Kluser, Eathin Rhinehart, Tanner Wal- czyk, Brody Breck and Mary Yankee. Hunter Hopkins gets into the dirt planting native shrubs. Contributed photos/Courtney Nichols Brandon Thompson (second from left) of ODFW talks with students Gabe Walker, Cheyenne Nichols and Cody Kluser at the project site. Cheyenne Nichols picks the next seedling for planting in the Dayville project. Magazine gives BEO high marks Blue Mountain Eagle HEPPNER – BEO Ban- corp is among six North- west banks ranked by American Banker maga- zine among the top 200 community banks in the nation. In addition to BEO, the trade magazine list- ed banks in Eugene and Florence in Oregon and Cashmere, Walla Walla and Seattle in Washington state. Heppner-based BEO, which has Bank of Eastern Oregon branches in Grant County, ranked 48 on the list of top performers, and had average returns of 11.89 percent. Jeff Bailey, CEO of Bank of Eastern Ore- gon, was pleased with the recognition, noting it is the third year in a row for the bank to make the list. “This is testimony to the dedication of our em- ployees and the tremendous support of our customer base,” he said. “We are proud of our track record serving the region’s com- munities for over 70 years and are delighted to be the only bank in Eastern Ore- gon that can make the claim of being in the top 200 community banks in the country.” Brody Breck, Tanner Walczyk, Cody Kluser are ready to plant near Oliver Creek. Nominate Your Educational Hero Educators play an extremely important role in our community and are often underappreciated. This year, Doug’s Motor Vehicle Repair is saying “Thank you, educators” by honoring an “Educator of the Month.” Each month one local educator will be highlighted in the Blue Mountain Eagle and will receive a $50 gift certificate from Doug’s Repair. Educator of the Year will receive $1,000 to be donated to school of their choice. Nominate your Local Hero by picking up a nomination form at the Blue Mountain Eagle or Doug’s Repair, or download a copy from the Blue Mountain Eagle’s website –www.bluemountaineagle.com. New Hope meeting coming up Blue Mountain Eagle BAKER CITY – The an- nual meeting of New Hope for Eastern Oregon Animals is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14, in Baker City. The meeting will be held in the conference room at the Leo Brookshier Building, 3325 K Street in Baker City. School’s almost over The public is invited to attend. Business at the meeting will include an update on the animal shelter plans and a review of the previous year’s activities including Powder Pals, trap-neuter-return and spay/neuter programs, plus an update from the organiza- tion’s Grant County commit- tee. 7KH ¿QDQFLDO UHSRUW and 2015 budget will also be presented. Also at the meeting, paid members of New Hope will FDVWYRWHVWR¿OOWZRSRVLWLRQV on the board of directors. Membership dues may be paid at the door. For more information, call 541-403-2710. 10 Michael B. DesJardin Dentistry, PC New Patients Welcome! Preventive, Restorative, & Endodontics 208 NW Canton, John Day A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY V ETERANS : Did you know Grant County Veterans Services Officer is available to assist YOU in applying for all VA benefits you may be entitled to? Blue Mountain Eagle For Grant County students, it’s almost time to close the books for the summer – and for some, graduate and move on to other ventures. Here are the last dates for classes at all local schools: • Long Creek School: Thurs- day, May 28. • Prairie City School: Wednesday, June 3, early release. • Monument School: Wednesday, June 3, early release. • Dayville School: Thursday, June 4, early release. • Grant District No. 3 – Grant Union Junior-Senior High School, Humbolt Elementary and Seneca School: Wednesday, June 10. Long Creek, Prairie City, Monument and Dayville will all hold graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 30. Grant Union’s graduation will be on Saturday, June 6. Don’t Forget to Floss 541-575-2725 mbddental@live.com & michaelbdesjardindmd.com See your Grant County Veteran Services Officer today for more information, located at Grant County Court House. Open: Mon, Wed, & Fri 10 am - 4 pm, Appointment available at other times Call 541-575-1631 OREGON FAMILY FARMS NEED RELIEF NOT NEW LAWS, TAXES. NO $15 minimum wage NO 7-day paid sick leave laws NO water right tax Call your lawmaker 1-800-332-2313 by Oregon Family Farm Association NO ONE KNOWS YOUR EQUIPMENT BETTER. Your AGCO Parts Dealer has the parts you need when you need them. Hardware, chain, batteries, tillage, belts, cutting parts. We have the quality parts you need to keep your AGCO equipment running smoothly during the demanding harvest season. Highly trained service personnel at AGCO Parts make it all come together, so you can rest easy. Visit your AGCO Parts Dealer and get the parts and services you need to “Keep you in the Field” this season. Find out more at agcoparts.com. 01878