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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2016)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, August 31, 2016 A3 O H , WHAT A VIEW The Eagle/Rylan Boggs A column of smoke from the Rail fire near Unity and High Lake are seen Saturday, Aug. 27, from a ridgetop in the Strawberry Wilderness Area. John Day council looks to future Blue Mountain Eagle The John Day City Council dis- cussed plans to update the city web- site at the regular meeting Aug. 13. Aha Consulting will provide the update, and the new website would be “substantially different than what we currently have,” City Man- ager Nick Green said. Green said the update to the site cost approximately $5,000 and is planned to go live on Jan. 1, 201. In other council news: • The council declined to rezone the downtown district per a request from Dan Graikowski, a citizen who wished to build a residence within the district. • The council received an en- dorsement request from the Save Outdoor School for All campaign. The campaign is dedicated to pro- viding every Oregon ¿fth- and sixth-graders a week of hands-on, science-based, outdoor learning. The council made the decision to acquire more information before providing an endorsement. The council also reviewed goals for the 2016-1 ¿scal year, includ- ing: • Encouraging the state Legis- lature to increase the state 911 tax revenue or ¿nd another revenue source to keep local emergency dis- patch centers open. • Begin plans on a sidewalk im- provement project from Southwest Sixth Avenue to Grant Union High School. • Move forward on the Main Street Beauti¿cation Project if the city’s grant application is approved. • Continue to market the indus- trial park and the city of John Day. • Continue to build ¿nancial reserves for the new Wastewater SCHOOL sociated course in public speak- ing, a relatively new offering at the school. “I am most looking for- ward to increased participation in co-curricular activities,” he said, “especially FFA, music and speech where the participa- tion rates are growing signi¿- cantly.” Continued from Page A1 Student enrollment, as of last week, was 145, which she said is about the same as last year. This is Gurczynski’s sec- ond year leading the school. “Last year was a wonderful year, and I can’t wait for this year to begin,” she said. “We have a great town, great kids and a great staff.” Dayville School District Also in her second year as superintendent/principal, Kathryn Hedrick of Dayville School said two new teachers have joined them, including Shilo Fretwell, for grades kin- dergarten through 2, and Kerri Latshaw, who teaches grades 6 through 8 and is the school’s art teacher. Enrollment is 48-50, similar to last year, she said. New at the school this year are elective classes for junior high students, such as shop and career technical. They’ve also separated the junior high students from the younger and older grades. Hedrick said the reason for the change is to help them, so- cially as well as academically, as they transition from grade school to high school. Grades 6 through 12 had a ¿eld trip the ¿rst week of school to the North Fork John Day River to see staff from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife perform a salmon sampling count. “We’re calling ourselves an experiential school, giving our kids giving more experiences and using the campus as a labo- ratory ... so classroom learning Treatment Plant Replacement Proj- ect by raising sewer rates each year as well as research other options for new facilities and continue to research upgrades for the current plant. • Continue to support Secure Ru- ral Schools funding. • Promote city volunteer- ism through city newsletters, the local paper and community outreach. Fifth-graders arriving at Humbolt Elementary School in Canyon City gather to walk together to class, including, from left, Bailey McCracken, Sydnie Brandon, Abbie Justice and Morganne Wyllie. Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter Rhys Nehl, front right, is ready for his first day of first grade at Humbolt Elementary School, as his teacher, Mandy Ipson, shows Angie Stansbury to her desk. has a relevancy to how it ap- plies,” Hedrick said. She added they’re focusing on STEM — science, technolo- gy, engineering and mathemat- ics — as well as art. “I feel like we got a shot in the arm in our energy level, and we just want to keep that go- ing,” she said. “It’s a new area, a new chal- lenge, and I’m looking forward to it,” he said of his new po- sition at Long Creek School. “It’s the ¿rst day with kids — the kids are the best part of the job.” Enrollment at the school is expected to be down slightly; last year, there were 36 stu- dents, and this year there are 34. Monument School District Monument School has a new school secretary, Shawnah Schafer. The enrollment was 60 as of last week; last year ended with 62. After a week and a half of school in session, Superinten- dent/Principal Earl Pettit said he was happy to see the speech team in full swing with an as- Grant School District No. 3 Grant School District No. 3 Superintendent Curt Shel- ley said they were projecting 610 students attending Grant Union Junior-Senior High School grades -12, Humbolt Elementary School (kindergar- ten-6 and Seneca School (kin- dergarten-6. Grant Union Principal Ryan Gerry is welcoming two new teachers, Derek Lamson, who will teach eighth-grade English and English I, IA and communications; and Kather- ine Sherwood, who is teaching Spanish I and II, as well as sev- enth-grade English. Gerry said they’re thankful to have Mary Ann Vidourek, who retired as head of the mu- sic department for Grant Union and Humbolt, returning to the district on a temporary basis until the position is ¿lled. Humbolt Principal Kim Smith said Amy Hittle, who has worked in the special edu- cation department for the dis- trict, is now teaching ¿fth grade at Humbolt. Andrea Combs is adding to her duties in the district as the head teacher of Seneca School. She will also teach special education at both Humbolt and Grant Union. New teachers at Seneca School include Andrea Ash- ley for grades 4 through 6 and Dana McLean for grades kin- dergarten through third. Shelley said he and the dis- trict staff are excited to wel- come back the students. He said they strive to “engage all stu- dents in meaningful programs which meet the highest edu- cational and ethical standards with a caring and collaborative learning community.” He added they work to en- sure each student excels per- sonally and academically, be- comes a lifelong learner and is a responsible citizen. Long Creek School District Del Dykstra was getting his feet wet as the new superinten- dent/principal of Long Creek School District when school started Monday. He’s been in the education ¿eld for 2 years, including the past 1 years in Sunnyside, Washington, working for both private and public schools. Tell your gambling addiction W E CAN HELP . Help is FREE , CONFIDENTIAL and it WORKS . Call 877-MY-LIMIT (24 hour help line) OR chat with us online at www.1877mylimit.org ommunity ounseling olutions 528 E Main St. • John Day 541-575-1466 Mon-Fri 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Serving Morrow, Wheeler, Gilliam and Grant Counties Baker City 2830 10th St. 541-524-0122 Every other Monday in John Day 170 Ford Rd. 541-575-1311