News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
A3
Learning the skills of the future
STEM program
provides hands-
on education
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Eagle file photo
From the Eagle archives, volunteers help at the
Grant County Food Bank in John Day in 2009.
County food bank to
distribute a week early
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant County Food
Bank will hold this month’s
distribution on Wednesday,
Dec. 21, one week earlier than
usual.
The earlier date is being
scheduled so clients can have
their items before the Christ-
mas holiday, said food bank
chairman Agnes Hall.
There are between 120 and
130 households who receive
goods from the Grant Coun-
ty Food Bank each month,
approximately 300 individ-
uals. Hall said the number is
higher than in past years, but
those numbers have been fair-
ly consistent over the past few
months.
Hall said volunteers are
welcome to join them, and
donations are also needed.
“Monetary donations are
best,” she said, adding the do-
nations have gone down the
past couple years. Donations
of nonperishable food are also
gladly accepted, she said.
Hall said because canned
fruits are expensive and hard
to come by, they are a good
option. Soups also offer nour-
ishment and meat items, and
stew or chili are a good source
of protein, she said.
“We always use whatever
we can get, because we run on
a totally volunteer basis,” she
added.
Other area food banks
were expected to operate
on their usual schedule. For
more information or to do-
nate to the food bank, call
541-575-0299. The food
bank is located at 530 E.
Main St. in John Day.
A STEM Beyond School
program is offering hands-
on opportunities for Humbolt
and Dayville elementary stu-
dents in science, technology,
engineering and math.
Friday had Humbolt stu-
dents flying drones in the
school gym, and students at
Dayville School were also
scheduled to fly the drones
on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
Kristal Hansen who helps
coordinate the program said
Friday’s turnout was great
with 40 of the 45 fourth-
through sixth-grade students
who are signed up for the
program in attendance.
“I think the kids like it,”
she said. “They are involved
the whole time, and we feed
them a snack.”
The drones, 21 small and
four large, were purchased
through the STEM Beyond
School grant, and will be
used in future years as the
program continues.
Both the Oregon State
University 4-H and Portland
Metro STEM received fund-
ing from the Oregon Depart-
ment of Education to work
with 11 Oregon STEM hubs,
Contributed photo
Contributed photo
Alex Hoffman and Grant Hall build electrical light
circuits with holiday lights and tinfoil during a
recent STEM event at Humbolt Elementary School.
including Grant County.
Shanna Northway, direc-
tor of the OSU Extension of-
fice in John Day, and Kristal
Hansen coordinate the pro-
gram for Grant County.
“Our program has hit the
ground running,” Northway
said, adding the partnership
between the schools and
the OSU Extension is what
makes it possible.
“The staff and administra-
tion have really allowed us to
take our program to the next
level,” she said.
Students at Humbolt Ele-
mentary have Friday activi-
ties twice a month, and nine
Dayville students in grades
3 through 5 have an in-class
activity once a month.
Humbolt also hosted a
student-led STEM night on
Nov. 17, where students and
their parents took part in var-
ious experiments in the class-
rooms with help from Hum-
bolt staff.
“I think it went well be-
cause it was hands-on learn-
ing, and they had their parents
with them,” said Hansen who
instructs the students. “The
parents were as involved as
their children with building.”
On Friday, Dec. 2, Hum-
bolt STEM students visited
Eastern Oregon University
in La Grande. After watch-
ing the EOU choir practice
their Christmas program,
they went backstage to learn
about lighting and sound for
performances. They also met
with EOU chemistry club
members who conducted
experiments with them and
Alana Spence and her
mother, Elsa, test the
strength of a piece of
paper at a science,
technology, engineering
and math event at
Humbolt Elementary.
presented a “magic show,”
which included creating fire
with various elements.
There are even more en-
gaging activities ahead for
those involved in the pro-
gram.
“We’ll visit Treasure Val-
ley Community College in
Feburary, and travel to Cen-
tral Oregon Community Col-
lege in March,” Northway
said. “Students will also have
the opportunity to take a local
STEM industry tour, work on
service-learning projects, and
so much more.
“We are excited about the
remaining months of the SBS
grant — what a great oppor-
tunity for our local students.”
Clever Mt. Vernon grandmother thwarts attempted phone scam
tempted phone scam, how-
ever. About a year ago, she
said, a man also claiming
to be her grandson called
with a similar story: He had
been in a wreck in Mexico
and needed money to return
home.
In the first call, the man
asked her to go to Wal-Mart
to send him money. She said
she realized then the man
was unaware the nearest
Wal-Mart was miles away
from Mt. Vernon.
Lowry decided to turn the
tables on the scammer and
told him she would help. She
told him to call back in an
hour.
When he called back,
Lowry told him the call was
being recorded. He quickly
hung up.
“I’m a sneaky, old broad,”
she said with a laugh. “I
realize some of the older
people do get scammed —
not going to nail this old
broad.”
s
m’
A phone scammer met his
match when he attempted to
trick 73-year-old Jan Lowry
into sending him $1,000 Fri-
day.
The Mt. Vernon resident
and city councilwoman said
a man called at about 12:15
p.m. and claimed to be her
grandson in need of emer-
gency funds to return home.
Surprisingly, she said, his
voice actually sounded like
one of her grandsons.
and he then asked wheth-
er she had a credit card.
She lied and told him she
did not, and he then asked
if she knew anyone with a
credit card. Again, she said
no, and the man eventually
hung up.
This was not the first
time Lowry thwarted an at-
da
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
L o w -
ry said the
man told her
he had been
in a wreck
in Houston
Jan Lowry and did not
have mon-
ey to return
home. The man told her his
voice “sounded funny” be-
cause he had been hit by the
vehicle’s air bag during the
wreck.
But Lowry did not fall for
the scam.
“I might be an older lady
— I’m 73 — but I’m up
on all this stuff,” she said.
“Telemarketers or anybody,
I don’t fall for anything.”
Lowry told the man she
did not have the money,
Ny
Caller claimed to
be grandson in
emergency
652 W Main St.
John Day, Oregon
(541) 575-0549
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