A6
Education
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Outgoing Humbolt Elementary Principal Kim Smith, left,
stands with secretary Catrina Gabbard. A sign in Smith’s
office reads: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope
for tomorrow,” a quote by Albert Einstein.
‘Students can achieve
their biggest dreams’
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Junior-Senior High School math teacher Matt Jones is retiring after 32 years with Grant School
District 3.
Jones closes 32-year chapter
at Grant School District
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
‘I want to thank all my students for the joy they brought into my life’
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant Union Junior-Se-
nior High School math teach-
er Matt Jones is leaving the
school halls this year, retir-
ing after 32 years with Grant
School District 3.
Jones, who taught math
courses, physics and com-
puter programming, was
many times voted Teacher of
the Year by the students. He
taught grades 7-12 over the
years.
He also worked for the
Ontario School District one
year prior, and he was a stu-
dent-teacher through Eastern
Oregon University.
Jones’ greatest joy in
teaching was “seeing stu-
dents grow and learn, not
just in mathematics but as a
person,” he said. “You have
to build a relationship with
the student, and they have
to know that you care before
they’ll want to learn from
you.”
He’s held dear the words
from two mentors, including
his former EOU math pro-
fessor Dwight Lippe, who
said, “You are the epitome
of mathematics in your stu-
dents’ eyes.”
Former Grant Union
teacher Roger Ediger, with
whom Jones student-taught,
was known to say, “Your
students don’t care what you
know until they know that
you care.”
Jones, on occasions
throughout the school years,
invited students to his fami-
ly’s home to study.
“I want to thank my won-
derful wife KoRina for all
the compromises and the
hundreds of tubs of caramel
corn for our late-night calcu-
lus sessions,” he said.
His plan for the future
is to spend more time with
his family traveling, hiking,
hunting, fishing and farming
at his Mt. Vernon ranch.
In his farewell speech at
the Grant Union graduation
ceremony, Jones said the
Latin phrase “carpe diem”
and modern-day “YOLO”
(you only live once) are ob-
vious on good days, adding,
“I guarantee there will be
days when you just wish you
could push a reset button.”
He said, regardless of
how hard, painful or fun
life is, “to seize the moment
means to bring all the love,
joy, energy and passion we
have into the present.”
Jones said to the students,
“Don’t narrow your opportu-
nities by choosing the easy
just because it is easy.”
Students, mostly juniors
and seniors who have chosen
advanced biology, chemistry
or physics classes, were al-
lowed to travel on a yearly
science trip, headed up by
Outgoing
principal reflects
on 20 years with
district
Jones and science teacher
Sonna Smith. Jones said the
trips, which have been hap-
pening for 30 years, were a
reward for students who take
a harder science, and it mo-
tivates other students to try
advanced classes.
He had one piece of ad-
vice for administrators and
trustees.
“If you want to increase
learning, increase the time
students spend with a com-
petent, caring teacher,” he
said. “Keep sacred the time
with the teacher, minimize
the distractions.”
Jones said he was grateful
for the administrators, Prin-
cipal Carl Lino and Super-
intendent Dean Nodine, who
hired him 32 years ago, and
the current administration for
their support.
“I want to thank all my
students for the joy they
brought into my life,” he
said.
Humbolt Elementary Prin-
cipal Kim Smith is closing a
20-year chapter with Grant
School District 3.
She filled the position of
principal three and a half
years ago when former prin-
cipal Monty Nash became ill.
Smith began her education
career teaching kindergarten
for one year at Monument
School, before working for
Grant School District.
Before becoming princi-
pal, Smith was the district’s
director of special education,
testing coordinator, TAG co-
ordinator and diagnostician.
She also previously taught
language arts at Mt. Vernon
Middle School and was a ju-
nior-first teacher, a class taken
by some between kindergar-
ten and first grades.
She recently attended the
Grant Union graduation cer-
emony where several of her
former junior-first students
received their high school di-
plomas.
Smith said one accom-
plishment that has meant a lot
to her was applying for and
receiving grants for Response
to Intervention and Positive
Behavior Intervention Sup-
port Systems.
She said data from the
programs, which include
software to track Humbolt
student progress, have helped
the teachers pinpoint areas
where intervention is needed,
both academically and behav-
iorally.
“We’ve seen great im-
provement as we’ve tracked
their progress,” she said.
She said a schoolwide goal
has been to have focus, clarity
and professional working re-
lationships to impact achieve-
ment across all grade levels.
“We’ve worked together
well as a team,” she said. “I’m
proud of all our staff. Every-
one works hard for the overall
success of the students.”
She said a supportive
community has also made a
difference, from OSU Exten-
sion office providing STEM
lessons for students to Com-
munity Counseling Solutions
partnering to assist students
who needed extra mental
health support.
Families have also been
supportive, she said.
“Our students are much
more successful when we
combine the support of the
families with the dedication
and hard work of the staff,”
she said.
Smith has accepted a
teaching position through
Baker Charter Schools, an
online program with several
sites in Oregon. The school
covers kindergarten through
early college education with
1,800 students enrolled.
“It’s continuing to grow,”
Smith said. “For families, it’s
nice to have different options
that fit their needs.”
She said she plans to con-
tinue to live in John Day and
commute to Roseburg.
As she leaves Humbolt,
Smith said she’d like her stu-
dents to know that each one of
them has something to offer.
“I want them all to be-
lieve in themselves and know
they can achieve their biggest
dreams in life,” she said. “We
really do have amazing stu-
dents.”
P RAIRIE C ITY S CHOOL HONOR ROLL
SECOND SEMESTER
Freshmen
Seniors
4.0 GPA: Aries Bice, Bran-
don Horrell, Caitlin Willet
and Declan Zweygardt.
Honor roll: Katie Hire.
Honorable mention: Sa-
mantha Workman and Jayden
Winegar.
4.0 GPA: Josiah Hoeffner
and Brianna Zweygardt.
Honor roll: Megan Ca-
marena, Dorran Wilson and
Aitor Ansotegui.
Honorable mention: Cas-
sie Hire and Mariah McClung.
Juniors
Honor roll: Levi Burke,
Haley Pfefferkorn and Kyla
Winton.
Honorable mention: Deja
Amsden, Jonathan Lawrence
and Lane Williams.
Sophomores
63698
4.0 GPA: JoLynne Ashley
and Shaelynn Bice.
Honor roll: Aleah Johns,
Johna Long and Jessica
Reames.
Honorable mention: Rilee
Emmel and Emily Ennis.
CAUTION
Old Photos
Kids - Famil
y - Trophy
Wildlife - E
tc.
HUNTING STORIES
Eighth-graders
4.0 GPA: Riley Reames.
Honor roll: Marcus Judd.
Honorable
mention:
Emilee Myers, Seth Moore
and Hannah Wall.
Seventh-graders
4.0 GPA: Kaitlynne Ash-
ley.
Honor roll: Laken McK-
ay, Leif Rausch and Cole
Teel.
Honorable mention: Tan-
ner Kesecker, Betty Ann
Wilson, Paige Shaw and Boe
Workman.
NO MATTER
HOW BIG OR SMALL YOUR TROPHY WAS
or you just want to share a hunting adventure,
SEND OR DROP OFF YOUR BEST
HUNTING PHOTOS
195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845 • kim@bmeagle.com
Your photos will be published in this year’s
EAGLE HUNTING JOURNAL
Please have them to the Eagle by August 11th.
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