NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
A7
Students have field day at FFA Ag Field Day
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Humbolt
Elementary
School students enjoyed pet-
ting and learning about live-
stock on Thursday afternoon,
courtesy of Grant Union
High School FFA chapter
members.
Grant Union senior Drew
Lusco brought his Boer goat
doe named Spaghetti, who
seemed to enjoy the attention
of the children as they lined
up to pet her.
Lusco told the students
about some of the features
of a doe including the horns
and how they differ from the
bucks.
FFA members Raney and
Cinch Anderson brought Her-
eford cattle from their family
ranch, and Sage Browning
helped them as the students
came up to pet the animals.
First-grader Wyatt Lieual-
len said he was impressed
with how big the animals
were.
Showing students a cou-
ple sheep were FFA mem-
bers Ellie Justice and Janie
Koopman.
“We’re glad to have an
opportunity to teach the youth
in our community about dif-
ferent agricultural commod-
ities in Grant County,” Jus-
tice said.
“They’re really excited
and happy to pet the animals,
and they’re very interested to
learn about these animals,”
Koopman added.
The students also learned
about chickens, rabbits and
pigs, which were also on
hand to pet.
Parker Manitsas, who is
the FFA Strawberry Moun-
tain District president, said he
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Monument Superintendent/Principal Laura Thomas
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
FFA member Raney Anderson oversees kindergartner Daniel
Palmer as he pets a Hereford from the Anderson family
ranch. Palmer’s classmate, Oliver LaFramboise, also enjoyed
petting the animal. In back are FFA members Cinch Anderson
and Sage Browning.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union FFA adviser Wayne Suchorski (front, right)
stands with FFA members, from left, Jessie Stubbs, Rylan
Cox, Eli Wright and Wyatt Lemons.
and Isaac Koopman shared
what FFA is all about and that
the students can look forward
to joining in high school, if
they’d like.
FFA Adviser Wayne
Suchorski, who is also the
new vocational/agriculture
teacher at Grant Union this
year oversaw the members
who helped structure the
event.
Suchorski is from Klamath
Falls and has 10 years experi-
ence in teaching vo/ag.
He said he appreciated all
those “who came together to
make it a successful event”
First-grader Thor Yazzie
helps
classmate
Josie
Hollowell heft a large
pumpkin she chose from the
Grant Union FFA chapter’s
‘pumpkin patch’ Thursday at
the Ag Field Day at Humbolt
Elementary.
and said they plan to make it
an annual activity.
Suchorski said Grant
School District Superinten-
dent Bret Uptmor, Grant
Union Principal Ryan Gerry
and Humbolt Principal Dar-
bie Dennison all had a part in
bringing the schools together.
“We’re bringing those
older students as mentors
down to the elementary and
giving the kids access to
what they’re going to be able
to do when they get to high
school,” said Uptmor, who
said Ag Field Day is also a
nationwide event. He added
he was glad to see the older
students share their expertise
with the younger students.
“The event was a great
success and enjoyed by
all students,” said Denni-
son. “On behalf of all stu-
dents and staff at Humbolt,
I’d like to send a big thank
you to Mr. Suchorski and his
students.”
John Day fire chief retires for a second time
Smith served John
Day for 15 years
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Longtime John Day Fire
Chief Ron Smith has retired
— again.
John Day City Mayor
Ron Lundbom gave an
award to Smith for his 15
years of service in the John
Day Fire Department at the
Oct. 22 city council meeting.
“I have the honor tonight
to present our fire chief with
a going away gift,” Lund-
bom said. “I couldn’t be
more proud to recognize
somebody that has been
dedicated his whole career.”
Smith was the deputy fire
chief from 2004 to 2009,
and a fire chief from 2009
to the end of October 2019.
Smith retired from Sandy as
the fire chief after 27 years
of service before coming to
John Day.
“It’s been an honor and a
privilege to get to do what
I’ve done, and it’s been a
hoot,” Smith said. “Just
remember, I’m one small
cog in a wheel. Your volun-
teer firefighters are the ones
that make this place work. I
just get to watch them shine
and have me look good.”
In over 40 years of expe-
rience, Smith has had the
opportunity to deliver five
babies in Sandy, be in charge
of the rope technical team in
Sandy and work with the all
volunteer fire department in
John Day.
“Working with volunteer
firefighters is truly amazing
because of the amount of
dedication that they have,”
Smith said. “Volunteer fire-
fighters face the exact same
threat that paid firefight-
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The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
John Day Mayor Ron Lundbom, right, handed an award of
appreciation to retiring Fire Chief Ron Smith at the John Day
City Council meeting Oct. 22.
ers do. When you go into
a burning building you’re
never truly guaranteed the
outcome of that.”
Every day varied as the
fire chief in John Day. Some
days he was in his office
working on paperwork or
tending to calls received
from the dispatch center,
but no matter what came up,
Smith made sure that he was
prepared.
“I guess there’s really
no such thing in my life as
unexpected,” Smith said.
“Somebody calls dispatch
9-1-1, we get the initial
information, and at that time
I leave the house going into
a call, I start to run possible
scenarios through my brain.
If it’s a house fire, what time
of day is it? If it’s three in
the morning people are usu-
ally asleep, if its three in the
afternoon people are usually
up. What if the house next
door catches on fire? You
just start running all of these
what if questions.”
This mindset helped
Smith be prepared for any
situation, even if there was
no fire to extinguish.
As chief, Smith priori-
tized firefighter safety, which
is something his career is
based on. During his time as
chief he has never had a fire-
fighter seriously hurt.
“Having somebody die
under my watch, under my
direction, I don’t know how
someone can live with that,”
Smith said. “If a house burns
down, most everything there
can be replaced. If some-
body dies in a fire, you can’t
replace that.”
Smith said he is not plan-
ning to move away from
John Day and that retire-
ment will give him a chance
to do more fishing.
“Overall, this has been
the greatest job in the world.
It’s not so much that any
one job is better than the
other one. After years and
years you get to have all the
memories to look back on,”
Smith said.
Don Gabbard, the current
assistant chief, will become
the next fire chief when
Smith retires.
“If I was walking away
with nobody to take my
place, I probably would
have stayed chief another
two or three years,” Smith
said. “I can’t walk away
from my community leaving
the department without the
leadership that it needs, but
Don is great at all of it.”
A huge thank
you to everyone
who attended,
volunteered,
and donated
auction items to
the Blue Mountain
Healthcare
Foundation
Annual Meeting,
Dinner and Auction
Fundraiser -
Campfires
& Cocktails
this year.
MOVIE SCHEDULE NOV. 1 - NOV. 7
TERMINATOR: DARK FATE (R)
Sarah Connor must protect a young girl
from a newly modified liquid Terminator
from the future.
FRI & SAT
(3:45) 6:45 9:30
SUNDAY
(3:45) 6:45
MON- THURS
6:45
ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP (R)
A snarky makeshift family faces off
against evolved zombies and fellow
survivors in the American heartland.
FRI & SAT
(4:10) 7:10 9:40
SUNDAY
(4:10) 7:10
MON- THURS
7:10
MALEFICENT (PG)
Maleficent and her goddaughter Aurora
begin to question the complex family ties
that bind them.
FRI & SAT
(4:00) 7:00 9:35
SUNDAY
(4:00) 7:00
MON- THURS
7:00
We had over
160 attendees
this year and
all funds raised
will continue to
help improve
healthcare in
Grant County for
years to come!
Laura Thomas leads as
Superintendent/Principal
of Monument School
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Students and staff at
Monument School started
the school year with a
new, yet familiar, person
at the helm.
Superintendent/Prin-
cipal Laura Thomas was
hired last summer to fill
the top position at the
school, and she’s worked
at Monument School Dis-
trict as a teacher since
2007.
“I’ve taught every
grade except for first
grade,” Thomas said.
Her work has included
teaching
elementary
and junior high classes
as well as high school
agriculture.
Thomas said she’s
developed a strong and
positive relationship with
the students, staff and
community that will help
create a smooth transition
as she moves the district
forward.
“I feel like we’re just
one big family,” she said.
“Over the years teaching,
I’ve had kids say I’m like
a second mom.”
She feels those bonds
are built because they live
in a smaller town.
“I think they’re stron-
ger than living in a larger
area,” she said.
The school, in the past
two years, has had two
superintendents and one
interim superintendent.
Thomas said she had an
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interest in school admin-
istration for a long time,
and with the high turnover
rate, she decided to work
on her master’s of school
administration, and she
completed it last June.
She said working at the
school for seven years has
given her insight.
“I already know the
staff, the kids and the
community,” she said.
“It allowed us to hit the
ground running when I
shifted to the superinten-
dent/principal position. It
doesn’t force the students
and staff to get to know a
new superintendent.”
She said the atmo-
sphere at Monument
School is “one of posi-
tive change and moving
forward.”
“I’m just looking for-
ward to supporting the
staff and students and
community and making a
big impact in their educa-
tion,” she said.
Monument’s
total
enrollment is 53 with 29
in the elementary grades,
five in junior high and 19
in high school.
Thomas and her hus-
band, Jeff, have two chil-
dren attending Monument.
They have a 10-year-old
boy and two daughters
ages 6 and 3.
Together Laura and Jeff
own Thomas Orchards in
Kimberly.
“We’re definitely not
going anywhere,” Laura
said.
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