EDUCATION
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
A3
Prairie City gets an early start on distance learning
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
While many schools in Grant
County began distance learning on
April 13, Prairie City decided to
implement the new program on April
8 to give time to find bugs and provide
students with the supplies needed.
On April 8, staff and faculty from
Prairie City hand-delivered a packet
to every student that had directions on
how to get into Google Classroom and
how to use the application, according
to Casey Hallgarth, the superinten-
dent for Prairie City. The packets also
included contact information for the
teachers and their availability times.
“We decided to send our stuff out
on Wednesday (April 8), and we did
that so we can work out some kinks,
and we knew we were going to have
some difficulties with laptops to mit-
igate the work on (April 13),” Hall-
garth said. “For the most part, it went
well, and we handed out around 80
laptops to kids.”
Some of the packets were not as
full as others because the school was
aware of students who had internet
access and didn’t need the additional
paperwork for school work.
Students who do not have internet
access will continue to receive pack-
ets every Wednesday. These pack-
ets will include the information and
assignments that can be found on
Google Classrooms.
Hallgarth had the opportunity
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
On April 8, Prairie City School started distance learning and hand delivered packets to students.
to see the reaction of several kids in
pre-school who were on their device
with their parents, learning from the
teacher online. The kids were fasci-
nated by the technology and being
able to see and learn from teachers on
a screen.
Some of the problems Hallgarth
noticed was in getting people started
with technology and signing into
classes.
“Our hiccups have been trying
to have students and parents under-
stand the teachers’ directions on get-
ting access to the online applications
and getting the equipment set up for
the parents to go out,” Hallgarth said.
“If you hand someone a piece of paper
that I am not used to seeing these
directions and messing with a device
you have never been on before — its
all foreign for some of these parents.”
It’s been a shift for teachers as
well. Billy Colson, a middle and high
school math teacher at Prairie City,
hadn’t facilitated an online class prior
to the pandemic.
“I work with an amazing group of
small school math teachers through-
out Eastern Oregon, and I’m amazed
by what they are able to do with tech-
nology, and there is a lot of online
things you can do,” Colson said. “I’m
making links to tutorial videos, and
I’m also trying to give them things
they’re familiar with and refer to our
curriculum when I teach.”
Colson said challenges have been
getting students used to a new com-
puter program and motivating them
to do work after an extended spring
break.
“About 10% of kids will excel
at it, but most kids need more inter-
action from people,” Colson said.
“Hopefully, kids will be more famil-
iar with video conferencing or call-
ing us with questions as time goes
on.”
One goal for the school is to not
overwhelm students with school
work and make sure to have a bal-
ance between work and a student’s
well-being.
“We are not here to overwhelm
parents and students with a ton of
work,” Hallgarth said. “We are here
to give them our support and teach
them a little bit, but we also want to
make sure everybody is doing well
socially and emotionally.”
Hallgarth said a majority of staff
is available from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mondays through Thursdays by
phone for students to call if they have
any questions.
School leaders react to school buildings being closed for year
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Gov.
Kate
Brown
announced school build-
ings will remain closed for
the 2019-2020 school year
in Oregon, and even though
school leaders anticipated
the change, it wasn’t easy to
accept.
“The school closure for
in-person instruction for the
remainder of the year was a
hard reality despite many of
us anticipating it,” said Mon-
ument Superintendent Laura
Thomas. “While it is most
important that everyone, stu-
dents, families, and staff
remain healthy, the feel of the
school is not the same with-
out the students. We miss the
students!”
Long Creek Superinten-
dent Karl Coghill said he
misses the interactions with
the students.
“The building is so quiet,”
he said. “It is very strange.”
Lots of questions have
come up since the announce-
ment, but the heartbreak for
seniors and their parents are
certain, according to Prairie
City Superintendent Casey
Hallgarth.
“We knew this was com-
ing,” Hallgarth said. “It’s just
once someone gives you the
final verdict, it’s like some-
one gut punched you. It’s
official for our seniors that
they are not coming back to
our schools, and that’s the gut
punch.”
Other school leaders also
shared their sentiment of how
tough this change is because
of the importance of senior
Eagle file photo
Eagle file photo
Grant School District 3 Superintendent Bret Uptmor.
Prairie City School District Superintendent/Principal Casey Hallgarth.
activities.
“All of us are miserable —
those events are rites of pas-
sage to adulthood,” said Kath-
ryn Hedrick, the Dayville
superintendent. “Our seniors
deserve public affirmations of
their achievements, and they
deserve the celebrations like
proms, sports competitions
and senior banquets.”
Oregon
Department
of Education encouraged
schools to plan for alternative
graduation ceremonies with
the possibility of not allowing
in-person gatherings.
“This group of seniors will
miss that (graduation) in the
traditional sense, and we as
a high school in the district
area are looking for ways that
we can continue that cele-
bration, which might be vir-
tual or off-schedule,” said
Grant School District Super-
intendent Bret Uptmor. “We
are going to try to make sure
we try and recognize our
seniors.”
While plans for graduation
provide for their families and
assist with education at home.
“While staff is meeting
ceremonies are uncertain as
schools look for ways to com-
memorate the occasion, Hed-
rick said it is important for
every senior being recognized
for their accomplishment.
“We will do something:
Dayville will have two grad-
uates, and their graduation is
as important as a class of a
1,000,” Hedrick said.
To honor seniors, schools
around the nation are partici-
pating in turning on their foot-
ball field lights at 8:20 p.m.
— which corresponds with
2020 in military time — for a
minute for each senior gradu-
ating this year.
On April 9, Grant Union
Junior-Senior High School
turned their lights on for 43
minutes to honor their seniors.
Prairie City will turn on their
stadium lights every Wednes-
day at 8:20 p.m.
With distance learning now
being the focus for the rest of
the year, school leaders are
aware and are grateful for par-
ents putting in hard work to
The Seneca PTA would like to say
THANK YOU!!
with students over the phone
multiple times per week, pro-
viding instructional videos
and assignments, parents are
having to take a more lead-
ing role in the daily educa-
tion,” said Thomas. “While
this has been an adjustment,
all the amazing students, fam-
ilies and staff have come
together to support and help
one another to make this less
than ideal situation the best we
can for the students.”
School buildings may be
closed, but school leaders
and teachers are still assisting
students.
“I want parents and stu-
dents to know that we are there
with them,” Coghill said. “We
are willing to do everything
we can to help them and the
students to get through these
tough times.”
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April 13-19, 2020
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Bank of Eastern Oregon
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Nydam’s Ace Hardware
GIBCO
Old West FCU
John Day True Value
Chester’s Thriftway
Polished Nails
John Day Golf Club
Les Schwab of John Day
Mobile Glass
Len’s Drug
Ed Staubs
Tanni Wenger Photography
1188 Brewing
Canyon City Fast Break
Station 62
True Value
Bear Valley Store
Timbers Bistro
Dark Horse
John Day NAPA
Blue Mtn. Chiropractic
Subway of John Day
Pioneer Feed and Farm Supply
Jack and Teresa Southworth
Gardners
John Day NAPA
The Cut Above
Bill Gander
The Wilson Family
JD Parks and Rec
Michael Desjardin
Blue Mountain Eagle
H&R Block
Ericksons Thriftway
Solutions CPA’s
John Day Vet Center
Gander Ranch
KJDY
Backwoods Soap
Subway of John Day
Gardner Enterprise
Happy 100th Birthday!
Evelyn Ogilvie of John Day
turned 100 on April 13th!
And everyone who showed up to play
and support the Seneca School!
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