Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 1995)
Changes for the better made at HES e e w By April Hilton-Sykes o l . 7 4 HEPPNER unes VOL 1 i4 NO 44 6 Pages Wednesday, October 18, 1995, Morrow County Heppner, Oregon High school gets new basketball courts By April Hilton-Sykes A new basketball and park ing area is nearing completion at Heppner High School. The area, located near the vo- ag/shop building, has been paved and lines have been painted for around 25 parking spaces and four half-court basketball facilities. Heppner Junior/Senior High School Principal Steve Dicken son said that the basketball courts are expected to be com pleted within a month. He says that the area will be open for seventh and eighth graders during school hours and will be fenced off. The fencing will be constructed so that gates can be opened for overflow parking during games and other school activities. The improvements will be funded through school bond monies. Dickenson said that the courts were created to pro vide a play area for the seventh and eighth graders, who were moved from the junior high school this fall. No area was available at the high school for « Steve Dickenson, H H S principal, stands on new basketball courts for junior high students outside activities for the younger children. Dickenson said that metal fan-type basketball backboards on the sides of the high school gym will eventually be replac ed with glass ones. The fan Farm Service Agency committee seeks nominations "F arm e rs are asked to nominate candidates of their choice by Oct. 30 to be on the Farm Services Agency (FSA) county committee ballot," says R.H. Matthews, Chief Ex ecutive Officer. The FSA coun ty committee election will be conducted from Nov. 24 to Dec. 4 by mail ballot. FSA committees are respon sible for managing federal farm programs on the local level. To meet the needs of individual producers, FSA committee members must be concerned and responsible individuals, Matthews said. "M orrow County farmers have the op portunity to nominate people they feel would best serve the farm community." A few bask considerations should be kept in mind when circulating petitions, Matthews said. In order to be valid, peti tions must be limited to one committee each; include writ ten certification that the nominee is willing to serve if elected; signed by at least three eligible farm voters in the FSA community; and received in the county FSA office by the Oct. 30 deadline. Farmers may circulate or sign nominating petitions for as many candidates as they choose. Anyone wishing to nominate a farmer for the FSA committee election may contact the county FSA offke for full details, including eligibility re quirements for offke holders. Farmers should petition for and elect those individuals they feel would do a good job as a member of the FSA committee, added Matthews. The election of concerned farmers to posi tions on FSA committees is essential in the administration of farm programs, said Mat thews. Matthews explained that the county FSA office wekomes all valid petitions. The opportuni ty to nominate, vote and to be elected to offke is guaranteed to all farmers regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, handkap or national origin. type backboards, originally planned for use in the new out door basketball courts, will not be available in time and will now be used elsewhere in the community, either for new facilities or replacing old backboards. P M H employees receive grants North East Oregon Area Health Education Center (NEOAHEC) recently awarded health professions skill enhancement grants totaling nearly $2,200 to two Pioneer Memorial Hospital employees. Radiology department super visor Don Monroe and lab technician Shelley Wight will complete clinkal skills rotations in Pendleton and Bend, re spectively. Monroe will receive ultra sound training at Blue Moun tain Diagnostic Imaging. Wight will spend her time at St. Charles Medkal Center learn ing about advancements in blood-banking techniques. PMH administrator Kevin Erich said both trainings will enhance the quality of care pa tients receive at the hospital and expressed appreciation to NEOAHEC for "helping Mor row County residents receive the best health care possible." Loretta Nairns named to city council Heppner mayor. Bob Jepsen, reported at the city council meeting Monday night, Oct. 9, that he had appointed Loretta Naims to fill a vacancy on the council. The council unani- mously ratified the appoint- ment. Naims will serve the remain ing term in council position #1, which expires on Dec. 31,19%. The vacancy was created in Ju ly when Marcia DeBo resigned from the council DeBo and her family moved to Silverton. There is a whole lot of change going on in south Morrow County schools and this time it's good news. Heppner Elementary School (HES) is beginning to see im provements resulting from the passage of the school bond issue passed by county voters in March. Following are some of the changes. -the asbestos management program is underway at HES. Instead of removing the as bestos tiles at the elementary school, whkh would disturb the asbestos and create en vironmental problems, the school is carpeting over the tiles. Because the budget in- rluded carpeting the office and stage areas, the school took the opportunity to remodel and reconfigure those areas. -the health room has been moved from the top of the stairs in the elem entary building to a room near the of fke. Principal Bill Karwacki said that the previous health room was difficult to supervise because it was so far from the offke. The former health room is now a storage area. -a teacher's lounge was created from the previous stage area. Karwacki said that the former lounge was not big enough for more than a few teachers to gather. The re modeled lounge is big enough for staff m eetings, site council and advisory board meetings. Because the stage area has been walled off, all school programs and physkal education activities will be held in the old gym. The multipur pose room, because of the bad acoustics and the difficulty in heating, will be used only when it is too cold for the children to go outside during recess. Karwacki says that the gym provides better seating and has more room for the traditionally well-attended Christmas and spring pro grams. -an office for the school counselor was created in the newer building. The counsel-, or's offke, previously located in the old building, is now near the principal's offke, whkh allows for better communica tion between the principal and counselor. -a "time out" room is now located near both the prin cipal's and counselor's office. This too, says Karwacki, allows for better communkation and better supervision of the child in "tim e ou t". Previously, children sent to the offke for disciplinary measures were seated on the benches in the hall by the main entrance, whkh proved to be distracting for them as well as for offke staff. -the front offke was expand ed to allow room for two com puter work stations. The offke had been too small for comfor table and effkient use. -the shop, no longer needed for shop classes with the transfer of seventh and eighth graders to the high school, is Heppner Elementi ry principal Bill Karwacki shows off computer equipment now a shop area for school custodians. Karwacki says that the custodians utilize the space to make benches, shelving and other projects. They recently used the area to make benches for new tables added in the lunch room. -the library for kinderarten through sixth grade has been consolidated and moved to the junior high library in the old building. Previously the K- fourth grade library was in the newer building and the fifth- eighth grade library in the old building. Some of the books appropriate for seventh and eighth graders were moved to the high school. The consolida tion allows for better supervi sion by the media aide. -the old K-fourth grade library is now a computer lab. The bond issue allowed for the purchase of 20 new IBM com patible computers. Now 20 Ap ple He computers are available for the K-fourth grade classes in the elementary building and 20 IBM compatibles are avail able for the fifth and sixth grade classes in the junior high building. The computer in struction in the respective rooms are age-specifk. Com puter lab is an elective for fifth and sixth grades. -VCRs and televisions have been installed in each elemen tary classroom so that all classes receive Spanish instruction. In struction is provided by Nor thern Arizona University. One teacher presents instruction via videotape for kindergarten, first and second grade classes, another for third and fourth grades and another for fifth and sixth grades. All teachers can now program their own VCRs, adds Karwacki. -the fifth and sixth grade classes have been moved to the top level of the junior high building. Utilizing the top level provides easier access to the library and computer lab. The top level is also air condition ed. Science classes for fifth and sixth graders are now held in the science lab previously used by the seventh and eighth grades. Karwacki says that the availability of the science room W heat League plans meeting Morrow County Wheat League will hold their annual fall meeting and banquet Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. at Beecher's Cafe in lone. The afternoon session will in clude discussion on the 1995 Farm Bill, the latest on CRP contracts and the new dockage standards, according to Judy Rea, county president. All members will be guests of the Morrow County Wheat League for dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. preceded by a social hour at 5:30 p.m. The social hour will be hosted by Morrow County Grain Growers. A door prize drawing will be held courtesy of Bank of Eastern Oregon. The evening meeting will in clude history of the Oregon Wheat League, foreign market report and nominating commit tee report. is a plus because now teachers can set up science experiments. "It has really broadened the fifth and sixth grades' science p rogram ," said Karwacki. "Before, in the regular class room, the teachers were limited to what they could do. Now it's far more hands on. It has real ly worked tremendously." -the elementary art teacher now has her classroom in the former seventh and eighth grade art room. The teacher, who previously had a regular classroom, is now able to utilize a room specifkally designed for art classes. Kindergarten through fourth grade classes have art and musk instruction one period a week. Art and musk are electives for fifth and sixth graders. -a new serving area and more lunch tables have been added to the lunch room. The expan sion allows for all elementary children to be served during a 38 minute lunch period. Pre viously there were three lunch periods stretching oveT an hour and a half. Children in first, third, fifth and sixth grades now enter from one direction and eat in the larger lunch room. Children in kindergar ten, second and fourth grades enter from the other direction and eat in the smaller lunch room. Karwacki said that the change not only cuts down on serving preparations, but also trims four hours off the time assistants spent supervising the lunch room. Now, he says, aides can spend more time helping in the classrooms. -since the middle level of the old building has been vacated, classrooms became available there for a half time language arts instructor and a half time social studies instructor. Since those teachers have their own classrooms, they will not have to travel between rooms and move their things with them. "This has been a lot of change for the teachers," said Karwacki. "I'v e been pleased how they’ve accepted the challenge of change, learned new things, new strategies and become more adept with tech nology." "W e're proud of the staff members and parents for being patient and learning along with us and understanding the need for technologkal advances," Karwacki added. "Change is diffkult." Karwacki said that the bond issue also calls for the construc tion of six more classrooms. Construction will include fifth and sixth grade classrooms, a science lab and and educational resource center (for special education). After construction in completed, only the cafeteria and gym will be located in the old buildings. Complete Protection with Cenex Lubricants Superlube 518 SA E 30 '\ \v N Supartor d r a g tor haavy duly •tir» in 56 gal drum Superlube 518 15W-40 Tap quahty od tor haavy duly c Qwicklift Universal Fluid and aqiapmanl C f MSG in 56 gal drum » f it* » in 56 gai drum orci/w M orrow County Grain Growers 'P V « $20 drum nda 1W21/M ------- Hlfrgfpn ___1-*00-452-7396
