Changes for the better made at HES
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By April Hilton-Sykes
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HEPPNER
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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.
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