School board hears testing results
B E S S I E WE T 2 E L L
U O F OR E
N E WS P A P E R L I B
eugene
VOL. 115
NO 43
or
97403
10 Pages Wednesday, October 23, 1996,
Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
Local teacher killed in car accident
music classes a half day in
Heppner and and half day in
lone.
Beth S lottee, m usic te ac h e r at
H H S , H E S and lone
Elizabeth 'Beth' Slottee, a
first year music teacher at the
Heppner and lone schools, was
killed
instantly
in
an
automobile accident Thursday,
Oct. 17, around 12:30 p.m.
According to a news release
from Chuck Starr. Morrow
County
School
District
Superintendent, Slottee. 22.
was between Lexington and
lone when her car crossed into
the oncoming lane and was
struck
broadside
by
a
Washington car headed tow ard
Lexington. Slottee taught
The driver o f the other
vehicle. Micahel Harwell, 53,
Arlington, WA, was not
seriously injured. He was
treated at Pioneer Memorial
Hospital in Heppner and
released.
The
Heppner
Fire
Department, Lexington EMTs
and the Heppner ambulance
were all dispatched to the
scene by the Morrow County
Sheriffs Office.
According to police. Slottee
was not wearing a seat belt. A
school district news release
said that evidence seemed to
indicate that Slottee's attention
was diverted from her driving
to care for her cat. The car
drifted onto the gravel on the
right side o f the road and
when Slottee overcorrected,
veered into the oncoming lane.
The cat was also killed
instantly in the collision.
According to the release,
Slottee had her cat in the car
with her because she had
f ilanned to leave after work in
one to visit her parents who
lived in Salt Lake City.
School officials arranged for
a 'safe room' to help grieving
students and teachers deal with
the tragedy. A Umatilla-
Morrow Education Service
District team planned to be in
the schools in Heppner and
lone on Monday to help
students and staff.
"It's a tragedy," commented
Starr. "It's a tragedy that she
had to lose her life. She was
o ff to a tremendous start as a
new music teacher. She had a
great future ahead o f her."
A memorial service is
planned
on
Wednesday,
October 23, at 4:30 p.m. at the
Heppner
High
School
cafeteria. The Rev. Lea
Mathieu, lone United Church
o f Christ, will conduct the
service. Students and staff
were invited to participate in
the service w ith remembrances
o f Slottee. A service was held
Tuesday, October 22, at
Gerlinger
Hall
at
the
University o f Oregon, where
she received her bachelor of
arts degree in music education
in 1995. She received her
teaching
certificate
this
August.
Slottee is survived by her
parents, Steve and Susan
Slottee, and a sister, Chris, of
Salt Lake.
A Beth Slottee Memorial
Music Scholarship fund has
been set up with the South
Morrow County' Scholarship
Trust in care o f the Bank of
Eastern Oregon, P.O. Box 309,
Heppner.
Merchants plan scavenger hunt, pumpkin contest
A scavenger hunt for "Scary
T h in gs" and a Pumpkin-
Decorating contest will be two
special events during Hepp-
ner's two hours of "Moonlight
Madness" on Wednesday, Oct.
30 from 5-7 p.m. Participating
merchants will also offer special
in-store buys. Advertisements
of some of their sale items are
found in this issue of the
Gazette-Times.
Scavenger hunt entry forms
are found in today's paper and
will be available in participating
businesses during "Moonlight
M adness." Each participating
business will have one of the
"scary things" that are listed
on the entry form somewhere
in its store. "Hunters” must
find those items and write the
name of each one next to the
name of the business that
features it. Each business will
provide a box for completed en
try forms.
Each participating business
will provide a prize for the
scavenger hunt. Winners of
these prizes will be drawn from
completed and correct entry
forms. One lucky winner will
receive $100-worth of gift cer
tificates that can be used in any
of the participating businesses.
Winners, limited to one per
family, will be notified by tele
phone, and a list of winners
will be posted on the Heppner
Chamber of Commerce door.
The Pumpkin-Decorating
contest is open to participants
from 5 to 7 P.M. During those
hours, the following businesses
will accept and display jack-o-
lantem entries for the listed age
brackets: 4 and 5 year-olds -
Coast to Coast; 6 and 7 - Cen
tral Market; 8 and 9 - Gardner’s
Men's Wear; 10 and 11 - Lott's
electric; 12 and 13 - The Shoe
Box; 14 through 18 - Murray
Drugs; 19 and 20 - Pettyjohn's
Supply; and 21 and older -
Yaw's.
Methods of decorating the
jack-o-lanterns are open, but
four and five year olds are
restricted from carving. Entries
will not be accepted before 5
p.m. Each pumpkin needs to
be accompanied with a tag that
contains the name, age, and
phone number of the jack-o-
lantern's artist.
Business owners will select
jack-o-lantem winners from the
entries at their stores. The win
ner from each age bracket will
be notified by telephone and
will win a $10 gift certificate
redeemable in any of the Hepp
ner participating businesses.
M CGG annual meeting on Nov. 4
The Morrow County Grain
Growers' annual membership
meeting will be held Monday,
Nov. 4 at the Morrow County
Fairgrounds in Heppner. Din
ner will be served by the
Willows Grange at 6:30 p.m.
Free babysitting will be pro
vided for those attending with
small children.
The meeting will include
reports from company officers,
a review of the company's
financial statement and the
election of directors.
Tuesday, Oct. 22
Soft White
Oct.-Dec.
*4.25
Jan.
*4.22
Barley
Oct.-Jan.
*115
Market Report
Compliments of the Morrow County Gram Growers
Michael Keown, Morrow
County
School
District
Assistant
Superintendent,
presented an overview o f the
1996 Oregon Assessment and
Stanford Achievement test
results for Morrow County
School students at the Morrow
County School Board meeting
held Monday, Oct. 14, at
Heppner High School.
In the statewide assessment
tests, students were assessed in
reading, math and writing in
? rades three, five, eight and
0 .
In grade three, all Morrow
County schools scored below
the state average o f 206 in
reading with the exception of
lone which scored 211.
Heppner students scored 206,
A.C. Houghton, 202, and Sam
Boardman, 203.
In math, lone third graders
again sumassed the state
average or 201 with a 206.
Heppner third graders were
rignt at the state average with
201, with A.C. Houghton at
199 and Sam Boardman, 198.
According
to
state
performance levels, a third
grader has only basic (partial
mastery) o f the stubject if he
scores 189 or below in reading
and 190 or below in math. For
proficient (solid levels of
achievement) third graders
must score 190-208 in reading
and 191-209 in math. For
advanced (very high, superior
levels o f achievement) third
graders must score 209 or
above in reading and 210 or
above in math.
In grade five, lone students
were above the state average
o f 216 in reading with a 218.
Heppner students scored 215,
with A.C. Houghton and
Boardman, both 213.
In math, district fifth graders
were all below the state
average o f 214, with Heppner,
211,
lone,
213,
A.C.
Houghton. 208 and Sam
Boardman, 210.
In grade five, basic is 203
and below in reading and 206
and below in math; proficient-
204-222 in reading and 207-
225 in math; advanced-223
and above in reading and 226
and above in math.
In grade eight Heppner
students equaled the state
average in reading with a 229.
lone students averaged 227
and Columbia Junior High,
223.
In math, Heppner students
surpassed the state average of
231 with a 234. lone had an
average o f 229 and Columbia.
227.
In grade eight, basic is 215
and below in reading and 220
and below in math; proficient-
216-234 in reading and 221 -
239 in math; advanced-235
and above in reading and 240
and above in math.
meet the standard in the 10th
grade. I'm disturbed that we're
setting these kids up for
failure."
”1 believe the majority of
our kids will be meeting the
standards,"
said Morrow
County
School District
Superintendent Chuck Starr.
"But the problem is that we
have a whole bunch who aren't
(going to meet the standards)."
Starr said that he was
concerned that some students
would say "what's the use?"
and drop out o f school if they
are unable to meet state
standards.
Keown said that students
will still be able to receive
dimplomas. However, Stan-
added that the state "fully
intends” to replace diplomas
with the CIM (Certificate of
Initial Mastery ) and the CAM
(Certificate of Advanced
Mastery) by 2002.
In other business, the school
board:
-accepted resignations from
Maryanne Anthony from
PE/laundry assistant position
at Riverside High School
(RHS); Pam Docken from
secretarial position at RHS;
Janet Rhoades from three-hour
assistant cook position at
Columbia Middle School
(CMS).
-approved employment for
Marchell Downey, transfer
from Title I educational
assistant
to
PE/laundry
assistant at RHS; Ken Monis,
assistant custodian at RHS;
extra duty contracts for Thad
Killingbeck from head junior
high girls' basketball coach at
CMS to assistant boys'
basketball coach at RHS;
Mark Bird, annual advisor at
lone High School; Beth
Slottee, instrumental music
performance at lone and
Heppner.
-accepted donation of a
training table from Rob
Meakins to Columbia Middle
School.
-learned o f board and
advisory positions expiring as
of June 30, 1997-Board of
Direetors-Dwayne
Carroll-
zone 2; Bill Doherty-zone 6;
and Scott Bauska-zone 7;
Heppner-Lexington Advisory-
lone 10th graders were five
points above the state average
o f 236 in reading with a 241.
Heppner students had a score
o f 230 and Riverside High
school, 234.
In math lone 10th graders
were five points above the
state average o f 232 with a
score of 237. Riverside and
Heppner students followed
witn
230
and
229,
respectively.
In grade 10 basic is 220 and
below in reading and 225 and
below in math; proficient-221 -
239 reading, 226-244 math;
advanced-240 and above
reading and 245 and above
math.
Also as a part o f the
statewide assessment, students
in grades three, eight and 10
were assessed in writing in six
areas on a scale of one to six
and their scores were viewed
against a compairson group
range.
According to Keown, the
state board is "currently
preparing to set new standards
o f performance for the
Certificate of Initial Mastery at
grade
10 and for the
benchmark grades leading to
the cerifícate (grades three,
five and eight). When those
new standards are adopted,"
said Keown, schools will be
issued new reports showing
the percentage of students who
do not yet meet, meet or
exceed the new standard at
each grade level."
With the previous standards,
students
were
deemed
proficient in reading with a
score of 180 at 2nd grade, 190-
3rd. 197-4th, 204-5th, 208-6th,
212-7th, 216-8th, 219-9th,
221-10th, 223-11th and 225-
12th.
The previous standards for
advanced mastery in reading
were 199,209,216, 223, 227.
231, 235, 238. 240, 242 and
244 in grades two through 12.
In mathematics, proficiency
standards were 181, 191, 199,
207, 212, 217, 221, 224. 227,
229 and 229 in grades two-12;
with advanced standards 200,
210, 217, 226, 231. 236, 240.
243, 246, 248, and 250 in
grades two through 12.
With the new standards for
reading and mathematics,
students will meet the standard
with 191-2nd grade; 201-3rd.
208-4th, 215-5th, 221-6th,
226-7th. 231-8th. 236-9th.
241-10th, 244-11th and 246-
12th; and will exceed the
standard with 206, 216, 223,
230.234, 238. 241, 246. 251,
254 and 256 in grades two
through 12, respectively.
School board member John
Rietmann expressed concern
about the new standards. "I'm
really concerned that students
who progress, continue along
the same lines, are not going to
Virginia Naims-position 2;
Mark Rietmann-position 4;
Steve Hill-position 6 and
E asitions 1 and 7-vacant; Ione-
exington
Advisory-Hank
Pointer-position
2;
Jim
McEUigott-position 3; and
Valerv Donerty-position 4;
Boardman-Irrigon Advisory-
Dean Mason-position 1; Kathy
Neal-position
3;
Pat
McNamee-position 6; and
position 4-vacant.
The filing deadline for the
positions is January 9, 1997,
with the election March 11,
1997.
-heard a school update
presented by Chuck Starr;
-heard a report on damage to
the district's technology van
which was struck by a car
driven by a student..
-heard first readings on a
budget calendar for the 1997-
98 budget, safety policy,
purchasing-specific
considerations policy; and a
resolution
establishing
a
contract review board;
-heard announcements of the
end of the first nine weeks on
Oct.
31;
parent-teacher
conferences the evening of
Nov. 7 and the morning of
Nov. 8; the Veteran's Day
holiday Nov. 11; and the next
meeting on Nov. 12 at the
district office at 7:30 p.m.
Jail meetings scheduled around county
After four months of deli
beration, the Morrow County
Jail Ad Hoc Committee has
finished its investigation and is
prepared to meet with the local
communities. Local represen
tatives to the committee will be
on hand to explain the process,
and the advantages and disad
vantages of the options they
considered.
Meeting dates are as follows:
Thursday, Oct. 24, lone School
cafeteria; Monday, Oct. 28,
Boardman Grange Hall; Tues
day, Oct. 29, Lexington School
District office; Wednesday,
Oct. 30, Heppner High School.
All meetings will be held at 7
p.m. A meeting was held Oct.
22 at Irrigon.
The committee's task has
been to analyze each of the op
tions and to reach a consensus
on which is the most desirable
method of jailing those indivi
duals who are awaiting court
trials or for those who have
been convicted and sentenced.
The 20 person committee, ap
pointed by the county court,
has examined three basic op
tions: 1) joining a six county
consortium, known as NOR-
COR, which is planning to
build a regional jail in The
Dalles; 2) continuing contrac
ting with neighboring counties
for jail space for as long as its
available; and 3) building a jail
in Morrow County.
As noted above, town hall
meetings have been scheduled
for the last week in October. In
terested parties are encourag
ed to attend since it is hoped
that one of the three options
will be implemented in the near
future. Of special interest to the
tax-paying public will be the
cost of construction, as well as
the long-term annual operating
cost of all three options. Flyers
noting the dates and times of
the meetings in each communi
ty will be posted in public
places.
Wear light at night
Local residents are reminded
to wear light colored clothes
when walking at night time.
There have been two reports
to the Gazette-Times recently
of close calls when drivers did
not see a pedestrian walking at
night dressed
in black
clothing.
November I — February 28
10% OFF
PARTS S LABOR SHOP
Morrow County Grain Growers
_________ Lexington 989-8221
1-800-452-7396_________