Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1997)
TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 12, 1997 Students write letters to the Editor Editor's note: the following letters to the Editor were submitted by Heppner Elementary School stu dents in Jannie Allen's fifth-sixth grade language arts class To the Editor: My name is Jessica Lee Westberg and I'm writing to you because the kids that nde the bus would like to have food and dnnks on the bus There are some kids that go a long way home on the bus They are thirsty and hungry and want something to eat and drink. I have friends that get home at 5 p.m. They have leftovers from cold lunch and they are starving for their leftovers, but they can't eat them I wish Mid Columbia would change the policy on food and drink on the bus (s)Jessica Lee Westberg • Heppner To the Editor: My name is Calvin Fams 1 go to Heppner Middle School I am a band student and I would like to shqyv appreciation to our band teacher, Mr. Werner He is a real good band teacher and lots of fun He taught me how to play the trombone We will be performing at "Saint Patrick's Day" parade We also have a spring concert coming up. Hope to see you there (s)Calvin Fams To the Editor: I think students should be able to eat food on the bus It's about three and a half hours from lunch until school gets out Plus there's about an hour to an hour and a half bus trip. That's four to five hours without food. If we were able to eat on the bus we will try not to make a mess If we do we will clean it up. Maybe Mid Columbia Bus Company could make some exceptions. No pop or things that can make a big mess Candy and leftover lunches could be acceptable. Juice Would be nice too and fruit would be great If the students get caught with messy food they' shouldn't get a wnte-up, they should either have to throw it out or sit in the front seat until they finish their bev erage Food is the mam source of life and if we are prohibited from eating on the bus the students will not grow as well. We plead with you Mid Columbia Bus Company, please give us food. (s)Conor Kilkenny To the Editor: I think we should have many more charter schools throughout Oregon Right now we only have one They have the potential to educate the students better and should be more efficient and cost effective than other schools The reason they can do better is because they are run by the local people that start them. Charter schools can also drop many of the worthless requirements that the state mandates for public schools Examples include Outcome Based Education and the Certificates of Initial and Advanced Mastery. Since the CIM and CAM programs have come out several years ago the requirements have changed every year. Many teachers are frustrated and are still confused on how to meet these unstable requirements The local boards who run these schools could then start teaching students how they see fit, to better prepare them for college or life. (s)Daniel Jepsen To the Editor: My name is Mathew Young of the Heppner Middle School. We need more after-school activities, like swimm ing trips, painting classes and skiing tnps. We really need to get more tnps, but first we need more money. This is so kids in Heppner will leam that there are fun sports and activities that Hepp ner doesn’t have to offer. Sincerely, (s) Mathew' Young To the Editor: The Heppner Middle School band program is going great. We play at least 90 songs. There is a trumpet section, saxophone section, clari net section, flute section, percus sion section and a French hom. We have a great band teacher whose name is Mr. Werner. The band’s favorite song is “Go Band Go.” This nine weeks, the band got eight new band members. They can play almost as many songs as the people who have been in band since the beginning of the school year. Well, I just wanted to tell you how great the Heppner Middle School band was going. Sincerely, (s) Kyler Lovgren To the Editor: Hi. My name is C helsea Bredemeier and I’m going to talk about Hanford. I am a fifth grader in Heppner Elementary. When they let the chemicals out the first time, my mom was working on a farm. The chemicals went into the ground and my mom ate some o f the food and got very sick. At first, the doc tors didn’t know what was wrong with her and then they found out. She has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The chemicals also gave my grand father cancer. Ten years later, my mom got married and had me. When I was six months old, the doctors found out that I had displaced hips. So I spent one year in a full body cast and a year and a half in a brace. Then when I was nine years old, the doctors said that I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and I have been living with it since. The people that work at Hanford are planning to bum more chemi cals. I don’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else. Sincerely, (s) Chelsea Bredemeier To the Editor: My name is Brian Haguewood and I think we should have a four- day school week. My mom teaches fourth grade and 1 asked kids in her class why they like a four-day school week. They said because they can spend more time with their families. Four-day school weeks are good because we have more time over the weekend to do more and harder homework. Sincerely, (s) Brian Haguewood To the Editor: Hi. My name is Courtney Nel son. I would like to talk about young children and their safety. Many young children die by sitting in the front seat of a car. In a sec ond, a young child can die by an air bag because the air bag fills up with air so fast and so long that it can suffocate or can hurt a child. So don’t let your young children sit in the front seat of the car. Be sure to buckle them in the back seat and in a child seat if they are small enough. Sincerely, (s) Courtney Nelson To the Editor: I’m a sixth grader from Hepp ner Middle School. I would like more playground equipment, like nets for the basketball hoops. Also new footballs and basketballs are needed to play with, plus new play ground equipment because if you don’t play football or basketball, you have nothing to do. I would like it if some people would donate money for this to happen, or time to help build new equipment. The kids of our school would help in any way we can. Sincerely, (s) Josh Winters To the Editor: My name is Eva Chitty. I’m a fifth grader at Heppner Middle School. I think we should help our elders more. It’s hard for them to get around in the winter. We should try to run errands for them like getting the paper or going to the store. Sincerely, (s) Eva Chitty To the Editor: My name is Kaitlyn Sagely. 1 go to Heppner Middle School and 1 think I am getting the same educa tion as a kid going to a five-day school. I still want to leam and a kid that goes to a five-day school week that doesn’t want to leam won’t get a good education like me because I want to leam. The four- day school week has worked out well for my family and the teach ers are very nice and work hard to make sure I get a good education. Sincerely, (s) Kaitlyn Sagely Is this what we want? To the editor: Petitions for return to a five- day school week were placed in Morrow Co. towns recently with varying results. Some places threw them out, saying they didn’t want to get involved. Yet one place in Boardman filled the only page I left in one day, and the young lady said, when I went to pick it up, that most people in that area wanted five days. This was not what I heard from an older person there. In all, 387 persons' signatures were gathered which is a lot o f people to very publicly put their name on the dotted line. Herewith are the original papers along with an alphabetized list made to invalidate any charge that duplicate names were counted. Editor's note: Murray presented the signatures to the school board at their meeting Monday night. The federal government promoted the Head Start program to give students a good send off for a successful education. Morrow County School District is eroding any such benefit. Young people exposed to long days are tired. Their attention spans are such that any contention that they get rested on weekends and leam more is a fallacy. The theory that less produces more learning defies common sense. To set the majority o f these youngsters up for continued difficulty in school and life is unkind, selfish, and short sighted. Is this what we want. Meg Murray lone HHS seniors to hold bake sale HHS is holding a can and bottle drive Thursday Feb. 13 throughout Heppner and Lexington. The senior class is also holding a "Valentines Day Bake Sale" on February 14, in the Heppner Post Office. The proceeds will be donated to the Heppner High School "Drug and Alcohol Free" senior trip. Del LaRue's career spans 37 years % In a career that covered 37 years and many, many athletic events, lone Head Basketball Coach Del LaRue is hanging up his whistle LaRue is not only retiring from coaching this year'," but also leaving the teaching profession. LaRue’s coaching career started in 1960 at Lostine High School. He was there for four years, stayed two more when it consolidated with Wallowa and then moved on to Fossil to coach and teach at Wheeler high. Del came to lone in the fall of 1971 and has been a familiar sight on the sidelines ever since. While at lone LaRue has been head basketball and track coach and up to three years ago assistant football coach. He also coached baseball. In addition he lone Booster Club member Frank Halverson (r) honors Del LaRue coached basketball, track and at LaRue's last home game before retirement football at the school previous to G olf Club. He was also lone. recognized at a recent away LaRue was honored by the game at Fossil where he was lone booster club at his last home presented a bouquet o f balloons, game recently, and presented with the proclamation that the with a golf putter and a year's fans there were not sorry to see membership to the Willow Creek him retire "because now we don't have to play against him anymore." LaRue was recently honored for his 400 career basketball victory as a coach. But he says the best part o f coaching and the part he will miss the most is o f course "the kids". "I will miss being The OSU Morrow County Blue associated with them and Mountain Master Gardeners and working with them," LaRue said. Del LaRue, 1971, at lone the city of Heppner are in the He also said he will miss his He has been to the district planning stages o f making a relationship with the other playoffs 18 of the 26 years he has community garden in Heppner a coaches around the league. "And been in lone. His highest placing I will o f course miss the game," reality. at state was fourth place in 1991. he adds. The garden would be used for "It's been really enjoyable, I've LaRue has taken teams to the individual gardens, community state playoffs seven times, and met some very special people projects and educational programs has a chance for number eight and the community has been just and will be located in Heppner. great to us," says LaRue. this year. The garden will provide an opportunity for those interested in February 14: tfappy Valentine's <Day gardening to leam about gardening 100fh Anniversary Celebration begins and the Master Gardener program Dining 6-9 p.m. Individuals or groups interested in participating in the planning February 15: process or the garden itself may Registration starts at 10 a.m. Ladies Champagne Tea call the Morrow County Extension at 1:30 p.m. Lodge, 2 p.m. Social time from 4-6 p.m. Office, 676-9642 or 1-800-342- Dining-prime riband shrimp--6-9 p.m. Music upstairs 3664 before March 3 and leave and downstairs, 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m. your name and telephone number. February 16: For more information call Mark 1 Tullis, between 6 and 8 p.m at Breakfast 7:30-10 a.m. Recoup and rest refresh- 541-422-7114. Community garden in planning stages ments. Prevention program scheduled in lone "Parents as Partners in Prevention" is the topic o f a presentation to be held on Thursday, February 20, at 7 p.m. at the lone High School cafeteria Judy Cushing, the executive director of the Oregon Partnership will be at the school to speak to parents Cushing is one of the top experts in the nation on community prevention programs that buffer youth from juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancy, drug use and violence. The focus of the presentation in lone will be the challenges facing the parents of the 90s, the drugs of the 90s and drug trends According to Cushing, parents are a major influencing factor on a child's decision to use or not use drugs According to experts, the facts are clear and compelling. Children of parents who say "drug use is very wrong, dangerous, and not acceptable" are far less likely to use The challenge for parents becomes how to begin the discussion and when. If parents will talk with their children and listen to their children, the impact can be significant, says Cushing Everyone is invited to attend of MADGE B.THOMSON The Fam ily would like to take this opportunity to express our heart felt thanks to the com m unity of Heppner for surround ing us with your love and friendship and extending kind ness and care to Madge, our wife and mother. Special thanks to Dr. Atkins and the entire staff of Pioneer Memorial Nursing H om e and Hospital. We ap preciate the com passion and support given us the past several months. We will be forever grateful to the H om e Health staff for helping our m other be able to remain at home as long as possible. We thank relatives, friends and neighbors for their outpouring of love and support and for the beautiful cards and flowers and generous gifts of delicious food. These warm m em ories will remain with us always. Lovingly, Jim Thomson Meredith Walters Bernice Thomson Bruce & Phyllis Thomson thanks to all who made our 100th year Celebration successful Bingo every Wednesday night, 7:30 p.m. Dining Friday-Saturday, 6-9 p.m. Heppner Elks 358 676-9181 "Where Friends M eet" 142 N. Main Com e Share With U s A t W illow C re e k \ B a p tis t C k u rc k W orship Service at 3 p.m . M e e tin g in th e 7 th -d a y A d v e n t is t C h u r c h 5 6 0 N orth M inor P io n e e r M em o rial H ospital Clinic will be closed on Monday, Feb. 17 _____for P resid e n ts 7 Day