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