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VOL. 121
NO. 12
8 Pages
Wednesday, March 20,2002
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Board hires Tillamook man for superintendent
The M orrow County
School Board, at their March 11
m eeting at lone Schools
unanimously approved a three-
year contract to hire Dr. Jack
Crippen as superintendent of the
school district. C rippen is
currently em ployed with the
Tillam ook school district as
assistant superintendent, but his
position was eliminated because
o f budget cuts. Crippen had
signed the contract prior to
approval by the board. His salary
at MCSD will be $92,000 a year
The board agreed to hold
off on hiring for four teaching
positions, earlier recommended to
be cut, until more definite figures
for state school funding are
received from the Oregon
Legislature.
Also at the meeting, long
time district principal and Dick
Allen announced his retirement,
effective June 26. A llen is
currently the principal at Heppner
High School and was formerly
lone School principal. Heppner
Elementary Principal Phyllis
Danielson has announced her
resignation and is requesting a
transfer to an open administrative
or teaching position in north
Morrow County. The principal
position at HES and the assistant
superintendent’s position are
being cut, also because of budget
constraints. Allen, Danielson and
present assistant superintendent
Mike Keown were recognized for
their service to the district.
In other business, the
board:
-heard a report on the
pre-calculus class taught by lone
School teacher Dale Holland and
transm itted to Heppner High
School through V-tel. While the
V-tel class has some drawbacks,
it offers HHS students the
opportunity to take pre-calculus
where they would not otherwise
have the opportunity. The district
is hoping to use V-tel to enable
lone High School students the
opportunity to take an advanced
placement English class that is
currently offered at Heppner High
School. V-tel is a system where
students and teachers can see
each other and interact via the
computer and video equipment
placed at each location.
-adopted calendar option
‘C \ with a post Labor-Day start
and a two-week Christmas break
for the 2002-03 school year.
School starts for students on
September 3. Christmas break
will be from D ecem ber 20-
January 3. Spring break is from
March 24-28 and the last day of
school for students is June 11.
lone High School graduation is
June 6, at 7 p.m.; Heppner High
School graduation is June 7 at 2
p.m.; and Riverside High School
graduation is June 8 at 2 p.m. The
board approved the longer
Christmas break after learning
that a longer break would enable
more Hispanic students to return
to school on time from visits to
Mexico. The more students who
are counted as attending school,
the more state monies the district
receives.
-approved
hiring
recommendations for licensed
staff for the 2002-03 school year
as follows (south Morrow County
listed only): Heppner Elementary
School-Wendy Appleton and Pam
Dowdy, second-year probationary
teachers. Sue Gibbs and Lindsay
Harle, third-year probationary
teachers; Mary Ann Elguezabal
and Molly Rill, contract teachers;
Heppner High School-Appleton,
Lucas Casady and K athleen
Spinks, second-year probationary
teachers, Jason Palmer, third-year
probationary teacher, and John
Flaherty, Lea Mathieu and Tom
Shear, contract; lone Schools-
Ryan Rudolf and Tom Shear,
contract.
-approved non-extension
of contract for Kitty Bredemeier,
Columbia Middle School math
teacher.
-heard a bond project
report from Nan Hall, who
relayed information about the
action taken by the Heppner City
Council. The city council did not
approve rerouting Stansbury
Street to accom m odate one
district plan for construction at
Heppner Elementary School, nor
the temporary closure of the street
during school hours as requested
by the district with regard to
student safety.
-accepted retirement for
Dick Allen; resignation from
Phyllis A nderson; and non
renew al
of
assistant
superintendent contract due to
reduction in force.
-approved m aternity/
child care leave for Lorraine Ellis,
from her teaching position as RHS
music teacher; G abriella
Delacruz, from her educational
assistant position at A.C.
Houghton Elementary School.
-approved
an
administrative decision to allow a
student to be transferred from
lone Elem entary School to
Heppner Elementary School as a
one-time exception to policy.
-approved
surplus
property of three bathroom sinks
with faucets at the district office
and one record player at lone.
-heard school funding/
budget projections for 2002-03
from Superintendent Bruce
Anderson.
-heard the follow ing
announcements: end of third nine
weeks-March 21; spring break-
March
25-29;
spring
conferences-April 4 and 5; next
board meeting, Columbia Middle
School, April 8, 7:30 p.m.; first
budget committee meeting, district
office, April 15, 7 p.m.
Heppner team in
top 10 in academics
The Heppner High School
boys’ basketball team was in the
top 10 academ ically in the
OSAA/Dairy Farmers awards.
The team was sixth in
the state in 2A schools with a
3.48 grade point average for the
varsity players.
The Pilot Rock boys’
team was fifth with a 3.51 gpa.
The top team academically was
Regis with a 3.79 gpa.
lone boys win
academic award;
girls second
The lone boys’ basketball
team was first in the state for
academ ics for 1A schools
throughout the state and won the
OSAA/Dairy Farmers award.
The team had an average grade
point average o f 3.71. The
Condon boys’ team was ninth
with a 3.32 gpa.
The lone girls’ basketball
team tied with Crane for second
place with a 3.86 gpa. First for
the girls' teams was Canyonville
Christian Academy with a 3.88.
Health District meeting
A regular Morrow County Health
District Board meeting will be
held on Monday, March 25, at 7
p.m. at the Boardman Ambulance
Hall.
The agenda will include
a report on February’s financials,
budget meetings, a CEO report
and an executive session.
Oldtime courthouse
The float w ith the
“Shotgun Wedding” theme by a
group calling themselves the St.
Patrick's Antiques won first place
in the Irish float non-profit
category in the annual St.
Patrick's Parade held Saturday in
Heppner. The float was complete
with a bride, groom, father of the
bride, audience and shotgun, of
course. The Holy Name Society:
St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland
float, portraying the story o f
St.Patrick, from an original play
written by Fr. Gerry Condon of
Heppner, was second in that
category.
The M orrow County
Courthouse Centennial float, with
courthouse staff, judge and
sh eriff dressed in period
costumes, took first in the Irish
Open Class and also garnered the
Leprechaun's Choice award. The
courthouse is celebrating its
centennial this year. Second in
that category was Patti O'Pocco.
The lone Elementary
School, grades four-seven, was
first in the bands and musical
groups category with the Heppner
E lem entary School Band in
second place.
In the dance or drill
groups, the Round-Up City
Cloggers took first place and Cub
Scout Pack 661 was second.
All Star Realty with
Butch and Debbie Schultz were
first in the antique vehicle
category pre-1945. Jim and Rose
Donnelly were second.
In the antique vehicle
post-1945 category, Andy and
Donna Anderson took first, with
Jim Norene of Heppner taking
second.
The U m atilla Sage
Riders Court was first in the
parade/special event car entries,
with John Doherty and the Irish
Singers, who were also St.
Patrick's Celebration honorees,
taking second.
Hermiston Glass won in
the Irish float-com m ercial
category;
the
Heppner
Motorcycle Club was first in the
Irish bicycle category; the Desert
Shrine Club of Hermiston took
first in the custom vehicle
category; and Heppner Daycare
won first in the Irish group-non
profit.
lone Site Council hears update on construction project
The lone Site Council, at
its March 13 meeting learned that
the lone school bond project is
behind but the process is
continuing. lone Principal Mike
Stuart has the engineering specs
and other information in his office.
The contract has been let for the
new drain field. The tennis court
will be on the opposite end of the
school building from where it is
now. It was noted that a water
main will be directly underneath
where the tennis court will be. It
was not thought to be an issue.
There was discussion o f the
relocation of the slab of cement
for the shot put. It is estimated
to be around a year from ground
breaking time until completion
with the estimated completion date
in the summer of 2003.
Spring break is March
25-29 and the math contest is
planned for April 11.
Teacher
Darlene
M arquardt noted that Karen
Wolff from the Morrow County
Public Works Department came
to her and asked if her students
could help design a brochure for
Anson Wright and Cutsforth
Parks. Students from several of
her classes are working on it and
the finished brochures will be
submitted to the park department
on Monday, March 18, after
school. The parks department has
a meeting on March 19and will
select which brochure they like
the best and it will go to print as
the official Morrow County Parks
brochure. The winning brochure
maker will receive a reward that
will be presented when awards
night is held later in the spring.
There is the possibility o f
additional recognition. Wolff
indicated that some school-to-
work credit m ight also be
appropriate for the project.
Assistant superintendent
Mike Keown updated the group
on what is happening with the
Consolidated School District
Improvement Plan. The focus is
on reading, writing and math skills,
and school safety (drug and
alcohol
prevention)
and
technology. The goal is to prov ide
students with better educational
programs to help them meet the
state testing.
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lone Schools are about
80 percent complete with the
school-w ide plan. Goals are
specific to improve scores by
certain amounts. Stuart spoke
about the DIBBLES test. He says
he can now access the
DIBBLES site and it can be
effectively used to help students,
lone teacher Linda Neiffer is
attending a workshop on writing
for learning math. Marquardt
attended a Plato workshop. It w as
discussed that lone has an
advantage is the fact that the
school is smaller and teachers can
individualize learning plans for
each student based on his actual
needs as well as how they
fluctuate during the course of the
year.
Mike Keown also
compared the state tests with SAT
tests and explained the
differences (bell curve with all
taking test vs. measurement of
indiv idual growth). One powerful
thing that is now available is that
parents can see the growth of
their child even if the child is
below the standard.
There was discussion of
the district teaching positions that
might be eliminated. The district
has put that on hold until after
June when it is known what the
state legislature is going to do.
The goal is that if any positions
have to go, they will be gone by
attrition. Then transfers within
the district will fill vacant
positions.
continued page tw o