Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2002)
A new principal for Elementary school teacher to retire l-I o n n n o e c e h n n l c Bôââie .ïdfczoll U o f U i»d «3p î-ü r L ib rary Eumene, JR 9 74 Ji New principal Lester McCormick will begin his position this fall. VOL. 121 NO. 23 8 P age s Wednesday, June 5,2002 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Heppner man receives help from high school students Dave Fowler’s Construction Technology class built the wheelchair ramp as a class “real ty pe” project. Paul and Joyce Breeding have one less worry thanks to a little love and ingenuity from fellow Heppner citizens. Paul, who is experiencing health problems and is in a wheelchair, was in need of a ramp to get him from the ground to his back door. The couple went through all kinds of trials to find someone who would build him a ramp, only to be disappointed when their leads did not work out. Finally, Donna Schonbachler, a home health nurse, had an idea. Schonbachler contacted Dave Fowler at Heppner High School and his Construction Technology class soon went to work on a wheel chair ramp for Breeding. Each year, Fowler’s class tries to do a “real type" construction project. The students used a computer-aided drafting program to design the ramp and Pettyjohn's Builders Supply provided the materials at a reduced cost. “The ramp was built in modular sections at the High School. After site preparations, sections were transported and installed,” said Fowler. The adding of the railing finished the project. “It's awesom e!” said Paul. “Thank God for the school. I can’t thank them enough!” Joyce and Paul Breeding with Donna Schonbachler on Paul's ness ramp. ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. Lester McCormick of Silver Lake has been chosen by a screening committee as the new principal at Heppner Schools. With the retirement of Dick Allen, Heppner High School principal, and Heppner Elementary School principal Phyllis Danielson’s voluntary transfer to a north end teaching position; through board action the two principal positions were consolidated. The position was posted on March 13, applications were taken, applicants screened and candidates interviewed in early May. McCormick received his AA from the University of Alaska in 1980; a BA in History— Secondary Education from Boise State University in 1982; his masters degree in Educational Administration from the University of Idaho in 1999 and is currently finishing superintendent certification at Lewis and Clark. He began his educational career in 1983 as a substitute teacher. In 1984 he became an eighth grade Physical Science teacher in Weiser, ID. From 1986- 1995 he was a junior high teacher at Tonapah Middle School in Tonapah, NV. In 1995 he became a 7-12 social studies/science teacher at Salmon River in Riggins, ID until 1999, when he became the principal in the North Lake K-12 School in Silver Lake. McCormick is married with one grown son in the military and a daughter who will be entering the fifth grade this fall. His wife is finishing her masters in Special Education from Lewis and Clark. She currently is the district Special Education Director for North Lake Schools. He states, “We are excited about this opportunity to work and live in your community. It is where we would like to raise our family.” Fishing event planned at Willow Creek Reservoir Willow Creek Reservoir is the site of the Kid’s Fishing Derby on Sunday, June 9, from 1-5 p.m. Kids 12 years old and under are invited to participate. The event is free but registration is required and can be done at the derby. A casting contest will take place. All kids that participate will receive fishing-related material. Other prizes will be awarded as well. Volunteers will be available to assist. For more information call the Heppner Ranger District at 676-9187. Ms. Webber and former student Sarah (Bourrie) Coller with the teacher's beloved collection of books. Cherry Webber, a favorite teacher o f many Heppner students for over 20 years, will retire this week. Ms. Webber has been with Heppner schools for 22 years. Her biggest reason for leaving at this time is that she wants to be able to devote more time and attention to her mother who lives in Pasco. “I’ll probably divide my time between here and Pasco,” she said when discussing her future plans. She also has plans to travel with her husband and maybe even come back to do some “little fun classes such as poetry. I know I’m gonna suffer withdrawals,” she said. Ms. Webber, who grew up in Benton City, didn’t go to kindergarten. It wasn’t until the middle 1980’s that kindergarten became a requirement for Oregon education. Ms. Webber was raised in the Tri-City area where her parents were born and raised also. Her father was bom in the town of Hanford in 1909 and her mother was bom in Kennewick. “They lived in Hanford until they were forced to moved out in the early 1940’s when they came to build the bomb,” said Webber. Ms. Webber graduated from WSU in 1967. Her first teaching job was first grade at Port Hueneme, CA. “It just kind of fell in my lap,” she said. Her first husband was in the Navy and was stationed there. She had signed up to substitute, taught one day and was offered the job. The lady who had been teaching the class had to leave so she took over. She taught there two years before moving back to Pullman to teach first grade for two years. During a nine-year break, she met and married her husband Tim Gray. Their daughter Laurel was bom in 1975. Laurel has become a teacher as well and is currently teaching art in Burbank. WA. She has also taught fourth grade. Ms. Webber wiU miss the joy of seeing her students learn to read. “The thing I’m most proud of is my collection of books. Teaching reading is my love. Watching that process happen is the thrill of teaching, I think. Getting the right book for a kid at the right time is the key element,” she said. Her most memorable moment during her career with Heppner Elementary was, “something I will remember the rest of my life”. At the music program last month, the Parent/ Teacher Club gave her a plaque. “It wasn't so much the plaque, but the moment. They made me feel very special.” “They were expressing appreciation to me... I would like to express appreciation to the parents of the kids I’ve taught. It has made our job easier having kids who are well cared for at home.” Power outages are from Bonneville The power outages last Wednesday and Sunday were the result of complications at the Bonneville Power Administration Substation in Boardman. said a spokesman at the Columbia Basin Electric Co-op. “(The Wednesday outage) affected two-thirds o f their service territory and a large portion of Umatilla Electric,” he said. lone library features reading program The lone Public Library will sponsor a reading program for children of all ages this summer. The theme is “Don’t Bug Me, I'm Reading.” The program will start June 12 and will be held each Wednesday at 3 p.m. for six weeks, until July 17. There will be games and activities each After Laurel was bom, the family moved to Issaquah, WA. Webber started taking her daughter to baby and toddler classes, which led to her teaching the classes. They then moved to Pasco and got involved in parent education classes through CBC. While the children were involved in their own activities, Ms. Webber would take the parents aside and talk about parenting issues. In 1980, she applied for the job in Heppner. “With Laurel entering kindergarten, I felt like I wanted to go back to teaching,” she said She taught kindergarten in Heppner for 13 years, and then went on to teach first grade. The cause o f the Wednesday outage seemed to be “a protective relay operation in the BPA substation, which tripped both BPA circuit breakers that feed the Umatilla Electric transmission system in the Boardman and Irrigon service area,” said Kathy Moore of the Umatilla Electric Co-op. The cause of the Sunday outage is still unclear. School is out! week. Parents of pre-school children are encouraged to come and participate with their child. Summer is officially here. Special Read-to-Me certificates At least, it is for the young people will be presented to each parent of our community. The last day and child completing the program of school for all Heppner and lone together. schools is Thursday, June 6. For more information, contact librarian Kristy Crowell at 422- 7564. RIDERS: Cub Cadet, White and MTD WALK-BEHINDS: Troy-Bilt and MTD Get Your L a w n m o w r A t.,. Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 fquipnwm. mn OIK < et UR « anm mc|| iw t
