A new principal for Elementary school teacher to retire
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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
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