Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2008)
lone School Board grants parents’ request to allow mentally ill student to walk in graduation ceremony II i I i i I i i i I i | i ,|||i i i i i ||i|i i i || Bessie Wet/ell Newspaper Library University of Oregon Eugene. OR 97403 Following an impas sioned plea by a parent at the lone School Board’s open meeting Monday night, the board agreed to let his child, a mentally ill senior at lone High School, walk in the lone graduation ceremony May 30. John VandenBrink, lone, read an emotional letter to the board asking that his child, Julianna Van denBrink, 19, be allowed to Page 3 VOL. 128 NO. 21 16 Pages Wednesday, May 21,2008 Hunter Education classes to be held in Heppner Hunter Education classes will be held June 10, 12, 17 and 19 at Hep pner High School. Classes will begin at 6 p.m. and run until 9 pm. A required field day will be held on June 14 from 8 a.m. until noon at the Lexington Gun Club. In structors will be Jim and Darlene Marquardt. Anyone under the age of 18 who wishes to hunt must possess a valid Oregon Hunter Education Certificate. Also, adults wishing to hunt out of state need to take the course. The cost for the course is $ 10, to cover cost of materials. Contact Jim Mar quardt at 541-969-4845 to sign up. Information can also be found at the ODFW Hunter Education website, http ://www. dfw. state. or. us/ outdoorskills/hunter/index. asp or by contacting the regional coordinator, Greg Barron at 541-922-4657 (re class #5237). Senior Center Menu Hope/Valhy Church members will be serving lunch on Wednesday, May 28. The menu will include spaghetti with meat sauce, green salad and tomatoes, fruit juice, garlic bread, and tiramisu. Summer is on its way Temperatures have begun to climb over the past few days in Heppner. The Bank of Eastern Oregon registered 92 degrees on Monday afternoon. Photo by Autumn Morgan Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Les Schwab welcomes new manager By Autumn Morgan Les Schwab recently hired John Gould as manager of the Hepp ner branch. Gould has worked fo r L es Schwab for 17 years. Before be- John Gould ing hired as the manager in Heppner, he was the as sistant manager in Inde pendence for the past eight years. Born and raised in Silverton, Gould has always lived in Oregon. Gould and his wife, Ashli, have four children ages 14, 13, 11 and 9. His children are currently finishing out their school year in Monmouth before moving to Heppner. Gould’s wife is a homemaker and has worked as a secretary for their church in Silverton for the past couple of years. “I love Heppner,” said Gould. “The people here are nice. It’s a nice community.” participate in the graduation ceremony and attend theju- nior/senior banquet planned for Tuesday night. May 20. Nurse Beth Heagy, lone, and other members of the com munity also beseeched the board to be compassionate and allow his request. Julianna had re cently been diagnosed with schizophrenia following an incident at school. Re portedly the victim of teas ing, Julianna had suffered a “psychotic break,” ac cording to her parents and Heagy, and brought a knife to the school grounds. Law enforcement officials were called in and Julianna was subsequently treated at sev eral mental health facili ties. “Thank God for Bryn Browning who intervened and called the police and for Dave Heagy (Beth Heagy’s husband),” said John Van denBrink. Julianna was never expelled from school as per the school’s “zero tolerance” policy because she had been diagnosed with a mental disability. In the process of de liberating the issue, board Chair Joel Peterson chided the audience, saying, “I’m upset that you don't under stand that there is another issue here.” Peterson said he was concerned about is sue of threatening behavior and the safety of the other students. The board, how ever, unanimously agreed to allow Julianna to attend the banquet and the graduation ceremony with certain stipu lations. The board stipulated that allowing Julianna to attend the ceremony was contingent on her successful attendance without incident at the May 20 banquet. They also said that she must be accompanied to the banquet by her parents; that she must complete her school work to satisfy graduation requirements by Tuesday, May 27; and that her parents escort her to the graduation ceremony. John VandenBrink and his wife, Janna, reported that Julianna is now home and on medication and is do ing much better. They said they believed that partici pating in the senior events Harrison to retire from BEO A retirement recep- tio n fo r Sharon H a rriso n will be held in the lobby of the Hep pner branch AYSO soccer of the Bank of Eastern Sharon Harrison sign-ups to be Oregon on Friday, May 30, from 1-3 p.m. The commu held nity is welcome to attend. AYSO soccer sign ups will be held June 12-13 from 5-6 p.m. at the Neigh Cox family borhood Center. This pro gram is for 4 Vt -9 year olds. dinner May 26 A free dinner open A birth certificate is required to the public and sponsored for all new participants. by the Bill and Winifred Cox Space is limited. The cost is S40 per family will be held Monday, player. There will be a $10 May 26 at 12 noon at the late fee for those who sign St. Patrick's Sr. Center in Heppner. up after these dates. The dinner is open to For more informa tion call Jessica Lehman at everyone and donations w ill be accepted. 989-8571. -heard from Kathy would be very beneficial Marick, who is hosting ex to their daughter’s mental change students attending well-being. lone and Heppner schools. Also at the meeting, the board accepted Super She expressed her thanks intendent Bryn Browning’s to the lone School District resignation “with regret.” for allowing the exchange Browning has accepted a student to attend school position as assistant superin there. She also noted that tendent with the Hermiston exchange students bring money to the schools. School District. -adopted the 2008-09 In other business, board meeting schedule w ith the board: -briefly discussed the work sessions at 5:30 p.m. upcoming bond issue which and meetings at 7 p.m. as fol is scheduled to come before lows: August 18, September the voters this November. 15, October 20, November If passed, the bond issue 17, December 15, January will fund improvements, 20, February 17, March 16, renovations and additions April 20, May 18 and June to the school facilities and 8. All are scheduled for the will free up monies for ad third Monday of the month ditional teachers that would with the following excep have had to been spent on tions: January and February repairs, according to board meetings are on the third members. Complete details Tuesdays due to holiday on the bond issue are not yet conflicts; June is scheduled for the second Monday due available. -approved a contract to a conflict. -heard Browning’s with Northwest Leadership report as follows: Associates for superinten -enrollment as of dent search services for $6,500 for an overall search May 12 was 157 students-64 to include securing both an kindergarten through fifth interim superintendent and grade, 38 grades six through conducting a search for a eight and 55 nine through permanent superintendent; 12 . -the Morrow County or for $5,000 for a search for Unified Recreation District a permanent superintendent has increased fees paid to only. According to the con ISD for the lease of facilities tract, “If at the conclusion of the current search, the by $7,500 for a total lease district should decide to hire agreement of $101,500 for an interim superintendent, the 2008-09 school year. the district will be required Leased facilities include to pay only a portion of the playing fields, multipurpose overall fee. The balance of room, gyms, computer lab, the fee would be due and weight room and other areas payable only after a per used by the community. -the elem en tary manent successor has been teaching position and mul employed.” Form er U m atil- tiple coaching positions w ill la-Morrow ESD director close June 1. -the school’s irri George M urdock, who gation was turned on and served as ISD interim ad ministrator and is the father is running without issue of current ISD Superinten following several repairs. dent Browning, is one of Curtis Thompson will take the partners in Northwest over management of the ir Leadership Associates. He rigation following training. -the main drain to is now employed as edi the pool has been fixed and tor of the East Oregonian the last few inches of water newspaper. have been drained. It is not -learned that the dis yet certain whether the drain trict received Basic School Support totaling $121,989; will leak once the pool is collected $ 1,172 in property filled to capacity. -K-12 teachers and taxes; and received $31,333 the adm inistrator had a from the Morrow County Unified Recreation Dis presenter on the new anti trict for the extracurricular bullying laws. Browning recommends a follow-up fund. -learned that the cor session in the fall for the rected 2009 budget will be new administrator and staff distributed at the budget so they can begin the new committee meeting with school year with a plan. -the school is con adjustments limited to a pro sidering adopting a writing posed high school instructor and increased transportation curriculum for grades K- eight. costs. -the district placed -approved the first an order for document cam reading of the ISD Electron eras to finalize the technolo ic Communications System student network user code gy project through ESD. The of conduct. The code of con first phase was to put data duct requires that students projectors in each classroom adhere to 10 rules or their w ith the second phase being internet and network privi to put document cameras leges will be revoked and with each projector. The possible disciplinary action cameras cost $541.85 each, may be taken. A parent’s which is a subsidized rate signature is required before of approximately 70 percent the student is granted access of the actual cost. The cam to the district's internet and eras will be included in the 2008-09 budget. network. , -weather at Tupper -approved the sec Outdoor School this year ond reading and adopted policies concerned with was sunny and dry. The next meeting homeless students and an will be on Monday, June amendment to directory 9, at 7 p.m., with a budget information. hearing at 6 p.m. I
