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