Morrow County’s biggest
winners
announced
More than a ton o f weight lost county-wide
97403
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University of Oregon
Eugene. OR 97403
The Biggest Win
ner competition is over, and
Morrow- County has won
by a ton.
For the past 12
HEPPNER
unes
VOL. 131
N O. 14
8 Pages
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Irrigon principal to retire
By Andrea Di Salvo
M orrow County
will say farewell to long
time principal John Sebas
tian at the end of this school
year. The 63-year-old will
retire at the end of June af
ter 18 years as principal of
A.C. Houghton Elementary
School in Irrigon.
S e b a s ti a n h a s
worked in education for
41 years. Born and raised
in Yakima, WA, he gradu
ated from Eisenhower High
School in Yakima. He then
earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in political science,
as well as a teaching cer
tificate, from the University
of Washington in 1971. He
graduated from Central
Washington University in
Ellensburg in 1973 with a
master’s degree in school
administration.
He took his first
teaching position in Ya
kima in the fall of 1971. He
taught for four years before
moving to an administrative
position; he has worked in
school administration ever
since.
Sebastian moved to
Jefferson County, OR after
Yakima. Though he moved
back and forth between
Oregon and Washington
th ro u g h o u t his career,
working in various admin
istrative positions, he says
he spent about two-thirds of
his career in Oregon.
“I found the great
est success in the good old
state o f O regon, which
seemed to have the greatest
orientation toward school
improvement, which I’m
all about,” said Sebastian.
“The climate for school im
provement. and understand
ing the moves and direc-
tions necessary to making can substitute teach around
that kind of improvement, their retirement home in
seemed always to work best Sequim, WA. Sebastian
says the m oney
in Oregon. When 1
figured that out...
will go to put gas
well. I’ve been in
in the motor home
my present position
and cabin cruiser,
and to visit the cou
in this state for 18
ple’s three grown
years.”
daughters who live
Aside from
his work at A.C. John
elsewhere. He also
plans to continue
Houghton, Sebas Sebastian
his pattern of civic
tian has been ex
involvement by do
tensively involved
in civic and cultural activi ing professional grant writ
ties in Irrigon. He ran the ing and getting involved
Morrow County Ski Club in service clubs such as
for 18 years, creating op Kiwanis and Rotary.
portunities for kids and
Though Sebastian
families to learn how to ski. has big plans for retirement
He originated the Columbia beyond Morrow County,
River Duck Race, raised he says he will miss the
funds for the creation of area and the people with
the greenway through Irri whom he had the privilege
gon, and was continuously to work.
part of the city watermelon
“I had the oppor
tunity to hire 95 percent
festival.
“ I t ’s been fun. o f the people currently
When you get involved, working in this school,” he
there’s a lot of opportunity said. “They’ve turned out
to make improvements,” he to be a fantastic group. The
said, adding that he saw it school has been tremen
as part and parcel of being dously successful. It has an
a member of the overall exceptional school report
community. “I saw myself card. One guy can’t do that;
as having a responsibility it takes a powerful group of
people.”
beyond the schools.”
Sebastian said he
Sebastian added
and his wife. Rose, also love that within the last couple
outdoor activities. Their fa of weeks, A.C. Houghton
vorites include motor-home was nominated as an Or
camping and boating in egon Blue Ribbon school,
their cabin cruiser. Those a nomination given to only
are both a part of their plans 18 schools out of 700.
“Not only has this
for retirement. Rose, a Title
I teacher in Boardman, will been a great time in the
also retire this year after 17 community, but it has been
a great education experi
years with the district.
They don’t intend ence,” said Sebastian. “This
to spend all their time laz is the best place I’ve ever
ing around, though. The had an opportunity to work
couple plans on maintain and the best staff along with
ing their teaching certifi it. I’m proud of our group
cates in Washington so they here.”
Heppner, lone plan Easter
egg hunts
The cities of Hepp
ner and lone will both offer
Easter egg hunts for area
children this Saturday.
The Heppner Elks
will host Heppner's annual
Easter egg hunt on Satur
day. April 7, at 10 a.m.
Preschoolers and
kindergarteners will hunt at
HeppnerCity Park. First and
second graders will hunt at
the Lower Field by Heppner
Elementary School; third
and fourth grade will be at
Hager Park.
The Easter Bunny
will be at the city park for
pictures at 9:45 a.m.; adults
are encouraged to bring
cameras.
lone’s annual Eas
ter egg hunt will be held
Saturday, April 7, at 10
a.m. in the lone City Park.
Children up to the fourth
grade are invited.
The event is spon
sored by the Bank of East
ern Oregon, The Office Pub
& Grill, Wheatland Insur
ance, Dobyns Pest Control,
lone Market & Deli and
many community members
who have made donations
to keep this annual event
going. Anyone wishing to
make donations may drop
them off at the Bank of
Eastern Oregon in lone.
-See pages FOUR and FIVE fo r Easter messages; Easter schedules PAGE THREE.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
weeks. Morrow County
residents had an oppor
tunity to participate in a
weight-loss com petition
and healthy lifestyle pro
gram. As of April 2, partici
pants in Boardman. Hep
pner, Irrigon and lone lost
over one ton (2,000 pounds)
o f body weight.
At final w eigh-
ins in Heppner, lone and
Boardman Monday night,
participants took one final
turn on the scale to de
termine who had lost the
greatest percentage of body
weight in their individual
communities. First-place
w inners received $500,
second place was awarded
$300 and third place took
home $100. Cash prizes
throughout the county to
taled $2,700.
Heppner winners
were Dennis Lien, winner
o f first place with 19.6
percent body weight lost;
Sarah Good, second place
with 15.4 percent; and Vir
ginia Voigt, third place with
14.5 percent. Though they
were the only ones who
took home cash prizes, they
weren’t they only Hepp
ner winners... 16 people in
the Heppner competition
lost more than 10 percent
of their body weight, and
Heppner lost a total of 840
pounds during the 12-week
competition.
W inners in lone
were Scott Carter, first place
with 18 percent o f body
weight; Stacy Shelton, sec
ond place with 16 percent;
and Sharon Camarillo, third
place with 14 percent.
Boardman winners
were Bill Hancock, with
first place for 17.23 percent
o f body weight; Barbara
Hemnes, second place for
14.25 percent weight loss;
and Lisa Pringle with third
place and 8.64 percent.
Bill Hancock o f
Boardman donated his first-
prize winnings of $500 to
the Riverside High School
wrestling team to assist
with the cost of attending
summer camp.
“ Supporting the
wrestling team is important
to me,” Hancock said.
The results from
the Irrigon final weigh-in
and announcement of first-,
second- and third-place
winners will be available
next week, as the program
concluded in Irrigon on
April 3 and results were not
available at press time.
The Morrow Coun-
Top: Heppner winners (L-R) Sarah Uood, Dennis Lien and
Virginia Voigt. Middle: lone winners (L-K) Stacy Shelton, Scott
Carter and Sharon Camarillo. Bottom: Boardman first-place
winner Bill Hancock presents his pri/.e money to the Riverside
wrestling team. Not pictured are Boardman winners Barbara
Hemnes and I isa Pringle. -Contributedphotos
ty Community Health Im
provem ent P artn ersh ip
(MCCHIP), a partnership
of community members and
human service organiza
tions, initiated the Biggest
Winner program to increase
awareness and educate the
com m unity about local
health issues. A significant
portion of the county popu
lation is affected by or at
risk for developing chronic
disease, which was deter
mined by examining data
and information collected
in the county-wide health
needs assessment. Because
health behaviors that con
tribute to the development
of many chronic diseases
include obesity, inactivity
and tobacco use. the intent
of the program was to en
courage healthy lifestyle
changes in those areas.
“Our whole family
made changes to our life,
cooking, eating and exercis
ing, said one participant.
"I thought it was
a great program,” added
another. "I came away with
lots of good hints and ideas
and a better feeling about
myself.”
The program was
made possible by commu
nity members and business
es throughout the county,
including contributions
made to the program, local
restaurants that supported
healthier eating choices,
individuals who promoted
physical activities, instruc
tors who provided fitness
classes, and the Morrow
County Health District and
Columbia River Commu
nity Health Services for do
nating lab services. Anyone
who wants to improve their
own health or is interested
in the w ellness o f M or
row County can visit the
website, http://ohsu.edu/
MCCHIP.
NOAA issues monthly climate
summary for Heppner
According to pre
liminary data from NOAA’s
National Weather Service in
Pendleton, temperatures in
Heppner averaged slightly
colder than normal during
the month of March.
The average tem
perature was 43.5 degrees,
which was 0.7 degrees be
low normal. High tempera
tures averaged 54.1 degrees,
which was 0.8 degrees be
low normal. The highest
was 69 degrees on the 9,h.
Low temperatures averaged
32.9 degrees, which was 0.6
degrees below normal. The
lowest was 22 degrees, on
the 7th.
There were 10 days
with the low temperature
below 32 degrees.
Precipitation to
taled 1.75 inches during
March, which was 0.23
inches above normal. Mea
surable precipitation of at
least .01 inch was received
on 12 days with the heavi
est, 0.40 inches, reported on
the 22nd.
Precipitation this
year has reached 3.73 inch
es, which is 0.38 inches be
low normal. Since October,
the water year precipitation
at Heppner has been 5.53
inches, which is 2.64 inches
below normal.
Snowfall totaled
2.5 inches with at least
one inch of snow reported
on two days. The heaviest
snowfall was 1.5 inches
reported on the 22nd. The
greatest depth of snow on
the ground was one inch on
the first.
The outlook for
April from NOAA’s Cli
mate Prediction C enter
calls for below norm al
tem peratures and above
normal precipitation. Nor
mal highs for Heppner rise
from 59 degrees at the start
of April to 64 degrees at
the end of April. Normal
lows rise from 36 degrees
to 40 degrees. The 30-year
normal precipitation is 1.51
inches.
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