Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2013)
SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 23,2013 lone elementary awards December attendance The following students received awards for having perfect attendance for the month of Decem ber: Liam Heideman, Ariona Loonery, Martin Mendoza, Mason Orem, Jerson Peralta, Corey Rice, Katie Spivey, Destiny Yates, Karensa Jones, Ethan Ramos-Lopez, Luis Ramos-Lopez, Lewkus Burright, Carson Eynetich, Madison Orem, Isabella Pringle, Kalvin Rietmann, Bryce Rollins, Charles Smith, Daralynn Teeman, Callie Yates, Morgan Aildritt, Emily Ehrmantraut, Faviola Juarez Alvarez, Cecilia McElligott, Colt Parker, Havlie Peterson, Taylor Rollins, Tom Rudolf, Julianna Teeman, Anthony Villegas, Gary Walls, Larysa Burright, Cameron Crum, Mackenzie Gurinko, Tiffany Hollis, Jessica Medina, MaLinda Morter, Jordan Rollis, Wyatt Aleksa, Jake Heideman, Mackenzie Heideman, Annabelle McDaniel, Matt Orem, Jill Rudolf, Logan Burright, Gracie Crum, Lexie Garrett, Payton Miller, Renee Peterson, Aaron Smythe, Sydney Stefani, Susanna Teeman. -Contributedphoto KENYA TRIP -Continuedfrom PAGE ONE own. “It would be pretty overwhelming if you didn’t know someone. They don’t have things set up there like they do here.” Nelson says the group spent the first half of their time in Kisumu, a port city on Lake Victoria in west ern Kenya. They stayed in the city and worked in rural areas outside Kisumu. They then moved on to the area around Kitale, an agricultural town also in western Kenya, where they stayed in Mount Elgon and again worked with teachers in rural areas outside the towns. Nelson said her role during the trip was to sup port her professors. She helped prepare presenta tions, including leadership workshops that focused on integrity. “The culture there has a lot of corruption,” she adds. She also says that, for many of the teachers, it was the first time they’d ever had any kind o f professional development. She also observed in classrooms and visited with teachers and adm inistra tors. Their groups went on a lot of school visits, says Nelson. “I really wanted to get to know the teachers,” she says. Communication wasn’t a problem. Nelson says Eng lish is the official language of Kenya and, beginning around the fourth grade, teachers are technically required to use English in the classroom. While that doesn’t always happen, she says all of the adults they encountered, especially the professionals, spoke English. Nelson says she didn't have any experiences that she would consider strange or unusual, but there were certain ly m om ents— or h o u rs— o f d isc o m fo rt, including long car rides over bumpy roads and long Quaker church services. “The Quaker services in Kenya are extremely long...We were in a build ing with a tin roof and it was about 90 degrees outside,” says Nelson, adding that they would sit through a long service, followed by a church meeting, followed by another service, often a total of around six hours. “(We would) sit there on hard wooden pews...I got to feel what the Puritans felt. I’ll never complain about a one-hour church service again,” she quips. Despite the discomfort of the long services, she says the most difficult part was the longer car rides. Traveling to remote areas, the only means of transport was usually by four-wheel- drive, over rough—or even nonexistent—roads. “ We might spend up to eight hours in a car over very bad roads, squished in with six people,” she says. And, o f course, no rest stops...just hours of waiting for the prospect of an outhouse at their desti nation. Nelson says she was surprised by the number of new vehicles she saw. “The roads beat up cars,” she says. “Anyone who can afford a car, they get a newer one.” While the experience sounds tortuous, it was made worth it by the chance to meet the teachers and students at the schools they visited, Nelson says. “(The best part was) working with teachers, get ting to see how they run their classrooms, getting to share teaching strategies, realizing that, no matter where in the world you are, a teacher is a teacher,” says Nelson. “You have the same problems, the same goals for your students. You can relate to them based just on your profession.” N elson says school conditions are challenging, to say the least. In order to meet rigorous national testing standards, classes are held from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and go six days a week in some schools. While conditions vary, they visited many schools that had mud walls, with painted sections of the wall serving as chalkboards. Students often have to walk great distances, she says, men tioning one place where the girls asked permission to build a dormitory so they wouldn’t have to walk to and from home every day, and would therefore have time for their homework. Despite all that, though, she says the students are motivated to learn. “They know it’s their only hope to get out of a life of poverty,” she says. The experience made such an impact on Nelson, she was inspired to come home and begin working on a program, Teachers to Teachers, to connect teachers in Oregon with teachers in Kenya. She says she doesn’t envision it as an aid program, but as a peer-to-peer relationship that will allow teaching professionals to share ideas. She also says she would en courage everyone to expose themselves to eye-opening experiences overseas. “I ’d encourage other people to travel overseas,” Nelson says. “It opens up your eyes every time to how fortunate we are. It gives you a sense of cultural humility that we don’t nec essarily know the best way to do everything. It opens you up to new people and experiences.” NRCS announces local work group meeting The USDA Natural Re sources Conservation Ser vice (NRCS) will be host ing a meeting at the USDA Service Center on Jan. 30 at 1 p.m. to gather input regarding natural resource opportunities and priorities across Morrow County. “Our goal is to bring together individuals with a variety of expertise and knowledge allowing NRCS and others to build on our collective successes while focusing our efforts to make the greatest impact with our available staff and funding,” stated an NRCS release. The NRCS is looking for help to: -Identify where the best investments can be made to address natural resource problems -Share the work that has already been done in the county -Share residents’ vi sion for what the county will look like when these natural resource concerns have been solved NRCS w ill be co n sidering the information provided to include in the future conservation imple mentation strategies for the county. This will help guide conservation efforts and funding over the next five to 10 years. The organiza tion says community input in this process is valuable, as they will be using the information to focus work in the future. Anyone unable to at tend this meeting, but who would like additional in formation or would like to provide input, contact the NRCS at 541-676-5021, ext. 113 or email kacee. lathrop@or.usda.gov. The meeting is open to the pub lic. Kinzua lunch group The Kinzua lunch group’s December lunch was at Service Creek. Those attending were Bonnie Campbell, OL and Jean Ann Adams, Ernie Schell, and Bob and Mary Lee Britt. The January lunch in Prineville has been cancelled. The next lunch will be Feb. 15 at 11:30 at RJ’s in Fossil. i A View from the Hill By Doris Brosnan “And what to their won dering eyes did appear?” At Willow Creek Ter race on Christmas morn ing, the answer seemed to be “Something left in the wake of a ‘miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.’” In fact, in each stocking hung with care at each apart ment, a gift greeted each resident, and each resident must have been especially good in 2012, since under the Christmas tree, another gift from “Santa” awaited each one of them. Residents viewed the kindnesses of their Santas as a wonderful gift with which to end the old year, a reminder that thoughtful ness abounds. No one saw in the new year, possibly finding a good night’s sleep more rewarding. But the first day of 2013 was a celebration, beginning with a festive breakfast that included spar kling cider. Later, everyone was treated to the delicacy of crab, compliments of the local Odd Fellows lodge and of Colin and Erin An derson, who have remem bered the Terrace residents in this way for several first days of new years. Joining the Community on the Hill as 2013 began is Bud Wilson. Bud is a returnee to the area, moving into an apartment on Janu ary 6. His residency means that one apartment remains available, and readers are reminded to call 541-676- 0004 for information. The year also begins with some staff changes at the Terrace, as some familiar faces have moved on to educational pursuits and four new em ployees have joined the community. Cyndi Johnson returned a few months ago and brings years of experi ence to her new position as cook. Melissa Wolford is fairly new to the area; Stacey Sappington comes to the Terrace from Con don; and Janet Thompson now commutes from lone. Residents and new staff members are building new relationships, just as new neighbors are doing. Neighbors are sharing time and conversation when they gather in the dining room but, also, when they meet for daily exercises, the Saturday matinee movie, the library book exchange, the games on Mondays and Fridays, the reading of the Gazette-Times. Oftentimes, the “special observances” provide stimulus for remi niscing or lively conversa tions or just some enjoyable silliness that puts smiles on faces. Yet to come in January are National Book Week (this week). Hand writing Day (23rd), Clothes- Clashing Day (24,h) and Backwards Day (25th). The NFL Pro Bowl will be of interest to some residents and guests, on the same day as the luau, which might sound especially good to readers (always call 541 - 676-0004 in advance to reserve a spot at a table), and the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 will demand a party of some sort. Included in the partying that Alvina Padberg did on her birthday on the 15th was her birthday lunch of ribs and side dishes provided to the entire community by her family. “Yum! Everyone over ate because it was so deli cious!” reports Manager George Naims. Residents and staff en joyed sharing Alvina’s spe cial day and, next month, they will have birthdays to look forward to for Liz Buehler, Bud Wilson and Anna Mae Steagall. The Terrace Communi ty is practicing caution dur ing the current flu and cold season. After having closed to visitors for a short time, the Terrace now requests visitors to wash hands upon entering the facility, and would-be visitors who have not felt well or have family members who have been ill within the previous three days to, please, wait to visit at a later date. One good thing about fewer guests: limiting ex posure to cold and flu germs has also limited exposure to doors opening and letting in the cold. The Terrace is staying warm and toasty during what seems to be an especially long super-chilly spell in the weather. The residents view such com fort with pleasure, while viewing from inside the beauty of the crystallized outdoors. DA’s Report Morrow County Dis trict Attorney Justin Nelson has released the following report: -Jared Jack Salisbury, 26, was convicted of posses sion of methamphetamine, a Class C felony reduced to a Class A misdemeanor; sen tence of 180 days jail time was partly suspended and the defendant sentenced to 24 months bench probation with 10 days jail time with credit for time served. Total fines, fees and assessments were $1,270. -Jared Jack Salisbury, 26, was convicted of theft in the first degree, a Class C felony, and sentenced to 24 months supervised proba tion, to include 10 days jail time with credit for time served. The defendant was further convicted of theft in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor; imposition of sentence was suspended and the defendant given 24 months bench probation, to include 20 hours of com munity service. Total fines, fees, assessments and resti tution were $ 1,449.96. -A n th o n y M ich ael Shrout, 31, was convicted o f assault in the fourth degree-constituting do mestic violence, a Class A misdemeanor. Sentence of 180 days jail time was sus pended and the defendant sentenced to 36 months bench probation, to include 60 hours of community ser vice, no offensive physical contact with the victim and anger management evalua tion. Fines, fees and assess ments totaled $60. -Tyler Joe Stone, 25, was convicted o f Stran gulation - C onstituting Domestic Violence, a Class C felony, and sentenced to 36 months bench probation subject to 180 sanction units with 90 jail units. Oth er conditions of probation included no contact with the victim, five custody units used for 80 hours commu nity service, enrollment in and completion of an anger management program, and 12 days jail time with credit for time served. Total fines, fees and restitution were $530. Eastern Oregon youth writing contest calls for entries Young writers of the re gion are invited enter works of poetry, short fiction or creative non-fiction in the 2013 Eastern Oregon Youth Writing Contest. W ithin each genre, a $10 cash-prize winner and an honorable m en tion will be selected from elementary (third through fifth grade), middle (sixth through eighth grade) and high school (ninth through 12th grade) entries. All prizes include com plimentary registration at the Students Writers’ Work shop on Saturday, March 9, at Eastern Oregon Univer sity. Prizewinners are en couraged to attend and read from their entries to kick off an open mic session. Youth residing in the following counties are eligi ble to enter: Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler. No previously published work will be accepted, nor works in translation. Serving as the finalist judge for the contest this year is George Venn, poet, writer, literary historian, editor, linguist and profes sor emeritus at EOU. The Eastern Oregon Youth Writing Contest was initiated in 2011 through a partnership with Fishtrap, the Oregon Writing Project, ArtsEast and the Oregon Community Foundation. Contestants should send within one envelope a page containing their name, ad dress, phone, e-mail, grade level, school, teacher, title and genre of each work— short fiction, creative non fiction or poetry. Writers should also in clude six copies of up to three works, without name, typed in 12-point font on one side the page. Title and genre should be included on each copy. Students or teachers and schools should keep copies o f students’ work, as manuscripts will not be returned. Submission indi cates permission to publish in venues selected by the Oregon Writing Project. All rights, otherwise, revert to the writer. S u b m is s io n s m u st be postm arked by Feb. 1, and directed to: Nancy Knowles, Director, Oregon Writing Project at EOU, C ollege o f A rts & S ci ences, LH 154, Eastern Oregon University, 1 Uni versity Blvd., La Grande, OR 97850. For questions, contact Knowles at 541 - 962-3795 or nknowles@ eou.edu. ODFW announces 2012 wolf count The Oregon D epart ment of fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has announced that O regon’s minimum wolf count for 2012 is 53 wolves, including seven packs and at least five breed ing pairs, as of Jan. 16. The ODFW defines a pack as four wolves that travel together in winter. A breeding pair is two adult w olves that produce at least two pups that survive through D»ec. 31 of the year of their birth. The Oregon wolf popu lation is determined each w inter and is based on wolves that staff has veri fied through direct evidence such as sightings, tracks or rem ote cam era foot age. The actual number of wolves in Oregon is likely greater than this minimum estimate, and the 2012 esti mate may change as ODFW gains additional informa tion over the winter.
