SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon
Wednesday, August 21,2013
IRRIGON ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
-Continuedfrom PAGE ONE
three children will all be
attending school in the area
as well—one fifth-grader at
Irrigon Elementary School,
as well as a second-grader
and third-grader at AC
H oughton E lem en tary
School in Irrigon. The
family is currently in the
process of finding a home
in Irrigon.
Even though Joyce
has remained in Eastern
Oregon, she says it feels
good to be back in her home
county.
“It’s been wonderful;
I’ve reconnected with a
lot of people that I knew
from when I was a child,”
she says. “I’ve been able to
work with a very supportive
district. The principal I
work under, Craig Bensen,
has been an amazing and
supportive principal. The
staff at the school has been
wonderful. They’ve been
very warm and welcoming.”
“ We’ve got a lot o f
good things going on,” adds
Joyce. “It’s nice to come
back home and work with
a supportive staff and a
school that is showing some
successes.”
F a
i r )
Jo y ce say s she is
looking forw ard to the
school year, but says she
wants to make sure she
stays focused on open
communication, which she
expects to be her biggest
challenge.
“(The challenge will be)
Gaining an understanding
o f th e p a tro n s o f the
sch o o l— w hich may be
the community, students,
p a re n ts — m ak in g sure
I’m being proactive and
k eep in g open lines o f
communication,” she says.
“Sometimes we get bogged
down in the negatives, like
truancy and discipline,
so trying to focus on the
positive, as well.”
J o y c e m u s t lik e
a c h a lle n g e , th o u g h ,
because she also says
com m unication is what
she is excited about as the
school year begins.
“I look forward to the
school year, working with
the staff and students, in the
community itself. Building
a p o sitiv e relatio n sh ip
between the community and
the school, and increasing
that relationship so students
are successful not only in
AUGUST 23 th thru SEPTEMBER
FREE PARKING!
SEE YOU THERE
II i t
t
U
S
school but out of school, as
well,” says Joyce.
“I really want to see
some open communication.
We w ork so closely as
a district, and I want to
continue to highlight things
that are happening in the
district,” she adds. “1 think
it’s good to promote and
see the good things that are
happening in our schools.”
One of the good things
she listed was GEAR UP
(Gaining Early Awareness
and R e a d in e s s fo r
Undergraduate Programs)
grants. She says Irrigon
Jr/Sr High currently has
two GEAR UP grants, one
from Oregon GEAR UP and
one from Washington State
University. These grants are
intended to help to promote
college readiness for the
students at Irrigon Jr/Sr
High.
A n o th er th in g th at
has Joyce excited is the
college credit opportunities
at the high school. She
says Irrigon Jr/Sr High is
offering seven classes this
school year through the
Eastern Promise Program,
in which students enrolled
in those courses can receive
S C H W
A B II
I I S SCHWAB TIRES FAMILYVIUi STAGE
August 23 thru September 2
U S SCHWAB
TIRES KIDS DAY
Monday
A ugust 26 Onlyl
On LES SCHWAB KIDS DAY - Monday, Aug 26 - from 11am to
5pm, ALL CARNIVAL RIDES and G AM ES 1/2 PRICE and ALL KIDS
12 AND UNDER FREE FAIR A D M ISSIO N with a coupon picked up
at any Oregon or SW Washington Les Schwab Tire Center.
All tickets purchased before 5PM will be honored until closing!
R rcSrrT
Blazers Reps will be there on Kid's Day August 26
w t a w l from 10 AM to 5 PM for you to sign the Respect Pledge!
college credit for the classes
they take. The school’s
A griculture Department
also offers dual credit
through Blue M ountain
Community College, and
Senate Bill 300 has made
it possible for the school
to offer classes online,
such as sociology, medical
term inology and others
that are not included in the
regular curriculum.
All in all, Joyce seems
happy to be where she is
and thrilled to be back in
the school district, though
as an administrator rather
than a student.
“ T h is d i s t r i c t is
amazing; they’re very much
supportive of their staff,”
she says. “I’ve felt nothing
but a welcoming presence.”
lone wraps up
summer reading
(fj,
J
faW h
The lone Library recently wrapped up its Summer Reading
Program for children grades two through six with an icecream
party. There were 10 participants this year; certificates and
prizes were awarded to all who participated. Pictured (L-R):
Bryce Rollins, Josalyn Nichols, Librarian Kristy Crowell and
Taylor Rollins. -Contributedphoto
Archery hunters face fire
restrictions, closures when
season opens Saturday
S A L E M , O re —
D eer and elk arch ery
seasons begin Aug. 24,
and bowhunters will be
facing high fire danger and
some closures and access
restrictions as the season
opens. Hunters are asked
to use extreme caution and
follow all fire restrictions
while in the field.
Oregon Department of
Forestry (ODF) says the
fire danger this season is
unprecedented and record
resources are tied up in
firefighting. So far for 2013,
close to 80,000 acres of
land protected by ODF have
burned, which is eight times
the 10-year average. More
than 4,000 firefighters have
been deployed at one time
to fight fires.
Public land managers
are aw are o f arch e ry
seasons. Land managers are
continuously re-evaluating
the fire situation and will
restore access to restricted
areas as soon as they are
able.
Check with the national
fo re s t w here you are
headed or Bureau of Land
M anagement (BLM) for
information before heading
afield. Hunters travelling
should also check for any
road closures.
At this tim e, many
private forestland owners
that normally allow hunters
on their land have closed
access due to the high fire
danger.
“Landowners may have
no other choice but to restrict
access as a fire prevention
strategy;” explained Mike
Dykzeul, Director, Forest
Protection for the Oregon
Forest Industries Council
(OFIC).
OFIC keeps a list of
their m em bers’ current
public access status on
the Oregon Department of
Forestry website. Hunters
should check this list (see
“C orporate C losures in
E ffect” ) or contact the
landowner before heading
afield. This list is updated
whenever there is a change,
so check back frequently.
H unters and others
planning trips into Oregon's
w ild area s sh o u ld be
prepared to be flexible with
their plans if they encounter
access restrictions. ODFW
does not close hunting
seasons due to fire danger.
Hunters may need to hunt
in a different area if their
favorite hunting spot is the
site of an active fire or if
a private landowner has
closed access due to high or
extreme fire danger.
ODF, OFIC and ODFW
also remind archery hunters
to follow all fire restrictions.
is a new healthcare m arketplace
ju st for O re g o n ia n s that begins this
O cto b e r. It m eans you can find
financial help. Savin gs. D isco u n ts.
C re d its. Subsidies. It's all good stu ff
and it s all online at
A
1
t
tit