Bank of Eastern Oregon float
takes first in Great Green Parade
HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 137 NO. 12 8 Pages
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Local youth sees brighter
future following Challenge
Program
Joe Jones completes five-month course, receives
GED and enlists in Navy
The Bank of Eastern
Oregon’s Leprechaun Kiss-
es float took first place in
the Merchant category of
the 2018 Great Green Pa-
rade held Saturday on Main
St. in Heppner. Community
Bank was second.
Oregon Trail Library
District was first in the Irish
Floats – Business category.
Morrow County Health
District took second.
In the Antique and
Custom Vehicles category,
Morrow County Museum
St. Pat’s road
bowling winners
announced
Joe Jones with his graduating class from OYCP (he is holding the flag in front) and with
Heppner rancher, Jack Meligan, his mentor throughout the program .
By David Sykes
A couple of years ago
Heppner youth Joe Jones
was heading down a path all
too familiar. He’d dropped
out of high school, lost his
job at the local market and
as he says, “was down on
my luck and feeling life was
pointless.” Then he applied
and entered a program that
has begun to turn his life
around.
“My sister first began
talking about it (Oregon
National Guard Youth Chal-
lenge Program, OYCP) a
year or so before I entered,”
Jones recalls. Located in
Bend, and designed for
youth considered “aca-
demically at risk,” those
who are failing in school,
not attending, or those who
have dropped out, OYCP is
described as non-traditional
live-in school that operates
like a military academy.
According to the web
site, OYCP is guided by
military principles of struc-
ture and self-discipline,
with the staff utilizing a
“hands off”, tough love,
caring and disciplined ap-
proach to instill values to
train and instruct cadets.
Graduates are eligible to
earn a high school diploma,
a GED or school credits
upon completion of the
program.
“I was skeptical at first,
I didn’t really want to go to
a military school,” Jones
says. “Then I got interested
in what it was.” With the
encouragement and help
from his sister Sibbea and
mother Liz he filled out
the 20-page application
and turned it in. After a
while, however, when he
didn’t hear anything back,
he “kind of gave up.” Then
one day they called and
asked ‘do you want to go to
OYCP?’” He said yes and
after more paper work, the
18-year-old arrived at the
Bend, OR facility in July
of 2017.
The school and living
quarters are located on a
former military base, and
upon arrival he was grouped
together with 60 other youth
into a platoon. They lived in
pods together and followed
a regimented lifestyle of
discipline, cleanliness and
school work. In addition to
daily inspections of their
living quarters, the cadets
wear uniforms, are in bed
by 9:30 p.m. (taps) and arise
(reveille) every morning
at six.
Jones says a typical day
would go something like
this: up at six, get dressed
and off to morning colors.
Come back, eat (typical
breakfast of eggs, bacon
and hot cakes), go back to
the living quarters and work
on organization of their
lockers and cleaning their
rooms, then start classes at
eight. “We studied math,
English, science, you know
the basic stuff,” he says. He
said the tests were hard and
the grades strict. Jones says
it takes an 80 percent for
a B and 94 percent for an
A. He says he scored well
earning 100 percent much
of the time and ended up
number two in testing in
his entire company. During
this time the cadets would
go to lunch and then at 3:30
it was time for PT (physi-
cal training). Then it was
dinner at 6 p.m. and back
to the living quarters for
study time. The students
were also assigned various
jobs, his being answering
the phones in the admin-
istration office. They also
called their instructors sir
at all times.
Another aspect of the
school was the community
service done in town. He
says they spent 90 hours
doing jobs like picking up
garbage at the parks, di-
recting traffic during com-
munity events and other
service type jobs. Wearing
their uniforms all the time,
Jones says towns people
would come up and ask him
who they were.
During the five-month
time he spent in the pro-
The first place winner in the road bowling contest was the Bowl
Roaders team consisting of Peter Wenberg, Nels Wenberg and
Elliott Strouse with a score of 31. The second place team was
Team NO. – Contributed photo
Anson Fairbank
receives donations
from play
“Searching for Meaning” cast members chose Anson Fairbank
(#ANSONSTRONG) as the recipient of donations from the Fr.
Condon play this year. Anson, a two year old suffering from
leukemia, is the grandson of Jim and Monica Swanson of Ione.
Additional donations for Anson may be made at Columbia
-See CHALLENGE/PAGE Bank. Pictured is Sheridan Tarnasky presenting the $1,040
THREE collected from donations at the play to Anson’s grandmother,
Monica Swanson. -Contributed photo.
Community Counseling
Solutions to open March 21
took first. James Bullock
was second.
First in the Irish Theme
– Green category was the
Clan McAllister. Grand
Marshal, the Joe and Le-
anne Lindsay family took
second.
Local
scholar-
ships now
open
The South Morrow
County Scholarship Com-
mittee will accept scholar-
ship applications from Mar.
1 through 4 p.m. on Apr. 5.
In Heppner, they may be
turned into Ginger Bowman
at Heppner High School
and in Ione, Cathy McCabe
at Ione High School or a
counselor.
Criteria for a South
Morrow County scholarship
is as follows: the committee
will award scholarships
to a college-bound Hep-
pner High School or Ione
High School senior based
on academic achievement,
community involvement
and financial need. Students
must be continuing their
education at a commu-
nity college, trade school
or four-year college or uni-
versity. Applications will be
accepted and awarded by
the South Morrow County
Scholarship Inc., board of
directors using their “com-
mon local scholarship ap-
plication” and must include
a transcript and principal/
counselor evaluation form.
The South Morrow
County Scholarship Trust
Committee, on behalf of
the Del LaRue family, will
accept scholarship applica-
tions from Mar. 1 through 4
p.m. on Apr. 5. Completed
applications may be turned
into Cathy McCabe..
The Coach Del LaRue
Scholarship criteria is as
follows: the Coach Del
LaRue scholarship was
developed in memory of
Del LaRue, a long-time
teacher and coach at Ione
High School. LaRue had a
passion for coaching bas-
ketball and track and loved
seeing students set and
achieve their goals. After
retiring from teaching, he
continued to coach track for
12 additional years. During
this time he helped many
student athletes achieve
-See SCHOLARSHIPS/PAGE
TWO
Morrow County
Grain Growers
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN
GROWER
350 MAIN STREET
350 Main LEXINGTON,
Street OR
Lexington, OR
The new building location for Community Counseling Solutions is scheduled to open for
business on March 21. The open house is will be held on April 2 from noon to 2 p.m. It was
previously reported in the G-T that they would not be moving until June. The editor apolo-
gizes for this error.
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