EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 30, 2022
EOU & Ignite to boost
successful model of 1:1
high-dosage tutoring
Partnership also includes Morrow County School
District to develop pipeline of trained teachers to
unlock student potential in local schools
Amid a backdrop of
ongoing covid-related
learning disruptions, Ignite!
Reading, a Zoom-powered
K-5 literacy tutoring pro-
gram, announced today a
new partnership with East-
ern Oregon University’s
College of Education to
train teachers how to teach
literacy. Ignite! Reading,
which offset pandemic-re-
lated learning losses in its
recent summer and fall pilot
programs, provides founda-
tional skills reading instruc-
tion through high-dosage,
1:1, 15-minute daily virtual
tutoring delivered during
the school day.
O r e g o n ’s M o r r o w
County School District is
also partnering with the
new program to help devel-
op a pipeline of well-trained
teachers from EOU that
will unlock the learning
potential of students in local
schools.
Using the Ignite! Read-
ing model, the partner-
ship will launch with a
ten-week program that be-
gins with intensive teach-
er training rooted in the
science of reading and an
evidence-based reading
foundational skills curricu-
lum, followed by the imple-
mentation of daily tutoring
with K-5 students locally,
as well as remotely across
the country. Ignite! Reading
will train EOU’s teachers
and provide a practicum
experience through the con-
text of virtual tutoring as
well as real-time coaching
and support to ensure tutors
become highly proficient
in implementing a Science
of Reading-aligned curric-
ulum.
“EOU’s College of Ed-
ucation is very excited about
the opportunity to partner
with Ignite! Reading to
improve literacy outcomes
for kids by providing equi-
table access to high-quality
reading instruction,” said
Dr. Ronda Fritz, Associate
Professor at Eastern Ore-
gon University’s College
of Education. “Embedding
hands-on experience tutor-
ing struggling readers using
evidence-based practices
for intervention will be
extremely beneficial to our
pre-service teachers and
the future students in their
classrooms!”
“The evidence shows
that high-dosage literacy tu-
toring rooted in the Science
of Reading improves out-
comes for kids in profound
ways. We’re thrilled to part-
ner with Eastern Oregon
University to train teachers
how to put these concepts
into practice so that the
next generation of students
will have the ability to read
on time,” said Jessica Reid
Sliwerski, Founder of Ig-
nite! Reading and CEO of
Open Up Resources. “This
innovative partnership will
equip teachers with the
tools they need to bring
effective literacy instruction
into their own classrooms
and communities.”
“We are very excit-
ed to partner with both
EOU and Ignite! Reading
to maximize the benefits
of this program for our stu-
dents. Coming out of Covid
and navigating through a
much-needed ELA adop-
tion year, we were search-
ing for innovative ways to
better support our students.
Amazon Web Services
(AWS), as part of its com-
mitment to helping create
and deliver innovative pro-
grams with long lasting
impact in Oregon and be-
yond, is launching a new
$200,000 fund for local
community groups, schools
and non-profit organiza-
tions in Morrow County.
The new fund, which
will be administered by
non-profit ChangeX, will
help local community
members launch a new, or
expand an existing, local
project that supports an area
of STEAM education, en-
vironmental sustainability,
economic development or
community prosperity.
Everyone is invited to
join, either in person or vir-
tually, for the launch event
at the Gilliam and Bisbee
Building in Heppner from
noon to 1 p.m. on April 5 to
learn more about the fund-
ing available and to cele-
brate each local community.
Lunch and beverages will
be provided.
For additional infor-
mation or to register for
the event, visit https://ti.to/
changexevents/aws-incom-
munities-morrow-coun-
ty-fund.
Another successful Shamrock
Walk held
“You never know un-
til Saturday morning who
will come, and the turnout
this year far exceeded our
expectations because we
had previously had the pan-
demic interruption,” said a
spokesperson, “But many
hands, hearts and minds
created another successful
Memory Shamrock Walk
in Heppner on March 12.”
And the committee is al-
ready making plans for its
15 th celebration next year,
with an expanded offering
of a social hour and “eats
and treats,” the spokesper-
son continued.
Spearheading the event,
committee members Janelle
Ellis, Susan Hisler, Patty
Matheny, Peggy Fishburn
and Kathi Dickenson have
been involved since their
first walk, the tribute to
Donna Schonbachler, and
have since then been joined
by Sandy Matthews, Mary
Haguewood, Shelley Mc-
Cabe and Kirsten Harrison.
They stress that success
was only possible because
of the many more indi-
viduals who volunteered
Based on the science of
reading, Ignite’s targeted,
evidence-based approach
will be a great fit for the
next generation of students
and teachers,” said Erin
Stocker, Executive Director
of Elementary Education
and Human Resources.
Ignite! Reading teaches
foundational reading skills
targeted to where a student
falls on the continuum of
learning to read and in-
cludes students and tutors
reading together to build
oral language, vocabulary
and comprehension. Ignite!
Reading was incubated
by Open Up Resources to
develop new approaches
to addressing the nation’s
early reading challenges.
Designed by some of the
nation’s top practitioners
and educators, Ignite!’s
tutoring program has shown
remarkable results in stu-
dent achievement, includ-
ing helping kids make three
weeks of reading progress
per week.
Results from Ignite!
Reading’s fall pilot at KIPP
Bridge Academy in West
Oakland showed that:
-Students made three
weeks of reading progress
for every week of tutoring
they received.
-100 percent of IEP
students passed their first
progress monitoring as-
sessment.
-85 percent of English
Learner students passed
their first progress monitor-
ing assessment.
-93 percent of Latinx
and 89 percent of black
students passed their first
progress monitoring as-
sessment.
Building tourism in a
manageable, sustainable
way can stimulate the local
economy, protect, and en-
hance local resources and
foster community pride—
without compromising the
qualities that make the
place so special.
Karie Walchli has been
contracted with Morrow
County to help conduct a
destination development
community input studio se-
ries for each of the commu-
nities in Morrow County.
She brings with her 14 years
of tourism experience and
development with Uma-
tilla County. She is on the
Eastern Oregon Visitors
An open house will be
held for the Morrow County
School District bond mea-
sure on Thursday, April
7 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the
Gilliam and Bisbee Build-
ing in Heppner. There will
be important information
available to help the com-
munity better understand
the bond. Refreshments and
snacks will be served.
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
Death Notices
Carolyn M. Hall –
Carolyn M. Hall passed
away March 20, 2022, at
Good Shepherd Hospital
in Hermiston at the age of
84. She was born March 5,
1938.
mailed in, and some came
on the day of the walk. The
spokesperson reports, “If
you want to make a dona-
tion, it’s not too late. It can
be mailed to Kathi Dicken-
son, Box 566, Heppner.”
She has been in charge of
their “pot of gold” for many
years, and that pot has been
used “to support this com-
munity and causes chosen.
It continues to happen due
to the generosity of many.”
Next year needs a logo
for the 2022 commemo-
rative wristbands, so Su-
san Hisler would appreci-
ate your suggestions. The
event, as well as being the
15 th for the walk, may be the
last offering of additional
memory shamrocks, but
they can still be ordered
now by contacting Susan,
541-676-5878.
The Shamrock Memo-
ry Walk committee believes
that “losing loved ones is
difficult but seeing all the
families smile and laugh
and gather at their loved
ones’ shams, makes our
event worth all we put into
it.”
Building tourism can stimulate
local economy
AWS launching new Open house for
fund
school bond
measure scheduled
Good News Only
By Doris Brosnan
Kelsey Wolff Power,
daughter of Tom and Karen
Wolff, has passed on a ge-
ography lesson that might
be surprising to many of
us: “Toronto, Canada, lies
farther south than all of
Montana.” (Sure, check it
out in your atlas.) Kelsey
knows this because she and
her lawyer husband, Steve.
live in Toronto, where she is
pursuing her art and can be
followed @wolffpowerart
on Instagram. Kelsey has
also been pleased that signs
of spring are returning to
Toronto.
to help where needed:
Earl Fishburn, Travis and
Charlie Harrison, Ken and
Kaedene Bailey, Tinley
Rosenbaum, Terri Gentry,
Darcy Robinson, Jacque
Hedman, Sheri Warnock,
Annie, Reese and Peyton
Weygandt, Skip Matthews,
Hallee Hisler, Kord Dicken-
son and the HHS National
Honor Society members:
Paul Lindsay, Jacob and
Hannah Finch, Conor Bros-
nan, Cody Fletcher, Trevor
Nichols, Madison Palmer
and Juli Teeman.
Donations were also
important ingredients in the
successful event, includ-
ing the bottled water from
Friends-Helping-Friends,
Ashley Collette and Susan
Hisler; and the zip ties from
Adam and Shelley McCabe.
Everyone was also thankful
that Two Old Hags Pizza
again offered their build-
ing for displaying many of
the memorial shamrocks.
And the Methodist Church
again welcomed the event
and offered their basement
for headquarters. Some
financial donations were
Have to admit to feel-
ing disappointed when the
week had passed, and more
good news had not come
this way. Maybe next week.
Just a little food for
thought since we have time
on our hands, from a re-
liable source: A cat has
32 muscles in each ear. A
crocodile cannot stick out
its tongue.
Obviously, only “good
news” contributions result
in a “Good News” column
for all of us to enjoy, so
we hope you will send
your contributions to dbros-
nan123@gmail.com or call
541-223-1490. Smiles can
go such a long way in lifting
our spirits.
Here’s hoping that
some good news comes to
everyone reading this.
Association (EOVA) board,
the EOVA Marketing com-
mittee, EOVA Agritourism
Task Force, Travel Oregon
Food and Farm Trail De-
velopment Committee, and
Chair of the River to Hills
Farm Trail and Whisky &
Rocks Farm Trail.
Total direct travel
spending in Oregon was
$12.8 billion in 2019. And
while we are still recov-
ering from the effects of
Covid, the travel and tour-
ism industry is projected
to be back at, if not better
than the 2019 numbers by
the end of 2022.
The Gross Domestic
Product of the travel indus-
try was $5.8 billion in 2019.
Overall, the travel industry
is one of the three largest
export-oriented industries
in rural Oregon counties
(the other two being agri-
culture/food processing and
logging/wood products).
Why is destination de-
velopment important? It
can provide opportunities
for product/asset develop-
ment that will enhance the
visitor experience and the
destination’s identity and
brand expression. Tourism
is integral to economic
development and is a key
driver and tool to achieve
wider economic develop-
ment goals.
Tourism development
planning, or lack of, can
make or break a destination.
If done well, it can ensure
the longevity of the tourism
industry in the area, take
good care of the environ-
ment and have positive
economic outcomes and
a positive benefit to the
community.
“Join us to learn how
these studios for Morrow
County will help commu-
nities cultivate regional vi-
sions; identify strategies to
harness the power of tour-
ism; and develop unique
experiences in culinary
and agritourism, outdoor
recreation, bicycle tourism,
cultural heritage tourism
and more,” the press release
stated.
“During the input stu-
dios we will determine as-
sets, breakdown challenges
and develop opportunities
to help build a robust stra-
tegic plan for tourism in
Morrow County,” the press
release continued.
Additional and updat-
ed information may be
found by following Morrow
County Tourism on Face-
book and Instagram.
When it's time to sell
your house,
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Phone: (541) 676-9228
Cell: (541) 980-6674
Fax: (541) 676-9211
188 W. Willow
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
david@sykesrealestate.net