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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 2015)
A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 2015 FROM PAGE A1 SIPE: continued from page A1 KIOSK: staff, Sipe and her family — her husband, Kyle, a teacher at Clara Brownell Middle School, and her two children, Caden and Cameron — spoke with Merkley and Susan Lexer, Merkley’s policy adviser in WKH ¿HOGV RI KHDOWK DQG HGXFDWLRQ on STEM education. Sipe said they spoke about Umatilla’s after-school program, which features a number of opportunities for students to expe- rience STEM-related programs. Her children also talked about the impor- tance of the program. “They had such a great time,” she said. Sipe said she thought, because she and her husband take their chil- dren to so many events, her son and daughter were more comfortable speaking to such high-ranking of- ¿FLDOVWKDQVKHZRXOGKDYHEHHQDW their age. “One thing they talked about is how, if you look at Umatilla, every element of our community does not scream STEM hub,” she said. “It was neat for the kids to say that there isn’t any excuse for any com- munity not to do these things. If you can pull it off here, it can be done anywhere.” When it came time for the State of the Union address, Sipe said Merk- ley graciously introduced her to other senators and their guests, with whom she spoke about different programs. She said she met some of her favorite senators, in addition to fellow educa- tors and other guests that shared the same passion for extending opportu- nities like STEM to students. “There was a huge variety of peo- ple,” she said. “Senator Merkley was the community. Ann Fialka, a member of Al- trusa, said the effort has been in the works for years. Four years ago, when Altrusa mem- bers visited South Dakota for a convention, they saw the city they were visiting had a sign of that displayed all the city’s ser- vice clubs. Last year, Altrusa partnered with the Hermiston Rotary to get the project going by means of individual club do- nations. Other businesses and agen- cies contributed to the effort by donating materials and services, which helped save money on construction. The project also received a $4,000 Transient Room Tax grant from the city, and Rotary and Altrusa each pledged $2,000 for the project. In recent years, many orga- nizations have experienced a decrease in new membership, particularly among younger people. Dean Fialka said he hopes the sign will spur growth in the organizations, as well as recognize those who have con- tributed so much to the commu- nity through the year. “We appreciate what each one of these organizations has done for the community over the years,” he said Wednesday during a ribbon-cutting cere- mony. “So today we dedicate the Hermiston Service Organi- zation Kiosk. It is a place for organizations to proudly dis- play their presence in our com- munity.” WAMSLEY: continued from page A1 continued from page A1 CONTRIBUTED PHOTO )URPOHIW8PDWLOOD+LJK6FKRROVWXGHQW&DPHURQ6LSH8PDWLOOD6XSHULQWHQGHQW +HLGL6LSH8+6VWXGHQW&DGHQ6LSH8PDWLOODWHDFKHU.\OH6LSHDQG2UHJRQ 6HQ-HII0HUNOH\SRVHIRUDSKRWRLQ:DVKLQJWRQ'&7KLVZHHN6LSHDWWHQGHG 3UHVLGHQW%DUDFN2EDPD·V6WDWHRIWKH8QLRQ$GGUHVVZLWK0HUNOH\ such a great host.” Sipe said she had the chance to talk with a president of a community college in another part of the coun- try about Eastern Promise, which allows students in eastern Oregon to take college-level classes for college credit while in high school. Sipe said, at one point, she stood next to Vice President Joe Biden during one of their security checks. “I was too scared to say anything, but it was neat just to be there,” she said. Right before President Obama’s speech, Sipe was guided up to the galley to listen while Merkley re- PDLQHGRQWKHPDLQÀRRU6LSHVDLG it was another opportunity to mingle and learn more about what other peo- ple in the gallery were representing. Sipe said she was fortunate to be seated directly across from President Obama when he gave his speech er, she is most proud of the creation of the Blue Moun- tain Early Learning Hub, on which Head Start and the IMESD are co-leads. The hub, which started two years ago, offers early edu- cation and family support- ive services for children from before birth to age 5 and their families. The ef- fort is part of the state’s 40-40-20 goal to provide a seamless system of educa- tion from birth to college and career. Wamsley said she wasn’t directly responsible for the about the state of the nation and what he has planned. “It was incredible,” she said. “I never would have expected to have that great of a view.” Sipe she said she looks forward to hearing more about some of his ideas for education. “In broad talk, everything sounds really great, but I am interested in seeing what the details are and what is possible,” she said. “The college options, for example, could really impact our Eastern Promise work either in a positive or a negative way, depending on what the options were.” Sipe said she is so thankful for the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., with her family. “I am so thankful for all that ev- eryone does so that our community and our region can continue to have experiences like this,” she said. positive changes that have propelled Head Start to become the thriving or- ganization that it is today, however. She said the orga- nization’s success is due to the people with whom she has worked and the partner- ships formed. “All of the agency heads here in Oregon from the Oregon schools to the (In- terMountain Education Service District) to (the Department of Human Ser- vices) to the county are re- ally into partnerships,” she said. “We work very col- 5-year-olds and their fami- lies to programs that serve children from before birth to age 5 and their families. She said Head Start, which later became the Uma- tilla Morrow Head Start, now provides childhood education services, health screening and referrals, the Women, Infants and Chil- dren nutrition education and supplemental food pro- gram, child care resource and referral services, fami- ly support and connections and the Court Appointed Special Advocate program. Wamsley said, after join- ing Head Start, she served as a teacher for Head Start for one year before she was named the education coordinator. At that point, the organization was a sin- gle-purpose agency that served 130 children and their families. Then, in 1986, when Head Start be- FDPH D QRQSUR¿W RUJDQL- CONTRIBUTED PHOTO zation, she was named the Cathy Wamsley, newly retired former Head Start director, executive director. Wamsley said she is VWDQGVQH[WWRWKH+HUPLVWRQPDLQ+HDG6WDUWRIÀFHVLJQ proud that, in her nearly 30 earlier this year. years as executive director, the organization has grown from just serving Umatil- la County to serving more than eight counties. The or- ganization now serves more than 4,700 families. From Dr. Hibbert, “That is something that Lacee, Jessica, Bailey, really stands out to me since I started,” she said. Heather, and Sarah “We now have multiple dif- ferent programs that touch 541-612-3707 children and their families.” Wamsley said some of the things that stand out most from her career are the programs developed and partnerships formed to better serve area families. In the last several years, the organization has created a program geared toward re- vitalizing neighborhoods while working with schools and police on how to reduce drug use thanks to funds IURP D )UHH WR *URZ ¿YH year grant program. “That is a great program that we continue to do work that we have developed un- der that,” she said. Head Start also received funding from the Legacy Foundation to help people stop smoking or reduce their consumption. “The families that we work with are still the high- est users,” she said. “It was really rewarding to bring that to our program.” Last year, Umatilla Mor- URZ+HDG6WDUWZDVWKH¿UVW LQWKHVWDWHWRUHFHLYHD¿YH star designation for its qual- ity of childcare programs. Wamsley said, howev- Happy New Year laboratively together and for the betterment of all the kids. We don’t look at our kids by individual commu- nity. We look at all the kids across the counties as ours, and we all work together to do the best we can.” Wamsley said Head Start has also thrived because of its staff. “They have been very dedicated over the years,” she said. “Before I retired, there were a lot of people that had been there for a The 12 organizations listed on the sign are Lions Club Inter- national, Altrusa International, Rotary International, Breakfast Kiwanis, Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Hermiston Education Foundation, Desert Arts Coun- cil, Hermiston Desert Shrine Club, Noon Kiwanis, Supreme Emblem Club, Soroptimist In- ternational and Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation. To accompany the new sign, Ann Fialka said the city of Hermiston will also post con- tact information for each of the organizations on a new portion of its website so that people in- terested in joining any one of those organizations can contact them. She said they hope, by having the contact information readily available, it will spur new interest and new life in the organizations. “The website provides one location where contact infor- mation for each of these orga- nizations is available,” she said. “We appreciate the city for pro- viding this service. It will be in- cumbent on each organization to see that the information stays current and is updated regular- ly.” Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said the infor- mation on the website is not up yet, but he expects it to be posted within the next couple of days. He said people will be DEOHWR¿QGWKHOLQNE\FOLFNLQJ on Community Links on the right side of the city of Herm- iston website, http://www. hermiston.or.us, and then on a link to the service organization information. long time. A lot of us, and those still at the agency, have been there for 25 to 30 years.” Wamsley said, now that her career is over, she can look back at all the orga- nization has accomplished and feel good about her time spent with Head Start. “It has been a very ful- ¿OOLQJ FDUHHU´ VKH VDLG “I’ve met lots of great peo- ple and had the opportunity to work with some commu- nity members that are very interested in coordination and collaboration. They are a real asset in our commu- nity, and I’ve worked with an outstanding staff.” Wamsley said she also knows the organization is in capable hands. She said Ex- ecutive Director Maureen McGrath and the remaining staff are more than prepared for the task at hand. “I miss the people, but I know that it will continue to be just as great a pro- gram,” she said. 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