A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2015
FROM PAGE A1
MCELROY:
continued from page A1
“I think it’s one thing to
be a teacher and tell a kid
trees are green, but it’s en-
tirely different to ask why
trees are green,” she said.
“I get to teach kids stuff,
but, more than that, I get to
teach them why stuff is the
way it is.”
McElroy teaches earth,
life and physical sciences,
which are taught in a loop to
seventh- and eighth-grad-
ers, so she has the same
students in her classes both
their seventh- and eighth-
grade years, something she
also likes because she gets
to know the youths.
“I feel like I absolutely
have my dream job right
now,” McElroy said.
She said she also loves
teaching middle school
students because they are
funny and relatable, and
she hopes to make a differ-
ence in their lives by teach-
ing them not to fear being
wrong. She said she hopes
her students leave her class
thinking that they learned a
lot but had fun doing it.
“I get to share what I
love with kids, and I mean,
it just doesn’t get any better
than that,” she said.
Her love of children,
she said, surpasses that of
science, but they both com-
bine to make up her perfect
job.
“Teaching is such a sci-
ence, and maybe that is why
I am drawn to it,” she said.
She said not all students
learn the same way, and she
HQMR\VWKHFKDOOHQJHRI¿J-
uring out the best teaching
methods for each.
“It just keeps you com-
ing back and trying new
things,” she said.
When she’s not in the
classroom, McElroy said
she is never very far from
science or nature. She and
her husband have three
boys, and in their free time,
they enjoy spending time
outdoors doing various ac-
tivities, from four-wheeling
to picking morel mush-
rooms. Much the same
way her father did with her,
McElroy said she is nurtur-
ing their interest in science.
“Every single one of my
kids loves science,” she
said.
SWIM:
POOL:
continued from page A1
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they realize I can do this, I
can pull somebody off the
bottom of the pool, be-
cause I did it in class. We
try to simulate situations
as best we can.”
Gestny Findley, 15,
recently became a cer-
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the training was intense.
She opted for a two-day
course, working about 12
hours each day.
After learning tech-
niques, such as placing a
victim’s arms on each side
of their head to act as a
splint to prevent further
spinal injury, Findley said
she is looking forward to
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“I feel like now since
we’ve practiced it so
many times that, if I had
to, I’d get it done pretty
well,” she said of using
her lifeguard training.
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about it right now.”
Aristea Loveland, 16,
another new lifeguard
this year, said learning to
use the backboard for spi-
nal injuries was the most
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part of the training. She
said she, too, is now con-
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she learned, but she was
unaware how extensive it
would be.
“It was long, but it
continued from page A1
slides and other equip-
ment.
When
everything
LV UHDG\ ¿OOLQJ WKH
330,000-gallon 50-me-
ter pool and the 200,000
multi-use pool requires
even more time.
“Each pool takes the
majority of a full day to
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XSZLWKD¿UHKRVHVRLW¶V
putting a lot of water in,
not just like a garden hose.
It takes pretty much about
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ter pool.”
Chemicals are added
to clean the water, and the
ERLOHUVDUH¿UHGXSWRKHDW
LW,WWDNHVIRXUWR¿YHGD\V
SEAN HART PHOTO
Aristea Loveland, 16, and
Gestny Findley, 15, recently
completed their Red Cross
lifeguard certiÀcation to
work at the Hermiston Fami-
ly ATuatic Center for the Àrst
time this year.
was
really
fun and inter-
esting,” she
said. “It was
a little more
than what I
Olson
expected. We
had to learn
how to save people in dif-
ferent ways and how to
do CPR and what to do
in certain occasions, if
they’re conscious or un-
conscious and stuff like
that.”
Even after obtaining
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the lifeguards undergo
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Hermiston facility. Earp
said they learn the rules
in place to keep people
safe by preventing prob-
lems.
“What Red Cross
teaches you is to be pro-
active and preventative,”
he said. “Oftentimes,
when people think of life-
guarding, they think of
lifesaving, but the whole
idea is you enforce the
rules and you prevent it
from ever getting to that
situation. Hopefully, if
they’re doing that, then it
never gets to the situation
where we actually have a
potential drowning inci-
dent, and that’s our goal.”
Earp said new life-
guards are also required
to shadow a returning
employee for at least one
busy shift before being
cleared to serve on their
own.
Fourteen
lifeguards
are on duty during public
swim sessions, and lead
lifeguard Buz Olson en-
when it’s not
cold outside
to warm the
water from
60 degrees
to the low-
to mid-80s.
Earp
E a r p
said most of the staff are
students or teachers, so
he and a maintenance em-
ployee perform most of
the work themselves.
“It’s 12 years old, so
we’re always trying to
keep this place looking
new and keep it looking as
clean as possible,” he said.
“However, if anyone ever
has comments or anything,
we welcome ways that
they feel like we can im-
prove the facility because
we know that the commu-
nity is very invested.”
sures the entire operation
runs smoothly. Olson said
he enjoys working with
the great staff, who make
his job easier.
“Every day, our life-
guards are pulling kids
out of the water, and they
are doing preventative
safety out there, so that
we never get into a situ-
ation where a patron ac-
tually drowns,” he said.
“There’s different scenar-
ios, things that happen in
different parts of the pool,
where our lifeguards are
actually preventing some-
body from becoming an
actual drowning victim.”
JESSICA KELLER PHOTO
Sandstone Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade science
teacher Lisa McElroy talks to students during an exercise
with circuit boards last month. McElroy, who was one of the
Hermiston School District’s Crystal Apple Award winners, said
the challenge of teaching students keeps her coming back
and trying new things every year.
WEATHER:
rocks and debris. Fatalities
are quite common in area
rivers during the beginning
continued from page A1
of summer-type weather.”
temperatures climb.
As of Wednesday, the
“The temptation when Columbia River tempera-
hot weather strikes this time ture was 61.8 degrees at
of the year is to seek relief McNary Dam.
in area rivers,” the statement
Also in the statement was
reads. “While snow melt is a notice about the speed in
sparse this year, many area which temperatures will
rivers still have tempera- rise.
tures in the lower to mid 50s,
“With this early period
cold enough to cause issues of hot weather, most people
for those trying to swim in are not yet acclimated to the
these rivers. In addition, heat,” it said. “Be sure to
ÀRZV DUH ORZHU WKDQ PRVW avoid exertion during the
years, and this may lead to heat of the day and to stay
more injuries from exposed hydrated with clear liquids.”
CON
GRA
TS
ECHO GRADUATES!
HOME
OF THE
COUGARS!
Echo Hills Golf Course
Place a Yard Sale Ad
25 words, 3 days, private party only
$20.00 East Oregonian & Hermiston Herald
Yard Sale Kits - $5.00
Includes 2 signs, stakes
& price stickers.
Call Paula
541-278-2678
ECHO HIGH SCHOOL
Graduation: Friday, June 5 at 6 p.m. • Echo School Gymnasium
400 GOLF COURSE RD. • ECHO
WWW.ECHO-OREGON.COM
CALL 541-376-8244 FOR TEE TIMES
Congratulations Class of 2015!
Congratulations
from City of Echo
& Fort Henrietta
RV Park
Colby Baker
Ameta Barzee
Savannah
Colson
Jon Dorn
Dustin Goldie
Elizabeth
McCarty
Madyson Moore
Haley
Shockman
Bailey Srofe
Danny Tappo
Noah Taylor
Paeli Thorne
Stephen Walker
Robert Wirtz
Gabrial
Zacharias
Echo High School - Class of 2015
Congratulations & Best Wishes
~Donn Walls & all at
Hermiston Realty
2372 N. 1st St., Hermiston
541-567-2121
Good Luck Echo Seniors!
M AIN S TREE M ARKET
225 S. Main St. • Stanfield • Open Daily 6am-9pm