A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2016
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CHEER:
continued from Page A1
designed by Tina Cullers of
Hermiston. The next year,
Cullers surprised the cou-
ple by creating a magnifi-
cent new red velvet quilted
Santa outfit for Scarlett.
“The first costume I had
was ratty tatty,” he said.
“Now my costume actually
has gold thread in the jack-
et. I put it on and I’m, like,
‘Wow!’”
While the couple enjoys
holiday events that focus on
kids — serving as Santa and
Mrs Claus in recent years
during the Hermiston Festi-
val of Trees Family Day —
they have a special place in
their heart for older adults in
assisted living facilities and
nursing homes.
“The reason we love se-
niors is that generation was
the greatest generation. They
went through the Depression
and World War II,” Hunt
said. “We have better lives
because of what they went
through.”
The couple hopes others
are inspired to visit local fa-
cilities. And, they even pro-
vide opportunities for people
to do so. After Donna Meade
— the couple’s longtime elf
— died several years ago,
they coaxed Helen McAfee
to join them as Santa and
Mrs. Claus’ helper.
Receiving a basic outfit
from the couple, McAfee
has added her own person-
al touches with a blinking
light necklace, Christmas
bulb earrings and curly-toed
shoes. Although this is just
her second season as an elf,
the 73-year-old has excelled
VOTE:
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which are currently $4.09
per $1,000 for education.
Board members ac-
knowledged the financial
impact on Hermiston resi-
dents, but also spoke of stu-
dents spending their days
in portable classrooms and
in schools with floor plans
where children have to
cross an unsecured outdoor
campus to get from room to
room.
“The bottom line is
always the kids,” board
chair
Karen
Sherman
said. “Rocky Heights and
Highland Hills are not
safe schools. We owe it to
our students to have safe
schools.”
Right now the district
is using 34 modular class-
rooms to handle overflow
and superintendent Fred
Maiocco said that num-
ber could be as high as
50 in two years. The dis-
trict was using 20 portable
classrooms when voters
approved a $69.9 million
STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI
Members of the Hermiston High School choir sing Christmas songs Tuesday morning during
a visit by Richard Scarlett and Wanda Hunt (as Santa and Mrs. Claus) to Brookdale Hermiston.
STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI
in the role — she’s been
asked to wear the costume
during a pair of upcom-
ing performances with the
Hermiston Christian Center.
“I’m normal most of the
time,” McAfee said with a
laugh. “I just love to see the
people smile. It brings out
the kid in everyone.”
For the past 10 years, The
Has Been Wanna Bees, a
group of singing octogenari-
ans, joined Scarlett and Hunt
when they visited facilities in
Hermiston. However, as the
members continued to age
and some passed away, they
recently bowed out of the
performances.
Always wanting to get
more people involved, Hunt
called Hermiston High
School to see if some choir
students could come and
sing. Music teacher Jordan
Bemrose-Rust was thrilled
by the invitation. Tuesday
morning, two busloads of
band and choir students
crowded into the lobby of
Brookdale Hermiston.
Ruby Halvorson wore
a bright smile throughout
the hour-long performance.
The 91-year-old sang along
during the final set of Christ-
mas carols.
“I love it,” she said. “This
is so great. I love all the
equipment — the piano, the
horns and the drums. And,
the singing was wonderful.”
After her husband of 47
years died, Van De Brake
started volunteering for the
Good Shepherd Medical
Center Hospital Auxiliary. It
was there that she came up
with the idea to refurbish and
distribute stuffed animals to
children.
“It’s been a lifesaver for
me and it’s also been helpful
to the community as well,”
Van De Brake said while sur-
rounded by dozens of stuffed
animals of all shapes and siz-
es. “It helped me when my
husband died — it kept my
hands and heart and mind
busy.”
Van De Brake noticed
that children visiting with
family in the hospital would
appear bored when she en-
tered a patient’s room. The
children, she said, would ask
the adults when they were
going to leave. Van De Brake
thought offering a child a
stuffed animal might help
settle them down or keep
them entertained.
Over the past 15 years,
the 82-year-old estimates she
has refurbished and donated
20,000 stuffed animals —
even having to replace her
washing machine to handle
the loads. Some of the ani-
Richard Scarlett, aka Santa Claus, and Ruby Halvorson share
a laugh Tuesday morning at Brookdale Hermiston.
mals were in pretty sad shape
— she swears by Tide laun-
dry detergent and Oil Eaters,
a heavy-duty cleaner.
“I was able to bring these
stuffed animals back to their
original condition,” she said.
Gathering the animals has
come through a variety of
resources — from organiza-
tions such as The Salvation
Army, Agape House, Herm-
iston Elks, The Hermiston
Police Department, as well
as yard sales and personal
friends. However, it’s been a
one-woman operation as far
as washing, fluffing, hanging
to dry and re-stuffing the an-
imals.
Except for one year, Van
De Brake has donated 500
stuffed animals each Decem-
ber to Christmas Express.
Instead of giving to local
kids in 2005, she sent 600 to
Louisiana and the surround-
ing areas to be distributed to
children impacted by Hurri-
cane Katrina.
“The adults were being
taken care of by the gov-
ernment,” she said. “But
I thought the kids needed
something.”
Like Santa’s elves, who
happily do their part in
spreading holiday cheer,
Scarlett, Hunt, McAfee and
Van De Brake enjoy seeing
the fruits of their labor. McA-
fee summed up the central
theme shared by many who
give of their time and talents
during the holiday season.
“It’s making people
smile,” she said. “It’s all
about spreading joy.”
bond in 2008 to replace and
expand multiple schools.
Since then the district has
grown by an additional 600
students, beating Portland
State University’s most
aggressive projections for
yearly growth.
The district’s last survey
indicated that 46 percent of
likely voters supported the
bond and 48 percent did
not, leaving about 6 percent
undecided.
Maiocco said waiting
until May 2019 could give
the district more opportuni-
ties to educate those unde-
cided voters, but could also
make the district lose the
momentum it has built after
a three year process putting
together an in-depth facili-
ties master plan.
From a financial stand-
point, waiting two more
years would mean more
of the district’s previous
bonds would be paid off.
On the other hand, Maiocco
said, construction costs are
rising at about 1 percent a
month with no end in sight,
so delaying construction by
two years would raise the
cost of building the schools.
Another consideration
is the Oregon School Cap-
ital Improvement Matching
Program, which has pro-
vided $4 million matching
grants to several other East-
ern Oregon schools that
recently passed bonds. The
May election would be the
last time the money would
be available, although
Maiocco said even that is
not a sure thing anymore
after Gov. Kate Brown’s
recent budget proposal rec-
ommended that program
be ended early. If legisla-
tors listen to schools and
keep it for one last election
cycle, however, Hermiston
would be eligible for $5.76
million under the current
matrix.
If Hermiston does not
get those matching funds,
Maiocco said the district
would still be able to build
the schools but would not
have the $5 million it has
built into the bond to pur-
chase new property that
would be kept in reserve
for the next time the district
needs to build a new school.
Board member Dave
Smith said that there is “no
doubt” the district has done
its homework, and that the
need is there. Waiting two
years to go for the bond,
he said, would only make it
more expensive.
Board member Josh
Goller agreed, and added
that it would also mean two
more years of less-than-ide-
al classrooms for students.
“Our students get one
shot at those grade levels,”
he said.
Sherman also pointed to
the maintenance problems
of the older schools, and
the recent analysis showing
$846,075 in cost savings
over five years thanks to
the energy efficiency of the
district’s new schools.
On Monday the board
discussed one example of
a maintenance problem in
the part of the high school
built in 1992, which would
be replaced during the pro-
posed expansion. Freezing
temperatures caused a wa-
ter line in the school’s fire
suppression system to burst
on Thursday, flooding the
math and science class-
rooms, hallways, kitchen
and commons area.
The school was evacu-
ated for 14 minutes due to
safety concerns about the
mixture of water and elec-
trical fixtures, then the gym
was cleared for use by stu-
dents waiting for a bus to
take them home.
Maiocco had high praise
for the response of the dis-
trict’s custodial staff, which
rushed to answer the “all
hands on deck” call, and O
So Kleen, which responded
within 20 minutes to begin
cleanup. All classrooms
were back in use by Mon-
day morning.
“Within two and a half
hours all the water was
picked up ... It was just
absolutely amazing how
fast that whole team came
together and got things
done,” Maiocco said.
He said insurance ad-
justers had examined the
damage, and there was still
extensive cosmetic work
that would need to be done
over the winter break.
The board approved the
emergency funding request,
with an abstention from
Smith, who owns O So
Kleen.
———
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at 541-564-4536.
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STUDENT
OF THE
WEEK
Piper Jamieson
Advanced
Orthopedic
& Sports Medicine Institute
620 NW 11th St., Ste. 201, Hermiston • 541-289-7075
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Piper, a senior at CHS, is the daughter of Andrew
and Leslie Jamieson. She is an active student
leader, currently serving as senior class president.
Her academic prowess has allowed her to achieve
an accumulative GPA of 3.95, and she has
achieved Honor Roll recognition throughout her
years at CHS. Her leadership, scholarship, and
character also are traits that led to her induction
into the CHS Honor Society, and as a member,
she helps to organize the annual spring
Recognition Reception for CHS students. Piper
also has been involved with the early college
program offered to CHS students by Columbia
Gorge Community College in The Dalles, taking
courses the past two years to earn dual credit.
She also has received her Emergency Medical
Responder certification while at CHS, and has
served with the South Gilliam Ambulance Service.
Active involvement in extra-curricular activities
has also been a part of Piper’s busy high school
years. She has been a member of 4-H, she was in
the CHS International Club and helped raise funds
-C ONDON H IGH S CHOOL
for a trip to Europe in March of 2015, she has
served as a counselor at Camp Morrow, and she
has participated and lettered in volleyball,
basketball, and track.
In 2015, she was
recognized as a national winner in the
Washington Calligraphers Guild “‘Graceful
Envelope Contest”’.
In June, 2016 she
participated in the Rural Electric Youth Tour in
Washington, D.C. as a representative of Columbia
Basin Electric Co-op.
Piper has achieved much during her years at CHS,
both in and out of the classroom. In addition to
these accomplishments, she has served her
school and community as a volunteer, whether it
be keeping the scorebook for basketball games,
gathering food donations for the Condon Food
Pantry, or working at activities of the annual July
4th community celebration.
Piper is an
outstanding student, young adult, and citizen, and
also a positive role model for the younger
students in Condon. She is very deserving of the
honor and recognition of Student of the Week!
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