A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017
Our Community
E-mail your community news items to:
community@hermistonherald.com
Memorial Day: A penny isn’t much
Middle school musical to make a splash
I
Music and artistic ex-
ploration by Sandstone
Middle School students
crescendos with a trio of
upcoming performances.
Students and staff
will present “The Little
Mermaid Jr.” Thursday
through Saturday at 7 p.m.
in the Sandstone Middle
School commons, 400
N.E. 10th St., Hermis-
ton. Tickets are $3 or $2
with a canned food item.
Concessions during in-
termission will be served
by Sandstone leadership
students. For those unable
to attend the performance,
it will be live-streamed on
spent
45
minutes
and left a penny on
the headstones of 75
veterans Monday at the
Hermiston Cemetery.
It’s not much — not
even an hour and not even
a dollar. But, for me, it’s a
way to commemorate Me-
morial Day.
Sometimes
people forget
the meaning
behind
the
holiday. It’s
not merely a
day off from
work
(al-
Tammy
though I did
Malgesini work swing
INSIDE MY
hours) or a
SHOES
day to have a
family barbecue.
It’s a small gesture —
extremely small. It doesn’t
even compare to the sacri-
fi ces made by the men and
women who have served
in our nation’s military.
I became aware of the
tradition of leaving coins on
headstones nearly a decade
ago. Every year since then,
sometime during the Me-
morial Day weekend, I have
grabbed a bag of pennies
and headed to the cemetery.
According to informa-
tion I’ve read, the tradi-
tion is a way of paying
respects. As the coins in-
crease in value, so does
the level of connection the
person leaving it has with
the deceased:
• A penny means a per-
son visited the grave of the
veteran that is buried there.
• A nickel means the
person trained or was at
boot camp with the de-
ceased veteran.
• A dime represents
military personnel who
served together.
• A quarter indicates the
person was present when
the deceased was killed.
Reading the headstone,
I learn the date of birth,
date of death and the
branch of the military the
veteran served. Then, I say
their name and thank them
the district’s website
Under the direction of Dan
Allen and Lisa McElroy, nearly
100 are participating in the mu-
sical. The performance features
an orchestra pit crew of about
25, directed by Allen and 25
dancers with Kelsey Tew in
charge of choreography.
In addition, 34 costume de-
signers from Chelsea Geer’s
exploration class planned and
created each costume. Stu-
dents helped sew sequins and
feathers, and for many it was
their fi rst time sewing some-
thing.
Also, under the guidance
of Ray Davis, a new set tech-
nology using reverse projec-
tion and a stationary set de-
sign, which was designed and
will be implemented by 32 art
students.
The production incorpo-
rates reading, drama, music,
art and outreach objectives.
Students are excited to show-
case their talents and invite
members of the community
to attend one of the perfor-
mances.
The musical is made pos-
sible by funds from the Herm-
iston Education Foundation.
Allen, McElroy, Geer and
Davis wrote a grant request
in the fall and were awarded
about $3,000 to assist in put-
ting on the theater production.
New Hope presents sexuality seminar
STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI
At the Hermiston Cemetery, numerous coins grace the
headstone of Lance Cpl. James B. Huston Jr., who died
in 2004 while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq.
According to tradition, coins on the headstone signifi es
visitors to the veteran’s grave.
for their service while set-
ting a penny down.
Sometimes, I have to
brush away grass that has
been cast onto the head-
stone during the mowing
process. And, I’ve even
poured water from my
bottle to wash away bird
droppings. Again, small
gestures for people who
have made sacrifi ces to
serve our country.
Every once in awhile,
someone asks what I’m
doing. Such was the case
Monday, when an Air Force
veteran and his wife noticed
the “U.S. Air Force Acade-
my” T-shirt I was wearing.
They said they had
come across a pair of
headstones — a man and
wife who both served in
the Air Force. Dismayed
that there were no fl ow-
ers or fl ags, they returned
with a pair of small bou-
quets. I thought that was
pretty cool.
Of the section I vis-
it each year, I personal-
ly know the relatives of
less than a handful. And,
to me, that makes it even
more signifi cant. Those
veterans didn’t know me
— yet they served our
country so that I may reap
the benefi ts of the free-
doms we have.
Each year I post a photo
on Facebook — not because
I want attention — but in
hopes that maybe someone
else will be moved to do a
little something to pause a
moment and remember to
thank our veterans.
———
Tammy Malgesini is
the community editor. Her
column, Inside my Shoes,
includes general musings
about life. Contact her
at
tmalgesini@eastore-
gonian.com or 541-564-
4539.
A special seminar for
parents and those working
with youths will highlight
our culture’s fascination
with sexuality
The session will ad-
dress how to have im-
portant
conversations
with youths about gen-
der, social media, sex and
porn. The discussion will
include when it’s best to
have particular conver-
sations with children and
youths.
Parenting in a Sexual-
ly Charged World is Fri-
day from 5:30-9 p.m. at
New Hope Community
Church, 1350 S. Highway
395. It includes dinner at
5:30 p.m. The cost is $3
each or $10 for a family.
Also, free childcare is pro-
vided from 6-10 p.m. In
order to plan, registration
is requested by calling
541-567-8441.
The special speaker is
Jason Soucinek of Proj-
ect Six19 in Spokane.
He’ll talk about the cur-
rent cultural landscape in
America, what kids are being
exposed to and provide a bib-
lical framework for having
conversations with kids about
God’s design for sexuality.
For more information, call
541-567-8441 or visit Face-
book.
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 111 ● NUMBER 20
Gary L. West | Editor • gwest@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4532
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539
Jayati Ramakrishnan | Reporter • jramakrishnan@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4534
Jade McDowell | Reporter • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Shannon Paxton | Offi ce coordinator • spaxton@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4530
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
Dawn Hendricks | Circulation District Manager • dhendricks@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4540
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
• stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St.
• visit us online at: hermistonherald.com
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Delivered by carrier and mail Wednesdays
Inside Umatilla/Morrow counties .......... $42.65
Outside Umatilla/Morrow counties ....... $53.90
Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR.
Postmaster, send address changes to
Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St.,
Hermiston, OR 97838.
The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston
Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR
97838, (541) 567-6457.
Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2017
0 %
APR
for 60 mo.
on 13 different
2017 models
2017 Prius
rius
ck
Liftback
2017 Corolla
2017 RAV4
also incl
includes
udes
d
2017 Corolla iM
2017 Camry
2017 Camry Hybrid
2017 Prius c
2017 Prius v
2017 Avalon
2017 Avalon Hybrid
2017 Yaris iA
2017 Sienna
2017 RAV4 Hybrid
Or take advantage of special leases
on nearly every model!
2017 Camry SE
/mo
$ 179
$ 159 /mo
2017 Corolla LE
for 36 mos.
for 36 mos.
$ 19
199 /mo
2017 RAV4 LE
f for 36 mos.
Every new Toyota comes with
(541) 567-6461 or 800-522-2308
ToyotaOfHermiston.com
All financing on approved credit through TFS. All vehicles subject to prior sale.
All prices plus tax and title. $75 dealer doc fee. Offers end 5/31/17.
For more details call 1-888-21-TOYOTA.
Mon - Fri 8:30a - 7:00p
Saturday 8:30a - 7:00p
Sunday 10:00a - 5:00p