A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
IN BRIEF
GRADUATION
continued from Page A1
total seating for 7,500) but,
as an outdoor venue, still
could present challenges
with the weather. Both the
outdoor venues, Spoo said,
would increase the work-
load for district staff — as
the gymnasium would still
have to be set up in case of
bad weather.
Spoo and Usher asked
board members to consider
the Toyota Center in Ken-
newick, which seats 5,000
(7,700 for concerts, 6,000
for hockey) and is indoors.
No tickets would be re-
quired for family members,
and it has handicap accessi-
bility.
Hermiston School Dis-
trict spent about $10,000
on its graduation ceremony
this year. Spoo said renting
the Toyota Center would
cost between $3,500 and
$4,000 per year. That cost
doesn’t include the sound
system, or the cost of trans-
portation for students and
staff up to the center — for
both a practice and the ac-
tual ceremony. Spoo said
the district would need
about seven buses to trans-
port students, and one for
Church congregation resumes Bible study
The First United Methodist Church recently resumed
its weekly Bible study. The group is focusing on the
book of Acts. It meets Wednesdays at 10 a.m. at 191 E.
Gladys Ave., Hermiston.
Everyone is invited to attend the studies, regardless
of church affiliation. The relaxed, easy-going study
features a time of reading and discussion. In addition,
snacks and coffee will be available.
For more information, contact preachervet@gmail.
com or 541-567-3002.
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
The 2017 Hermiston High School graduating class listens to a speaker during their
commencement ceremony in June.
staff — at $185 per bus.
Board members were
interested in the idea, ac-
knowledging some of the
recent problems the current
venue has had. But some
wondered about the fea-
sibility of getting family
members to travel out of
Hermiston for a graduation
ceremony.
“We need to provide that
option (of transportation)
for people,” said board
chair Karen Sherman. “Not
just parents.”
Spoo noted that many
districts of comparable size
in the Portland area hold
their graduations at larger
venues like Memorial Coli-
seum, where they may have
to travel 45 minutes to an
hour.
Usher and Spoo showed
the board a few photos
from this June, when they
attended Richland High
School’s graduation at the
Toyota Center to check out
the venue. They were im-
pressed, they said, by the
efficiency of the ceremo-
nies there.
“They graduated 550
kids in one hour and 15
minutes,” Usher said.
Board members said
while the move made sense
from a logistical standpoint,
it might be difficult to con-
vince Hermiston residents to
hold their graduation some-
where else.
“It will come down to a
lot of emotion,” said board
member Bonnie Luisi.
The board will discuss
the issue again at their work
session on Aug. 28. They
plan to vote on the issue at
their Sept. 11 board meeting.
–——
Contact Jayati Ra-
makrishnan at 541-564-
4534 or jramakrishnan@
hermistonherald.com.
continued from Page A1
In
addition,
service
groups interested in provid-
ing canteen duties at upcom-
ing blood drives are urged
to call Perkins at 541-571-
5372.
• • •
Students in the region
recently cashed in as Com-
munity Bank’s Earn While
You Learn Program has
set an all-time high in cash
awards paid to student-cus-
tomers for their academic
success.
For the 2017 pay-out peri-
od, 748 students in the East-
ern Oregon and southeast
Washington area received
deposits for their academic
success. Community Bank’s
Contest recognizes librarians
The I Love My Librarian Award encourages library
users to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional
public, school, college, community college or universi-
ty librarians. Each year, up to 10 librarians are selected.
Each librarian receives a $5,000 cash award, a plaque
and a travel stipend to attend the awards ceremony and
reception in New York City, hosted by Carnegie Cor-
poration of New York. In 2016 more than 1,100 library
patrons submitted detailed stories regarding how their
librarian had an impact on their communities and lives.
To be eligible, a nominee must be a librarian with
a master’s degree from a program accredited by the
American Library Association in library and informa-
tion studies or a master’s degree with a specialty in
school library media from an educational unit accred-
ited by the National Council for the Accreditation of
Teacher Education. Nominations are accepted through
Monday, Sept. 18. For more information, visit www.
ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian. For questions, con-
tact Heather Cho of the American Library Association
at 312-280-4020 or hcho@ala.org.
WORSHIP
BY THE WAY
BTW
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017
FROM PAGE A1
student customers earned a
total of $17,135.
Since the bank’s program
began in 2011, earnings have
steadily increased. In the first
year, 190 students were paid
$3,895. This year’s payouts
bring the program’s grand to-
tal of academic award mon-
ey to $79,608.
The program is designed
to encourage students in their
academic success by award-
ing Community Bank
Youth Savings accounts
customers for good grades.
During the months of June
and July, all Community
Bank branches accepted end-
of-the-year report cards from
students in first through 12th
grades. For every top grade
in a main school subject,
Community Bank deposit-
ed $1 into their Community
Bank Youth Savings Ac-
count.
Community Bank was
founded in 1955 by a group
of Joseph business leaders as
the Bank of Wallowa Coun-
ty. Since then, it has grown
to 14 branches, including
one in Hermiston. For more
information, visit www.com-
munitybanknet.com.
• • •
Longtime Hermiston res-
ident Sally Peatow sent a
letter recently, saying how
much she appreciated the
customer service at Goss
Jewelers. Here’s what she
had to say:
I was delighted with a
jewelry repair done by Goss
Jewelers last spring and so
I took my Black Hills Gold
band in to see if they could
replace a leaf that was lost
from the band.
They investigated if they
could find a source for a re-
placement theme, but cau-
tioned me that it was prob-
ably unlikely, since Black
Hills Gold jewelry is sold as
a whole. They even tried to
find a source that might have
“scrap” pieces. This was a
dead end, too.
I appreciate the time and
care they took to try to com-
plete this repair. I would
highly recommend them
as my jeweler of choice in
Hermiston.
• • •
You can submit items
for our weekly By The Way
column by emailing your
tips to editor@hermiston-
herald.com or share them
on social media using the
hashtag #HHBTW. Follow
the Hermiston Herald on
Twitter at @Hermiston-
Herald.
COMMUNITY
First Christian Church
“Proclaiming the Message of Hope,
Living the Gospel of Love”
Bible School: 9:15am
Worship Gathering: 10:30am
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
567-8241
855 W. Highland • Hermiston
ENERGY
SAVINGS
ARE IN YOUR
FUTURE
THREE WAYS YOU CAN COMMAND
YOUR HOME ENERGY DESTINY
LIGHTING
ELECTRONICS
HEATING
Install ENERGY STAR® LED
bulbs to cut your energy use
by as much as 85 percent.
LEDs are available in many
styles to fit all the rooms in
your home and you’ll save even
more in the long run because
they’ll last up to 20 times
longer than standard bulbs.
Unplug battery chargers for
mobile phones, tablets, laptops
and other devices when not in
use—they use energy even when
they’re not actively charging
anything. Group your electronics
together on power strips so you
can switch them off when you’re
done using everything.
Save on heating costs by
lowering the thermostat to
65-68 degrees when you’re
home, and to 58-60 degrees
at night or when you’re
away. Upgrade to a smart
thermostat to make these
kinds of energy-saving
changes automatically.
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
t. PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church
who welcomes all.
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children’s Church &
Nursery Available
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
541-567-8441
Grace Baptist Church
21 N. Bonanza Street, Echo OR
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
Phone: (541) 376-8108
Sunday School • 9:30am
Worship • 10:45am
Children’s Church • 11:15am
Potluck & Communion ~
First Sunday of the Month
Nursery provided for all services
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:45 AM
6:00 PM
Wed Prayer & Worship - 7:00 PM
“Proclaiming God’s word,
growing in God’s grace”
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
DAILY MASS: Monday-Friday
...............................English 7:00 am
Thursday...............Spanish 6:00 pm
SATURDAY:.........English 5:00 pm
...............................Spanish 7:00 pm
SUNDAY:..............English 9:00 am
..........................Bilingual 11:00 am
..............................Spanish 1:00 pm
Offi ce..............................567-5812
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com
First United
Methodist
Church
Hermiston
191 E. Gladys Ave , Hermiston OR
Worship 10:00 AM
“come as you are”
Get more from your energy. Call us at 1.866.368.7878
or visit www.energytrust.org/homes.
Serving customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power,
NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista.
235 SW 3rd
Phone 567-7678
Rev. Ed Baker - Rev. Nina Baker
Sunday:
Sunday School........10:00 am
Worship...................11:00 am
Evening Service........7:00 pm
Wednesday Service..7:00 pm
“Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.”
1 Pet. 5:7
Echo
Community Church
1255 Hwy. 395 S. • 567-5834
oasisvineyard.us
+
The Full Gospel
Home Church
1520 W ORCHARD AVE
Sunday Worship Service
10:30 am Classes for Kids @ 9:15 am
SEEKING JESUS, SHARING LIFE,
SERVING PEOPLE
www.hermistonnazarene.org
Sunday Worship 11am • 541-567-3002
Nursery available Check us out on Face Book
Worship Livestream at herfumc.com
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor
To share your
worship times
call
541-278-2678