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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2017)
INSIDE ANNUAL FALL SPORTS PREVIEW SECTION Hermiston Herald HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 GREAT GRADUATION SITE $1.00 INSIDE DEBATE THREE MINUTES WITH MEET TABITHA MENDENHALL, OWNER OF UNIQUE HAIR SALON PAGE A2 SOCCER OPENERS HERMISTON SQUADS GET 2 WINS IN SEASON-OPENING DOUBLE HEADER. PAGE A9 BIGHAUS ON HARKIE FORMER HERALD SPORTS EDITOR BILL BIGHAUS REMEMBERS FORMER MAYOR, SPORTS FAN. PAGE A6 CANINE KIDS FILE PHOTO FILE PHOTO COMMUNITY EDITOR TAMMY MALGESINI’S FAMILY LIFE HAS GONE TO THE DOGS. PAGE A6 BY THE WAY Column inspires social media group site on Facebook STAFF PHOTO E.J. HARRIS CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY MITCH LEWIS. Clockwise from top left: 1) Hermiston High School has held graduation in the high school’s gym in past years. 2) Hermiston Mayor David Drotzmann greats visitors during ceremonies to open Kennison Field in 2013. 3) The Toyota Center in Kennewick is one of four options Hermiston School District is considering for graduation. 4) Rodeo announcer Randy Corley watches Brady Nicholes of Hoysville, Utah, ride Duck Butter in saddle bronc riding at the new Farm-City Pro Rodeo Arena in Hermiston. The new arena is one of the venues school offi cials are considering for a graduation location. Hermiston School District board weighs pros, cons and costs of diff erent graduation venues By JADE McDOWELL STAFF WRITER C results of a community survey as well as the pros, cons and price tags associ- ated with each of four options for future graduation sites. The school board will likely put the decision to a vote at its next meeting. “Whatever the choice is, we need to get that information out so that plans can be made,” board chair Karen Sher- man said. Hermiston High School gym ommunity members have chosen the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center as their top choice for a high school graduation venue, but Hermiston School District is still weighing its op- tions. At a school board work session Monday, director of operations Brad Wayland presented the board with the About 54 percent of community members said they are “very dissatis- fi ed” with the district’s current practice of holding graduation in the Hermiston High School gym, which only holds 2,200 people including graduates and staff. Hermiston’s growing student popu- lation has limited each student to fi ve tickets for friends and family, and Way- land said there was a good chance that number would be reduced to four this school year. The venue also presents safety and visibility issues with so many people packed inside the gym, and has limited accommodations for guests with disabilities. On the positive side, the indoor gym does not require a back-up location in case of inclement weather, the district has full control over the venue in the weeks leading up to the event, and the school is a source of community pride. Wayland said the district spent about $11,883 on graduation in 2016, includ- ing audio/visual rentals and upgrades, staff time for set-up, decorations, and an array of preparations the district See DEBATE, Page A14 Even staff must adjust to changing schools By JADE McDOWELL STAFF WRITER Hermiston’s fi rst day of school continued a tradition of enrolling plenty of new students on the fi rst day, but some of the “new kids” this year are on the staff. Laura Jacobsma, principal of Desert View Elementary School, had her fi rst day of school in Hermiston School District Mon- day, as did Christie Petersen, who joined the district as principal of Sunset Elementary School. After popping in and out of classrooms all day, Jacobsma wrapped up with a short assem- bly to introduce herself and all of the school’s teachers to a gym full of children wiggly with fi rst- day energy. STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Sunset Elementary School principal Christie Petersen has a background in English as a Second Language and literacy development. “I am so excited to be here to- day, and so excited to have you all with me,” she told the stu- dents. “We have been preparing ourselves all summer to have you back in school so it’s a really ex- citing time.” Afterward, as she got ready to help direct the year’s fi rst bus- and-parent pick-up, she said she felt the fi rst day had gone well. “There’s been lots of excite- ment and smiles,” she said. After the fi rst day it’s hard to tell where enrollment numbers will settle, as the school’s staff were handling last-minute regis- trations all day but also taking note of students who hadn’t shown up for the start of the school year. Jacobsma, who came to the dis- trict from Eugene, said she’s still learning about Hermiston School District and its students, but there are many similarities between all school districts. So far, she’s just See NEW YEAR, Page A14 We now have a group page on Facebook to go along with our weekly feature that runs in this space and we would invite you all to join us there. The group is called “By The Way, Hermiston” and is a place to share comments questions and interact with the Hermiston Herald staff on, well, whatever is on your mind. So, check it out, it’s free to join and participate in, or start, discussions on top- ics of interest to the greater Hermiston community. • • • Craig Engbretson, Don Obrist, Craig Lockwood and Randy Henderson recently pitched in to help with a beau- tifi cation project at Big River Golf Course in Umatilla. The foursome installed railroad ties along the fi rst and ninth holes. Megan Olsen, general manager, expressed apprecia- tion for the men’s efforts, say- ing it looks “fantastic.” Also, Olsen said the 2017 Thursday Night League is offi cially in the books and congratulations are in order to Josh Browning and Pat Kerrigan, who placed fi rst. Other top teams were Mike Webb and Gunner Olsen; Mike Frink and Keith Mor- See BY THE WAY, Page A14 Offi ce closed for holiday The offi ces for the Herm- iston Herald and East Ore- gonian, 333 E. Main Street, Hermiston, will be closed on Monday, Sept. 4, for the La- bor Day holiday. In general, if you need news or advertising sched- uled for the Sept. 6 issue of the Hermiston Herald, please contact our staff before 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31. The advertising deadlines for the Sept. 6 edition of the East Oregonian are also moved up to 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1.
