A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2018
EDUCATION
Longtime librarian closes the book on career
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
Kristi Smalley’s first
impression of Hermiston is
not the one that has stuck
with her.
Smalley will retire this
month, after 36 years serv-
ing the Hermiston School
District as a teacher and
librarian for the elementary
schools.
But she still remembers
her initial reaction to finding
out about a job opening in
the town she’d grow to love.
It was August of 1982 and
Smalley, then 21, was just
out of college and apply-
ing to jobs in Colorado and
Montana.
“My mom told me
to apply for a job here,”
Smalley said. “I said, ‘It
smells like feedlots and
that’s where my dentist is.’
That’s what I equated Herm-
iston with.”
But Smalley took the job,
and two weeks later, was
standing in front of a class-
room full of first graders.
So began a long career
working with kids, and han-
dling the changes schools
and libraries have seen in the
past few decades.
As she prepares to step
back, Smalley said retire-
ment will require a mental
shift.
“It was a hard deci-
sion to make,” she said.
“So much of my identity is
‘I’m a teacher.’ But I don’t
think you ever stop being
a teacher. You just use that
skill in a different way.”
Smalley plans to use it
doing the things she loves
— volunteering in class-
rooms when she can, and
serving on the boards of
organizations such as the
ARC of Umatilla County
and Special Olympics,
where her daughter Jillian
is an athlete.
Smalley recalled some
of the highlights and shifts
Above, Kristi Smalley holds
a class photo of the first
class of students she taught
at Rocky Heights Elementary
in Hermiston.
At left, she shows the keys
to all the libraries she is
in charge of in the school
district.
Far left, Kristi Smalley will
retire this month after 36
years with the Hermiston
School District as a teacher
and librarian for the
elementary schools.
STAFF PHOTOS BY E.J. HARRIS
throughout her career. She
has stayed in contact with
some of her students, recall-
ing one girl in the first class
she ever taught, who is now
a teacher herself.
“She would send me post-
cards from exotic locales
where she was teaching,”
Smalley said, picking up a
photo of the woman teach-
ing in the Philippines. “One
of the cool things is having
someone like that who I stay
in touch with.”
In the mid-1990s, after
teaching everything from
first through sixth grade at
several different schools,
Smalley said her principal
told her about an opening
as the librarian at Highland
Hills.
She had recently had a
baby, and after a stint teach-
ing part-time, she was ready
to go back to a full-time
position.
“I decided it was proba-
bly a good fit for me,” she
said.
Despite the steep learn-
ing curve, Smalley said she
enjoyed the new role, work-
ing with all grade levels
and focusing on teaching
kids the proper ways to use
library resources.
As schools dealt with
budget cuts and changes,
she found herself at different
schools, or splitting her time
at two different schools.
In the late 2000s when
the recession hit, the district
laid off all but two of the
district’s librarians — one
for the secondary schools,
and one for all five elemen-
tary schools. Smalley said
her seniority in the district
meant she got to keep her
job.
But there were challenges
— having to establish rela-
tionships at each building,
and figure out the unique
needs of different schools
with limited time was tough,
Smalley said.
“You would think five
days a week and five
schools sounds real good,”
Smalley said. “But you
have holidays, Wednesday
early release. In this posi-
tion, you flow where you
need to go.”
She said she will some-
times find herself at all five
schools in one day, and her
tasks have shifted from the
frequent lessons she was
able to do when she was just
at one school.
“They’d get instruc-
tions on book selection, the
Dewey Decimal system,
how to search for books,”
Smalley said. “When I was
at one building, I felt like
the kids would exit with
some skills. But now it’s
impossible to give that level
of instruction — now it’s
instruction at the point of
need.”
Smalley credited library
assistants and teachers with
stepping in to fill some of
the instruction on how to use
library services. The bulk of
her time now goes to a few
other things: accelerated
reading testing, facilitating
the Battle of the Books pro-
gram, and some inventory
and library management.
But she said she still tries
to find as much time as pos-
sible to work one-on-one
with students.
“A teacher may come to
me and say they have a kid
that’s really not enjoying
reading,” she said. Smalley
enjoys helping those stu-
dents find books and sub-
jects that interest them.
She noted the major
changes in technology since
she started working in librar-
ies, from digitizing catalogs
to bringing in computers
with educational programs.
“We needed to make sure
computers are tools, not
toys,” she said.
Smalley said she’s happy
to pass the baton to her suc-
cessor, Megan Reeve, who
currently teaches in the
Hermiston School District.
“I’ve worked with her,
and she’s very supportive
of literacy, of reading and
of Battle of the Books,”
she said. “I’m very excited
about her carrying on the
traditions.”
District outlines graduation rules Seniors take Walk
Transportation
available to
new venue in
Kennewick
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
Hermiston’s graduation
this year will mark signif-
icant changes, both for the
individuals tossing their
caps, and for the school dis-
trict itself.
The 332 members of the
class of 2018 will be the
first to graduate at a venue
outside Hermiston, as their
ceremony will be held at
the Toyota Center in Ken-
newick on Thursday, June
7.
Billed by the school dis-
trict as a decision meant to
accommodate the growing
number of graduates and
their families, the district
is also providing transpor-
tation for those families to
get to the venue, which is
about 30 miles away from
Hermiston.
The Toyota Center is at
7000 W. Grandridge Blvd.,
Kennewick, Wash.
The district is provid-
ing buses for parents to and
from Kennewick, but dis-
trict spokesperson Maria
Duron said the high school
already sent a letter inform-
ing parents that they need
to sign up if they want to
use school transportation.
The deadline was May
11, she said, but if parents
missed the deadline and
still need transportation,
they should contact coun-
seling secretary Tammy
Gattis as soon as possi-
ble. Families taking school
transportation to Kenne-
wick need to be at the high
school parking lot by 5:45
p.m.
Gattis can be reached at
541-667-6125 or at tammy.
gattis@hermistonsd.org.
Graduates will be bused
up to the Toyota Center on
the day of graduation, and
will need to be at the high
school by 5 p.m.
Graduation will also be
live-streamed at the dis-
trict’s YouTube channel. To
find it, family members can
search “HSD Communica-
tions” on YouTube.
Duron said there are
some clothing require-
ments
for
graduating
seniors. Those students are
not allowed to wear shorts
or flip-flops, and caps
and gowns are to remain
intact, with no additional
decorations.
Though it’s been a com-
mon practice at previous
graduations, Duron said
things like noisemakers,
silly string and confetti
will not be allowed in the
Toyota Center, and flow-
ers are not allowed on the
floor with graduates. Out-
side food and beverages are
also not allowed in the Toy-
ota Center.
“Due to the fact that
there will be subsequent
graduations other than just
ours, it is imperative that
the above rules are fol-
lowed,” Duron said in a
written statement.
A professional photogra-
phy studio, LifeTouch, will
be taking photos of individ-
ual students during the cer-
emony, and will be avail-
able for purchase.
The
after-graduation
party will be at the Tri-
City Court Club after the
ceremony.
Five students win Kiwanis scholarships
The Hermiston Kiwanis
Club recently announced it
awarded a handful of $1,000
scholarships.
Flor Pena and Laura
Wells each received a
Perry Johnson Post-Sec-
ondary Education Schol-
arship. Both members of
the Hermiston High School
class of 2018, Pena has been
accepted at several univer-
sities and plans to pursue a
degree in nursing, and Wells
will attend Whitworth Uni-
versity to study engineering
with a minor in physics.
Russell Dorran Memo-
rial Scholarships were
awarded to Carla Medel, a
2017 HHS graduate who
is currently enrolled and
studying psychology at Ore-
gon State University; Alexis
Myers, who will study agri-
cultural communication at
Utah State University; and
Eric Santana, who plans to
enroll at the University of
Portland to study account-
ing and business manage-
ment. Both Myers and San-
tana are graduating from
HHS this week.
The scholarships are
given in memory of a pair
of past Kiwanis members.
Dorran was a charter mem-
ber of the club, as well as
the Hermiston Elks Lodge,
Hermiston
Development
Corporation and the Blue
Mountain Community Col-
lege board. Johnson was a
Baptist minister who sup-
ported youth services and
education.
The scholarship appli-
cants were evaluated on
academic
achievements,
financial need, and lead-
ership and service activi-
ties within their school and
community. For more infor-
mation about the Kiwanis
scholarship program, write
P.O. Box 375, Hermiston,
OR 97838.
Myers
Pena
Santana Lopez
Wells
of Fame through
former schools
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
Graduation isn’t until
Thursday, but Hermis-
ton High School students
got an excuse to don their
caps and gowns last week
for the school’s “Walk of
Fame.”
The purple-clad senior
class strolled the halls
of their old elementary
schools Friday as students
clapped and cheered,
then took a second walk
back through Hermis-
ton High School, led by a
group of drummers. They
ended up in the commons,
where each student had
the opportunity to sign a
poster board with “Four
Year College,” “Military”
or other post-graduation
plans written on them.
Larry Usher, athletic/
activities director for the
high school, congratulated
the Class of 2018 and told
them to have fun and make
their hometown proud. He
told students he could see
it in their eyes that many of
them were nervous about
what was next, but they
didn’t need to be.
“The best part of your
life is about to begin,” he
told them.
The students will walk
across the stage to receive
their diploma Thursday —
the first Hermiston class to
do so at the Toyota Cen-
ter in the Tri-Cities. Senior
Jakelyn Pacheco said she
could hardly believe the
big day was coming up so
soon.
Pacheco said she chose
to walk through the halls of
Rocky Heights Elementary
School, where she attended
for four years.
“I saw two of my teach-
ers, and it was so nice to
see them after so long,” she
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
BY SHARA GIORDANO
Graduating seniors walk
through the halls of Highland
Hills Elementary School
during the Walk of Fame on
Friday. For more photos, see
A13.
said. “We took pictures.”
She said it was amazing
to “see the little kids look-
ing up to you, and you want
to set a good example.”
Daniel Studebaker had a
similar reaction. He didn’t
move to Hermiston until
seventh grade, but chose to
visit West Park Elementary
School to be an inspiration
to his cousins who attend
there.
“It was crazy, all these
kids looking up to you like
you’re Superman,” he said.
“It opens your eyes.”
Studebaker post-gradu-
ation plans are for service
in the Coast Guard, and he
said while he’s excited, “it
hasn’t really hit me yet.”
April Brooks is enlist-
ing in the Army National
Guard and then plans
to study law at Portland
State University. She said
she did her Walk of Fame
through Sunset Elementary
School.
“It was really cool and
the kids were so cute,” she
said.