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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 12, 2019)
NEWS A12 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM Umatilla School District shows renovations funded by bond By JESSICA POLLARD STAFF WRITER The students at Clara Brownell Middle School can see more clearly since a $10.5 million 2016 school bond funded the construc- tion of new double-pane tinted windows in class- rooms, and much more for the school district. Umatilla School District Superintendent Heidi Sipe was pleased with the addi- tions to the school. “The windows are nice,” Sipe said. “Everything else is just what we needed.” Sipe led a tour of the school Friday, presenting the newly refurbished facil- ities to the public. The Oregon Energy Trust conducted studies during the remodeling process, which allowed the district to see the long-term projected costs of renovations. The studies focused on incorporating energy reduc- tion and environmental pro- tection into the new facil- ities. The process earned the district almost $70,000 in rebates, which were pre- sented at a check signing and dinner on Friday evening. The rebates, Sipe said, will in part go toward fi x- ing the air conditioning unit at Umatilla High School, which gave out just days before graduation. McNary Heights Ele- mentary, CBMS and UHS all received updated secu- rity systems, and updated HVAC systems with direct digital controls as part of the bond. MHES also received a new standalone gymnasium, complete with solar panels. The majority of the changes, however, can be seen at Clara Brownell. The basis for the recon- struction came from a pri- vately contracted report from the Wenaha Group, a Pendleton-based project management and consulting fi rm that specializes in edu- cation, tribal, public agency and health care projects. The report concluded, ulti- mately, that while Umatilla High School and McNary Elementary schools were in “fair” or “good” condi- tion, Clara Brownell Middle School was in “poor” condi- tion and required major ren- ovations or replacement. The doors and windows, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 Kicking and cattle ranching New Hermiston graduate has a head start on chosen career By JESSICA POLLARD STAFF WRITER Staff Photos by Jessica Pollard Above, the gym at CBMS was recently refurbished as part of $10.5 million bond project. Below, the hallways in CBMS now display the outlines of the Umatilla River. have been replaced to pro- vide better natural light and insulation. The plumbing and heat- ing systems called for a revamp. After digging through 6 inches of concrete to reach the plumbing system at CBMS, the school has been reoutfi tted. Students will now have regular hand- washing sinks in the bath- rooms, which are replacing foot pump troughs. The chimney on CBMS, which served as a landmark in some ways, according to Sipe, was taken down due to seismic concerns. Other upgrades funded by the bond include new sound-reducing rubber fl ooring in classrooms, and hallway fl oors painted to look like the confl uence of the Umatilla River. The bond was the fi rst passed in the district since 1998 when Umatilla High School was constructed. In 2006, a $6.5 mil- lion bond was proposed to help construct a new Clara Brownell school build- ing. The bond was defeated 510-436. In 2008, another bond was proposed which would help alleviate overcrowd- ing at McNary Elementary School by building 14 new classrooms as well as four modular classrooms at Clara Brownell. The potential to pass the bond seemed promising when 46% of voters claimed they would “fully or some- what” support a school bond that May. But, due to what Sipe thinks were economic stress- ors caused by job layoffs, the bond failed. The district forged onward with the ren- ovations, using $2.2 million in district funds. “This time we knew not to ask for any more,” Sipe said. As Sipe walked the tour out from the CBMS cafe- teria Friday afternoon, she pointed out to a patch of ceiling they couldn’t afford to repair during renovations. Twenty or so years from now, Sipe hopes that another bond could pass. This time, possibly to aid the construc- tion of a K-2 building on a plot of land owned by the school district on South Hill. Thank you to the following businesses for supporting Newspapers in Education Their generous support of the Hermiston Herald NIE program helps provide copies of the newspaper and unlimited access to HermistonHerald.com and the e-Edition to to schools schools throughout throughout the the community. community. Emilio Leal recently signed his letter of intent to play soccer at Walla Walla Community College in the coming fall. But fancy foot- work is not the only trick up the recent Hermiston High School graduate’s sleeve. In fact, earlier in the day, before the Hermiston Her- ald came by to interview him, Leal had hopped on his horse Lucero to rope his neighbor’s cow, which had jumped a neighboring fence “It’s a Texas Longhorn, they’re more wild,” he said. At 18 years old, Leal himself is the owner of 16 head of Angus cattle on his family’s property in Hermiston. His neighbor, whom he fondly refers to as Grandpa, helped to pave the way. When he was younger, Leal longed to be a veteri- narian. After much thought, cattle ranching won his heart over. “There’s always some- thing going wrong.” he said, “We have to readjust, rethink, and solve the prob- lem. I like the thrill of it.” He hopes he will be able to learn a lot about animals by continuing his ranch. Leal will study business and agriculture this fall in hopes of one day expand- ing his cattle operation. He will be the fi rst person in his family to attend college. After gaining his associates degree, he plans to go on to a four-year university. “I never had the help that most kids have, [which] pushed me to get into it myself,” Leal said. “This is all new for me and my par- ents. As much help as they can give me, they’re right there.” A soccer scholarship will help cover some of the tuition next year. Leal has been playing Staff Photo by Jessica Pollard Emilio Leal stands near his neighbor’s steer. soccer since he was 4 years old. He’s known cows for a long time too. “It got to the point where I grew up with them,” he said. In his youth, his father would buy two new cows for Leal every year. The deal was, if he fed the cows every morning and night, one day they would be his. Day in and day out, Leal rose early before school to tend to the cattle. He rushed home afterwards to feed them before sunset. By middle school, caring for the cows became more of a real job. “The wintertime [was] hard because it usually got dark at 4:30. School got out at 3:25 and I had to hurry home,” he remembers. By age 16, the cattle were fully in his possession and he could start buying and selling steer. It was a lot of work, but some of growing up was fun and games. He and his father would ride horses around the neighborhood during the summer Emilio remembers rid- ing his horse to the corner store to get a soda, tying him up to a post like one might a puppy. In the summer, the cat- tle require less attention, which leaves room for some much needed social- izing. When he’s feeling persuasive, Emilio has his friends come up to the farm to help out. “It’s usually lifting bales of hay,” he said. Emilio says his dad, who passed away last year, played a large part in his success as a soccer player and cattle rancher. He encouraged Emilio never to skip a practice, and to enjoy the wild ride that is raising cattle. “Homework was always a hard thing. I’d come home and my dad would always have something for us to do,” Emilio said. But he graduated with a scholarship, and a “program completion” in marketing. He will miss the tight familiarity of his soccer team, and happily recalls the three-hour road trips they used to take together to get to tournaments, back before Hermiston High School joined the Washing- ton Interscholastic Activi- ties Association. He’s ready, however, for his soccer team next year. “Now it’s at a point where you really have to work for a position,” Emilio said. He’s excited to live with a friend in Walla Walla during college, and to come back on the week- ends, when he will continue to care for his cattle. “I always keep forward. I’m going forward,” Emilio said. “In soccer, my dad has always said the exact same thing: ‘Don’t go back! 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