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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2020)
NEWS Wednesday, august 19, 2020 HeRMIstOnHeRaLd.COM • A3 Car club cultivates project for Funland By TAMMY MALGESINI FOR tHe HeRMIstOn HeRaLd A group of car enthusi- asts recently plowed for- ward, logging in more than 400 hours while restoring a circa 1955 tractor. Larry Storment, past pres- ident of Hermiston Classics Car Club, said Larry Fet- ter, director of Hermiston Parks & Recreation, con- tacted him this past spring to see if the group was inter- ested in the effort. Storment, who shared some pictures and presented the idea to fellow club members, said to his knowledge, the club had never taken on a tractor project. However, they were quickly on board. “Nuts and bolts are nuts and bolts,” Storment said. “It doesn’t make a differ- ence what it’s on when tear- ing something apart and putting it back together.” Donated by Bill Elfer- ing, a Umatilla County com- missioner, the Massey-Har- ris #333 row-crop tractor IMESD offers virtual academy By JADE MCDOWELL neWs edItOR The Intermountain Edu- cation Service District has partnered with its 18 school districts to create Virtual Academies, a new online option for students. According to a news release, the online school- ing option will be differ- ent than the comprehen- sive distance learning that schools will offer until students are able to be in the classroom with their teacher. The IMESD has hired teachers specifically for Virtual Academies, and students can use the acad- emy all year even if their district returns to in-person classes. “While many of our districts have already had these in place, the con- stantly changing needs, especially recently with school closures, of educat- ing students have height- ened the necessity to offer stronger online options,” Erin Lair, IMESD’s direc- tor of teaching and learn- ing, said in a statement. Students who enroll in the program will remain enrolled in their home dis- trict, and still be able to access the benefits of being in that district, including extracurricular activities and technical support. The districts also benefit from keeping the student enrolled in their district by being able to retain the state funding for that stu- dent. Marie Shimer, direc- tor of educational services for Morrow County School District, said that helps the district financially, but the concept is also about fol- lowing students who in some cases started kinder- garten in the district all the way through to graduation. “Of course, we don’t want our enrollment to decrease, we want our budgets to remain sta- ble,” she said in the news release, “but also, these are our kids, our students and they live in our commu- nities. As a public school, we are committed to their success.” Hermiston School Dis- trict is not a member of the IMESD, but families in other Eastern Oregon dis- tricts involved in the edu- cation service district can contact their school dis- trict for details about how to enroll their student in a virtual academy. Photo contributed by Larry Fetter Umatilla County Commissioner Bill Elfering shows off the restored 1955 tractor he is donating to the Funland playground project. had been sitting idle on his property just east of Herm- iston for the better part of 15 years. While he often pon- dered restoring it, Elfering decided to give it to the city of Hermiston for its Funland Playground project at Butte Park. Fetter said the tractor will be among some “authentic pieces” that will provide a connection to the region’s heritage in one of the sec- tions of the park. The proj- ect replaces the community playground that was lost in a suspected arson fire in May 2019. Fetter said in addi- tion to a farming/agriculture area, Funland will feature an Adventure Zone and a sec- tion highlighting the Wild West. It’s Fetter’s hope that additional tractors will be donated in the future. With the intention of tap- ping into the commission- er’s connections with area farmers, Fetter asked Elfer- ing if he knew anyone that had “a cool old tractor.” Fet- ter didn’t need to look any further as Elfering offered up the Massey-Harris that his father, John, purchased brand new more than six decades ago. “I grew up on that trac- tor,” Elfering said. “It was what I would call a stud of a tractor. It was top of the line.” Elfering’s father, who was the Malheur County sheriff, raised mostly feed crops, including hay and corn, as well as some irri- gated wheat. In addition, Elfering has fond memo- ries of family holiday gath- erings when his dad hitched up a cattle feeder as a make- shift sled. “Everyone squealed and had a great time being pulled around,” Elfering said. created some cover-ups and manufactured parts to ensure the equipment was child safe. “It sat out in that field for a long time. We took a piece of machinery that didn’t look too good and brought it back to life,” Storment said. “I think it will be one of the biggest attractions of Fun- land park. I think the kids will really enjoy it.” Fetter agreed, saying, “They just did a fantas- tic job. I’m quite thrilled to have it in our very cool park.” Groundbreaking for the Funland Playground project was held July 29. While the completion date is depen- dent on fall weather, Fet- ter is hoping for an October completion date. The community can still purchase engraved fence pickets, which are $100 for individual and family names or $250 for a busi- ness name. Orders and pay- ment can be made online at bit.ly/funlandpicket. Hermiston School District releases school day outline districts ban transfers between schools By JADE MCDOWELL AND ANTONIO SIERRA staFF WRIteRs As the start to the 2020- 21 school year draws closer, Hermiston School District has released a “snapshot” of what fami- lies can expect in a typical school day. School will start at 8:30 a.m. in order to give students time to get their materials organized and log in to their devices and learning platforms for the day, according to the snap- shot. The first day of school is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8. From 8:30 a.m. until noon, students will engage in “teacher-facilitated learning.” That learning will be a mixture of live video interactions with teachers and other students, and watching prerecorded materials. “Teacher-facilitated learning will be both recorded and live sessions to allow flexibility for your student and family,” Bryn Browning, assistant super- intendent, said in a news release. From there, students will be expected to take a lunch break from noon to 12:30 before beginning indi- vidualized learning until 2:30 p.m. That time period can be used for one-on-one or small group sessions with teachers, completing homework, collaborating with other students, read- ing, listening to music or “creating.” Unlike the distance learning offered in the spring, according to a “Frequently Asked Questions” document released by the district, students will be given letter grades and atten- dance will be taken daily. Individual schools and teachers will con- tact families with more detailed schedules for their student before the school year begins, the district stated, but they should “plan on the morning time for full online participation and some teacher interaction Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Hallways at Armand Larive Middle School and other schools throughout Hermiston will be empty to start the school year as the district looks to begin the school year with distance learning. “WE ALL NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO GET OUR STUDENTS BACK IN SCHOOL. ... WITH THE VARIOUS SIZES OF DISTRICTS IN OUR COUNTIES, EACH MAY OFFER DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING.” Tricia Mooney, Hermiston School District Superintendent as well in the afternoons.” Transfers Eastern Oregon school districts, including Herm- iston, are offering families choices between enrolling in long-term virtual acad- emies hosted by their dis- trict or temporarily partici- pating in distance learning with a hope of transition- ing the student into that teacher’s physical class- room for in-person learn- ing later in the year. The districts have agreed to suspend most transfers between districts, however. Banding together as a region, the 12 school dis- tricts of Umatilla and Mor- row counties signed a pact that will freeze new trans- fers among these districts for the 2020-21 school year. The moratorium went into effect on the same day the letter was dated, although students who had transferred into districts prior to the moratorium would be allowed to stay at their schools. “The (superinten- dents of) Umatilla and Morrow (counties) have long shared a collabora- tive working relationship in the best interest of our families and students,” the Aug. 4 letter states. “We value school choice and worked very hard to honor our families’ decisions. For years, we accomplished this through the interdis- trict transfer process. “Unfortunately, the cur- rent COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted how our schools will oper- ate this year. As we plan for the many challenges we face, we made the dif- ficult decision to suspend the interdistrict transfer process for the 2020-2021 school year.” In an email, Hermis- ton School District Super- intendent Tricia Mooney wrote that her district actu- ally saw a net loss from transfers, with more than 100 students transferring out than in the district. Mooney further explained why the Hermis- ton School District joined the effort. “We all need to work together to get our stu- dents back in school,” she wrote. “We need to be able to establish stable cohorts and provide consistency in instruction as we move through the school year. With the various sizes of districts in our coun- ties, each may offer dif- ferent opportunities for learning.” RECYCLE! CARDBOARD • NEWSPAPER • GLASS • TIN • ALUMINUM EIGHT LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU! 149 E. Main St., Hermiston Unfortunately, we have temporarily closed. We welcome you to visit our sister restaurant & bar T HE RUSTIC TRUCK 100 Hwy 730, Irrigon, OR • 541-922-4374 1. Hermiston - 220 W. Harper Rd. 2. Stanfield - W. Wood (by Grange Hall) 3. Echo - across from park (at City Hall) 4. Umatilla - Hwy 730 (next to Columbia Harvest Foods) 5. Umatilla County - Hwy 395 N. Dr. Dave Drotzmann and Dr. Kollan Arritt would like to welcome a new associate, a graduate from Indiana University practicing full scope optometry, specializing in Pediatrics. (next to transfer station) 6. Umatilla County - 81144 N. Hwy 395 7. Irrigon - 198 W. Columbia Lane 8. Boardman - SE Front Street REMEMBER: CONTAMINATION TURNS RECYCLABLES INTO TRASH! Sanitary Disposal, Inc. The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. eomediagroup.com When his mother, Goldia, was clearing out the family’s farm implements after John died in the early 1990s, Elfering jumped at the chance to bring the trac- tor to Hermiston. Exposed to the elements, every time he prepared to fire it up it took several days of work to get it running. A decade later, Elfering decided to buy a new tractor but kept the Massey-Harris with hopes of eventually bring- ing it back to life by restor- ing it. “When Larry came up with a need for it, I knew he had the people to do it,” Elfering said. “I thought it was the absolute best solu- tion with what I wanted to do and what Larry needed.” Storment said about 30 members of the car club put their time, energy and tal- ents into the project. The group took the tractor apart, sandblasted and power washed it before reassem- bling, and then painting it. As part of the process, they 1160 W. Elm Ave., Hermiston • 541-567-6623 • www.lvseyedoc.com Hermiston/McNary Hwy • Hermiston 541-567-8842
