Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 2020)
NEWS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 New softball complex gets started By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR As they stood on a wide expanse of gravel behind Hermiston High School, members of the school’s softball team could list all sorts of benefi ts to the new softball complex that will be built at the site: “No more potholes out in the outfi eld.” “No more goatheads.” “No more slippery home plate.” “No more sitting on chipped plywood getting splinters in your booty.” Kendyl Inners said the thing she will look forward to most is not having to rush through changing in the high school’s locker room, and then fi gure out how to get the entire team over to the current softball fi elds at Rocky Heights Elementary School with a limited num- ber of vehicles. “Also, people can know where the softball fi elds are and watch us play,” she said. While the girls have enjoyed their time playing softball for HHS, they are excited at the prospect of a brand new, state-of-the-art complex right on their own campus. Coach Rebecca Pridmore shares their enthu- siasm. She said one feature she is particularly looking forward to is having a dug- out, because for her, gath- ering with her team in a dugout for the fi rst time in college was a real “aha moment.” “The girls and I are really excited for this,” she said. “They work really hard, so they deserve this.” Hermiston School Dis- trict broke ground on the project on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The new fi elds are the fi rst step in the school dis- trict’s collection of projects that will be paid for by the $82.7 million bond voters passed in November 2019. Other projects include a larger Rocky Heights Ele- mentary School, a new ele- mentary school recently christened Loma Vista Ele- mentary School, a new annex added on to the high school and improvements to parking and pick-up lanes at some schools. “We’re here to celebrate a major milestone in our bond projects,” Superinten- dent Tricia Mooney told the crowd at the site. Athletic Director Larry Usher said the softball team has been a “bright spot” in the district’s athletic pro- grams and he was glad they were fi nally getting the state-of-the-art complex they deserve, similar to the teams that play on Kennison Field. The $2 million project includes two softball fi elds with stands and dugouts plus storage, and a building with restrooms and concessions. The high school’s baseball fi eld nearby is also getting a major renovation. Usher said the location on the high school campus will be more convenient than Rocky Heights, and should also give students more of a sense of ownership of the space. He said the district is Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Hermiston School District Superintendent Tricia Mooney hands out hard hats to members of the Hermiston High School softball team during a groundbreaking for the district’s new softball complex on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. grateful to the voters who supported the bond. “I think the community is really going to love seeing this piece of property used for something so benefi cial to the kids,” he said. Shovels sit in the dirt at the site of Hermiston High School’s new softball complex during its groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Members of the Hermiston High School softball team pose for a picture at the groundbreaking for the district’s new softball complex on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. Distance learning brings challenges for support staff By CASEY-WHITE ZOLLMAN FOR THE HERMISTON HERALD HELP WITH LEARNING For the last seven years, Erika Esparza has looked forward to the start of the school year bring- ing laughter and smiles back to the halls of Sunset Elementary School in Hermiston, where she works as the lead secretary. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the hallways at Sunset and all of the other west Umatilla County schools remain quiet and empty. “It’s a big change for us,” Esparza said. “We’re used to hear- ing the kiddos’ laughter, and par- ents stopping by to see us or have lunch with their kids. We don’t get to see many folks these days.” Support staff at schools are fi nd- ing the impacts of distance learn- ing to be just as challenging as their teacher colleagues. With all hands on deck to provide support to families, some support staff are learning new skills on top of their regular duties. “We’ve become IT here in the offi ce because we’re taking calls from parents trying to troubleshoot logging onto to their kid’s Chrome- book or their student’s email or something else that isn’t work- ing,” Esparza said. “We have some of those resources at our hands to help without them having to go to their teacher or to IT. We lit- erally walk them through step- by-step as much as we can, but sometimes there’s only so much we can do.” Getting creative about how 541-567-0272 2150 N. First St., Hermiston September 29 - October 4 Call ahead and use our Drive thru. Purchase a face mask inside for $5-$7 1 Take and Bake Pizza! $ .00 OFF For families running into tech- nical diffi culties with distance learning, Hermiston School District is now off ering evening assistance. From 4-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, parents can stop by the Hermiston School District offi ces at 305 S.W. 11th St. to get help with Chromebooks, Wi-Fi hot spots, where to access infor- mation and how to communi- cate with teachers. Bilingual help is available, and masks and social distancing are required in the building. Photo contributed by Cristal Delgado Cristal Delgado, a counselor for McNary Heights Elementary School, shows how she connects virtually with students to talk to students during distance learning. back with distance learning that I wanted to do something different,” said Longhorn, who’s in her 22nd year with Echo Schools. “The stu- dents can get tired of the same old sandwich, so I’m trying to make it as much like normal — when they’d be at school — as possible.” That means packaging meals like spaghetti with instructions for reheating so students can have a lunch at home during the week. Longhorn said she has learned to be specifi c with her instructions for meals for students who are trying to heat meals on their own. to continue to serve students and families is necessary. Longtime Echo School Food Service Direc- tor Tera Longhorn said she’s tried to fi nd ways to continue to provide comfort foods and warm meals to students, even with the challenges of delivering those meals. When the district fi rst closed school in March, she prepared prepackaged or cold meals. Now she’s switch- ing things up as Echo delivers meals directly to students’ houses. “I decided when we came PET OF THE W EEK Sausey is a precious boy who is approx 10 months old. He is good with cats and dogs. He will be ready for his forever home at the end of the month. BOGO FREE (Free item must be of equal or lesser value) WEEK LONG SALE 20% Off 50% Off Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM Eugenio Mannucci, DVM, cVMA • Jana von Borstel, DVM, cVMA Small and Large Animal Care Mon: 8-6 Tue - Fri: 8-5 Sat: 8-12 Emergency Service 541.567.1138 MEET SAUSEY (New Menu Items Weekly) All Summer Clothing 80489 Hwy 395 N Hermiston www.oregontrailvet.com Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, animal shelters need our help more than ever. Please donate to your local shelter, or offer to foster an animal in need. All Solaray Products Reg Retail on Clearance Items Please maintain 6 feet social distancing while in the store. too, and Delgado is doing what she can to support teaching staff. “First and foremost, I want to support the teachers,” she said. “If I know the teachers are in a healthy mental place, then I know they can be the best teacher they can be for the kids.” Delgado has created a teacher survival kit with inspiring vid- eos for McNary teachers, and she facilitates a support group on Fri- day mornings, and has provided valuable information on self-care. Making sure she takes care of her- self is also a priority for Delgado. “I do think sometimes people forget (counselors) are also humans and we hear a lot of things,” Del- gado said. “When we hear things from parents or children who come in, you have to have coping strate- gies and ways to debrief after those conversations. I can’t take care of everyone else if I don’t take care of myself.” For Delgado, that includes run- ning and having her own support group, including keeping in close contact with other counselors in the district. “It’s hard to turn it off when you know these kids need you and the teachers need you,” she said. “It’s a challenge, and it’s a new challenge.” You’re invited to a DAILY LUNCH SPECIAL $6.95 ONE DAY SALE October 2 nd 8 am -6 pm “I had to fi nd the right packag- ing materials, put a label on it with how to cook it, and then anticipate what the kid’s going to do with that meal when they’re at home,” she said. “I realized I needed to add another label that instructed them to take the sandwich out of the foil before putting it in the microwave. I didn’t have to think about things like that before.” All who work in schools are having to do their jobs differently, which has caused signifi cant stress and anxiety for many staff mem- bers and students alike. Cristal Delgado, a counselor at McNary Heights Elementary School in Umatilla, said she’s seen a “huge” increase in anxiety with distance learning and the kids not being in their classrooms with their friends and teachers. “Anxiety can show in so many different ways,” Delgado said. “Living in the unknown has been especially hard for these kids. I want them to know I support you, I’m listening and I got you.” Delgado created a survey for students to use emojis to express how they’re feeling, “and they all expressed that they want to go back to school and see their teach- ers and their friends.” Their teachers want to see them, If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application. If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838 Are you turning 65 in the next year? Join one of our Medicare Birthday Parties on Oct. 1 or Oct. 6, 2-4pm to learn all about Medicare! All are welcome to join and hear about Medicare, Open Enrollment and find coverage that’s right for you. Attend in person or virtually.
