Fallon County
T IMES May 22, 2020
BAKER, MONTANA
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No Memorial Day services
Memorial Day services WILL NOT be held at Bonnievale Cemetery in Baker or Union Cemetery in Plevna on Monday, May 29. Flags will still be put out by American Legion Fallon Post #35.
Times Office closed
The Fallon County Times will be closed Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day. Deadline will remain the same, Tuesday at 2 p.m. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.
Melby calling end to long shop tenure Rachel Rost
Alissa Schell
Katie Wang
Lena Kennel
Caleb Ploeger
These pictures were taken following the social distancing guidelines.
Graduation in the Times of COVID-19 By Carole Bettenhausen
The class of 2020 always knew they were special. Born in the shadow of 9/11, they grew up listening to their family’s stories of that day and the aftermath; they grew up listening to stories of how strangers stepped up to help out each other; they grew up listening to stories of why older siblings had decided to join the military to fight America’s latest threat. They grew up during a time of economic prosperity and they were confident that graduation from high school was a step that would launch them into a world they had dreamed of and where they had a myriad of choices. Go to college? Sure, fill out this application and you’re in. Take a gap year and travel the world? Sure, get your passport and a backpack and you’re all set to go. Find a job in the oilfield? Sure, learn to get good and dirty but you’ll be able to buy that pickup or house you’ve been dreaming of. Buy the family ranch? Sure, your parents will be grateful to pass on what generations of your family have worked hard to build. When the news of a strain of coronavirus that had appeared in Wuhan, China first hit the headlines and social media, it caused some concern and a great deal of interest, but that was in China. How could a virus in China impact our lives in Baker, Montana? We watched as the virus spread throughout the world; in February cruise ships began quarantining passengers - keeping cruise-goers on board for
weeks before allowing them to disembark. Then Italy reported a spike in infections and by the end of February, the first reported US death from COVID-19 was reported in Seattle and a “do not travel” to Italy and China advisory was issued to Americans. But still, we live in Baker, Montana. On March 13, President Trump declared a national emergency and state after state ordered the mandatory closing of schools, colleges, universities, restaurants, stores, malls, and even public parks. When the students and staff of Baker Public Schools left school for the weekend on Friday, March 13, they had no idea that would be the last time they would have the opportunity to be together as one. Their thoughts and plans were focused on the upcoming Prom, Track, Golf, Tennis, State FFA, State BPA, Close-Up, National Student Council, graduation trips, graduation itself. Suddenly the class of 2020 was right in the middle of another national crisis - the Pandemic of 2020. All their carefully laid plans, all their hopes, all their dreams, were suddenly put on hold, if not discarded outright. Many tried to reassure themselves that the shutdown would only last a few weeks; surely by May 1 we could all be back in school and life would continue as normal. The slight bump of COVID-19 would soon be only an unpleasant memory. But, as we all know, that’s not how it turned out. Across the world, there are
Notice of Mail Ballot Primary Election
Election Day- June 2, 2020 Per Montana Governor Steve Bullock’s Executive Orders 2-2020 and 3-2020 Montana Counties may opt to conduct their June 2, 2020 Primary Nominating Election as a mail ballot election. The Election Administrator of Fallon County will be conducting the June 2, 2020 Nominating Party Primary Election by mail. All eligible registered voters will receive Primary Party Ballots in the mail. Primary Party Ballots are mailed out on May 8, 2020. To verify that you are registered to vote, you may call 406778-7106 to verify your voting status whether active or inactive, or go to My Voter page at www.falloncounty.net click Departments, Elections, My Voter Page. This will show you if you are an Active or Inactive Status. If you are Inactive you need to update your voter registration card. Please call our office at 406-778-7106 or visit our web page at www.falloncounty.net for a fillable card, print and send to Election Administrator PO Box 846 Baker MT 59313. The close of regular voter registration deadline for the June 2, 2020 Mail Ballot Primary Election, is extended to May 26, 2020. By completing a new voter registration form, voting status would change to active; at which time a Primary Ballot would be mailed out.
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Graduation Pics.................................2 Files of the Times..............3 Spartan Scroll...................6
students who never got to really say good-bye to their teachers; there are teachers who never got that last day of their career with their kids and colleagues; there are families who didn’t get to sit by their loved one’s bed and hold their hands as they died; there are families who have lost their jobs and don’t know how they’re going to pay their mortgages, their car payments, their family’s food. Putting it in that perspective, life can always be worse. Yes, there are many milestones in our lives that have had to be changed or perhaps even cancelled, but life does go on. Friedrich Nietzsche said, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” Those words are never more true than today. We are fortunate to live in a community that has worked hard to make certain our lives can go on as normally as possible. The Class of 2020 DID get a graduation ceremony as scheduled on Sunday, May 17. Superintendent Aaron Skogen delivered the commencement address to the students who were seated in the Schillinger Stadium - with the proper “social distancing” limits imposed. Immediate family members were seated in the grandstands and friends and other family members lined the fence of the stadium to listen to the ceremony and to cheer on the graduating class. Our local radio station, KFLN, sponsored a live broadcast of the ceremony and the NFHS network streamed the event. There were four Valedictorians, Katie Wang, Caleb Ploeger,
Alissa Schell and Rachel Rost, and one Salutatorian, Lena Kennel, who delivered humorous and personal speeches to the audience. The remaining Top Ten of the Class of 2020, Shelby Moore, Halle Burdick, Mattie Mastel, Macee Hadley and Javan Kesinger, were recognized for their dedication and commitment to their education. There were numerous scholarships awarded to the graduates that will provide them opportunities to fulfill their goals. There were also the omnipresent eastern Montana winds that sent mortarboards flying, tassels tangling in hair and even taking temporary control of the microphone. The graduating class of 2020 certainly had a unique graduation ceremony. Was it what they had planned on? Was it what they had counted on? Was it what they had always taken for granted? You know the answer to that - no. But it WAS a ceremony that they will never forget. The senior class bought banners featuring individual photos of the seniors to hang on Main Street; the After-Prom Party bought personalized car magnets for every senior; the local police department and fire department led the Senior Graduation Parade throughout the town to the cheers and delight of all. It certainly wasn’t what anyone could have planned or envisioned on March 13, but there WAS a graduation. Once again, the Class of 2020 had a front row seat to history in the making.
SEE MORE GRADUATION PICTURES ON PAGE 2
Baker, MT 406-778-2427
For Jade Melby, the end of decades working in the Industrial Arts program at Baker won’t be an ending. He plans to keep busy with his business, Melby’s Seamless Gutters. Jade and his wife, Shelly own a cabin at Rock Creek on Fort Peck Lake that they have been working on for years. After retirement, he plans to finish the addition to the cabin and garage. Jade said,” I have always wanted to fish in Alaska. Shelby Moore, a student in weight training, always talks to me about fishing in Sitka, AK and the fun she had there. Therefore, I plan to try a Sitka fishing trip out soon. I hope (If I can leave the county). Jade grew up in Sidney and went to Rocky Mountain College in Billings where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Arts and in history. His first job was at Neah Bay Junior-Senior High School on the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula on the Makah Reservation and just south of the Canadian border. Then the job in Baker opened up after he spent a year in the Evergreen State. “I chose Baker because it was close to home,” he explained. It was a shop teacher back in Sidney that first inspired Melby and his brother. “My older brother is a shop teacher too in Sidney,” he ex-
State Rodeo Championship gets county health approval Staff Report
Fallon County will be hosting the state high school rodeo championships starting June 1, as long as the event complies with state guidelines established by the governor and state health officials. “Rodeos other than youth rodeos are not allowed in phase 1 of the re-opening,” according to a statement released from the office of Gov. Steve Bullock. According to a spokesperson for the Montana High School Rodeo Association, the Fallon County Health Board gave its approval to hold the state high school rodeo championships at its recent meeting. The competition will start June 2 at the Fallon County Fairgrounds. Registration for the competitors will be June 1 at the rodeo office on the fairgrounds. Among the requirements established by the state are the need for social distancing. The attendance for the event will be limited to immediate family members and contestants only, according to a spokeman for the fairgrounds. According to the Phase 1 guidelines, “organized youth activCougar Tracks....................7 Classifieds.........................8 Voting Instructions...........9
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Russell’s Clothing
Staff Report
plained. When he arrived in Baker almost 30 years ago, he found a pair of teachers who he credits with really helping him - Jim Schillinger and Don Dilworth. “When I first started in Baker I had some good teachers who really helped me,” he explained. “I was young and dumb and made a lot of mistakes but Jim and Don got me through my first five years and got me some confidence.” “One memorable incident that stands out is about 25 years ago, Don Dilworth called one of his students, Derrick Gorder, Gary. I asked Don, ‘Who is Gary?’ Dilworth responded, ‘That’s his dad, who was also my student, I get the two mixed up all the time.’ At that point, I thought to myself, there is no possible way I will be working here that long. Wrong, here I am.” Some of the things Jade will miss are the people he works with, the teachers he visits with between classes every day and the office ladies who are cheerful and are always eager to help. “Obviously, I will miss the kids. I enjoyed building projects and sheds in the shop with the students. I will miss exploratory class the most. It was a chance to meet every seventh grade student. The current seventh grade class is a hard working bunch and are a lot of fun,” said Melby. Melby feels like he has gotten a taste of retirement with the recent shutdown created by the coronavirus pandemic. “It seems like I’ve retired. It seems that we’ve already closed out with this mess,” he said. In closing, Melby said, “I would like to thank the late Jim Stanton for hiring me and all the subsequent administrators for not firing me. Also, I would like to thank the Fallon County taxpayers for providing me with a paycheck for 27 years.”
ities can consider becoming operational if physical distancing guidelines can be implemented. Avoid gathering in groups of more than ten people in circumstances that do not readily allow for appropriate physical distancing.” When the governor started the phased reopening of the state in early May, he praised the people of Montana for their efforts. “As a result of the actions we have taken, we have among the lowest number of COVID-19 cases in the nation. Montana also has the lowest number of hospitalizations, per capita, in the nation. We have slowed the spread of this virus and saved lives. These collective actions have allowed us to get to where we are today – to begin a phased reopening of the state. “While there is reason for optimism, I am going to ask Montanans to continue looking out for our neighbors who need it the most and to continue being vigilant in every step we take. Our personal responsibility to protect those around us – particularly those most vulnerable – remains just as important as any time during this pandemic” Gov. Bullock said.
For up-to-the-minute news visit falloncountyextra.com We want to hear from you: See how to contact us on Page 3 Vol. 104 No. 21
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Closed
Saturday, May 23 thru Monday May 25 for the Memorial Day holiday.