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Graduations to follow pandemic guidelines
JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
School districts in Columbia County are preparing for Graduation 2021 with COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and guidelines in mind. St. Helens High School (SHHS) graduation organizers are preparing for a drive-through ceremony similar to what was conducted in 2020 due to the pandemic. The 2021 SHHS graduation is set for noon Friday, June 11, at the Columbia County Courthouse Square in St. Helens.
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Kayley Siemienczuk, left, watches as her mother guides a small dog over the obstacle course during the dog show in the Old Town District of St. Helens. See more photos with this story at thechronicleonline.com.
Local 11-year-old conducts dog show JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
The pandemic hasn’t stopped a St. Helens 11-year-old from helping the Columbia Humane Society. Karley Siemienczuk organized a dog show held Friday afternoon, April 30, at the Columbia View Gazebo adjacent to the Columbia County Courthouse in the Old Town District of St. Helens. Karley said she saw photos of the dogs being cared for at the Columbia Humane Society and wanted to help them. “I felt really bad because some
of those dogs don’t get adopted,” she said. “That’s very sad because they don’t have a warm home and a special place.” Karley decided to put on a dog show and have those participating with their dogs to donate dog food for the animal shelter. With the help of her family and Molly’s Market, Karley produced and distributed flyers telling of the Friday event and asking dog owners to join the fun. Karley said she designed plans for the show and her dad constructed the obstacles placed in the front of the gazebo used for the perfor-
mances. Karley said the location for the event is special. “I’ve always loved this location because it has such a pretty view, there is a perfect space for everything, and there is plenty of room for dogs,” she said. Karley said she saved money for the show supplies and dog food and her father helped pay the cost of renting the gazebo. About half a dozen families and their dogs attended the event. Each family represented walked their See SHOW Page A12
Push back mounts against county classifications new more contagious variants. She said that Oregon leads the nation for the rate of increase in cases over the last two weeks.
As your Governor, I chose to save lives. ~ Kate Brown, Oregon Governor
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
18 Columbia County elected officials, including St. Helens Mayor Rick Scholl and Scappoose Mayor Scott Burge, have signed and sent this letter Governor Kate Brown asking that she reconsider the state’s COVID-19 health and safety county classifications. It follows an earlier letter by the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association signed by 79 elected officials making a similar request. ZACK DEMARS worldnews3@countrymedia.net
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s latest mandate that moved Columbia County and 14 others into the state’s pandemic Extreme High Risk classification continues to draw fire. The Extreme High Risk move took effect Friday, April 30, the same day 79 county commissioners across the state, including the Columbia County Board of Com-
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Vol. 139, No. 18
missioners singed their names to a letter by the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association asking that Brown reconsider the risk classifications due to the adverse economic impact on the Oregon hospitality. The Extreme High Risk means tighter public restrictions and limitations for businesses, including no indoor dinning at restaurants. On that same day, Brown met with reporters, defending the decision because Oregon’s COVID-19 cases are widespread and driven by
The graduation organizers are encouraging graduates and their families to decorate their home’s front doors and their cars to honor and showcase the seniors time and activities at SHHS. A senior class and community cruise added to the ceremonies in 2020 is again scheduled for the 2021 graduation. “Decorate your cars, your caps, throw on your gowns and load up the car with your family,” the organizers said in the SHHS website post. The cruise is scheduled from 8 to 10 p.m. on June 9. Students are directed to attend a mandatory drive-through at St. Helens High School from 12-2 p.m. June 10, to receive required ceremony information, name tags and other materials. The specific drive-through route will depend on the scheduled building renovation project. A Senior Celebration scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Doc Ackerson Stadium on the SHHS campus will feature all of the annual speakers and presentations from the school’s traditional academic award assembly, senior assembly, and commencement. The Senior Celebration activities will be based on the current pandemic restrictions on that day. The formal graduation ceremony is scheduled to take place at 12 p.m. June 11 at the Columbia County Courthouse Plaza in the Old District of St. Helens. Organizers describe the ceremony as the traditional awarding of the diplomas but in a COVID-friendly drive-up format. Seniors with their families, in one vehicle per graduate, will stage at a predetermined staging location at a specified time, then in groups will be led downtown to the courthouse.
Once at the courthouse the graduate will exit the car, be announced as they ascend the stairs to the courthouse, receive their diploma from the principal, pose for a quick photo with the principal, have a professional picture taken with Bell Studios before returning to the vehicle and exiting the square with their families. More detailed information, such as staging area times and locations will be provided in advance on the SHHS graduation page at shhsasb. weebly.com/graduation-2021.html. Other graduation ceremonies Rainier Jr/Sr High School Principal Graden Blue said they expect to 50 seniors to graduate during the 7 p.m. June 5 event at the school’s football field, rain or shine. Other ceremonies include a senior car parade at 6 p.m. from the school through Rainier, senior awards at 7 p.m. May 27 and Baccalaureate at 7 p.m. May 23, all with pandemicrelated social distancing. Blue said Rainier has never deviated from the idea of having a near normal graduation for the high school seniors. Over the course of the year, the school district administrators’ discussions have been constantly steered in the direction of having as many people as possible attend the event while complying with mandates and guidelines. “With that in mind, we have chosen to hold our graduation outside this year at the football stadium,” Blue said. “We have asked families to come prepared for whatever the weather presents to us. To assist in that we have also asked families to bring their own chairs so that they can distance as families.” Families and students have prepared and looked forward, for at least 12 years, for their high school graduation, according to Blue. “This is a major accomplishment for students and their hard work deserves to be recognized with this culminating event,” Blue said. “Students and families have worked closely with the school this year to support these students. This is a celebration of everyone’s hard work and commitment to getting through this unusual and difficult year. We have made it! Let’s celebrate that achievement!” See GRADUATION Page A3
“I was presented with data showing two paths Oregon could take: One in which we took no additional action and stood by while more people die from this disease, and another that required a temporary tightening of restrictions for certain counties but could save hundreds of lives and prevent as many as 450 hospitalizations over the next three weeks, Brown said “As your Governor, I chose to save lives.” Columbia County concerns Eighteen elected officials in Columbia County, including St. Helens Mayor Rick Scholl and Scapppoose Mayor Scott Burge, sent their own letter to Brown expressing their See COUNTY Page A12
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
In 2020, St. Helens High School seniors were driven to the steps of the Columbia County Courthouse. As their name was called, each walked up the steps to receive their diploma and back down the steps to have their photo taken. The 2021 SHHS graduation will be patterned after that event.
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