Sue Wright to Retire This Month, Introducing Theresa Gonzales

by ALEX HUNTER & DIMITRI IVIE

     Sue Wright has worked for the school district for 31 years; she could have retired last year, when 30 years were up, but she wasn't ready at that time. Now, she is going to be a grandmother for the 7th time in February. She has four grown children, so to be able to hang out with her grandkids whenever she is needed is very enticing for her.

     What she will miss most about Mac-Hi is working for the kids, staff, and being able to interact with the community by giving them awareness of the education at the schools and the requirements for graduation. These things are always changing, and she worked to update the community because she believes, as a community member, you should know what the school requirements are, especially when deciding the bond issue that coming up. “What I won't miss is getting up out of bed at 6 in the morning to be at work,” she remarked.

     Some of the best moments during work were assisting students and their families outside of school when they were new to the community. Anytime there was a new student, she would help them get acclimated to and involved in the school as well as the community.

     One of the people that she will never forget during this experience is Judy Chesnut. Judy was the principal at Freewater school when Sue was hired. They worked together for 17 years when Sue was her secretary. Judy taught her a lot of what she knew, and they became very good friends over the course of time. Another great memory was when fourth graders would have their field trip around Oregon, learning about history and being able to visit places that they wouldn't necessarily go to. Sue loved the fact that the field trip not only allowed students to learn but also to discover the excitement of seeing new places, like the beach, in our wonderful state. Sue has been a fixture at Mac-Hi for many years, students and staff will miss seeing her face in the office.

     Replacing Sue will be Theresa Gonzalez, whose face you have probably seen in the office already. She used to be a dental administrator, which means that she kept the office running correctly as she scheduled appointments and handled billing along with coding. She liked her old job quite a bit, but she was looking for a change.

     Theresa was born in Walla Walla, and she grew up here. She graduated from McLoughlin High School. A large portion of her family lives here, so she doesn’t feel alone, and she likes to spend time with them. When she came back for her job, she was nervous and scared because it was a new experience, but everyone here was very welcoming and nice she said. It helped that she already knew most of the staff from when she was a student here.

      She likes getting to know the students and seeing how each of them have their own personalities. Some of the challenges that she has faced since coming here include learning all of the students’ names, and that the students didn’t know her very well so they walked past her to talk to Sue. She is happy to be here and excited to watch all of the students grow and progress in their lives as she grows in hers. Theresa adds, “I am looking forward to being here a long time and getting to know everyone better.”

New Opportunities Sprout for Future Doctors and Electricians

by ALEX HUNTER & SAMUEL MILLER

There will be two new classes taught by Mrs. Groff next semester. The two classes will be an electronics class and a medical terminology class. These classes will be taught during seventh period next semester. Groff decided to take on these classes when she was asked to come up with electives to help students who plan on going into vocational schools.

The purpose of these classes is to give students another way to further learn about occupations they might have in the future. These classes can assist students in the transition into vocational training. They can earn two college credits from the medical terminology class. The goal in this class is to help students get a career in the path that they want.

Mrs. Groff hopes that these classes will be available next year in addition to this year. She continued with “I think that there is a good chance of them staying around, because they are free and they don't cost any real resources.” She goes on to say that the classes will be easy for diligent students. She also feels that it will show how effective students are with an online class. The classes will be a trial run.

GSA Begins “Choose Another Word” Campaign

by ALEX HUNTER & SAMUEL MILLER

The Gay-Straight Alliance is a club that creates a safe place for everyone to come regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. This is a safe place for people who have questions or answers about gender or sexual identity to go ask questions and answer some that other students might have.

The GSA is beginning a campaign, called “choose another word.” They want to help students use language that is less offensive and more positive. For example, if a student is assigned a book to read in class and begins reading it, and says, “This book is gay,” that could offend a portion of the other students. “I know sometimes people aren’t trying to be offensive, but it’s a problem when they use words that associate being gay with something they dislike or think is stupid,” says club advisor Mr. Lynn. Because, as we all know, a book cannot actually be homosexual.

How are they going to do it?

They have cards. They will pass it out if someone says gay or the n-word, or something along those lines.

They are trying to suggest that they use different words. “We are trying to make people a bit more knowledgeable and a bit less offensive at the same time. Without shoving it down their throats,” added Collin Green, an active GSA member.

New Face But Familiar Role: Mac-Hi's New Principal

by SAMUEL MILLER & ALEX HUNTER

Mac-Hi has gone through many changes in the past year, but one of the biggest is the change in principals. Our new principal, Mindi Vaughn, is a new addition to the Mac-Hi family.

Ms. Vaughn worked as a middle school principal in Baker City. She was offered a new position there as a federal adviser, but she respectfully declined. When asked why, she replied, “I didn’t want to settle. I wanted to have a challenge.” She stated some obvious differences between middle school and high school, such as the amount of supervision.

She said she she chose McLoughlin because she was “impressed with Mac-Hi’s positive environment,” and she hopes to contribute to the school by bettering the counseling center, creating more dual credit courses, and making the cafeteria a more inviting place to hang out.

Ms. Vaughn hopes to push the students harder than she pushed herself in high school because high school is short, so students should make the most of it. She said that high school was one of the most important periods of her life and that students should live it to the fullest. She desires to encourage high schoolers to branch out and take a variety of courses.

Ms. Vaughn has worked with our previous principal, Mr. Brown. She mentioned that he was good at keeping the kids on track, and she wants to continue to support students the way he did. She also wants to add a chance for students to do a job shadowing program, along with helping the school staff in becoming more able to counsel their students.

We, as Pioneers, look forward to seeing what Ms. Vaughn is capable of. Students should also look forward to getting to know our new principal and the changes she plans on making.