#YOUNGMAN ON ELLEN

by KAREN STEELE

    It’s everywhere on Twitter, Facebook, and even Instagram. If you follow anyone who lives in Eastern Oregon, you’ve probably seen it:

    #YoungmanOnEllen

    The beloved Spanish teacher at Pendleton High School, Kathryn Youngman, is currently fighting breast cancer for the third time, and she is receiving chemotherapy treatments twice a week. She is loved by her students for her fast-paced teaching style and for teaching her students more than just Spanish. Said student Charla Simons, “We learned about kindness and persistence… and life in general.” Not only did her passionate pupils start the trend “#YoungmanOnEllen” in an attempt to get the attention of hero Ellen DeGeneres, they started wearing pink.

    Cars can be seen covered in pink streamers, paint, and sometimes even balloons at the high school’s campus. Even students at Pendleton’s rival school, Hermiston, have worn pink shirts and tights during their most recent basketball games. During an event at Happy Canyon, most of the 300 or so attendees had stopped by the local Big John’s Pizza, where $10 of each family-style pizza sold went directly to Youngman to pay for a plane ticket to California for the Ellen Degeneres show. Recently, our own McLoughlin High School encouraged attendees to wear the color pink during a basketball game, as did Weston-McEwen High School.

    Señora Youngman has been a fan of DeGeneres’s comedy and wit for almost all of Ellen’s career. It’s been a longtime dream of Youngman to be able to watch one of the shows in person, and, because time seems to be running short, her students took action, tweeting #BeKindToOneAnother, one of Ellen’s favorite catchphrases that she ends every show with. And Ellen has noticed.

    At around 2 p.m. on Thursday, February ???, executive producer Ed Glavin tweeted, “So everyone who’s tweeting knows, we are aware of #YoungmanOnEllen and we are in touch. Thanks. @TheEllenShow.” On February 16th, it was announced by Pendleton High School’s faculty that their teacher was on a plane to L.A. as of this morning. The show was taped on the next Thursday, the episode airing on the following Monday. Regarding the opportunity to be in the audience, we can only guess how ecstatic she must be feeling, although she’s not allowed to reveal much. As always, she has been giving this back to her students.

    “Teenagers are amazing,” Youngman said in an interview with the Eastern Oregonian. “They took an idea. They took their compassion and their energy and started a movement.” Beautifully put, Señora.

COURTESY PHOTO BY PENDLETON HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK CLASS

STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS OF THE EASTERN OREGONIAN OF YOUNGMAN AT AN ASSEMBLY AT PHS