December 2015
Over the next several weeks, thousands of visitors will travel to Hermiston for OSAA championship football, AAU tournaments, and various other activities. Hermiston School District’s outstanding facilities permit us to host these incredible events which drive tourism and significant economic benefit to our local economy. This update provides you with more detailed information about many of these upcoming events and how they drive support to local businesses. You will also find information about our new CrisisManager App for parents, which is designed to improve emergency communications and the City of Hermiston’s Livable Hermiston effort.
These monthly messages are intended to keep key stakeholders informed about the happenings in Hermiston School District and to provide an opportunity to give the district timely feedback about its initiatives. If you have suggestions for other topics you believe should be addressed in a future Key Communicators message, please let us know!
With regards,
Dr. Fred Maiocco
Superintendent of Schools
Upcoming Events. The Oregon School Activities Association has selected Hermiston School District to host three OSAA state final football games at Kennison Field on Saturday, November 28. The 1A game between Dufur and Crane will kick off at 11 am, followed by the 3A title game between Vale and Santiam Christian, which will start at 2:30 pm. The 2A state final game between Kennedy and Heppner will begin at 6:00 pm. Tickets are available at the gate.
Following a busy November, the district kicks off December with holiday concerts. Our students music instructors have put in many hours of practice to put on a delightful night of entertainment and music. Following is a schedule of the concerts.
| Thursday, December 3 | Rocky Heights Elementary School | 6:00 pm at Armand Larive |
| Thursday, December 3 | West Park Elementary School | 6:00 pm at West Park |
| Tuesday, December 8 | Desert View Elementary School | 6:00 pm at Armand Larive |
| Tuesday, December 8 | Highland Hills Elementary School | 6:00 pm at West Park |
| Tuesday, December 8 | Sunset Elementary School | 6:00 pm at Sunset |
| Thursday, December 10 | Sandstone Middle School | 7:00 pm in HHS Auditorium |
| Tuesday, December 15 | Armand Larive Middle School | 7:00 pm in Armand Larive Commons |
| Wednesday, December 16 | Hermiston High School | 7:00 pm in HHS Auditorium |
| Thursday, December 17 | Hermiston High School | 7:00 pm in HHS Auditorium |
(Photo Courtesy of Lukes Photos.)
The two HHS Band & Choir Holiday Concert performances will be the same; no different pieces will be performed from one concert to the other. The concert is offered on two separate nights purely for space accommodations.
(Photo Courtesy of Lukes Photos.)
Factoring in the district’s unique facility offerings – Kennison Field; well-maintained high school auditorium; and over one million additional square feet of gymnasiums, ball fields, auxiliary auditoriums, and other venues – an ECONorthwest study of the 2013-14 school year revealed HSD generated over $7.3 million in economic impact to Umatilla County, leading to 78 jobs. The economic impact study analyzed district-sponsored, as well as district-hosted, events and quantified the economic impacts to local and regional businesses. According to the report, over the next nine years, Hermiston School District will generate nearly $55 million in total economic impact to the Hermiston community, as a result of its ability to recruit and host external events.
The community’s support of HSD should be credited for the impact. Prior to the improvements made through the 2008 bond, Hermiston could only host one AAU tournament, which brought in 30 teams to the community. Now HSD is able to host four tournaments a year, with an average of 110 teams per tournament. Last January, the district held a 124 team tournament.
To access the full report visit the Facilities Planning section of the district web site and click reports.
CrisisManager for Parents. Last month we shared the great news about the district’s CrisisManager application to help improve reporting and communication in an emergency situation. The solution has been released to staff over the past month, who have previewed the modules and assisted in the refinement of the information and processes.
At the turn of the year, we will begin to roll out the parent, public portal. Parents will be able to download application, on both iOS and Android platforms, to find information on emergency protocols during a fire, earthquake or severe weather; how to reconnect with their student if a tragedy were to occur in the district, or how to support their student with bullying or student wellness. The app will be a great resource for parents to help students be successful and safe in HSD.
A key feature of the application is the ability for parents to officially “opt in” and receive emergency Push Notifications from the district. Parents will be able to receive notice of a canceled or delayed school day, a missing student, or campus tragedy right on their phone, which is often just an arm’s length away. While not all parents or students may have smartphones, anymore they are an ever present reality in our classrooms and ubiquitous in our community.
You can learn more about the capabilities of the CrisisManager suite by clicking on the link.
Livable Hermiston Survey. In support of the City of Hermiston and its programs, we are helping to spread the word… The City of Hermiston is gathering community input on the “livability” of our city. Livable Hermiston is a community-wide visioning process sponsored by the City with of developing a road map for the future, drafted from input of those who live, work, and play in Hermiston.
The first effort of the Livable Hermiston Committee was a basic “think big” community survey, which received 1,053 responses, 525 of which were students. The areas receiving the most impressive support from all respondents included: the need for a community center of some kind (e.g., boys and girls club, YMCA), a year round aquatics center, more open spaces (trails, parks, etc.), cultural attractions and a revitalized downtown. In the second survey effort, the committee is looking to refine and prioritize the leading project ideas.
You may access the survey link by clicking here, or download the survey in hardcopy here: