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Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of stories highlighting Hermiston School District’s career and technical education (CTE) programs. Read the previous installments here:

• How Hermiston’s CTE Programs Are Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce
• Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resource Systems
• Arts, Information, and Communications

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As a student at Hermiston High School over a decade ago, Kim Rill said she began developing skills that laid the foundation for her career today — even if she didn’t fully realize it at the time.

Rill was drawn to classes in Business and Management, one of six career and technical education (CTE) programs offered at HHS. Not only did she learn valuable business concepts, but she said her teachers also emphasized professional qualities like time management, meeting deadlines, problem-solving, and teamwork.

 

“I learned many foundational skills from the business faculty at HHS that I really did not appreciate as a high school student. Then, as I look back retrospectively, I see a lot of the business principles and professionalism that I learned — I learned from them.”

— Kim Rill, Content Creator, Umatilla Electric Cooperative and HHS alum

 

Rill graduated from HHS in 2014 and went on to earn her degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Eastern Oregon University. About three years ago, she was hired by the local Umatilla Electric Cooperative as a content creator, working within the public relations department. Her duties include managing the co-op’s website, social media, advertising, and writing features for the Ruralite Magazine.

Rill credits the Business and Management program for helping her succeed professionally. As the program continues to evolve, she said it will open even more doors for students in the future, especially as Hermiston keeps growing.

“I am so encouraged by the opportunities that today’s students are getting,” she said. “I’m excited to see how the continued CTE developments change the workforce of Eastern Oregon.”

Java Dawg is one of several student-run businesses at Hermiston High School.

Four Tracks

Business and Management is one of six CTE programs offered by the Hermiston School District. It is further divided into four tracks:

• Business Management & Administration.
• Finance.
• Hospitality & Tourism.
• Marketing.

For freshmen, the journey begins with a semester-long “Intro to Business” course. Teacher Tori Scott said they spend about a month on each track, along with the basics including typing, how to write a professional email, and even how to give a professional handshake.

“We really do focus on a lot of those soft skills in all of our classes,” Scott said. “I tell my students all the time, you might not go into business, and that’s fine. But you are learning real-world skills in my class that are transferrable to any career.”

Computer skills are part of the Business and Management curriculum at HHS.

Practical Experience

After getting a taste of each track, students can then choose which one(s) they want to pursue further.

In Hospitality & Tourism, that includes the fundamentals of food and travel. Students learn food prep, nutrition, sanitation, and kitchen safety, before branching out to lodging, recreation, event planning, travel and tourism. Upper level students put their skills into practice as they cater and assist with school and community events.

Teacher Angie Treadwell said students must learn how to be flexible and think on their feet.

“That’s one of the things I try to teach my students. If something doesn’t work out, don’t give up. Figure out what you can do,” Treadwell said. “In hospitality, things are constantly changing on the fly.”

Every class includes some hands-on practice. Ben Dagley, who teaches accounting, said his students complete a one-month simulation running their own business, from building the ledger to checking their work through a final audit.

“The important thing I want my students to take away from my classes is they can do hard things,” Dagley said. “They can face a challenge head on and learn from it and can speak confidently about the world around them.”

Marketing teacher Denise Thornton said her students flex their creative muscles by coming up with their own business concept, designing their own company logos, and promoting their products by designing a magazine cover.

“They think up some amazing things,” Thornton said. “I tell them, if it’s a legitimate business and you’re interested in it, we’ll make it work.”

Students studying hospitality and tourism provide catering for the skybox at Kennison Field.

Student-Run Businesses

Once they are juniors and seniors, HHS business students can put the skills they’ve learned in the classroom to the ultimate test, joining one of four completely student-run businesses.

These include:

• Java Dawg (coffee and smoothies).
• Dawg House (student store and apparel).
• Dawg Prints (print shop).
• Each of three HHS athletics concession stands:
  • Boomer’s at the Stadium.
  • Boomer’s at the Kennel.
  • Boomer’s at the Dugout.

Each business is run with the intent to make a profit and uses state-of-the-art equipment. Maureen Crossley, who co-teaches advanced business procedures, said students are responsible for all aspects of these businesses, from hiring and scheduling to inventory.

“It’s thousands of dollars that goes through these kids’ hands,” Crossley said.

The Dawg House is HHS’ student-run store, offering hands-on business experience.

Crossley has been teaching in Hermiston for nearly 40 years. She has seen the program change over the decades to keep pace with industry standards, from typewriters to modern technology. The challenge, Crossley said, is maintaining investment from funding sources such as Oregon’s Secondary Career Pathway Funding program.

“If that were to go away, we would certainly feel it,” Crossley said. “However, our program is fortunate to have outstanding support from our district and community. They continue to help us provide opportunities for our students going forward.”

Dawg Prints is the student-run print shop at HHS.

Up next: Health Sciences

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of stories highlighting Hermiston School District’s career and technical education (CTE) programs. Up next: Arts, Information, and Communications.

All students enrolled in Intro to Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Systems learn to drive a tractor.

Before she was a teacher at Hermiston High School, Ellery Jones was a student at HHS who found her passion working in agriculture.

Jones took classes in agricultural biology, horticulture, and physical science, among others. She was an active member of the local Hermiston FFA Chapter, eventually earning her State Degree, the highest honor bestowed by Oregon FFA.

After graduating in 2017, Jones said the skills she gained through Hermiston’s Agricultural Science program helped her to land a job at a local food processing plant. She later earned her bachelor’s degree in plant science from the University of Idaho and has since returned to HHS where she teaches plant science — paving the same path she once followed for a future generation of agriculture professionals.

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“It was just amazing to see how the skills I learned through the program were capable of being transferred into the workforce, and how much further ahead I was. It’s the reason that I had an amazing internship through college debt-free, and it’s the reason I’m back in the classroom today sharing what I love.”

— Ellery Jones, Plant Science Teacher

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Agricultural Community

Hermiston and Umatilla County is a diverse agricultural area. Top crops are wheat, hay, irrigated vegetables and potatoes, according to the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture. The total market value of agricultural products sold that year was more than $525 million.

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resource Systems is one of six career areas offered by Hermiston School District in career and technical education (CTE). Agricultural Science is the lone program of study, which is further divided into three separate pathways:

• Animal science.
• Plant science.
• Welding.

Sandy McKay, who teaches animal science at HHS, said about 25 students each year receive recognition in one of the three pathways. That means they complete at least three year-long classes, earning at least a B in each class, while also participating in FFA.

The Hermiston FFA Chapter has more than 500 members dedicated to advocating for agriculture. 

The program is guided by a five-member advisory council representing Umatilla County’s diverse agriculture industries. McKay said it can be difficult at times keeping up with the rapid changes in agriculture, including new technology and best management practices.

“We talk about self-driving cars. Well, we had self-driving tractors first. We talk about drones. Well, we had drones working in agriculture first,” McKay said. “Agriculture is just constantly evolving, and we have to constantly be trying to stay up with it by adapting our curriculum.”

Hands-On Experience

Both Jones and McKay emphasized the importance of hands-on learning in their classes, combined with traditional studies, to prepare students for the workforce.

In plant science, Jones said HHS has two, 30-foot-by-50-foot greenhouses where students grow thousands of vegetable seedlings. Students start by the learning the basics of soil and plant nutrition, then build their own homemade hydroponic system to grow their seedlings.

Jones also teaches the anatomy and physiology of plants; runs a floriculture unit, where students grow and sell their own floral arrangements through a monthly subscription; and provides training for students to receive their Pesticide Applicators License, if they choose.

Hands-on learning is a fundamental element of Hermiston School District’s Agricultural Science program.

In animal science, McKay said they use several hands-on models (including one named “Breeding Betsy”) for teaching students proper livestock care and veterinary skills.

All students go through Intro to Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, where they learn how to drive a tractor.

“We don’t just say, ‘This is the best way to grow a plant.’ We let them grow over 5,000 plants. We don’t just say, ‘When you have a pregnant animal, you’ll be able to feel this.’ Our animal science teachers give them the opportunity to practice that application, and gain that skill,” McKay said. “I think that’s really what sets us apart, is that kids are able to get that hands-on experience.”

One new addition coming in the spring is a class teaching the basics of running an agricultural business including proper budgeting, how to apply for loans, and tracking income and expenses. McKay said a local commodities trader will also donate bushels of corn for the class to learn how to trade on the commodities market.

Once a year, McKay said they host a day bringing in eighth-graders from both Hermiston middle schools to show them everything their program has to offer. Hopefully, McKay said something catches their interest and plants a seed that can turn into a future career.

“We get kids who we put on a tractor for the first time, and they’re scared to death at first but then they love it,” he said. “Who knows what that’s going to end up for them in their career field? Maybe it’s something that opens up a world they didn’t know was there.”

Local eighth-graders tour the greenhouses at Hermiston High School, looking over vegetable seedlings.