February 27, 2021 Issue, Page 1 of 8

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ally: & aw Serving Western Oklahoma eb Since 1901 Weekend Edition Elk City High School Assistant Principal Meet the City: celebrates teacher vaccination pod ——S} Activity Director Brian Hunt (left) and ECHS Assistant Principal Amanda Friesen (right) Kyle Chervenka receive their first dose. Courtesy photos. The Elk City News is featuring a different city employee to introduce By Shonda Little continued to go on and on and we all saw negative impacts for the citizens and visitors to the people and departments that make the City health of some and the businesses of others, I would have gladly of Elk City work On Monday, Oklahoma teachers and patients living with comor- given those two weeks back to be in our regular normal. There came bidities that could heighten the severity of the Covid-19 virus of- a point in there where I think we all started wondering if we would ficially became eligible for the vaccine. ever be back to those days. I think we can all look at pictures and By Shonda Little On Tuesday, a mass vaccination pod was held in a gym within the see kids playing ballgames or playing in the band with their families Elk City Public Schools for their staff. Additionally, teachers and watching and can’t imagine how easy that all was. What Tuesday For Elk City Fire Department's Chief Medical Officer Kyle staff from Merritt Public Schools and Sayre Public Schools were also was for us was a step toward getting back to normal. We hate what Chervenka, being on call almost around the clock seems like the included. A Facebook post from the Elk City School’s two nurses ad- happened with last year’s seniors and how they and their parents best way he can show his daughters how much he loves their vised that 120 members of the Big Elk staff had received their first had that special time cut short. Now we are getting back upon our community. For most of his children’s lives, they have known dose. Spring Break. We had that 120 staff members get vaccinated in just that their dad could be whisked away at a second if a call came. While praising the Beckham County Health Department, the two one day. And we just have to hope that means there will be normalcy Holidays, birthdays and weekends have been no exception. Elk City nurses stated that they were experiencing a litany of emo- as we remember it upon our new days.” But, at the end of it, Chervenka believes his children have tions watching their fellow staff members finally become vaccinated Friesen knows better than most how special the final days at Elk learned by example dedication to the greater good. nearly a year into the pandemic. City High School can be for seniors. Not only does she witness that “There have been times after church when we are having our “Today we felt HOPE,” the post exclaimed. “Today was a good culmination for current upperclassmen as the assistant principal, Sunday lunch that I get called out,” Chervenka explained. “You day!” but she herself graduated from Elk City High School in 1998. Elk City High School Assistant Principal Amanda Friesen echoed “I didn’t realize I was just a kid at the time that I graduated, but I know, I hate that part of it — leaving my kids. But I think that the nurses’ joy. know that day was as important for my parents and my grandpar- they know that I am going out to help people who need help and “Thinking of this day has been something that I had almost had ents as it was for me. We want our kids and their families to all have that we would want someone to do that for us. I have missed to push out of my mind,” Friesen said. “None of us would have ever that. We want our teachers and our support staff to have that. A lot out on some big moments. Anyone in this line of work will. Your dreamed, almost a year ago when we had to shut down before Spring of work goes into every diploma and we want to celebrate that,” she kids grow up so fast and I know that Iwill want some of those Break, that it would have gone much longer after that time. We cer- said. moments back after they are grown, but I hope that they look tainly would not have thought then that it would end up going with After graduating from Oklahoma State University, Friesen and back and know that I wasn’t leaving them but going to help us all the way to the start of the next school year. I'll be honest —I her husband Nathan returned to their Elk City hometown to con- someone else.” am kind of a homebody. So when the the shutdown happened last tinue their careers in education and put their children in their alma In fact, rushing to the aid of others is a family tradition for year right before Spring Break, I hated the tailspin it put us in. But, mater. Chervenka. The 2003 Canute High School graduate first became I was also looking forward to two extra weeks at home with my In 2011, she received her masters degree from Southwestern family because I really thought that is all it would be. Then after it See Vaccine page 2. involved in the fire services as a volunteer fireman at Canute. He himself had grown up watching his own father be a volunteer fireman for Canute and his mother work for Sinor’s ambulance Oklahoma Mudcats to host Third service. He decided early on to join his dad in the rural commu- nity’s volunteer force. “Tliked going down there and helping. Joining was natural for me. Then I became an EMT while I was still living in Canute be- Annual Rt. 66 Arnold Lankford Classic cause, honestly, I didn’t like just standing around unable to help. I didn’t get paid anything extra for it on the volunteer force. We only got like $5 per call. It was more about the helplessness of waiting for someone to come and help,” he recounted. After high school, Chervenka initially went to work in the oil- field as a mechanic. “Firefighting was kind of my hobby then and doing the me- chanic stuff was my work. I've basically just swapped them out,” he laughed. Nearly a decade ago, Chervenka was looking for a way out of See Chervenka page 2. Beckham County Jr. Livestock Show ‘The Beckham County Jr. Livestock Show is set to begin on Sun- day at the Elk City Convention Center, 1016 East Airport Industrail Road, Elk City. Below is the schedule for each day: Sunday, Feb. 28,2021 2:00 p.m. . Weigh- in animals in place By Shonda Little in the lawn chair who knows more about the game than anyone. Arnold is the game” Monday, Mar. 1,2021 Pulling up to Ackley Park's baseball field is almost a time travel to Although LeGrand has now taken the skipper’s cap from Lank- Swine Show hot days of summer gone by. The earthen red brick has hosted pro- ford, the two first got to know each other when LeGrand himself was Poultry Show fessional baseball players and local boys who would never see a com- a young kid often playing in Ackley's famed field. . Broiler Show petitive day on the field after they left junior high or high school. “I had played American Legion, but it was starting to die,” Le- Cattle Show Oklahoma Mudcat Head Coach Brian LeGrand believes that Grand recounted. “Then you had the American Legion closest to you makes the ball field the perfect home for the third annual baseball between Woodward and Altus. Well, Arnold was down in Altus and (Go home after your species) tournament honoring his own former coach. four us — me, Billy Cannon, Matt Trotter and Kevin Galloway — “Arnold just is baseball,” LeGrand sighed. “He is all the things that went down to Altus to try out for the team. Joe Herndon from Mer- Tuesday, Mar. 2,2021 Iloved about it as a kid. He is the great days running hot, knowing ritt came out with us. This was back in like 1997. Well, we all made 8:00 a.m Sheep Show the coach who was yelling at you wants more for you than himself. the team and we got to see how Amold coached.” After Sheep . . Meat Goat Show Arnolds the triple play or the walk-off home run. He is all the magic LeGrand graduated from Elk City High School in 2002. Although 5:30 p.m, Buyer's Dinner that comes with watching a perfect game. He's the parents watching he had offers to play for a few other collegiate schools, he says Premium Auction their kids or the kids eatinga hotdog in the stands. He’s the old man See Classic page 2. (No Live Animals in Auction) Vol. 119, No. 17 a Te Weather tomorrow /31 75 cents, 8 pgs. Mail delivery 580.225.3000 View online elkcityoknews.com