Oñate’s fifth graders organize entire affair

The fifth grade class at Juan de Oñate Elementary School peered into their futures Feb. 10 – and got a kick out of what they saw.

They spoke to a retired firefighter, got some hands on experience about restaurants, learned about what a school nurse does, and got up close and personal with a Medal of Honor recipient at Oñate’s Career Day.

“There are a lot of choices for what you want to do when you grow up,” Makayla Williams, 11, said during the one-hour event held in the school’s gymnasium. The fifth graders set up and organized the event and Williams was a co-chairperson. “This gives us a chance to see what the professional world is like,” a very astute Williams said.

Williams and her classmates spoke with professional representatives from the greater McKinley County area. Asked about the Career Day, Williams said, “It’s fun and interesting. I’m learning a lot.”

The kids, all under 12 years of age and under the direction of school principal Kristen Bischoff and fifth grade teacher Charity Martinez, considered lives as soldiers, civil servants, horse farriers and restauranteurs, among other career choices.

“We’re exposing the kids to different career paths,” Bischoff said. “We want to let them know what options are out there so they can begin exploring.”

Asked if fifth grade was a little too early to learn about careers, Bischoff said “No.” Michelle Burrola, recreational manager at the city of Gallup, said she fielded questions on all kinds of things that not only dealt with recreation, but life questions, too. Burrola, a career city employee, said she answered questions about and gave information on the use of CPR, first aid and sportsmanship.

“The range of questions was incredible,” Burrola said. “I think some of these students might go into the recreation field as a career after college.”

Ken Riege, the general manager at Comfort Suites in Gallup and a U.S. Air force veteran, appeared at the Career Day with fellow veteran and Gallup native Hershey Miyamura. Miyamura, 91, served in the U.S. Army and fought in World War II and the Korean Conflict.

Miyamura High School on Board Drive in Gallup is named after Hershey Miyamura as is an Interstate 40 interchange. Miyamura is a decorated war hero, holding the nation’s highest honor for valor – the Medal of Honor.

“Some of these kids have said they’ll be going to Miyamura High School one day and here we have sitting right here the guy who the school is named after,” Riege said. “That’s education within itself.”

Among those that participated in the Career Day were the city of Gallup, Earl’s Restaurant, and Hector Corral of Laroc Refrigeration, Inc.

By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent

Rating: «« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 102 min.

As a reviewer, you see all kinds of films in various different genres. Sometimes in the kids’ flick category, there are features in which the characters speak especially slowly, almost pouring over every syllable. It’s obvious the makers and performers are specifically aiming the material at youngsters. Some of these movies are decent, some are not, but I’ve come to call them “slow-talkers.”

This week, Disney has a slow-talker coming your way. To be fair, Pete’s Dragon is a nicely produced, well-intentioned, and perfectly genial family film. It’s likely to please the children, although a few adults in the audience (specifically, me) may find it tame.

Additionally, the gauzy stares, long pauses, and slow line delivery from adults is a bit... well... unsettling. Clearly, the tone is supposed to feel warm and affectionate, and it will work for many, but the stiff behavior of some characters left this viewer wondering if he was watching members of some sort of cult.

The story follows a considerably different path than the original 1977 film. Pete (Oakes Fegley) is a child who finds himself alone and lost in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. Pete’s discovered by Elliott, a fuzzy dragon with the power of invisibility, who helps him survive.

After living feral for six years, Pete is discovered by a forest ranger named Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who takes the kid in to live with her lumber-mill owner boyfriend Jack (Wes Bentley) and daughter Natalie (Oona Lawrence). The boy’s encounters with a dragon catch the attention of Jack’s brother, Gavin (Karl Urban), who wants to catch the mythic creature.

This is a very, very gentle movie. While the draw may be a wild dragon, don’t expect a lot of fire breathing or conflict.

Elliott, for all intents and purposes, is an oversized dog. Both he and Pete are lost and searching for their families, forming a makeshift partnership in the woods. When Grace arrives, much time is spent with the ranger attempting to figure out the boy’s identity (which will be of no mystery to the audience) and integrating him back into society.

The movie also attempts to present an environmental message about leaving nature as it is (or at least the dragons therein). It’s a noble message, but the simplicity of the presentation is too slight; the protagonist’s convictions need to be tested on a more dramatic level.

As mentioned previously, the characters occasionally come across as overly warm and exceedingly earnest. Grace’s father Meacham (Robert Redford) is the saving grace among the human characters. He gives the most naturalistic performance in the film, joking around with the youngsters and imparting the themes to young viewers without coming across as precious or patronizing. One wishes he were more present in the film; the actor only appears in the opening moments and the final half-hour.

One element that isn’t as strong is the 3D. This is a post-conversion job and it looks it. There are only a handful of shots that feature any depth at all (an overhead angle gazing down from a bridge, the occasional flying angle from the air). Otherwise, you’ll barely be able to notice it. Even worse, the glasses darken the image, making some scenes look dimmer and dirtier than they should.

If you do decide to check out the film, see it in 2D.

Pete’s Dragon is an acceptable kids’ film that will serve its target audience reasonably well. However, adults nostalgic for the original, or those who wander in impulsively, won’t find it nearly as gripping. Some movies are made for the entire family — while decent overall, this one is exclusively for children.

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun

GALLUP — The Gallup Police Department is searching for a young woman from Window Rock, Ariz.

Danica Kara Benally, 21 was last seen around 5 pm June 30, near the Heritage Plaza on the north side of Gallup.

She is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing 157 pounds with brown eyes and waist- length brown hair tied with a light blue scrunchy.

She was last seen wearing denim pants, a yellow shirt, a black Adidas jacket with white stripes on the sleeves and black and white Vans brand shoes.

She is believed to be on foot and in Gallup.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Danica Kara Benally is asked to contact the Gallup Police Department at (505) 722-2231, or dial 911.

A Gallup hero has died.

Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura passed away on Nov. 29. He was 97 years old.

Miyamura was known for his heroic actions during the Korean War, for which he won a Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award given to soldiers. Miyamura was one of two surviving Medal of Honor recipients of the Korean War.

MILITARY SERVICE

Miyamura was born on Oct. 6, 1925 in Gallup.

He arrived in Korea in November 1950. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 24 and 25, 1951, south of the Imjin River near Taejon-ni (Daejeon-ni) in Yeoncheon County while serving as a corporal in the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. During a night attack by the Chinese, he saw that his squad could not hold much longer, so he ordered his men to retreat. However, he remained behind to cover their withdrawal, killing an estimated minimum of 50 invading Chinese forces.

Miyamura was captured immediately after staying to cover his retreating allies. As he and other prisoners of war were marched away, he helped his wounded friend Joe Annello keep moving, but the North Koreans threatened to shoot him if he did not leave Annello behind. Miyamura refused, but Annello convinced him to put him down.

Annello survived the war and later visited Miyamura in Gallup.

Miyamura’s award was the first Medal of Honor to be classified Top Secret. As Brigadier General Ralph Osborne explained to Miyamura and a group of reporters upon notifying them of his medal, “If the Reds knew what he had done to a good number of their soldiers just before he was taken prisoner, they might have taken revenge on this young man. He might not have come back.”

Miyamura was held for 28 months. Following his release on Aug. 20, 1953, he was informed that he had been awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted to sergeant. He was repatriated to the United States and honorably discharged from the military shortly thereafter. His medal was presented to him by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in October 1953 at the White House.

A book was written about Miyamura and Annello’s experience, “Forged in Fire: The Saga of Hershey & Joe,” which was published in 2012. The book details the horrors of the Korean War while also showing how one beautiful friendship was formed. It can be purchased online through Amazon or the Japanese American National Mu seum’s website.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

Many people in Gallup loved and admired Miyamura and all that he stood for.

Dave Cuellar, head of Veterans Helping Veterans, explained why Miyamura inspired himself and the Gallup community.

“He’s inspirational because he was the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, but more than that it was the way he conducted himself in the neighborhood. I don’t know how to explain it, he was just a very nice guy,” Cuellar said.

Jessica Rodriguez, principal of the Gallup-McKinley County School that bears Miyamura’s name, agreed with Cueller by saying that Miyamura was humble, kind, and caring. She said that one of the goals that the Hiroshi Miyamura High School holds dear is living up to what Miyamura stood for.

“He gave us the legacy that we strive to live up to through the ideals that his life exemplified,” Rodriguez said. “We do our best to persevere, we do our best to have that resilient mindset, and as a school we are constantly looking for ways to ensure that whatever we do here goes out in a way that represents Mr. Miyamura in a way that he would be proud of.”

Rodriguez became principal at Hiroshi Miyamura High School in May 2021. She expressed her gratitude towards Miyamura for the kindness he showed her when she entered the role.

“To me, individually, he means a whole lot because I was unfortunately the last principal that got to have that conservation with him and be blessed by him to be running this school, which is amazing,” she said.

The high school holds a tradition where each graduating senior receives one of Miyamura’s Challenge Coins. The Challenge Coins represent the pride and commitment that someone in the service showed. Miyamura’s coin shows his face on one side of the coin and the Medal of Honor on the other.

Before COVID, Miyamura used to give the medals out to each graduating senior during their graduation ceremony. When Rodriguez became principal, she promised Miyamura that the school would make it a priority in their budget to keep the tradition going for years to come. She said that the coin tells students that “once they’re a Patriot, they’ll always be a Patriot.”

A LASTING LEGACY

Rodriguez said she’s glad that her school is named after Miyamura.

“I think it was the right fit for our community. Him and his family are just amazing people; they’re just so generous, humble, and kind,” Rodriguez said. “Everything that he represents was something that I think the district at the time - and now - wholeheartedly believed.”

The high school is currently planning a special event to honor Miyamura and all that he achieved and gave back to his community. However, at press time, no date had been set for the event.

Staff Reports