6 The Lovell Chronicle l July 9, 2020
continued fromwpa eone‘
moved to Lovell, helping
to build Big Horn [GA in
1977, now the Red Apple.
He worked as a mason
for some 15 years until the
economic crash in the late
‘80s. With local work dry-
ing up, he had a decision
to make: follow the work
or become a full—time dad,
with “Little Joe” now at
home.
“I decided to be a full—
time dad,” he said. The fam—
ily added Kimmy in 1991.
“I had a small glass
business and did remodel—
ing, roofing and concrete
work,” he said. “I was fix—
ing things and building
things. My earlier com-
mercial work taught me to
do things right. In that line
of work you’re inspected
all the time. You had to do
things right. You couldn’t
cut any corners.”
In the meantime, he
and Pam had moved to By—
ron and raised their fami—
ly in the small, quiet com—
munity - except on Friday
nights. The family home is
next to the longtime By—
ron and Rocky Mountain
High School football field,
though he joked that he
coul see onl half of the
field from his hackyard be—
cause the stands are in the
way of the other half. .
Mooney was elected
to the town council and
served two terms, not-
ing that it was that council
under mayor Brook Abra-
ham that got the famous
Byron fireworks started,
moving the display to By-
ron Day after a Y2K display
just after midnight on Jan.
1,2000. ‘
When the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon
were attacked on Sept. 11,
2001, patriotism welled up
in Mooney once again, and
at the age of 51 he attempt-
ed to re-enlist in the Ma-
rines at the Marine Reserve
Center in Billings.
“They just looked at
me,” he said, “but I became
good friends with the first
sergeant there.”
That friendship led to
Mooney’s leadership in the
Young Marines youth orga-
nization. Cody had the Yel-
lowstone Young Marines,
and then the Buffalo Bill
Young Marines group was
formed, with many mem—
bers from Powell. He soon
became involved in the
organization.
“Fred Zier spoke to the
Young Marines one year,
gave them a pep talk and a
COURTESY PHOTO
Joe Mooney of Byron served in the US. Marine Corps
in the late 1960s and earl ‘70s includin three years
of active duty that invo ved duty
stations at both
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina.
devotional,” he said. “Then
he scheduled me the next
year and two, months lat-
er I was the commanding
officer.”
That led to his long-
time work with the Marine
Corps Reserves Toys for
Tots program, which for
years has provided Christ-
mas toys to hundreds of
children in the Big Horn
Basin.
“1 am glad that’s still
going,” he said. “I had no
idea of the monster I was
creating. I learned that
people love to give. That’s
the greatest blessing I had.
‘One time I met a
16-year—old girl while on
a toy run in Greybull who
was surprised there were
so many needy kids in the
area,” hersaid. “I said, ‘You
have db‘idea.’ It was her
birthday the day before,
and she went home and
gave us the $60 she had re-
ceived at her birthday par—
ty the day before. That was
such a blessing.
“Another time someone
gave us a hundred—dollar
bill, telling us, ‘You helped
me in a time of need.’ Those
are the kind of cool things
you learn - life lessons.”
Mooney is proud to say
that several of the Young
Marines he worked with
have gone on to serve in
the Army, Navy, Marines or
Army National Guard, and
others into police work.
Around the same time,
Mooney became involved
with the Gideons Interna-
tional, helping to provide
Bibles for local motels and
raise money for efforts to
spread the Gospel around
the world. He also pastored
the Burlington Community
Church for six years.
Pam works part—time at
Aldrich Lumber in Powell.
Son Joseph, wife Samantha
and two kids live next door
in Byron, and Kim and fam—
ily are moving to the other
side of Joe and Pam’s home,
adding one son and soon
another child to the fami—
ly mix.
Mooney remains a
member of the US. Marine
Corps League in Billings
and American Legion Post
26 in Powell. But mostly, he
plays grandpa to his t ree
grandchildren.
“I’m Grandpa Daycare,”
he said with a laugh.
Free webinar for retailers July 14
Attention
retail—
ers! Do you want your
tourism season to last
ear—round? Would you
ike it to last through
COVID—IQ? Learn how to
Lovell Library Family History Time,
every Monday, 1-4 PM
North Big Horn Hospital Hometown
Healthy Living, every Tuesday,
7-10 AM, NBHH
Lovell Library Story Time,
every Tuesday, 10:30 AM
TOPS Wyo 318, every Tuesday,
5 PM, New Horizons Care Center
Narcotics Anonymous, Wednesdays,
at 1131 Shoshone Ave, in basement,
7 PM, contact 307—254-3953.
Friends of the Library, lst Wednesday,
Lovell Library, 10 AM Contact Sharie
Loegering, 307-548v7002
Lovell Riders, Inc. lst Friday,
7 PM, call 307-548-9918 for location
BHC 4-H Leader’s Council,
2nd Monday, rotating
locations, 6:30 PM
BHC School District No. 2 Board,
2nd Monday, board room, 7 PM
BHC Weed and Pest board meeting,
2nd Tuesday, 12:30 PM, W&P office,
4782 Hwy. 310, Greybull
Big Horn Basin chapter of Gold
Prospectors Association of
America, American Legion, Powell,
2nd Tuesday, 7 PM
Lovell Town Council,
2nd Tuesday, Town Hall, 7 PM
Robert Boyd Stewart American
Legion Post 11 regular meeting,
2nd Tuesday, 7 PM, Lovell Fire Hall
Diabetes Support Group,
1st Wednesday, New Horizons
Care Center, 4 PM
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CLUB 8: BOARD MEETINGS
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Lovell Woman’s Club,
2nd Wednesday,
Big Horn Federal Hospitality Room,
1 PM Contact Deanna Wagner,
307-548-7793
Stroke Support Group, lst Thursday,
NBHH Physical Therapy Department,
1 PM
BHC School District No. 1 Board,
2nd Thursday, board room, 7 PM
Tri-Mountain View Masonic Lodge,
2nd Thursday, dinner 6:30 PM, lodge
meeting 7:30 PM
Lovell Area Chamber of Commerce,
3rd Monday, noon, Brandin’ Iron
Cowley Riding Club, 3rd Monday,
7 PM, 307-664-2235
Care Givers Support Group,
3rd Tuesday, New Horizons
Care Center, 10 AM
Cancer Support Group, 3rd Thursday,
7 PM, NHCC multi—purpose room
Lovell—Kane Area Museum Board,
3rd Thursday, 7 PM, Lovell-Kane
Area Museum
North Big Horn County Health
Coalition, Quarterly, noon, rotating
locations, 307-548—2254
Byron Lions Club, 307-548—7543
Pindroppers Quilt Club, check Mayes
Fabric for details.
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HAZEN BEGINS AS SD#2 SUPERINTENDENT
continued from page one
Hazen mana ed a school
of just over 00 students,
and for the first time, he
delegated tasks to an as—
sistant principal. With an
increased number of stu-
dents under his care, there
was also a greater vari-
ety of experiences. With
the school having stu-
dents that came from both
wealth and poverty, the
socio-economic status of
his students was more var-
ied than in Lovell schools,
and just as the students
differed along those lines,
so did their parents.
“You just had more va-
riety of issues and view—
points,” Hazen said. “It re—
ally was just exposure to
more.”
And then, of course,
toward the end of Hazen’s
tenure, came COVID-19.
A pandemic is never a good
thing, but the experience it
can give one as an admin-
istrator is an entirely dif—
ferent matter, Hazen said.
“It was, professional—
ly, a ver good thing,” Ha-
zen sai . ‘When some of
the social distancing mea-
sures were ‘ust starting to
be put in p ace, I had staff
move to their rooms and
start usin Zoom, where
we could elp each oth—
er still but plan for bein
shut down. Alot of my sta f
members were ultimate—
ly happy, because they felt
prepared.”
Admittedly, Hazen ex-
lIgected his time in Colum—
ia Falls to be quite a fair
deal longer.
“I didn’t expect this
to ha pen within a year’s
time,’ Hazen said. “You
think maybe you’ll come
back around in a number
of years, and you’ll have
your shot. It happened
much faster than any of us
anticipated. That’s how life
goes sometimes. ”
BEGINNING AS
SUPERINTENDENT
As of Thursday, July 2,
l—lazen was pretty sure that
7 his first two days as super—
intendent didn’t look like
the typical two days. Dis-
trict administrators didn’t
need to know who Hazen
was or what he was about.
It’s common knowledge.
Instead it was straight to
the deep end.
That’s the unique ben—
efit Hazen brings to this
position. He knows the
district, and the district
knows him, inside and out.
“I’ve held a lot of po—
sitions within the district.
I’ve coached a number of
things. I’ve been a teach—
er in the district. I’ve been
a principal in the district.
I’ve been a special educa-
tion director in the dis-
trict,” Hazen said. “That’s
given me at least some in—
si ht in how a number of
di ferent entities with-
in the district run. That
might make me better at
understanding what our“
employees in our system
need in support and what
they should be expected
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to North Big Horn Hospital Clinic. .
Special Interests:
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- Women’s Health
- Family Medicine
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are now seeing patients.
Call 307-548-5201 to
schedule an appointment.
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to do. It’s important for me
to understand what peo—
ple need to do the best job
they can.”
That can be a down-
side, as well. The district
knows him well, sure, but
not as superintendent.
The district’s administra—
tion team knew Hazen as a
first year teacher. Now he’s
the boss.
“I have to strike a bal—
ance between being the
CEO of the district and be—
ing approachable and a fa-
miliar face and colleague
and friend, and whatever
these relationships were,”
Hazen said. “There is a bal—
ance there, and my hope is
that I understand the pro-
fessional side of the job.”
Then again, it’s noth—
ing entirely new, Hazen
said. He’s moved up the
ladder within this district
before, and he’s done this
juggling act before.
It’s right, Hazen said,
that he begins his career
as superintendent in the
town where his story as an
educator began.
“We spent 11 years
here previously. Eleven
years is basically a third of
my life. I’ve spent as much
time here as any place I’ve
ever been,” Hazen said.
“From my family’s point of
view, we’re all excited to
be back. There’s a comfort
and feeling of home. This
is where I’ve come up as an
educator.”
THE CHALLENGES AHEAD
What education will
look like in the upcoming
months may be an unprec—
edented problem, but in
addressing it, Hazen said
his most important task is
recognizing the team and
resources he is surround—
ed b .
‘We’re not in this
alone. Everybody is go-
ing through this,” Hazen
said. “I don’t think my ap-
proach is going to be that I
have every answer, or that
I’m going to do this alone.
We’re going to collaborate
with many people. We’ll
get guidance from coun—
ty health, we’ll get guid-
ance from the state and
we’re going to use all of
that, with community and
stakeholder input, to make
a plan that will be right for
our community.”
The district may be in
difficult times as it navi-
ates COVID-19, with the
uture of state funding for
education remaining er-
ilous to predict. But, it s an
exciting time for education
as well, Hazen said, noting
that within difficulty lies
opportunity.
“This is the catal st for
innovation. We’re orced
into it. We have no choice
but to innovate,” Hazen
said. “We’re forced to be
different.”
It’s likely that the steps
taken b educators to-
day, suc as those taken
by those in Lovell, could
C a
nge education far into
the future.
smoll
“COVID—19 has shown
us to a certain extent that
there are things that make
us adapt and change all
of our rules from what
they have historically
been, some to the good
and some to the bad, but
I think it gives us better
context to what is work—
ing and what hasn’t been
working,” Hazen said.
“As much as we all wish
COVlD-19 would go away,
there are going to be some
long—lasting effects that
are positive for education—
al practices.”
One of the benefits
Hazen said he’s recog-
nized is that COVlD-19 has
increased awareness for
teachers in understand—
ing the challenges some of
their students face, cre—
ating a more holistic un-
derstanding of education.
From grading students
to determining eligibility
to attendance, COVID—19
is forcing educators to
re-evaluate nearly every
buildin block of the edu-
cationa system.
“Some things it opened
up two ways, we were see—
ing into student homes at
times, and better under—
stood what certain fami—
ly dynamics and realities
were, where we had po-
tentially six kids sharing
one computer, all of the
inequities and issues that
created,” Hazen said. “And
on the reverse side, it also
put staff in an uncomfort—
able position where we
were a fish out of water.
Most teachers and edu-
cators are wired in a way
where we are in educa—
tion because we want to
help people, so a lot of us
stepped up into that.”
The crisis may also
have long—lasting impact
on the use of technology
within the classroom, ac-
cording to Hazen
“One of those poten-
tial ramifications is just
our understanding and
utilization of technology
and when we do re-en-
ter the classroom,” Haz’eh’
said, “how we can leverage
some of those skills now
to make that environment
even more effective.”
Whatever the fu—
ture has in store, Ha—
zen is grateful to be do—
ing it here, in the town
that formed him as an ed—
ucator. He recognized the
district’s previous super—
intendent, Rick Wood—
ford, for takin him un—
der his wing, ut Hazen
said he has also returned
from Montana with a bet—
ter understanding of him—
self and What he uniquely
brings to the table.
, “Rick was an unbe—
lievable mentor to me.
I learned a tremendous
amount from him,” Hazen
said. “But, I’m not a carbon
copy of him. I’m my own
person. I have my own
style of doing things. I’m
going to be myself. That’s
why the board hired me.”
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