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Duran Paasch leads
student body wind blend of Popeye and
Robinhood
By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
News editor
Duran Paasch admits it.
“I’ve got Senioritis.”
That distracting condition affecting 17- and 18-year-olds on the
verge of high school graduation affects even the student body
president at
Hood
River
Valley
High School.
But Paasch, the Gonzaga University-bound student leader, knows he
cannot indulge his Senioritis.
There is too much to do.
But come May 27, the student body will witness the “passing of the
gavel” from Paasch and the rest of the 2009-10 student leadership
to team to ASB president-elect Natalie Johnson and her crew.
The mantel of leadership is also about to shift from Paasch’s
mentor, Bob Kadell, to Niko Yasui, the new Leadership teacher.
Kadell is retiring in June after 26 years guiding ASB government
and other involved students in planning events such as Homecoming,
blood drives, food drives and the Luau.
From Kadell, said Paasch, “I’ve learned more than I could tell. He
has done so much.”
Paasch, son of orchardists David and Tedi Paasch, has something
definite in common with the unassuming Kadell.
“I don’t really like all the recognition,” Duran said.
He credits his fellow student leaders with backing him up
throughout the year, but he said one of the biggest lessons he
learned from Kadell is “There’s just a lot of things you have to
do yourself.”
“There’s a lot of work that has to get done that people just don’t
realize,” he said.
Kadell turned Paasch loose in coordinating the recent Red Cross
blood drive at the school, which yielded more than 100 units of
blood. That made for a record-breaking 2009-10 for the blood
drive, Community Work Day and the Christmas food drive, Paasch
said.
“He (Kadell) just told me, ‘This one is all yours,’ and every day
he asked, ‘Did you take care of this; did you take care of that?’
I’d say, ‘Yeah, I need to do that today,’ and he’d keep reminding
me, but he left it up to us. He knew he needed to step back and
let us do this.”
The passing of the gavel, and the traditional send-off for staff
retirees. will make for “a really special day” on May 27, Paasch
said. Retiring along with Kadell is longtime coach and teacher
Phil Hukari.
Once Luau starts, Paasch can relax. And he looks back on another
all-school festivity, the Lock-In in March, as a personal
highlight. He and other members of ASB dressed up in matching
Robin Hood uniforms for the dodge ball competition.
“That was the most fun I had all year. I just got to relax and
have a good time and see other people having such a good time.”
His senior year has gone “really fast,” just as Kadell and other
teachers warned him.
“You just don’t know how fast until you get there,” he said.
Paasch said his advice to Natalie Johnson, his successor, was
“Learn all you can from Kadell in the time you’ve still got him.”
He also told her “Don’t try to take on everything yourself,” and
to make note of those people who help with preparations in August.
“The people who show up before school starts are the ones you know
you can count on throughout the year,” he said.
With Johnson about to take over, Paasch is just about to the point
where he can fully look at his own future. He anticipates an
enjoyable summer, working the family orchard and hanging out with
friends.
Then, in the fall, he embarks on a planned business degree at
Gonzaga.
“I’m excited about trying something new,” Paasch said.
But there will be one last quest at HRVHS: the vaunted Mr. HRV.
On May 22, Paasch will take the stage with 11 other senior men in
the annual variety show competition: Derek Jubitz, Luke MacMillan,
Chris LaMaita, Drew LaMaita, Zach Grace, Michael Dewitt, Hunter
Knoll, Marquel Neal, Miguel Rodriguez, Leo Dorich and Jackson
Dougan.
He revealed that his beachwear motif will involve Popeye, but as
to what he will do in the talent portion, he remained cryptic.
“People might not expect it to be something I would do, but when
they see me do it, they’ll realize it is something I would have
done.
“It’s a good mix of guys with real talent, and a few who are just
up there goofing.”
Asked if he is among those “goofing,” he replied with a big smile,
“Yes.”
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