Deputies Jonathan Ebner, left, and Jamie Gregory, both of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office pour slushies for fourth graders during a slushy party at La Pine Elementary on Thursday.Â
Sgt. Kyle Kalmbach, left, and deputy Jamie Gregory serve slushies from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office machine to fourth graders during a party at La Pine Elementary on Thursday. Â
Deputy Jonathan Ebner of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office asks fourth graders questions about bike riding while visiting La Pine Elementary for a party on Thursday. The sheriff's office brought its slushy machine to serve the students.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office slushy machine dispenses blue raspberry and cherry flavor frozen treats. The slushy machine, seen here at La Pine Elementary School, was briefly the subject of satirical posts on a website that lampoons the sheriff's office, and chronicled in news reports. It was reported to cost the sheriff's office $3,115.
Deputy Jonathan Ebner pushes the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office slushy machine through the halls of La Pine Elementary after a party on Thursday. Â
Anna, a Nebraska native, covers crime and public safety. She’s been with The ÅÝֱܽ²¥ since 2022. She seeks to incorporate nuance and diverse perspectives to broaden readers’ understandings of the criminal justice system, public safety and homelessness. Readers can contact Anna with news tips via phone or email.
Deputies Jonathan Ebner, left, and Jamie Gregory, both of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office pour slushies for fourth graders during a slushy party at La Pine Elementary on Thursday.Â
Deputy Jonathan Ebner pushes the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office slushy machine through the halls of La Pine Elementary after a party on Thursday. Â
LA PINE — The fourth graders of La Pine Elementary School had cold hands and slushy-stained smiles by the end of the school day Thursday after a visit from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
They weren’t bothered by its history, either. The slushy machine, which was briefly the subject of satirical posts on a website that lampoons the sheriff’s office, and chronicled in news reports, was a source of joy for roughly 40 elementary school-aged kids.
The slushy machine, which was reported to cost the sheriff’s office $3,115, churned out blue raspberry and cherry-flavored frozen drinks as a reward for the students who raised the most amount of money in the school for a cancer fundraising campaign.
“You can’t quantify the return we’re getting on that investment,†said Capt. William Bailey, a candidate for sheriff.
Deputy Jonathan Ebner of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office asks fourth graders questions about bike riding while visiting La Pine Elementary for a party on Thursday. The sheriff's office brought its slushy machine to serve the students.
The cost is a “fractional investment†in a tool that will be used for the next several years, if not a decade, he said.
“If you look at the kids in this room, that is worth the investment,†he said.
The machine has been in use in southern Deschutes County for the past 10 months. In that time, members of the sheriff’s office have done roughly 23 events, including 17 at schools — not just to celebrate fundraising goals but also to provide incentives for attendance, good behavior and academic performance, said sheriff’s Sgt. Kyle Kalmbach. The others have been large-scale community events like the La Pine Rodeo and Frontier Days. That’s translated to roughly 1,000 kids, and around 2,500 people total, he said.
The slushies are an opportunity to foster positive interactions with the community and help share the success of students, Kalmbach said. Plus, if a deputy responds to a call for service and a kid is present, the child might recognize the responding deputy as a familiar face in a time of trouble, he said.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office slushy machine dispenses blue raspberry and cherry flavor frozen treats. The slushy machine, seen here at La Pine Elementary School, was briefly the subject of satirical posts on a website that lampoons the sheriff's office, and chronicled in news reports. It was reported to cost the sheriff's office $3,115.
“It’s happened,†said Kalmbach, who was a 14-year teacher for the Bend-La Pine school district before changing careers a decade ago.
The students from two fourth-grade classes merged together in one classroom Thursday, some sitting cross-legged on the floor, all eager to get their hands on a small cup. Sheriff’s deputies also took it as an opportunity to quiz the students on swimming, bicycling and online safety.
Even the school’s principal, Megan Silvey, had her own cherry-flavored slushy.
“This, to me, is a really positive experience,†Silvey said. “They want the best for these kids.â€
Sgt. Kyle Kalmbach, left, and deputy Jamie Gregory serve slushies from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office machine to fourth graders during a party at La Pine Elementary on Thursday. Â
That’s a relatively recent development. Silvey said previously many students had negative experiences with law enforcement in southern Deschutes County. But things have changed.
Anna, a Nebraska native, covers crime and public safety. She’s been with The ÅÝֱܽ²¥ since 2022. She seeks to incorporate nuance and diverse perspectives to broaden readers’ understandings of the criminal justice system, public safety and homelessness. Readers can contact Anna with news tips via phone or email.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.