PRESS RELEASE: This Friday, Bend Senior High School will celebrate honor two distinguished alumni and celebrate the character traits that make alumni part of the school’s so-called “Long Blue Line.” The school will honor Betsy McCool, Class of 1975, and Amanda MacGurn, Class of 2001, during a homecoming and character assembly Friday, Oct. 12 at 11 a.m. The school has also invited past distinguished alumni recipients to attend, receive special medals of honor and —together with the new inductees — they will create a symbolic long blue line on the gym floor.

“We want our students to understand what it means to be a Lava Bear and be part of our culture. We are celebrating people who have given back to their communities, their country and their world,” said teacher Andria Lindsey, who is organizing this year’s event. “I want our current students to be inspired to follow their dreams and give back to the world. And I want them to recognize the character traits we hold close to our hearts here at Bend High and to celebrate those traits in other people.”

Lindsey says this year all students will be digging in deeper to this subject of character within their classes prior to the assembly. Students will be asked: What does distinguished mean to you? Who in your life is distinguished? How do you want to become distinguished? Who do you think of as role models within your class? What are you proud of?

Betsy McCool, Class of 1975, is the chair of Western Communications, Inc, which own the Bulletin as well as eight other publications in Oregon and California. McCool attended Oregon State University and has a master of business management from Willamette University. She was a founding board director of Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center in Bend and as served in numerous leadership positions for community organizations — including Nature Conservancy to NeighborImpact, Bend Area Chamber of Commerce and Oregon Community Service Commission.

Amanda MacGurn, Class of 2001, has dedicated her post-college career to helping those in need internationally. She taught English in Costa Rica and Chile and served as a member of the Peace Corps in Romania for two years. She volunteered with anti-human trafficking organization. She received a Master of Public Health at Emory University and had a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is now working in with the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine. She has been to West Africa, Madagascar and the Congo to help with various disease outbreaks — from Ebola to the plague. She continues to work in West Africa and assist governments with public health measures.