Pictured above, left to right: Hudson's Bay's Chad Ortiz, Vernon Bryant, Allison Blaine, Patrice Woods (associate principal); and Columbia River's Grace Gordon.
Allison Blaine, a junior at Hudson’s Bay High School, won the 3A state championship in wrestling for the 135 weight class at the Mat Classic in Tacoma on Feb. 16. This is Blaine’s second state championship. Her coaches are Chad Ortiz, Vernon Bryant and Bryan Hugo.
Grace Gordon, a senior at Columbia River High School, took first on the beam at the 3A/2A/1A state gymnastics championship. Gordon scored a 9.625 to win the beam. She also placed seventh on the uneven bars. Her coaches are Alicia Green and Allison Sparrow.
Also, the Columbia River girls bowling team won the 2A state academic championship. The team has an average 3.8 grade point average. Members areQuinn Allen, senior; Maya Burnett, junior; Jenna Chinn, sophomore; Rileigh Chinn, sophomore; Shelly Ferina, sophomore; Abby Lindsey, sophomore; and Mika Munger, senior. Rileigh Chinn placed third in individual competition at the 1A/2A bowling championships with a score of 1,077 over six games. River's coach is Logan Burnett.
Counselor named finalist for Washington School Counselor of the Year
By the time she was in eighth grade, Kara Hecker (pictured on left) had identified her dream job: school counseling. The daughter of Vancouver teachers and graduate of Columbia River High School went on to fulfill that objective, joining Vancouver Public Schools in 2004.
Recently, Hecker was named a finalist for the Washington School Counselor of the Year. The recognition from the Washington School Counselor Association honors professionals in the field who maintain high-quality, comprehensive school counseling programs. Hecker was honored at the annual Washington School Counselor Association conference along with fellow finalist Melissa Scott (far right), Central Valley School District, and School Counselor of the Year Nita Hill, Puyallup School District.
At Hudson’s Bay High School, where she’s been assigned since 2011, Hecker works with students and collaborates with staff members to address social and emotional growth, provide academic and graduation support and teach college and career readiness.
Gaiser teacher featured as a KATU leader in learning
A feature from KATU news.
VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Filly Afenegus is a teacher, coach, mentor and all-around great guy. Ask anyone at Gaiser Middle School about him and they’ll likely tell you Afenegus has helped turn the Vancouver school around.
Several years ago, the P.E. teacher and his students came up with an idea called “Project Legacy.” The goal was to change the school through the power of positive reinforcement.
“We wanted to create a culture where the alarm goes off and it’s like, ‘I get to go to school today!’ as opposed to snooze, snooze, snooze. Five snoozes later, ‘I have to go to school today,’” said Afenegus.
An evening preschool program at Washington Elementary School uses a winning combination of support for its youngest learners. Washington principal Kirsten Copeland, early childhood education specialist Jenny Brown and Family-Community Resource Center coordinator Elizabeth Owen engage and empower families to nurture learning at home and ignite their children’s natural curiosity. The result is a solid foundation for school readiness and future academic success!
Five Vancouver student artists win awards in regional high school show
Student artists from across Southwest Washington submitted nearly 230 entries for the region’s 2019 High School Art Show, hosted by Educational Service District 112. Judges evaluated each piece’s originality, composition, emotion and technique.
NOTE: Every Monday from Sept. 9 - May 18 is a 40-minute early release, when school is in session, excluding holidays.
August 2019
Aug. 27 – First day of school
September 2019 Sept. 2 – Labor Day, no school
October 2019 Oct. 11 – In-service day, no school Oct. 16 – Parent conferences, 2-hour early release – elementary schools only Oct. 17 – Parent conferences, 2-hour early release – middle and high schools only
Oct. 17 – Parent conferences, no school – elementary schools only Oct. 18 – Parent conference, no school – all schools
November 2019 Nov. 11 – Veterans Day, no school Nov. 27-29 – Thanksgiving break, no school
December 2019 Dec. 23 - Jan. 3 – Winter break, no school
January 2020 Jan. 20 – Martin Luther King Day, no school Jan. 24 – Semester break, no school **
February 2020 Feb. 17 – Presidents Day, no school
March 2020 March 30 - April 3 – Spring break, no school
April 2020 April 16 – Parent conferences, 2-hour early release – all schools April 17 – Parent conferences, 2-hour early release – elementary schools only
May 2020 May 25 – Memorial Day, no school
June 2020 June 9 – 2-hour early release** June 10 – Last day of school, 2-hour early release**
** If schools are closed due to weather, the calendar may change. Snow make-up days, in priority order, are June 11, 12, 15 and Jan. 24.
Recap of the March 12 school board meeting
The board of directors approved agreements with LSW Architects, P.C., for architectural and engineering services for Fir Grove and Sacajawea Elementary School.
The board of directors approved the purchase of ITS equipment and licenses for new Ogden, King and Marshall elementary schools, McLoughlin Middle School and Vancouver iTech Preparatory.
Featured tweet:
Heat is on at solar car challenge
WG representing at the Solar Car challenge! 3rd place and a lot of fun! Go Eagles! pic.twitter.com/Vu1qBYBLoQ
Our address is:
2901 Falk Rd., Vancouver, WA 98661
P.O. Box 8937, Vancouver, WA 98668
Superintendent: Dr. Steve Webb
Board of Directors: Rosemary Fryer, Michelle Giovannozzi, Dale Q. Rice, Wendy Smith, Mark Stoker
Vancouver School District is an Equal Opportunity District in education programs, activities, services, and employment. The district does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, including gender expression or identity, age, families with children, honorably discharged veteran or military status, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal. The district provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups. The district complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Older Worker Protection Act, and all other state, federal, and local equal opportunity laws. You may also contact any of the following people by writing to them at Vancouver School District, PO Box 8937, Vancouver, Washington 98668-8937 or by calling 360-313-1000: ADA–Kathy Everidge; Title VII, 504–Tamara Shoup; IDEA–Daniel Bettis; Affirmative Action–Kathy Everidge; Title IX Elementary–Debra Hale; Title IX Secondary–Chris Olsen; Athletic Equity–Albert Alcantar. This notification can be provided in the appropriate language for communities of national origin and minority persons with limited English language skills by contacting 360-313-1250.
