WSD Weekly

June 12, 2026

📅 Upcoming Calendar Events:

*June 12 - Last Day of School for Grades PK-5, 8 (Dismissed 3 hours early). WHS final makeups only.

They did it! 406 Wenatchee High School and 106 WestSide High School graduates completed their academic journeys in the Wenatchee School District and are off to pursue their unlimited potential in college, career, and life. Join us in celebrating their accomplishments.

The Wenatchee School District Board of Directors has been named the 2026 Regional School Board of the Year by the North Central Educational Service District in the category of Working as a Team with District Administration. NCESD Superintendent Dr. Michelle Price presented the Board with a commemorative plaque at Wednesday evening's Board meeting.

The recognition honors four years of exceptional collaboration, transparency, and student-centered leadership during one of the most financially challenging periods in the district's recent history. Facing $18.6 million in budget reductions driven by declining enrollment, rising costs, and federal funding uncertainty, the Board worked side by side with Superintendent Dr. Kory Kalahar and district leadership — guided by a consistent set of principles designed to protect students and classrooms first.

"What made the difference was the steady, principled leadership of our Board," said Superintendent Kalahar. "They showed up — meeting after meeting, decision after decision — with a student-first mindset and a commitment to doing this the right way."

With the budget stabilized and federal funding restored for 2026-27, the Board is now focused on growth — championing programs like Accelerated Pathways, Dual Language, and expanded choice opportunities that are attracting and retaining students and families across the region.

Congratulations to our Board of Directors on this well-deserved honor

Two Wenatchee School District Middle School students, Avantika Chakravarthy and Ophelia Booth, earned top-ten honors at the 2026 SkillsUSA’s National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Their achievements highlight the success of Wenatchee Career Technical Education (CTE) programs on the national stage.

Avantika Chakravarthy, an 8th-grader at Foothills Middle School, is a SkillsUSA national champion, placing first in the Job Skill Demonstration Open category with a winning presentation on orthopedic evaluations of ankle injuries. The Job Skill Demonstration Open category requires competitors to demonstrate an occupational skill accompanied by a clear explanation of the topic using experiments, displays or practical operations.

Ophelia Booth, an 8th-grader at Pioneer Middle School, earned 7th place in the Job Skill Demonstration A category with a presentation on acrylic painting. The competition requires a demonstration performing an occupational skill related to a class in which the student is currently enrolled accompanied by a clear explanation of the topic using experiments, displays or practical operations.

SkillsUSA is a student organization within CTE that provides students with the opportunity to practice and compete in job skills across multiple disciplines, preparing students for the modern workforce by connecting skills and filling the gaps in other specialized student organizations. Both Avantika and Ophelia, along with other Wenatchee middle school SkillsUSA students, have built a powerful foundation of technical skills and confidence in public speaking that lays the ground for success in high school and beyond.

For more information on Wenatchee middle school CTE opportunities, please contact Wenatchee School District Middle School CTE Coordinator Beth Hammerberg.

For Kai Whitson, history isn't something you just read about — it's something you build.

Over the last year, Kai has been in Dr. Nicpan Brown’s class learning about the History of World War II. The Valley Academy student has spent months meticulously constructing 17 Higgins Boats — the iconic WWII amphibious landing craft — complete with tanks, all designed from his own original blueprint. Since February, Kai has logged hours at Wenatchee's Bricks and Mini-Figs searching for just the right pieces and working after school in his classroom to bring his vision to life.

On Thursday morning, Kai presented the finished builds to his class — walking his classmates through the construction step by step. He was joined by community member Karen Rutherford, who donated her time, money, and Lego pieces to support the project — and who brought something extra special to share: photographs of her late father, a WWII pilot, giving the class a personal and moving connection to the history they had been studying.

Bricks and Mini-Figs also donated bricks to help make the project possible.

The learning doesn't stop there. Dr. Nicpan Brown is organizing a trip to France next spring for Valley Academy families — both in Kai's class and beyond — to visit historic WWII sites firsthand. The trip will bring the history these students have explored in the classroom to life in an unforgettable way.