Your Ellensburg Schools

It's been a great start to the school with students returning to the most normal year many have known in their young lives. Ellensburg now has four fully operational elementary schools to serve the students and families of our community!

Building two new schools and renovating a third was no small task. Even more remarkable is the fact that Lincoln was completed a full year ahead of schedule, in spite of supply chain issues and labor shortages brought on by COVID. Our beautiful new schools have been completed on time and on budget.

Thank you to our Lincoln staff for their commitment, hard work and flexibility. Moving from Lincoln to Ida and back was no easy task, and we are grateful for your dedication to students.

All Ellensburg school facilities, including our beautiful new elementary schools, are available for public use at low or no cost. Reserving these spaces just got a lot easier thanks to a handy online scheduling tool.

Interested community members can set up an account, which is quick and easy. Once into the system, community members can determine what facilities are available, as well as any additional costs that might be associated with use of the space. For example, stage lights and microphones in the Morgan Performing Arts Center would require additional personnel, which would result in an additional cost.

To sign up for a Facilities Use account and reserve your space, please visit https://www.esd401.org/community/facilities-rental where you will find information on how to set up an account.

It was another great year at the Ellensburg Rodeo Parade! Our own Ellensburg High School 2022 State Girls Basketball championship team served as Grand Marshalls for the parade. Football players marched, carried signs, and helped with the necessary clean up. The EHS Band was in fine form, followed by the enthusiastic EHS Cheerleaders. ESD Board President Jason White, Superintendent Jinger Haberer, and Transportation Director Carol Chrisman and Assistant Director Tracy Russell marched with the EDS school bus. ESD students and families also represented the many clubs and organizations that make Ellensburg a great place to live, learn, and play!

Congratulations to our friends at the Kittitas County Fair and the Ellensburg Rodeo for another awesome Labor Day weekend filled with fun!

ESD staff began back-to-school week with a Welcome Back event at Morgan Performing Arts Center, hosted by Superintendent Jinger Haberer.

EHS Leadership students gave up their last morning of vacation to greet guests as they entered the building. Staff members had an opportunity to visit with colleagues and enjoy a Continental breakfast before a presentation by the superintendent, including a special award (see below).

After the Welcome event, teachers scrambled off to their classrooms to put the final touches in place for their students.

At the Welcome Back event for ESD staff, Superintendent Jinger Haberer presented Ellensburg Police Chief Ken Wade with the Washington Association of School Administrators Community Leadership Award. Chief Wade, an Ellensburg native and graduate of EHS, was chosen for the award by Haberer for his support of our local schools and dedication to our community.

ESD staff also had an opportunity to meet the new School Resource Officer (SRO) Lucas Anderson, or as the kids call him, Officer Lucas.

Anderson began his career as a corrections officer in Yakima County where he grew up. He has been with the Ellensburg Police Department for nearly 10 years. Being an SRO was something he "100% chose" to do. "I wanted a change of pace and loved the idea of working with students and families in schools; being able to help kids with stressful situations," he says.

Anderson keeps watch over every ESD campus, including the speed zones. But the bulk of his day is spent inside the schools offering presentations, keeping an eye out for trouble and just interacting with kids. "I want the students to get used to seeing a friendly face so if anything happens or they just need help or resources, they are running towards me and not away."

Please join us in welcoming Officer Lucas to the ESD family.

ESD and the Board of Education are pleased to welcome the 2022-2023 Student Representatives to the Board: Grady Fortier, Reagan Messner and Josephine Scheopner.

"The perspective students bring to the process is invaluable," says Superintendent Jinger Haberer. "We have an exceptional group of students this year who are dedicated to bridging the gaps they see after the past two years."

In addition to their new responsibilities as board representatives, these three EHS seniors are the founding members of the EHS Student Senate. Unlike ASB, which is focused more on events, this group hopes to open dialogue in a climate where students can agree to disagree in a civil and respectful space.

Thanks to the dedication and hard work of Career and Technical Education Director Shannon Panattoni, Ellensburg students can explore Career Pathways leading not only to future employment, but industry-recognized certifications and endorsements in their field. Students can choose from from the following Pathways:

• Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Program (Natural Resource Systems, Animal Systems, and Power, Structural and Technology).
• Business and Marketing (Finance, Human Relations/Project Management, Marketing)
• Computer Science
• Family and Consumer Science (Careers in Education, Health and Human Services, Culinary Arts)
• Skilled and Technical Science (Construction, Visual Arts)

In addition to specifically designed and sequences courses, students have an opportunity to participate in real-world projects and internships. Construction students will be building sheds this year for the Stuart Meadows housing project in partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

Panattoni is working with an advisory board and organizations and businesses throughout the community to establish even more internship opportunities for students. If your business has an opportunity to help students grow in their skills, please contact Shannon.Panattoni@esd401.org.

Email: leslee.caul@esd401.org
Website: esd401.org
Phone: (509) 925-8010
Facebook: facebook.com/ellensburgschools