Newsletter

We continue to make important progress on our long-range facilities project, and I’m excited to share a few updates with our community.

One major milestone has been the selection of Design West Architects as our architectural partner. Design West came highly recommended and has extensive experience working with school districts across eastern Washington, Oregon, and western Idaho.

Earlier this year, I attended a wrestling tournament in Umatilla, Oregon, and had the opportunity to walk through one of their newly constructed schools. I remember being impressed by the facility and thinking how wonderful it would be to have a school like that in White Salmon. During our interview process, Design West included photos of that same school in their presentation. After realizing they were the architects behind the project, I reached out to the Umatilla superintendent to ask about her experience working with them. Her response was simple: “They are a dream team.” That endorsement gave me a great deal of confidence, and I am excited about the partnership ahead.

As we move into the planning and design phase, we are spending a significant amount of time discussing project phasing and how construction can occur while school remains in session. One thing we know for certain is that there will be temporary adjustments along the way. Moving students and staff while maintaining day-to-day operations is a complex challenge, but our goal is to make thoughtful decisions that maximize every dollar invested in our schools and create the best possible learning environments for years to come.

This week, Design West began meeting with staff as part of the early design process. A key focus right now is listening and learning. Through conversations with teachers, support staff, and administrators, the design team is gathering input about how our facilities can best support teaching, learning, safety, and the overall student experience. In the coming months, students will also have opportunities to share their perspectives through listening sessions with the architects. Their feedback will help inform the design process as plans continue to develop.

We are currently finalizing contract negotiations with Design West and anticipate bringing the agreement to the Board of Directors for approval at the June board meeting.

To help keep our community informed, we have also launched a Bond Information webpage where families, staff, and community members can find the latest project updates, timelines, project information, and other important information related to the facilities project. We encourage everyone to visit the page periodically as new information becomes available.

This project represents a significant investment in the future of our schools and community. We look forward to sharing additional updates as the work continues.

www.wsvsd.org/bond

As we approach the final two weeks of the school year, I want to take a moment to thank our families for their partnership and support in helping students get to school each day.

This year, we have seen encouraging improvements in attendance across the district. That progress is a direct reflection of the efforts of our students, families, and staff working together to make school attendance a priority. While we are moving in the right direction, we still have work to do to reach our goal of having 90% of students attend 90% or more of the school year.

It is important to remember that the next two weeks still count. Every school day matters, and consistent attendance remains one of the strongest predictors of student success. Learning continues through the last day of school, and students benefit from being present for classroom instruction, end-of-year activities, and opportunities to celebrate their accomplishments with classmates and staff.

Thank you for your continued support. Please help us finish the year strong by making sure your student is at school every day possible during these final weeks

Recently, the district implemented lockdown procedures after receiving information that required an immediate safety response. While these situations are stressful for everyone involved, I am grateful to report that students and staff remained safe throughout the incident.

I want to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to our local law enforcement agencies and first responders. Their rapid response, professionalism, and coordination were instrumental throughout the event. We are fortunate to have strong working relationships with our emergency response partners, and that collaboration helped ensure a coordinated and effective response.

I also want to recognize our staff and students. Staff remained calm, followed established safety procedures, and provided reassurance and support to students throughout the lockdown. Our students responded exactly as we ask them to during emergency situations. While no one enjoys practicing drills, this event reinforced the importance of being prepared and knowing what to do when an emergency arises.

Many families may not be familiar with one of the tools that supported our response: the district's E3 emergency management system. E3 is a comprehensive emergency communication platform designed specifically for schools and first responders. During an emergency, administrators can instantly communicate with staff across multiple campuses, share real-time updates, and coordinate response efforts from a single platform.

The system also provides first responders with access to critical information that can support decision-making during an incident. Features such as campus maps, room locations, emergency plans, and live communication channels help create a shared operating picture between school personnel and emergency responders. Rather than relying on phone calls, emails, or fragmented communication, everyone involved can receive and share information in real time.

One feature that proved especially valuable during this incident was the platform's group communication capability. Staff, administrators, and law enforcement were able to exchange updates quickly as information developed, helping improve coordination and situational awareness throughout the response. In emergency situations, timely and accurate information is critical, and the system performed exactly as intended.

Following the incident, we conducted an after-action review with our emergency response partners. These reviews are an important part of our continuous improvement process. We identified several strengths in our response as well as opportunities to strengthen our procedures moving forward. School safety is never a finished product. It requires ongoing planning, training, collaboration, and refinement.

While the incident remains under investigation and there are limits to what can be shared publicly, the most important outcome is that everyone remained safe. I am grateful for the professionalism of our staff, the cooperation of our students, the support of our families, and the partnership of our first responders. Together, they demonstrated the strength of the White Salmon community when it matters most.

Congratulations to our student artists who were recognized at the 2026 Arts Walk held last weekend! Winners were selected by a jury of local artists from the White Salmon Arts Council, highlighting the incredible creativity and talent of our students. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this year’s Arts Walk a success! This year's winners included:

• Frida Kahlo Award - most imaginative combination of subject matter - Zeke Wilson - Guy 1

• Chuck Close Award - most realistic drawings and paintings - Meisa Campbell - Owl Eye

• Yayoi Kusama Award - best 3-dimensional artwork - Lyle Grose - Man of Stone

• Andy Warhol Award - strongest graphic style and imagery - Taryn Wallace - Subtle Differences

• Student Choice Award - Meisa Campbell - Owl Eye

Congratulations to the CHS Girls Tennis team on an incredible season! The Bruins earned the WIAA 1A Academic State Championship with an outstanding 3.92 team GPA — the 3rd Academic State Championship for CHS this year!

On the court, Columbia captured 1st Place at the District Tournament, led by strong performances from Tallulah Holmlund, Ximena McAllister, Taylor Allen & Liz Salguero, and doubles champions Gigi Clark & Anya Romero, who advanced undefeated to the WIAA State Tournament in Yakima as the District #1 seed. The team also finished league play with an impressive 10–2 record.

Way to go, Bruins!