Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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Ask any student and likely their favorite class is PE, Art, or Music. It’s not just about the hands on and interactive learning that caters to the creative mind. These classes are taught by specialists in the field of education that emphasize learning and understanding in a different way. These classes, termed as specialists in school, are also taught by some pretty special teachers who work hard to make school fun and engaging for all. Carrie Badger Carrie has been teaching 29 years and s...
The dairy, logging, and fishing heritage of Wahkiakum county has been a central focus of student learning recently. The River of Life and Burkhalter Dairy provided an extension to the classroom recently, connecting classroom curriculum to the world right outside their doors. This has made learning about heritage more interesting and relevant. September 19, forty 4th and 5th grade students from the Julius A. Wendt Elementary School went on a field trip, utilizing resources in our own community...
The John C. Thomas Middle School Associated Student Body leaders are looking forward to a great year as they embark on developing their personal leadership skills while serving their student body. The ASB officers are required to take the Leadership class, taught by Carrie Badger. In this class they learn how to become leaders and serve other people by recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses, while enhancing the school experience for their peers. “It’s so exciting to watch the kids enter Leadership as a 7th grader questioning the...
How can you have a garden column in Washington state and not share the significance of apples? Washington river valleys make the perfect setting for growing this tasty fruit with just the right amount of winter to chill fruit stock and encourage fruit to set in the spring. Annually, Washington grows 175,000 acres of apples, providing 10 billion apples for consumers. According to the Washington Department of Agriculture, “If you put all the Washington State apples picked in a year side-by-side, they would circle the earth 29 times.” The var...
Students at Julius A .Wendt Elementary School kicked off the school year with their first assembly promoting kindness as a focus for character development in the month of September. The fifth-grade class shared a skit on how sacrifice and sharing demonstrate kindness based on the children’s book, “The Rainbow Fish.” Their finished artwork is displayed in the hall multipurpose room corridor and showing ways we can make sacrifices of ourselves to be kind to others. Students are invited to pa...
Our focus this week is the impact of teaching and influence of sports to inspire well rounded athletes. We highlight three teacher's backgrounds in coaching as they share what impact the classroom has on sports and academic achievement. Tina Merz has 28 years of experience and is currently teaching sixth through eighth grade English Language, Arts and Career Explorations. Merz coaches high school volleyball, high school track and middle school boys basketball. She said that "ever since I was...
The school district food service program made a substantial change that has had a lasting impact on the district while teaching students the value of recycling and managing waste. They have implemented a composting program and replaced throw away trays with new reuseable plastic. The state of Washington banned most expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam containers, which included styrofoam starting 2024. This change led the district to replace their food tray system to reuseable red meal trays. "We...
The Associated Student Body (ASB) government at Wahkiakum High School has set the bar high for demonstrating that leadership seen in daily actions to be successful. The ASB officers for the 2024-25 school year include: President Parker Leitz, Vice President Jessie LaFever, Secretary Haileeahna Nielsen, Treasurer Rylie Wills, Public Relations Officer Aaina Nakonsky, and Executive Liaisons Memphis Coleman and Evelynn Miller. At a leadership retreat prior to the start of school this group of student leaders determined that they wanted to see...
Students in the Wahkiakum agriculture education program are reaping the rewards of hard work by untapping a new level of opportunity. Recently the Washington FFA Foundation provided them with a $40,000 grant, which was extended into an additional $40,000 to enhance the program. The FFA is a leadership organization that is an integral part of the classroom model in the agriculture education career and technical education (CTE) program at Wahkiakum High School. Kyle Hurley, the program advisor and district CTE coordinator, initiated the grant...
As the summer stretches out into another beautiful week, the miles of invasive blackberries that lace the West Coast will see another boost in fruits dangling from their thorny hosts. While some may find an obnoxious foe in the relentless host of Washington’s most popular wild fruit, others are rejoicing in another bountiful bucket of berries from a session of blackberry yoga. Stretching to reach the plumpest, most juicy berries can be a workout, but also result in a plethora of blackberry d...
Gardens are hitting their peak right now with an abundance of fruits and vegetables making that last push of production prior to our fall weather setting in. There is so much to pick from right now, as every nook and cranny within the row is filled with luscious produce. A favorite that does not contain itself in a row is a plant that blooms and grows wildly on its own. Nasturtiums are sure to have gone wild by this point in the year, taking up residence in every space they can reach. While their growth habits are almost invasive and a little...
Superintendent Palmer has literally been rolling up his sleeves and getting things done since taking the lead of the district in July. There are three areas of focus that keep Palmer’s attention as he prioritizes what is best for kids when thinking about the “state of the school” as a new year is set to begin this week: facilities, staffing and grants. While it is still early in the year and Superintendent Palmer is just getting to know the personalities and talents in the district, he’s finding it’s been fun to meet people and learn about the...
Students at Wahkiakum School District are back and ready to shine as the new school year began Tuesday, August 27. A great deal of work has gone into classroom preparation, curriculum alignment, and schedule restructuring by the high school and middle/elementary principals. “The first day of school is always busy but there's nothing like the excitement and energy day number one brings. Students and staff started the day with big smiles and ended the day still smiling. That's a win in my b...
Traveling to Peru, exploring ancient Greece, or taking an expedition to Antarctica are new opportunities coming to the student classrooms at Wahkiakum School District this fall. Thanks to the WSU Wahkiakum Extension Service and their work to secure Career-Connected grants, students can use innovative technology from two rounds of grant monies awarded. Round one of the grants supported the robotics program and provided a 3D printer in the robotics technology classroom. The Round two award was $183,858 to grow Career-Connected learning using...
This new weekly column will feature a set of elementary, middle and high school teachers to show the vast depth of knowledge, experience and talent our students are fortunate to work with each day. This week we share three teachers that have dedicated over 100 combined years of experience to supporting students in the classroom. These short interviews provide insight into our staff and give an opportunity for the community to see how blessed we are to have the great teaching staff we have. Janine Davidson Years of Experience: 36 Currently...
The fall sports rosters are filling up as student athletes hit the hardwood or field to condition for the season. Wahakiakum School District athletic programs offer a diverse playing field including football, volleyball, and cross country. This year the entire district is seeing changes including the Athletic Department: Moving to a new athletic league and classification. Athletic Director Rob Garrett is looking forward to the changes and believes one grows when faced with change. “Our kids w...
By Jamie J Brown The Wahkiakum School District Board of Education held their monthly meeting Tuesday, August 20 which provided highlights from summer projects and a positive look into the new school year that begins next week. Ken Johnson, a representative from WS Communications, gave a quick public comment on the opportunity to partner with the district on providing fiber optic service and a public Wi-Fi system as they look to expand their service offerings. The expansion of the service comes at no cost to the district and will even compensate...
(Valley Forge, PA) In mid-July the historical setting of Union Hill near Philadelphia provided an educational for fifty selected fellowship teachers from around the United States to learn about the how the founding fathers worked to forge a new nation. Sponsored by the Founding Forward Foundation, the program is designed for history and civic educators that have passion for teaching about the Constitution and the historical events that formed our nation. Fifty teachers were selected to attend...
Local nonprofit Wahkiakum Animal Advocates Group (WAAG) has a lot to celebrate, or wag about right now. Five years ago, the group recognized a desperate need for animal advocacy in Wahkiakum County. Founded in 2019, three ladies with big service hearts and lovers of fur babies came together to answer the call for helping four legged Wahkiakum residents. It began as a dire need to maintain the feral cat population, which was out of control with no hope in sight in meeting the needs of stray,...
Calling all kindergartners starting school in August 2024. As a sign that the school year is quickly approaching, school supply sales and back to school events are already showing up in local media. As Julius A. Wendt Elementary prepares for a new school year, parents are asked to please come in as soon as possible if they have a potential kindergartener that has not yet been registered. A student is eligible to start kindergarten if they are five by August 31, 2024. Currently, the school district has 18 kindergartners enrolled. That means...
eeting in conjunction with the budget hearing and a meet and greet session for the public with new interim superintendent Ric Palmer on Tuesday, July 23rd. Palmer shared his background in education and personal journey with the public, which included success he had while serving the Bickleton school district in Klickitat county for seventeen years. Among the four-day week shift and building a new K-12 school, there are similarities between our rural districts. While in Bickleton he faced big decisions and changes. “If it’s right for kids and...
Classic car lovers, start your engines, polish up your chrome, and dust off the dice because It's time for the Cathlamet Cruise. On the third Friday of every month, Cathlamet will now have a classic car cruise from Main Street through downtown. Organizer Janine Davidson thought it would be a wonderful way to gather local cruisers with collectible cars for a jaunt around Wahkiakum County. Before, the closest cruise was in Longview, held on the first weekend of the month, and was not convenient fo...
Speckles of blue dot the Washington landscape from backyard gardens to the farm fields of the upper Willamette Valley. Blueberries are viewed as a blessing of antioxidants and are known as a superfood in the nutritional world. They have earned this status as they provide vitamins C, K, and manganese, making them a well-loved summer crop. Their health benefits abound and the Washington Blueberry Commission lists some of those benefits: decreased inflammation, improved memory, lowered blood...
Educators from around the nation convened in Salt Lake City, Utah June 24-27th for a three-day conference to honor and recognize efforts of teaching agriculture in the classroom. Over five hundred teachers and industry partners came together for farm tours, workshops, and award recognition of teaching excellence of agriculture literacy in the United States. Local Julius A Wendt 5th grade teacher Jamie Brown was awarded the Whites-Reinhardt Award for excellence in teaching agriculture literacy...
A wildfire broke out six miles south of Pe Ell on Friday, July 12 around 12:30 p.m. The Donkey Fire is currently 38 acres and 87 percent contained as of July 16. The fire is in steep, timbered terrain and the cause has not been announced, though Statesman Journal data reports it is a human incident. Skamokawa residents noticed the "Super Scooper" planes Friday afternoon moving water from the Columbia River north for several hours to mitigate the growing fire, located only 6.8 miles north of...
