This week on the Harrah Campus teachers and administrators met to set expectations and goals for the school year following Monday’s district day opener. Harrah campus staff worked to set up classrooms and prepare for student arrivals on Wednesday.
The first day of school was a huge success according to Principal Widener and her team. The MS students and staff are settling into their new space. Elementary students were excited to see their teachers. Thank you to Mrs. Simon for her support in guiding students to their rooms.
Cookies were plentiful again this year on the first day of school. I would like to offer a great big thank you to the bakers and members of Harrah Grace Brethren Church. Each of the campuses as well as the District Office received a big tray of delicious home-made treats.
Student enrollment counts for this school year are as follows:
Harrah Elementary School has 351 students enrolled and additional students are enrolling daily. This number includes 26 new students to the district.
Mt. Adams Middle School has 121 students and they are expecting more to arrive. This is slightly lower than last year's enrollment of 138.
White Swan High School has 244 students enrolled.
Principal Tenney reports that the first day of school was exciting at White Swan High School. The teacher leadership team planned some extra special activities to welcome students back to a High School only campus. A group of Seniors even gathered at 5:30 AM to welcome the sunrise and begin their “last” first day of school!
Across the campus all students began the day in their Cougar Connection class and participated in ice breaker activities and then it was time for individual and class pictures. (If a student forgot their money for pictures, families can still order pictures online by going to the Classic Photography website and choosing the button for ordering fall portraits, scroll down and choose White Swan High school and make a selection.)
Some opening activities - Students were so excited to be back in school and to see their friends and teachers they were jumping for joy! The PBIS team along with student leaders in White Swan held a PBIS assembly. Rowdy the Cougar also attended. Watch the video “Rowdy Gets Schooled” on White Swan High School Facebook!
On the second day of school in White Swan, students were treated to a guest speaker, Joaquin Zihuatanejo from CoolSpeak. He is a teacher, writer and award-winning poet. He spoke to our students about having dreams and working towards those dreams and never letting others tell them they will not achieve. He spoke to them about the importance of education. Joaquine also conducted small group workshops with some students. In the workshops students learned leadership skills and how to help those around them to succeed. In the second workshop students learned to write statements for college and scholarship applications. Thank you to the Gear Up program and Ms. Barbosa for bringing this amazing speaker to the campus.
Football practice started on Wednesday and Volleyball, Cross Country and Girls Soccer practice will all begin on August 23rd. Vice Principal and Athletic Director, Mr. Muller, reports that we have a strong turnout for Football practice and many students are planning to join the other fall sports. GO COUGARS!
Yakima County Sheriff Interviews for the Mt. Adams School District: Today, Principal Tenney and I sat on the Sheriff Office Interview Board and selected a deputy to serve as MASD’s SRO. The interview process went well and hopefully, the new SRO will be on campus by the first home football game. This has been a long journey to make this happen… and we are almost there!
There is a new rule on the Harrah Campus. Mrs. Widener and her team believe that it is best for everyone if cell phones are not allowed during the school day. Teachers and staff will strictly enforce this policy. Yes, there will be resistance, yet this is a trend that is taking place across the country. Please read the following article for more information on the positive impact of a “No Cell Phone Policy.” https://districtadministration.com/cell-phones-in-school-consider-pros-cons-climate-safety/?oly_enc_id=7243H8899112I8B