WSD Summer Work Crew Preparing Schools for 2012-2013 School Year

Members of the Washougal School District summer work crew are busy preparing the schools for the new school year.  Workers are restriping the parking lots, repainting the interior hallways of most schools, and power washing the outsides of almost all buildings.  In addition, the gym floors in each building are being buffed and finished, wood chips are being put down under play areas, and carpets are being cleaned in many areas. 

Some major projects underway this summer include adding an auxiliary pump in the well that provides water to Cape Horn-Skye and Canyon Creek, installing electric basketball hoop lifts at Jemtegaard, replacing the gravel in the parking lot at Excelsior, and replacement of the worn out wood floor in the main gym at Washougal High School.  Swing by the schools and take a look, the buildings are cleaned up and getting ready for students to come back in September!

Jemtegaard and CCMS Students Visit East Coast for History

Twenty five eigth grade students from Jemtegaard and Canyon Creek Middle School visited the East coast for a US History trip, visiting Washington, D.C. and New York. The trip was organized by Jemtegaard History teacher Scott Rainey, and chaperoned by volunteers. To read more, please read this article in the Camas Washougal Post Record about the trip. 

Free Summer Lunch Program for Youth Ages 1-18

There is a Free Summer Lunch Program at Hathaway Elementary School each weekday Monday to Friday from Noon to 1 PM, July 9 through 31.  All children are welcome ages 1-18.  There is no paperwork to fill out, meals must be eaten on site, and adults may not eat any portion of the child's meal.  However, thanks to our generous community partners, adults will be provided a free snack when accompanying a child.  

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). “USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”

In addition to the above federal rules, Washougal School District also does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

Gause Student Poetry Featured in National Publication

Students in Gause Teacher Julie Taie's classroom submitted poems they wrote as part of a the "Creative Communication: A Celebration of Today's Writers" program through PoeticPower.com. Mrs. Taie received a communication from the editors saying that they normally only consider a portion of the poems "publication ready" but that every one of the ones from her classroom will be published! 

Poems will be published online and in printed books, available after June 21, 2012.

Below is one of the poems students wrote, edited, and submitted.

The Closet

by Trenton H.

When I hear laughs

and other eerie sounds

coming from the closet,

I get frightened.

What kind of monsters

are living

in my mind?

Congratulations Excelsior High School Graduates

A video of the Excelsior High School is available on YouTube. Click the link below to watch it!

http://youtu.be/CuK6OQODHD0

Congratulations to all of the students and to their families as well.  We wish you well!

Congratulations, Graduates of the Class of 2012

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2012!  A total of 173 students graduated from Washougal High School on Saturday, June 9th during a ceremony at Fishback Stadium.  Please use this link to see a copy of the Graduation Program, listing the senior class and their accomplishments.

Washougal's 2012 Teacher of the Year - James Bennett

WHS Physics Teacher Jay Bennett, Washougal Teacher of the Year!

Washougal School District is proud to announce that Jay Bennett has received the 2012 Teacher of the Year award.  Mr. Bennett teaches math and physics, including Advanced Placement Physics, at Washougal High School.  He has been teaching for 13 years, 12 of those in Washougal, since graduating from San Jose State University with a degree in Physics.  


Mr. Bennett is an exceptional educator with a passion for his subject, who strives daily to make physics interesting and applicable to the real world for his students.  His communication with students and parents is also unparalleled.  He uses a teacher website to provide course syllabi, homework packets, practice tests and many additional educational resources and videos to families.  Mr. Bennett also frequently emails students and parents with assignment deadline reminders and updates.


In a recent letter from a Washougal High School parent, Mr. Bennett was praised for “communicating in a style that draws his students in and makes them want to learn the material, even to the point of re-teaching it to their families at home.”   The parent thanked Mr. Bennett for  “finding ways to help students and parents be successful in his challenging physics course”.  


Washougal School District also thanks Mr. Bennett for his deep dedication to students and student learning.  Congratulations, Mr. Bennett!