Waitsburg School Board swears in new member, looks to 2022

WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg School Board held its final regular meeting of the year on December 15, 2021. Board member Stephanie Cole was unable to attend.

The meeting started with the newest board member, Dr. Carol Clarke, being sworn in by Superintendent Mark Pickel. Clarke will hold the seat formerly filled by Pam Chapman through the remainder of the school year.

Secondary Principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported that two Waitsburg High School students, Megan Forney and Brayden Mohney, were recognized for essays they wrote at a special presentation during the Walla Walla Exchange Club meeting earlier that day.

Hannah Peralez and Abbi Paolino were recognized for their essays submitted to the American Legion Auxiliary contest. Both girls were awarded a gold $100 bill for their writing.

The Plaza Theater hosted the Waitsburg School District students for a special movie screening before the winter break. Wooderchak reported that the Plaza donated the space for the event.

She reported various upcoming events, including ski dates for middle and high school students. Tentative dates for sixth graders going to Camp Wooten are May 31-June 3. She said the school would provide updates as they get closer to the actual dates. Board members added that they were very thankful that Camp Wooten would open this year.

Superintendent Pickel shared a sports update on behalf of Athletic Director Sam Korslund, who was attending the Dayton School Board meeting that same evening. High school basketball teams were in COVID-19 quarantine after a player showed up to practice despite being symptomatic and later testing positive.

Pickel reported that the AD and boys basketball coaching staff were exploring options to allow 8th-grade boys to play high school JV due to low turnouts.

He provided a tentative update on Spring Sports, including 14 high school baseball players, 11 softball players, nine track and field athletes, and five golf athletes interested. He also gave a brief update on the future fall sports schedule.

The DW Combine seats had all been filled, and the committee will begin addressing issues that the future of the combine will face, including WIAA classification and facilities use. Board member Clarke asked if the Combine had established any minimum numbers for sports teams. Pickel said that the combine had, in 2019.

Pickel shared a facilities and maintenance report. He said that maintenance staff was preparing for projects that would take place over Christmas break and that two school bus drivers would be taking their CDL driving test that week. One driver would be a substitute driver only, while the other was interested in driving a regular route.

The drivers would be going to Connell to test, Pickel said, after they had issues with the CDL test administrator in Walla Walla. Pickel reported that the Walla Walla tester stopped the testing after the two aspiring bus drivers failed their pre-trip inspection. The drivers were not given an opportunity to advance. This is a standard practice in Washington State CDL testing.

The goal was to find a tester that would be slightly more accommodating to encourage the new drivers' confidence would not be squashed.

During the Elementary Principal report, Pickel shared that the school's building goal was to focus on writing skills across all grades. He said that teachers were currently reading "The Writing Revolution," working with ESD 123 on professional development regarding writing. After reading the book, the staff will work with Lindsey Fangman from ESD 123. Pickle said they would be focusing on what each teacher needs incoming students to know as they move through their school years.

Pickle said Santa visited the Elementary School earlier in December for hot cocoa and pictures with the students and families. Pickel said that it was an enjoyable event, and Karen Huwe had taken photos for the event.

He shared that elementary school students hung their hand-made ornaments on the Community Christmas Tree in downtown Waitsburg. He thanked Walla Walla Electric for providing a truck to hang ornaments in higher areas on the tree. Students also performed for the Winter Program on December 14, and the program was live-streamed online. The live stream is available to view on the district's Facebook page.

During the Superintendent Report, Pickel shared a brief enrollment update. He said that he was aware of a couple of families moving out of the area, and he expected the full-time enrollment (FTE) to go down to reflect.

Walla Walla County Department of Community Health held a vaccine clinic at the school's multipurpose room, and they would be holding a second dose and booster clinic on January 4th. If anybody in the community needs a booster, Pickel has asked that they reach out to him so that he can provide the DCH with the correct number for dosage purposes.

An appraiser had been out on December 1 to begin the appraisal process for two properties owned by the district, which were to be sold. A public notice will be published before the sale of the properties.

The board discussed student representation on the board. Board member Sarah Boudrieau said that she had spoken to other districts that offered a partial credit for student representatives and was asked to forward that information to Wooderchak for review. Pickel said he would be revising student forms and a timeline for the next regular meeting.

After reviewing new policies for the first reading, the board adjourned.