Students, Board, parents discuss Wolfpack future

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WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board held a regular monthly meeting on May 16 at the Waitsburg Elementary School. All board members, Sarah Boudrieau, Christy House, Stephanie Cole, and Lisa Morrow, were in attendance, with Carol Clarke joining via Zoom.

During the secondary principal’s report, Stephanie Wooderchak said the well-attended prom was enjoyable for all. Students from both Dayton and Waitsburg celebrated together at the combined event.

Waitsburg’s Megan Forney was selected as the Walla Walla Exchange Club’s Youth of the Year. She will attend a special luncheon on June 6. Her original essay will be submitted to compete at the club’s district level and could go on to the national competition.

The Class of 2022 will graduate on June 3, at 8:00 p.m, at the Waitsburg High School gymnasium.

Transportation and Facilities maintenance supervisor Colter Mohney updated the board on the possible repair or replacement of a district fleet Chevy Suburban, which had total engine failure. He said it would be roughly $10,000 for a new engine and an additional $600 for cooling system needs. Should the transmission fail, which Mohney said was a concern, it would be an additional $3,000. Potential repairs total 13,600, with the current value of the vehicle only $9,500. A similar vehicle would cost approximately $60,000.

Elementary Principal Mark Pickel gave a brief report on elementary-level testing. Pickle noted some deficiencies in the science department and said he would ask other schools what teaching programs they use to help students in the subject.

Pickel moved to the Superintendent’s report, saying he is in contact with the Walla Walla County Department of Health regarding a possible School Behavior Health Assessment. The assessment will help determine strengths and weaknesses in the school systems, along with recommendations for program improvements, amongst other behavioral-health-related needs.

Following the reports, the board opened the floor for public comment. Many students, coaches, and community members had signed up, though some of the speakers dropped off the list after speaking at the Dayton School Board meeting the night prior.

The Dayton-Waitsburg Athletics Combine, known as the DW Wolfpack, was the center of the public comment portion. On May 18, the Dayton School Board held a meeting with a ‘possible action’ regarding continuing the combine. The combine was formed five years ago to boost sports participation during declining student interest. The Dayton public section of the meeting went on for over three hours, with no action taken.

Board member Christy House spoke first, saying the Waitsburg school board fully supported the Dayton-Waitsburg Athletics Combine. She said that the members were aware that the combine is a ‘working document,’ She looks forward to working issues out and growing the combine. House said that the board would appreciate public comments that give them an idea of what to discuss at an upcoming meeting with the Dayton School Board regarding the combine’s future.

The first commenter expressed reassurance that the Waitsburg School Board was in support of the combine and hoped issues could be resolved to keep the combine intact for future generations of athletes.

She touched on the identity of each school’s mascot, saying she found it weird to walk into the gyms and see signage saying, “Go Cardinals” or “Go Bulldogs.” She supported removing the old mascots from gyms and replacing them with the DW Wolfpack logo students had decided on.

“I’m a Cardinal, my kids are Cardinals, but that’s okay- it doesn’t define me,” the speaker said. “Let’s let these kids have something to group around. We have had our time. Let the kids have their time.”

WHS Senior and athlete Brayden Mohney approached the board, asking if the boards are willing to work out differences and move forward or if they foresee a future full of “butting heads.”

House answered that this was why the boards were meeting. Board member Lisa Morrow added that this was why the board was seeking comments for a productive meeting.

Board member Sarah Boudrieau said the students have always been the priority of her plan as a school official.

“Of our agenda,” she said, including the rest of the board, “we will try and be examples to you guys on compromise and all other adult things that will come your way in the future.”

Mohney ended his comments reflecting on the Waitsburg-Prescott Combine and the camaraderie that those teams had. He said he hoped Dayton and Waitsburg could come together to achieve a similar program.

DW baseball coach Greg Crenshaw said he would like to see the two boards talk to coaches about the pros and cons and setbacks and victories of the combine to help identify areas of improvement.

Charlie Barron spoke next, first thanking the school for their ongoing support of the music programs.

He spoke on the combine, saying that it is time to stop making excuses and figure out the differences.

“I don’t know how we got here today, five years or so after this was started, without having the questions answered,” he said. After COVID-19 struck, he said there was no chance to resolve issues as the original DW Combine Committee was disbanded with no notice during the downtime.

He expressed frustration with the lack of commitment from the DW Committee and the cancellation of meetings because there was ‘nothing to talk about.’ This was just weeks before the Dayton School Board could have potentially voted to disband the Combine.

“You walk into Mabton, and there is a DW Wolfpack banner hanging in their gym,” Barron said. “Guys, the legacy is over. Even if we go back, split up, the banners that hang in both gyms are not the teams we would be playing today. Whether it be DW, whether it be Waitsburg or Dayton, it’s a legacy issue.”

Barron, who graduated from Dayton High School in 1997, said that he was a Dayton Bulldog back in the day, but now, he supports the Wolfpack and encourages other alumni to move past their legacies and put the current students first.

He closed his comments by asking why a detailed letter shared by the athletic director at the Dayton meeting was left out from the Waitsburg meeting. Korslund later explained that the DSB had requested a statement from him, but the Waitsburg board had not, and he did not feel it was appropriate to impose that statement without it being an agenda item.

Makenna Barron, a student, and athlete at Waitsburg High, said that fellow athletes and students had approached her to express that the older students are worried about the middle school level combine being split.

Mohney also echoed the importance of the middle school combine, explaining how the relationships and teamwork formed at a young age only strengthen the future teams.

Barron said that as the softball team gets ready to travel for districts, the uncertainty of the combine weighed heavily on athletes. She asked that the boards be willing to keep students informed, so they don’t have to deal with rumors and misinformation while focusing on academics and sports.

House apologized for the stress to the students. She noted that students knew more about the issue than the Waitsburg School board, and she planned on addressing it at the upcoming meeting.

A Dayton High School student said it was ‘truly embarrassing and hurtful’ to see her own school board questioning the combine, and showing that they are against continuing the program.

“It is really hard to walk through the halls of my school, with my head held proud, when my school is not all in for the combine,” she said. “The combine has brought us together as students, and it is something I look forward to every day. Every sports season, I come out, and I am so happy to see all of my Waitsburg friends and my Dayton friends; there is no point in breaking this apart. The middle school kids are too young, and they do not deserve this.”

The future of the combine is still uncertain, and The Times will continue to provide full coverage of the situation.