Jon Wyss honored with WASA/ESD 171 Community Leadership Award

BREWSTER – The Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) and North Central Educational Services District (ESD) recently honored community leader, Jon Wyss with its WASA/EDS 171 Community Service Award. Wyss received the award in recognition for his work on behalf of the Brewster School District.

Brewster school superintendent, Eric Driessen presented the award to Wyss at Gamble Sands, last Wednesday, May 31. The citation on the plaque reads: “In recognition of outstanding community leadership and the improvement of public education.”

Wyss, is the government affairs director for Gebbers Farms and recent candidate for 12th District state senator.

In a media release, Driessen wrote that Wyss “has had a positive impact on our schools, our community, our country and our state.”

Wyss was instrumental in bringing the Cal Ripkin Sr. Foundation “Badges for Baseball” program for at-risk youth to Brewster, as well as to Omak, Chelan, Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. Badges for Baseball uses the game to join law enforcement officers with youngsters to improve communication, respect and teamwork.

Wyss helped open the first Boys and Girls Club in North Central Washington at Brewster and served as chairman of the Okanogan County Long Term Recovery Group for the 2014 and 2015 wildfires, the two largest in state history. 

“Jon was paramount in getting the Brewster Boys and Girls Club established here,” said BBGC director Brian Paine. “It is the proof of concept model for how the Boys and Girls Clubs can served rural areas of Eastern Washington.”

Wyss, the son of a middle school teacher, “understands the importance of education and worked with our local community members to pass the Brewster School Bond,” Driessen said.