Schools welcome students to 2018-19 academic year

QUAD CITIES – Schools in the Quad City area from Pateros to Mansfield opened or will open doors from Monday, August 27 in Pateros through Tuesday, Sept. 4, at Mansfield, to welcome students to the 2018-19 academic year. Brewster and Bridgeport both opened Wednesday, August 29.

Pateros

The 319 students at Pateros were greeted by a new superintendent this year. Greg Goodnight was hired by the school board last June to replace Lois Davies. Goodnight was the superintendent and a teacher for the Kettle Falls School District for eight years, and principal of Selkirk Middle and High School in Ione for three years prior to assuming the Pateros post.

Pateros Mayor Carlene Anders met earlier this month with Goodnight to discuss removing the parking spaces along the north side of Beach Street and thereby allowing more space for busses and emergency vehicles accessing the school. 

The Pateros School Board met in a special session at 5 p.m., an hour before the regular school board meeting on Monday, August 27, to interview three candidates for the open At-Large Director position on the board. Candidates included Gene Dowers, former varsity volleyball coach and current Director of the Pateros-Brewster Community Resource Center, Charles Miller, owner of MVM Well Drilling, and former board member Shannon Hampe.

In a letter to the Pateros community, Goodnight wrote about changes the state Supreme Court’s 2012 McCleary decision will have on school funding. The decision “eliminated school districts’ over reliance on local levies,” wrote Goodnight. “In the future, local levies will be audited by the state auditor each year and cannot be used for basic education. Only supplementary programs like extra-curricular activities or additional programs beyond basic education can receive local levy funding.”

“The Legislature also changed high stakes testing now allowing a remediation class and final exam to be a path to graduation for students not passing their test,” wrote Goodnight. “This will still hold students accountable by giving those that pass an extra elective but is much better than a single test deciding if a student could graduate.”

Goodnight added that Pateros will have this class in place starting this fall for juniors who did not pass their high stakes test last year.

Bridgeport

With enrollment increasing at Bridgeport, the new facilities due to be completed next fall cannot come soon enough. School Superintendent Scott Sattler said the construction project is out for bid after potential contractors did a walk through on August 22. Final bid selection is scheduled for Sept. 6.

‘In the meantime the middle school has been vacated and will not be used this school year,” wrote Sattler in an update to the Quad, adding that the pr

object will involve three phases.

“First of all the middle school will be abated and torn down to its foundation and rebuilt in new construction,” wrote Sattler. “The gym portion will not be torn down but it will receive remodeling. The high school will have the front office remodeled and reconfigured to ensure a secure entrance and we will double the size of the kitchen, making it the main cooking kitchen for the district.”

Sattler said a music room and two additional classrooms to be added to the backside of the high school and the elementary will add classrooms and new office space around the elementary gym.  

“This includes a music room and four regular classrooms,” wrote Sattler. “Updates to the playground are also in the plans.”  

Bridgeport Principal Tamra Jackson said an estimated 250 high school students are expected in grades this year and three new teachers will join the high school staff.

“Tabitha Brownfield has transferred from the middle school to the high school and will be teaching in the World Language Lab,” said Jackson. “John McDougal will be teaching English and coaching football; Caryn Fletcher will be teaching math.”

Jackson announced that last June BHS earned accreditation from the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), an accreditation division of AdvancED.

AdvancEd is the world’s largest education community involving 30,000 public and private schools and more than 16 million students in more than 70 countries. NWAC has been accrediting schools in the seven Northwest states from Utah to Alaska since 1917.

NWAC accreditation is recognized across state lines which facilitates student transfers from accredited school to accredited school.

Brewster

The Bears campus is a hub of activity as crews work on facilities there. Construction is “on time and on budget,” wrote Superintendent Eric Driessen in an August 10 message. Components of the project completed so far include new sewer lines, light bases, walls for the performance center/gym. Items completed thus far; new sewer lines, drain in south parking lots, light bases installed, walls for performance center/gym almost complete, footprint for 12 classrooms and office area done, retaining wall around basketball court and a few other items.   The bus lane and walkway on the north side of the elementary planned to be done before school begins.  Once the performance center/gym walls are complete, they will begin the classroom walls.

Mansfield

The school district serves some 250 families and 50-75 outlying farms and has an annual enrollment of about 85 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The elementary, junior, senior high, and district offices are all located in one building, the school website notes. “Elementary classes (PreK-6) are located in the east wing of the building and junior/senior high classes (7-12) are located in the west wing of the building. The district strongly believes in coordination and cooperation of events across all grade levels.”

Mansfield is a The Leader in Me school district. The Leader in Me concept teaches 21st. Century leadership and life skills through a whole-child approach to learning that fosters a culture of student empowerment in the belief that every child can be a leader.

Mike Messenger is the new school superintendent who assumed his post at Mansfield on July 1, 2017.