Pateros school board names coaches, recognizes honors students

Senior class representatives Eric Espino and Anthony Medel spoke to the board about their proposed senior class trip coming up May 16-17. The class has sufficient funds in the account to fund a trip to Triple Play Family Fun Park in Hayden Lake, Idaho May 16-17.

Owing to COVID restrictions graduation will be an outside affair in June. The event being considered for the evening of June 4 to allow a slide show to be easily visible. The school will make adjustments in an attempt to accommodate all attendees.

The third quarter honor roll notes that 91 secondary students or 58 percent maintained a 3.0 or better grade point average (GPA). The Superintendent’s List is comprised of 35 students who had a 3.75-4.0 GPA. Twenty-two students made the Principal’s List with a 3.50-3.74 GPA. Merit List nominees numbered 34 with a 3.00-3.49 GPA. Nineteen students maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA.

New hires to the coaching staff include:

Dona Slater - Assistant High School Softball Coach

Shane Cronin - Head High School Baseball Coach

Tyson Cronin - Assistant High School Baseball Coach

Ed Hernandez - Head Junior High Boys Basketball Coach

Rileigh Riggan - Assistant Junior High Boys Basketball Coach

Coaching staff renewals are:

Tom Asmussen - Junior High Girls Basketball Head Coach

Jessica Simmons - Junior High Girls Basketball Asst Coach

John Slater – High School Girls Softball Head Coach

Jesse Villalobos – High School Boys Soccer Head Coach

Sean Hiltz – High School Tennis Coach

Erik Romero – High School Track Coach

The board unanimously approved Hope Squad Suicide Prevention as “a well-researched suicide prevention training for staff and students,” according to meeting recap notes.

Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program, according to its website hopesquad.com. Hope Squad members are nominated by their classmates as trustworthy peers and trained by advisors. The program reduces youth suicide through education, training, and peer intervention. 

Some key numbers posted as of January 2021 include:

● 963 schools have a Hope Squad

● Over 5,000 students have been referred for help

● Hope Squad is in 30 states and one Canadian province

● There are more than 30,000 Hope Squad members

● Hope Squad has three published research initiatives and two research initiatives under review

● Hope Squad has four partners and two sponsors