Each month Wallowa Elementary students focus on a character trait. Character traits are kicked off in the monthly assembly and a lesson is taught using a book tied to the monthly focus. March focused on kindness and empathy. At our assembly students received awards for modeling kindness and empathy. The assembly kicked off next months theme, creativity and possibility. After the assembly, students went to their mixed grade family groups and participated in a literacy lesson around the book, The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires. Students completed an activity to test their creativity and perseverance!

The High School Lego Robotics elective class is a big hit with students. Students build complex robotics machines and have to program and design code on the computer for complete maneuvers and tasks. A big thanks to Mr. Journigan for providing this challenging STEM opportunity for studnets!

High School Rotary Interact students are on a service trip to Mexico. The have engaged in health screenings for dental, vision, diabetes, and blood pressure in two local schools, screening over 300 students in grades K-10. They have also helped at a clinic with their filing system, clearing outdated medicine, and organizing. They have also painted the towns fountain. Students serving others is a big part of who Wallowa students are!

We are excited to introduce our new Jr. High/High School Principal, Mrs. Sara Hayes! Sara is 4th generation Wallowa County, raising 3 children as the 5th generation with her husband Andrew Hayes. She graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Science which led to her beginnings in Wallowa as the Head Start Teacher. Seen for her leadership abilities, she went on to lead in various regional leadership roles in Early Childhood Education (ECE) across 8 counties in rural Eastern Oregon. Her work focused on bringing ECE opportunities to the rural landscape and developing educators across the region, bringing excellence to the ECE field and Early Childhood Special Education with students at the foremost center.

Sara went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and soon after enrolled in the Educational Leadership Principal Licensure program through Lewis and Clark College where she expanded her experience into 7-12th grade at both Joseph Charter School and most recently as Interim Principal at Wallowa High School. Sara comes to us with 13 years in education, 8 of which in an administrative capacity, and a holistic lens tying home, community, and school together.

In her off-time, Sara enjoys first and foremost being a mom of 3 and ensuring they experience life to the fullest. She loves to travel and anything outdoors, however the canyon country of Imnaha where her roots began remains her favorite spot to be.

In early March demolition began for our Seismic and Bond projects! ZCS Engineering and Architecture, CB Construction, and Architects West are working closely with the Wallowa School District Project Manager, Lem McBurney, and Superintendent, Dr. Tamera Jones, to ensure a successful project. The collaboration is maximizing our dollars, ensuring a top-notch plan, and setting an aggressive schedule for project completion!

During demolition of the bleachers and the gym, the workers from CB Construction uncovered what many consider to be a "time capsule!" Programs from sporting events and musicals, toy cars, candy wrappers, and much more that span decades were found. A lost wallet was returned to its owner. Coach playsheets, athlete and student signatures on walls and 2x4s, and even a ponytail from a winning coach were discovered!

Wallowa High School once again soared through a successful accreditation process! Accreditation involves an outside evaluator looking deeply at a high school to determine how the school is doing in meeting the thirty rigorous standards established for accreditation. Each standard is evaluated on a scale of 1-4 for engagement, implementation, results, sustainability, and embeddedness. Overall scoring of standards falls into the following categories: not meeting standards of performance, initiating, improving, and impacting. High schools that pass accreditation ensure that students have a high quality high school experience. Colleges and the military look at accreditation as a verification and use this in determining enrollment of students.

Accreditation involved the submissions of data and a review of the performance standards. It also involved interviews of parents, community members, students, administration, and staff. Wallowa was commended for their engagement in continuous improvement, noting the work of the staff over the last couple of months. They were also commended for creating strong connections between adults and students. Staff have been working on building systems of support for students and looking more deeply at data. It was noted of our improvement in this area. Continued engagement around data is recommended. Work to build engagement with community is another area of focus! All of Wallowa's scoring landed in impacting and improving. Way to go Wallowa High School staff!