The Madras High School Thespian Troupe made a splash at the Southern Oregon Regional Acting Competition in early February. After being inactive for nearly a decade, the school sent a number of students to Summit High School in Bend for regionals.

The students who performed at regionals include:

Brennan Frank: Solo musical, novice

Lane Strode and Manny Meraz: Duo Comedic Acting, novice

Alyssia Scott, Jenelle Scott: Duo Dramatic Acting, novice

Olivia Johnson, Vanessa Young: Musical Theater Duo, regular

MHS seniors Johnson & Young made school history by winning their category, Musical Theater Duo. The two competed against more than 70 other duos from 27 high schools across Oregon.

“All four judges unanimously ranked us first,” Johnson said.

“It was definitely a shock,” Young added. “We just went in there wanting to have fun and compete. We wanted to get in the top half.”

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It wasn’t a typical day at school for more than a dozen Warm Springs K8 students. Instead, the students boarded a school bus and headed 15 miles south to Madras.

On this day, these students had an opportunity to see what it is like to be a student at Madras High School. They experienced what it would be like when they are walking the halls as a freshman.

“My first thought about the high school was that it was really big and when I first attended there I was probably going to get lost,” 8th Grade Student Riyah Stacona said.

The students were paired with a mentor student from MHS. The WSK8 students asked their mentors questions throughout the day, followed them around, and attended some of their classes with them.

“In my head it felt like it was kind of fun, but then kind of nervous at the same time,” 8th Grade Student Arthur Miller said.

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The Jefferson County School District 509J offers a one-stop shop for our community to stay up to date on bond projects: www.509JSchoolBond.org.

The work is starting to take shape after voters approved the District’s $24 million bond request in November 2021. As a renewal, the bond measure maintains the current tax rate and bond proceeds can only be spent on 509J schools as approved by the voters.

The district launched the website last summer in an effort to provide the community with real-time updates and transparency on how bond funds are used. Visitors can see what voters approved, where bond dollars are spent, projects at each school, and more.

When construction begins at each site, users can follow along for updates.

The 2021 bond was designed to address health, safety, and security needs, update and repair aging facilities, and expand vocational and early learning programs within the district.

In addition to the $24 million approved by voters, the district received a $4 million matching grant from the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching Program. This additional funding will support bond projects and help the district prepare for supply chain issues and rising costs.

If you have questions about the 2021 Bond Measure or would like more information, please reach out to us at bondprojects@509j.net.