KCSD & Me

We hope everyone is doing well as we head into the second semester. In this newsletter, we’ll unpack graduation rates, ask you to nominate teachers or staff members for our annual Crystal Apple Awards, and encourage you to get involved in the district by applying for positions on our Budget Committee.

We also highlight students and staff who continue to go the extra mile, representing KCSD in the community with recognition from the United Way of the Klamath Basin, the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce, and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley. Read on for these stories and more!

Important dates

• February 17: KCSD Board of Directors meeting

• Feburary 21: No school. Presidents Day.

Do you know a Klamath County School District teacher or staff member who makes an extra effort to inspire and help students? If so, consider nominating them for a Crystal Apple Award.

You can fill out and submit the nomination form online – Crystal Apple Award Nomination -- or fill out the hard copy of the form – HERE -- and submit it directly to Stephanie Bland, Klamath County School District, 2845 Greensprings Drive, Klamath Falls, OR 9760; blands@kcsd.k12.or.us. A PDF copy of the form and links to the online nomination form also are available on the KCSD website at www.kcsd.k12.or.us. All nominations are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 18.

A Mazama High School senior was one of two students honored with the first-ever Youth Leadership Award from the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce.

Kennedy Lease, 18, is ASB president, a member of National Honor Society and FBLA, and caption of all three of her varsity sports teams. She is known for her dedication to her school and her ability to engage and involve her classmates.

“Kennedy is a role model for other students and leaders in the community,” said Mazama Principal Jennifer Hawkins in her nomination letter. “She is passionate, inspirational, and driven. Kennedy is just beginning her career in leadership and she will go far and accomplish great things.”

Kennedy received the award on Saturday at the Chamber’s annual gala. Read more

Four high schools in the Klamath County School District boasted graduation rates above 90 percent in 2021 and one of those – Lost River Junior/Senior High School – had a perfect graduation of 100 percent for the third year in a row.

Other schools above 90 percent were Henley High School at 97.50 percent, Bonanza Junior/Senior High School at 95.45 percent, and Mazama High School at 91.03 percent.

Overall, the county school district’s four-year graduation rate of 77.99% represents a 5.9 percentage point decrease from 2020, and comes in a couple of percentage points below the state average of 80.63 percent, according to data released Jan. 20 by the Oregon Department of Education. KCSD’s overall rate includes Falcon Heights, an alternative high school for students who are behind on credits and at risk of dropping out.

This is the first time in more than six years that the district has seen an overall decrease in graduation rates, a trend that was replicated statewide. The reason can be attributed in part to the pandemic, which forced schools into hybrid and distance learning models for much of last year. At-risk students, including KCSD’s growing houseless student population, saw a sharp drop in the percentage who were able to graduate on time. Read more

KCSD has three openings on its budget committee. The budget committee works with the KCSD Board of Directors to review and approve the district’s annual budget.

Applicants must reside within Klamath County School District boundaries. The following positions are open:

• Position 2 Henley Elementary/Keno Zone. Appointment expires 6/30/2022.
• Position 3 Bonanza/Malin/Merrill Zone. Appointment expires 6/30/2024.
• Position 5 Peterson/Stearns Zone. Appointment expires 6/30/2024.

If you are interested, call Stephanie Bland at 541-851-8767 in the superintendent’s office for an application or get the application here: KCSD Budget Committee Application. Applications will be accepted until 4 p.m. Feb. 23.

During a virtual town hall Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley honored Klamath County School District’s Food Services team with a ceremonial American flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol.

The senator recognized the team, led by food services director Candace Gracik and food services field supervisor Jennifer Detwiler, for their work providing emergency meals during the Bootleg Fire last summer. Following evacuations of Bly-area residents, the food services team organized free community luncheons at the Antler Grill in Bly and provided grab-and-go meals for youth ages 18 and under.

Merkley also commended the district’s team for its ongoing grab-and-go meal program during the COVID-19 school closures. The team provided seven days of breakfasts and lunches to students throughout the district, even delivering meals by school bus.

Klamath County School District employees and students did their part to help our community by contributing to the United Way of the Klamath Basin’s annual community fundraising campaign.

At the annual meeting Jan. 25, the Henley High School Key Club was recognized for its “Students for the United Way Coin Drive,” which raised $1,161 bringing the club’s 19-year total to $31,356. The United Way also recognized the Klamath County School District’s employee campaign that contributed an overall $25,362, a 20 percent increase from last year. The district campaign was coordinated by KCSD school improvement director Jeff Bullock.

Seven KCSD schools were honored with awards for increasing their donations or increasing per capita donations to the United Way. Schools honored were Henley High, Shasta Elementary, Malin Elementary, Lost River Junior/Senior High, Henley Elementary, Chiloquin Junior/Senior High and Brixner Junior High.

If there is an emergency or a natural disaster, Charles Gonsowski knows how to help – and the teenager is qualified to do so. Gonsowski was among 48 Henley High School students who earned the FEMA Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) certification Jan. 20, qualifying them to volunteer to help during emergencies and natural disasters.

The new Teen CERT program, part of the Henley’s Health Occupations Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, is a collaboration between the high school and Klamath County Community Emergency Response. Klamath County CERT team leader Rick Benjamin told students that they now have the skills to save lives. “You’ve been trained to make a difference,” he said. “The more you know, the more you can help people.” Read more

The Klamath County School District maintenance team worked with local contractors last week to finish pouring concrete to complete the foundation for a new six-classroom addition at Shasta Elementary School. The new 8,880-square-foot building will allow for more space at one of the district’s largest elementary schools and include up-to-date ventilation and HVAC systems. Construction is expected to be complete in the fall of 2022.

Henley Elementary School sixth-grader Makayla Schroeder uses a controller to carefully maneuver a robot onto a cardboard ramp. Across campus at Henley Middle School, eighth-grader Dylan Orr peers into the inner workings of a VEX robot as his team discusses its next steps.

Makayla and Dylan are members of inaugural after-school robotics clubs started this fall by Henley High School seniors and chief science officers Bo James and Andrew Edwards. Chief science officers are high school students who promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) activities.

Edwards co-leads the middle school group with senior Alex Welles and Henley Middle School teacher and club advisor Maria Whittemore. James leads the new elementary club with help from Henley High Robotics Club members Kaleb Smith, Adam Campbell, Macey Landry, Caleb Nejely, Kaylee Haddox, and David Serrano.

“As a chief science officer, I thought it would be really cool if kids got exposed to STEM at a really young age … and I realized I could help them do that through robotics,” James said. “If they can get involved in fifth and sixth grade, and continue in middle school, by the time they get to the high school they will have been exposed to robotics for nearly four years.” Read more

The Klamath County School District joined 196 school districts throughout Oregon to celebrate its school board members in January during School Board Recognition Month. In the past two years, the five-member KCSD Board of Directors faced the challenge of operating a school district in the midst of a pandemic head on, and this is a chance to recognize their hard work and continued efforts to keep students in the classrooms and learning, said KCSD Superintendent Glen Szymoniak.

“Our school board members are volunteers who spend countless hours working to provide the best possible education for our students,” he said. “Even though we are making a special effort during January to show appreciation, we recognize their contributions reflect a year-round volunteer effort on their part. They are dedicated individuals who are committed to improving student achievement and success.” Read more

The Klamath County School District Board of Directors sent a third resolution to Gov. Kate Brown on Jan. 25, urging the state to change COVID-19 requirements to recommendations and allow the district to work directly with Klamath County Public Health to determine appropriate mitigation strategies for its schools. Read more

February's KCSD Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 17 at the District Office, 2845 Greensprings Drive. When the agenda is available, it will be posted here: KCSD School Board Agenda and Materials.

Check out our job openings: KCSD Employment Opportunities

In our KCSD & Me district newsletters, we will provide updates as well as share news from across our district. If you need information between newsletters, go to our webpage at www.kcsd.k12.or.us and follow us on social media. Keep track of KCSD & Me newsletters at: https://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/district/kcsd--me-newsletters.cfm

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Email: kcsd_communications@kcsd.k12.or.us
Website: www.kcsd.k12.or.us
Location: 2845 Greensprings Drive, Klamath Falls, OR, USA
Phone: 541-883-5000