Your Ellensburg Schools

“One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.” - Carl Jung

Every Ellensburg school hosted a celebration to honor Veterans in our community!

EHS kicked off the week on Nov. 9 with an assembly and brunch for Veterans. Guest speaker for the event was EHS graduate Lt. Lacey Myers, who is currently a chaplain candidate. Myers encouraged the crowd to remember that every Veteran has a different experience and story. The band, choir, Women's Chamber Choir and orchestra all performed in a combined and stellar performance of "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Senior Josephine Scheopner concluded the assembly by playing “Taps.”

On Nov. 10, Veterans Day celebrations were district-wide. Morgan students hosted an early morning assembly. Valley View students welcomed Veterans with a pre-assembly breakfast. Lincoln welcomed back the traditional Veterans Day parade, with help from the Ellensburg Police Department. Ida Nason Aronica and Mt. Stuart hosted assemblies to large crowds of students, families and their honored guests.

The common theme at every event was students showing their leadership skills, sharing their talents and honoring the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces. Here are a few of our favorite photos.

Ellensburg School District was pleased to partner with the City of Ellensburg and Central Washington University to present "Belonging in the Burg," on Saturday Nov. 12 at Hal Holmes Community Center.

Built on the World Café model, participants sat at different tables, individually shared their responses to various questions related to belonging, and then rotated to four different tables throughout this event. This celebration brought more than 60 community members together to talk about their experiences of living in Ellensburg.

"We are so pleased to have strong and thoughtful partners, as we promote opportunities for people to share their various perspectives related to belonging," stated Superintendent Jinger Haberer. "We are also grateful to the community members who took time out of a holiday weekend to join us."

We are excited to announce a new form of school-to-home communication at Ellensburg School District called ParentSquare. Schools are in the process of implementing ParentSquare. If you haven't received an invitation from your principal, you will soon. We hope to have everyone onboard by January. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection. It provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to:

• Send and receive district, school and class information.
• Receive information from different schools in one central location.
• Share pictures and files.
• See calendar items.
• Sign up to volunteer.
• Schedule parent-teacher conferences.
• and much more . . . all in one centralized place!

Parents—Getting Started Video

For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices).

Have questions? ParentSquare offers tutorials, videos and information on a host of topics. Click the question mark in the top right corner of the desktop version or the Help tab on the app (tap the triple bar icon at the top left) to find answers to most of your questions.

Schools are in the process of transitioning from Blackboard to ParentSquare. Starting in 2023-24, ParentSquare will become the District’s primary communications tool and will replace Blackboard and Remind. Each school is at a different phase of this transition, so please contact your school with any questions that you may have about ParentSquare.

ESD is happy to welcome Abe Benitez to his new role as the District Facilities Coordinator. In his new role, Abe makes sure facilities are available when the public reserves them, as well as handling any set up that may be required.

Abe is a graduate of Central Washington University where he majored in Recreation and Sports Management. After graduation, he worked for the City of Ellensburg as a sports official, where he rose to supervise referees. He also worked for AmeriCorps at the Stan Bassett Youth and has served as a City league basketball coach.

To sign up for a Facilities Use account and reserve your space, please visit https://www.esd401.org/community/facilities-rental where you will find information on how to set up an account.

Please join us in welcoming Kelli Riddle in her new role as Director of Special Programs.

Kelli received a Special Education endorsement from Central Washington University, earned her Special Education, M.Ed. from Heritage University, her professional certification from Washington State University, and her Special Education Administrator Certification from CWU. She worked for the Yakima School District for 18 years, first as a teacher, then as the Assistant Director of Special Education, and finally as the Director of Admissions and Enrollment.

“I love it here,” she says. “I have been working with teams and setting goals for student success.” She has also been working to expand relationships with local organizations. “We want to partner with groups that share our passion for supporting students. Our goals are that all students receive what they need to access education, that all staff are supported with the resources they need, and that every student has an individual plan for a successful transition into adulthood.”

What started as an idea to get students some vocational experience has turned into an awesome weekly experience with Valley View's Tuesday Treats!

Tuesday Treats is operated by Life Skills students and open every Tuesday during staff lunches. Students serve a weekly baked good, bottled water and Italian sodas for $1 per item. Special Tuesday Treat money, resembling real money, is used for the purchases.

"The Life Skills students of Valley View are busy all week baking, making signs, making ice, putting stickers on cups and prepping our store to serve the staff of Valley View each Tuesday," says teacher Lindsay Bennett. "Our students take orders, make drinks and make change for our customers. It is a great opportunity for our students to get practical vocational experience while working on their adaptive, social and academic skills!"

Morgan Middle School Life Skills students are learning through vocational education, and the results are making professional days a little brighter for teachers with PLC Popcorn.

Students organize, prepare and deliver popcorn in bags they have decorated. Teachers can choose from a number of toppings for their popcorn on an order form. Students work together to make sure every delivery matches the order. Students also handle the accounting for their enterprise.

Teacher Joan Smith and students shared information, and delicious popcorn, with the School Board at the Nov. 9 meeting. You can see the presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjl6jntOJn0

Students at Ellensburg High School had an opportunity to learn about the traditions and meaning of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, thanks to the hard work of classmate Abeytzi Vicente. Day of the Dead is celebrated widely in Mexico to pay respect to friends and family who have died. Rather than a mournful occasion, the holiday is filled with parties, parades and celebrations.

“It’s a very beautiful part of my culture,” says Abeytzi, “and students didn’t have an opportunity to experience this unless they were in Spanish classes. I wanted to take a step to give voice to my culture.” Abeytzi and classmate Brittney Lopez also prepared a video to familiarize their peers with the holiday and customs. On Nov. 1 and 2, students placed names of their loved ones on the memorial board.

She said a lot of her classmates were curious. “It confirmed that a lot of people don’t know about it,” says Abeytzi. “They know about the decorations, but not the meaning and symbolism behind them. Each decoration has its own meaning.” For example, Mexican folklore provides the story of why marigolds are the dominant flower of the holiday, and why their scent is believed to attract the dead.

This EHS senior hopes to pursue a career in business management. Abeytzi’s number one college choice is Eastern Washington University where her sister is a student. “I want to represent my community,” she says. “I think people underestimate the barriers we face. I want to show them that you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. I want to give back to my community and make my parents proud.”

Congratulations to the cast and crew of the EHS Fall Play, "Pride and Prejudice." We are so fortunate to have live theatre in our community thanks to the dedication of our students and the teachers, parents and community members who help them bring these productions to life.

Congratulations to three Ellensburg High School musicians who auditioned for and won a spot to perform at All Nationals in Washington D.C. Josephine Scheopner played trumpet in the All National Band. Carol Ritzenthaler sang with the All National Choir. Hina Allen played viola in the All National Orchestra. We are so proud of these nationally recognized musicians. A special thank you to the teachers who encouraged them!

Congratulations to our Ellensburg High School FFA Horse Evaluation Team for being named a Silver Team at the 95th Annual FFA Convention held in Indianapolis Oct, 26-29! Pictured (left to right) are Shianne Watts, Faith Rotter, Mackinzie Stansbury, Dakota Watts, and FFA advisor Sammi Jo Sims.

In addition to the Silver Team Award, the ladies each received an individual award. Dakota Watts - Gold Individual, Shianne Watts - Silver Individual, Faith Rotter - Silver Individual, and Mackinzie Stansbury - Bronze Individual.

If you have been anywhere near the high school this fall, you’ve seen their dedication to running. All that hard work has paid off for members of the EHS girls’ cross country team who placed 3rd at the WIAA Class 2A State Championship! Even with two key runners battling illness, the EHS boys’ cross country placed 7th. Congratulations to all of the students who participated in cross country and to their coaches! You make us proud to be Bulldogs!

Congratulations to the EHS Girls Volleyball team. With an overall record of 15-3 and an undefeated Conference record of 12-0, the girls clinched the Central Washington Athletic Conference and District 5/6 Championship.

Five Ellensburg High School student athletes have signed commitment letters to continue in their sport in college. They are (below, left to right):

Abby Harrell, Villanova University Volleyball.

Josh Boast, Central Washington University Track & Field

Olivia Anderson, University of Washington Women's Basketball

Gavin Marrs, Oregon State University Men's Basketball

Rylee Leishman, Central Washington University Women's Basketball

Congratulations to these students and to the parents, coaches and fans who have supported them on this journey!

Email: leslee.caul@esd401.org
Website: esd401.org/
Location: 1300 East 3rd Avenue, Ellensburg, WA, USA
Phone: (509)925-8010
Facebook: facebook.com/ellensburgschools