Message from Mary – June 4, 2021
In Schools –
High School Student Models 21st Century Skills– Check out this innovative and creative high school student (Zach Ager) and his “Big Plan” to advertise and recruit for our Robotics Team (Team Mean Machine) next year. I got this wonderfully-composed and professional email today from him, articulating the media marketing plan for his group and detailing what I can do to assist! Well, I am impressed! This is the gumption and determination that I hope all of our students are aspiring to demonstrate. Here is the flyer for the open house that Team Mean Machine is hosting later this month with the first paragraph of his email to me. Yay for our students modeling the 21st century learning skills that they will need when they leave us:
Hello, I am Zachary Ager, current junior at Washougal High School and I am reaching out to you on behalf of Team Mean Machine, the robotics team representing high school students from Washougal, Hockinson, and Camas school districts.
We are hard at work with efforts to gain student and school attention for the purposes of recruiting new team members and we need your help. We have several ways you can help. A lot of people don’t know the team exists or what we do, so here are some ways that you can get them interested in the great opportunities that the team provides. Here is our website: https://team2471.org
In the Community –
C-W Chamber of Commerce Recognizes Teachers- The annual Chamber of Commerce banquet arrived this year and our job was to provide the name of our selection for Teacher of the Year…When I started thinking about who this person would be, I realized that there was not one teacher this year that did not earn this award, so we nominated the entire Washougal Association of Educators. It was rewarding to be able to share with our business and civic leaders how much was accomplished by our teachers as they demonstrated grit, flexibility, determination, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, humor, compassion, work ethic, and love of students and their families! Accepting this award on behalf of WAE was Scott Rainey, Chera Thompson, Josie Smith-Hudson, Jason Barnes, and Rebecca Woodings. Yay for our true HEROES during this most challenging time!
In the District Office –
State Public Relations Group Recognizes Washougal: The Communications Team, led by Les Brown and supported by Rene’ Carroll, Amelia Holmes, and the ESD 112 team has been awarded numerous awards this year for their excellent work in communications and public relations. Congratulations to this team and their important contributions during a year of challenge and receiving top honors from the Washington School Public Relations Association (WSPRA) . This year, more than ever, our staff, parents, students and community were counting on this team to keep them informed about the work of the Washougal School District. Yay for figuring out how to clearly communicate during a global pandemic and state of emergency!
Branding/Image Package Category (less than 10,000 student enrollment): Award of Excellence for Washougal Schools (supported by ESD 112) COVID-19 Signage & Branding
Special Purpose Publication Category (less than 10,000 student enrollment): Award of Excellence for Washougal Schools (supported by ESD 112) Fall 2020 Reopening Guide
Communications, PR or Marketing Campaign (enrollment MORE than 10,000) Category:
Best in Category ESD 112 and all Clark County School Districts Regional Communication Effort for COVID-19
Writing Category (less than 10,000 student enrollment): Honorable mention: Rene’ Carroll, WSD Culinary article from 9-22-2020 http://www.washougal.k12.wa.us/blog/2020/09/22/wsd-new-culinary-services-delivers/
Inspiration this week: The inspiration of the week goes to the fact that we have almost made it to the last MfM for the year! Next Friday will be the Final Edition of the Message from Mary (School Year 2020-21) and as I reflect back on the content of the last many Friday messages to staff, I am struck by the importance this weekly update has had for me…It has provided me a place to “shelter” from the constant upheaval and challenges that have faced us EVERY SINGLE DAY of the school year…It has provided me a place to “bring some order into the chaos” via the predictability and constancy of the exercise of putting a week’s worth of work by all of you into organized “buckets” of positivity and productivity. As I have sat at my desk on Friday afternoons (sometimes Friday evenings), I have always felt a sense of satisfaction before I hit the “send button” because I was confident that, TOGETHER, we had achieved the impossible… for one more week!
And…a “teaser” for next week: I actually made two snow day songs this year and only got to use one of them so I will roll out the “blooper reel” for you next week!
