North Clackamas
School District
NCSD Community Link
Community Link Spring 2026
NCSD's Spring 2026 Community Link Publication is all about the proposed Capital Construction Bond. The publication explains what a school bond is, an at-a-glance look at proposed projects, some points of pride with in our district, and an opportunity to hear from you!
Working Together, We're Proud to be NCSD
In the North Clackamas School District, we know that in order for students to excel, our buildings and infrastructure systems need to perform at high levels that directly support student well-being. The foundation of a strong public education system relies on comfortable learning environments that address critical infrastructure needs such as thermal comfort, investments in technology infrastructure, physical safety upgrades, and enhanced emergency communication systems. Ultimately, maintaining and upgrading our facilities—including necessary critical maintenance, roof replacements, and accessibility improvements—ensures we provide safe, healthy, and flexible environments where all students can thrive.
Ten years have now passed since our amazing community approved a capital construction bond measure in NCSD. That 2016 bond supported a series of transformational construction projects benefiting every school in our district, including new construction and renovations of existing facilities.
Now in 2026, we must consider how to build upon the success of our previous capital construction bond by supporting our facilities into the future. Throughout the past year, our district's Superintendent's Bond Advisory Committee—composed of NCSD Board members, community stakeholders, staff, and students—developed the district's next capital construction bond package. Committee members worked hard to prioritize the district's critical infrastructure needs at a cost that maintains current tax rates.
But did we miss anything? We want to hear from you! I encourage you to read all about our district's proposed bond on the following pages, then share your feedback (*Online survey was closed on May 29). Your thoughts and ideas will help shape the final proposal heading to our School Board for recommendation in mid-June.
We hope you find this Spring edition of NCSD's Community Link informative and look forward to your feedback. Just like ten years ago when every project was completed on time and on budget, let's continue working together to build a school district where we can say, "We're Proud To Be…In NCSD!"
Sincerely,
Dr. Shay James,
Superintendent
Read Previous Community Links
Spring 2023
Ideas in Action — Service to Our Community
Welcome to our Community Link newsletter! As we approach the end of the school year, we want to take this opportunity to reflect on all the incredible accomplishments of our students, teachers, and staff. We are also pleased to share several updates, including an introduction to our new strategic plan, and hope you will have a better understanding of the work being done in our schools.
The strategic plan, which was launched at the beginning of the school year, will serve as the road map for our organization through 2027. Our Mission has evolved slightly, yet significantly from the previous plan. It still centers on inspiring and empowering graduates to strengthen local and global communities but also to act with courage in life.
We have maintained Equity, Care, and Integrity as Core Values in our district while adding Relationships and Empowerment. The plan also lays out 23 specific goals, which are grouped into four broad categories. In a nod to the NCSD compass, we refer to these focus areas as our Strategic Points. Everything NCSD does is aligned with one or more of these points.
You will also find important information about our local option levy on pages 4-5. This critical funding, eligible for renewal by voters this fall, allowed NCSD to retain approximately 180 teachers district-wide this school year. NCSD also launched several communications initiatives, including a podcast and streaming TV app, making it easier than ever to follow along with the amazing students and staff in our schools. We look forward to expanding our North Star Awards program to include community members and volunteers, as well, next school year.
On behalf of everyone in North Clackamas Schools, thank you for your continued partnership and support. We are grateful and proud to work together with you in service of our community.
Respectfully,
Dr. Shay James, Superintendent
Renew Your Investment In NCSD Teachers And Students
In 2018, North Clackamas School District voters approved a Local Option Levy (Teachers Levy) to help supplement state funding for our NCSD schools. The Teachers Levy has funded approximately 180 teaching positions yearly at every school in our district. The Teachers Levy has become a critically important part of our school district and allows NCSD schools to fund one of our most important resources: our amazing teaching staff, which includes the 2022 Oregon Teacher of the Year, the 2023 Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year, and most recently, the 2023 Oregon PTA Teacher of the Year!
When the current levy ends in June, 2024, it would also end approximately $23 million in funds that pay for each of these 180 vital teaching positions. Without these teachers, each of our schools would face the devastating dilemma of how to continue empowering, inspiring, and growing our students with fewer teachers and larger class sizes.
The North Clackamas School Board is planning to place a Levy renewal on the November 2023 ballot and hopes you'll continue to invest in our children the same way you did in 2018. Please note that this is a levy renewal-- not a new or additional tax burden for any North Clackamas resident, who would continue to pay the same property tax rate for the next five years. Thanks to you, a renewed Teachers Levy would give our students the opportunity to achieve their highest dreams inspired by each of their NCSD teachers.
How many teachers at each NCSD school does this levy currently fund?
Answer: 180 teachers
32 Schools • 18 Elementary Schools • 4 Middle Schools • 6 High Schools • 4 Public Charters • 16,700 students
*Note: Numbers presented here are estimates based on school enrollment and average teacher costs.
Have We Got News For You!
After shifting from the principal’s office to the district office this year as NCSD’s Community Relations Director, I now brag district wide! It’s been my privilege to make sure members of every school community across our school district…from Ardenwald to View Acres, and the 30 other schools listed alphabetically in between…feel proud of where their children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews go to school. Because there are SO MANY POSITIVE stories taking place on each school campus, our district Communications Team has launched these new projects to make it easy for community members like you see and hear them:
NCSD NEWS – each episode of this magazine-style video news program contains three uplifting stories about students, staff, or community members in NCSD who are making a positive impact on others. Episodes are shared monthly via district email, YouTube, and social media. Want to see and hear, for example, about the high school agricultural students showing off prize-winning sheep at the county fair…or the four-year-old thriving in our district’s first-ever preschool…or even our Superintendent trying to outpace students at a local school’s annual jog-a-thon?
“Proud To Be NCSD” Podcast – these polished 20-30 minute weekly episodes are quickly becoming a “must listen” for many NCSD staff and community members. Subscribe now to hear weekly in-depth interviews with “high profile” district guests like the Superintendent…to lesser known stories like our conversation with the group of teachers who have now been teaching in our district in five different decades!
NCSD “North Star” Awards – this program allows NCSD staff members, regardless of school or department, to nominate colleagues for going above and beyond in one of NCSD’s five Core Values: Equity, Relationships, Integrity, Empowerment, and Care. In each episode, nominees are surprised with an unannounced visit to their classroom or workspace, and presented with a special certificate and district keepsake.
NCSD-TV APP– missed any of the above NCSD NEWS programs or “North Star” Award programs? Want to see the latest edition of a student-produced NCSD middle school news program? How about a recent student performance at a school assembly? If an NCSD school makes a video, this is the app where you’ll find it…all on-demand! It works on all mobile devices and smart TVs. Search for NCSD-TV and download it today!
Roku® TV • Amazon® Fire TV • Apple® App Store • Google® Play Store
New NCSD Website – The North Clackamas School District launch a new website this year! NCSD took the opportunity to make the transition after it was announced that our former vendor would no longer host school districts. The new website has improved navigation features, better accessibility, and is available in multiple languages.
Every school now has a Google Calendar as well. Families can sync these calendars to their own digital calendars to stay up-to-date on important school events, holidays, and activities. NCSD is excited to continue to make updates to the new website so that families and the community can stay connected to North Clackamas.
Kindergarten Blast Off!!
Imagine bringing big smiles to future NCSD kindergarten students before they even enter an NCSD classroom! It’s not hard to picture ear-to-ear grins as they enjoy treats, color with crayons, receive goodie bags, and even take the driver’s seat to honk the horn on the big bus!
This spring, North Clackamas Schools invited families with students who will be five years old on or before September 1st to do just that at a series of outreach events across the district. It was a chance for future Kindy kids to meet teachers and principals, ride on a bus, greet the driver, and ensure a fun first school experience - while caregivers could ask questions and register students right on the spot. These popular events are part of a broader strategy of early kindergarten registration, which allows schools to better project facility and staff needs.
“My son was up at 6 a.m. this morning asking when he could ride the bus,” one parent said. “He’s been waiting all week for this!”
Keep an eye open for our outreach events popping up throughout the spring and summer. Staff will be on hand to answer questions, register students, and provide hiring information about jobs with NCSD.
Hi-Five! NCSD’s Five High-Impact Instructional Practices
NCSD already boasts some of the top educators statewide (including the Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year the past two years), but we’re committed to training teachers in the most effective teaching strategies available. We’ve consolidated the leading research into five High Impact Instructional Practices or NCSD’s “HI-5.” By steadily training every NCSD teacher in all five, our goal is to ensure ALL students…regardless of grade level, teacher, subject area, or school…receive consistent, top-tier, research-based instruction.
1) Collaborative Learning – Students participate in meaningful, focused, and productive discussions as partners and in small groups.
2) Feedback – Teachers provide meaningful feedback so that students understand their level of learning and know where they need to improve.
3) Metacognitive Strategies – Students consider their own thinking and develop self-questioning skills, while teachers model and embed these strategies in different routines.
4) Setting Goals – Teachers provide clear learning goals, and adjust them based on progress, so that students understand what they need to know and what they must be able to do to achieve a specific learning standard.
5) Student Expectations – In partnership with teachers, students evaluate their own understanding, self-identify ways to improve, and plan next steps to foster continuous growth.
Rivals Unified When It Comes To Inclusion
An after-school basketball game played this past season between Milwaukie and Rex Putnam high schools must’ve been a “rivalry” game, right? Not even close.
Although the two crosstown schools have been squaring off in all sports for nearly 60 years, this was no ordinary mid-season matchup. In fact, the friendly February tip-off marked the most “unified” the two schools have ever been on the court.
The game featured all the dribbling, passing, and scoring of a varsity basketball contest…but this matchup was between each school’s Special Olympics Unified team. In Unified basketball, each team plays with a combination of players with and without intellectual disabilities. And the smiles on the faces of players and coaches count a lot more than any points on the scoreboard.
At halftime, Milwaukie High was recognized as a National Banner Unified Special Olympics Champion School. MHS is one of less than 700 schools recognized nationwide as a Champion School for having an inclusive atmosphere fostering collaboration, engagement, and respect for everyone within the school community.
“As a school community that always emphasizes opportunity and inclusion for all students, I am so proud that MHS is being recognized as a National Banner Special Olympics Unified Champion School,” MHS principal Kim Kellogg said. “It’s great to know that along with Putnam, we are allowing many more student athletes to shine on the court or on the field.”
Fall 2023
Reaching New Heights
Welcome to the first Community Link of the 2023-24 school year! The opening months of school always provide many events worth celebrating, whether it’s our young elementary students establishing new friendships for the first time, our middle schoolers enrolling in their first electives that spark lifelong interests, or our high school students aligning their paths toward college or career readiness.
As you’ll see in the following pages, the theme of this edition of Community Link is also celebration…as we have so many exciting and heartwarming stories to share about students and staff members who help make the North Clackamas School District community so special.
The most recent Oregon State Assessment scores have been released, and cheers to all of our students and staff for their hard work. In this issue, we're highlighting Riverside Elementary, where staff members are taking the district’s innovative instructional guidance to new heights and helping the school achieve its highest results yet!
Speaking of heights, have you seen the giant outdoor mural stretching all the way to the roof of Seth Lewelling Elementary’s gymnasium?
If so, you’ll understand the school’s recent celebration during a unique outdoor assembly. After a summer full of color mixing and thousands of particularly precise paint strokes, a partnership with a local artist has turned an outdoor gym wall from blah beige…into a creatively colorful countryside!
Finally, as we begin Year 2 of our 5-year Strategic Plan, we’re celebrating our more than 17,000 students with a continued commitment to building strong, trusting relationships with each and every one of them. Relationship building is one of our Strategic Plan’s 5 Core Values, and you can read about how that commitment is not only being demonstrated by our 32 schools, but also by the many departments who support those schools each day.
We have so much to look forward to in our school district, including our Proposed Teachers Levy on November’s ballot, so please don’t forget to vote!
On behalf of everyone in North Clackamas Schools, please know that we also celebrate YOU for your continued partnership and support. Here’s to an exciting conclusion to 2023!
Respectfully,
Dr. Shay James, Superintendent
Building Relationships is Part of the Plan
They’re two words you’ve probably seen referenced many times in NCSD communications throughout the past two years, but what exactly is our district’s Strategic Plan? This important five-year plan is more than just a document—it formalizes and communicates our district’s mission and vision for all stakeholders in our community. It also identifies five Core Values we’re dedicated to making sure are prominently displayed every day in every school and department: Equity, Relationships, Integrity, Empowerment, and Care.
Our district’s goal throughout the 2023-24 school year is to clearly define each of these values at the district level, but also provide each school and department an opportunity to share what each value looks and sounds like in their communities. Throughout September and October, our first district wide Core Value focus has been on building trusting Relationships with students and families.
We’re proud that nearly all schools have sent eye-catching notices home about the importance of relationships and how they’re building them. However, school staff members aren’t the only employees focusing on this key Core Value. Here are Relationship Core Value commitments from some non-school NCSD departments:
Equity, Enrollment, & Engagement: Build relationships with families while seeing culture, ethnicity, and what their strengths are so they can find academic success; really get to really know each student and not the stereotype that can surround certain cultures
Early Childhood at Campbell: Show interest in learning more about the other person (student, parent, staff) by asking questions about them, such as pronunciation of their name, pronouns they prefer, their strengths/interests
Facility Operations: Lean on each other; have difficult conversations while being open and honest; learn the communication styles of others.
Technology & Information Services: Treating each person with kindness, respect, and empathy.
Measure 3-599: On the November Ballot
Did you know that the North Clackamas School District has been funded by a local option levy voters passed in 2018, which supports the equivalent of 180 positions across the district? This levy is set to expire in June, 2024. Proposed Measure 3-599 is on this November’s ballot.
Here are the facts:
If passed, what would the Proposed Measure 3-599 fund?
*The Proposed Levy would generate approximately $25 million per year for five years.
*It would continue to retain teachers and staff at all schools.
*It would maintain current class size averages across all NCSD schools.
If passed, what would Proposed Measure 3-599 cost?
*As a renewal, this Levy would maintain existing tax rates.
*It would authorize a continuation of the current tax rate of $1.63 per $1,000 of assessed property value for five years.
What happens if Proposed Measure 3-599 does not pass?
* A continuation of the current tax rate of $1.63 per $1,000 of assessed property value would not continue.
*The equivalent of 180 teaching positions in NCSD would not continue to be funded.
*The current tax rate would expire on June 30, 2024.
6 Things To Know About Proposed Measure 3-599:
1) It is on this November’s ballot.
2) It is a renewal and would maintain the current tax rate of $1.63 per $1,000 of assessed property value for five years.
3) If passed, 100% of levy funds would be used to fund the North Clackamas School District.
4) If passed, it would maintain the equivalent of 180 teaching positions.
5) If passed, it would maintain current class size averages across all NCSD schools.
6) If passed, it would preserve programming such as vocational career technical education, music, art, and physical education.
You can find out more by reviewing the NCSD Proposed Teachers Levy webpage.
*Note: Numbers presented here are estimates based on school enrollment and average teacher costs.
Change of Scenery at Seth Lewelling
The outside Seth Lewelling Elementary is now filled with color, thanks to a beautiful mural created over the summer.
This project was several years in the making, according to Principal Mason Branstetter. He said members of Lewelling’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) came together and wanted to contribute to a larger legacy project, and decided a mural would be a perfect way to beautify the school.
The mural was created by artist Emma Berger. To start, Emma worked on an art project with Lewelling students where they invented their own flower. She was able to incorporate those flowers into her design. Among the landscape, you will notice some hidden Easter eggs like cherry blossoms, representing Milwaukie, and the Mason bees, an ode to Principal Branstetter.
Emma dedicated hours over the summer to make the project come to life, and it was completed just before the school year began. On September 29th, the school had a special Friday morning meeting where they held a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“It’s a really special thing to give to a community and brighten and beautify a neighborhood,” Berger said. “It’s a special thing that for the next couple of decades my work will be a part of their lives”
You can see more of Emma’s work on her Instagram page, @flatrabbitstudio.
More from the artist
Emma Berger is an experienced artist from California’s Bay area. Berger says art and creativity is in her family, as her mom is a retired public artist as well.
When Emma’s not painting murals, she is also a tattoo artist. “My business card says I draw on people, places, and things,” Emma laughed.
Berger connected with Seth Lewelling through the Portland Street Art Alliance. The role of the Portland Street Art Alliance is to pair organizers like Lewelling’s PTO with local artists based on style and the artwork they are looking for.
TEACHING BEFORE A STUDIO AUDIENCE
How Teacher Collaboration Is Improving Student Performance
As math time began on a recent October morning at Riverside Elementary, teacher Staci Martin admittedly was a little nervous looking at all the fourth-grade faces in her classroom eagerly awaiting her first instructions.
That’s because that morning, “all the fourth-grade faces,” actually meant every fourth grade student from three different Riverside classrooms were in her classroom…along with two observing colleagues, a classroom assistant, the principal, and a district provided math instructional consultant. All the extra professionals were scattered around the room to watch, learn, and provide constructive feedback after class.
Riverside is one of several NCSD elementary schools utilizing this “Math Studio” model, where teachers observe and learn from each other as they’re provided thoughtful, immediate feedback about how they’re engaging kids in mathematical concepts.
"While having so many adult eyes observe your teaching can be a little nerve wracking, participating in Math Studio has been a great experience,” said Martin. “I'm always looking for ways to make math more purposeful, productive, and increase student engagement.”
Such innovative approaches to instruction are paying off in all subject areas across NCSD, but especially in math at Riverside.
Oregon’s latest round of statewide assessment data showed many North Clackamas schools making improvements on standardized reading, math, and writing tests, but Riverside’s math scores especially stood out. About one-third of the school’s third graders hit proficiency targets in math, which is a huge jump from just 15% the previous year. Principal Teresa Jaramillo is excited to see her staff members rewarded for their intensive teacher training, which includes participating in Math Studios and targeting specific math concepts.
“These approaches have allowed teachers to provide small group instruction or re-teach math concepts before simply moving on to the next lesson or topic,” said Jaramillo. “They’ve empowered Riverside teachers to deliver high-quality instruction and support to our students, enabling them to grasp complex math concepts more effectively.”
Math isn’t the only subject area where North Clackamas students continue to improve. A recent review of reading readiness for the district’s youngest students also produced results worth celebrating. Last year’s kindergarten and first grade students districtwide displayed respective end-of-year literacy rates of 56%, and 64%, which are both improvements of more than 10% from the previous school year.
“Our focus on strengthening instruction through teacher efforts, investments in early literacy as well as literacy guidelines reflect best practices, student agency, and student identity,” said Assistant Superintendent of Education Dr. Ivonne Dibblee. “We’re excited to see these initial promising results and are looking forward to seeing even more improvement at the end of this year.”
View Acres Gets Pumped About Heart Health
NCSD schools are the heartiest fundraisers in the state
When View Acres Elementary students shuffle into the gym for Physical Education twice each week, they’re always excited to learn one of teacher Kevin Greenleaf’s creatively cooperative games that keeps them running, skipping, jumping, and sometimes even balancing pool noodles in the air.
“If we’re keeping them moving, it keeps them energized and it’s a good day for them and a good day for me,” said the 23-year PE teaching veteran.
Yet Greenleaf’s approach isn’t just to teach kids how to keep their own hearts healthy. In line
with NCSD’s Core Value of Empowerment, View Acres was one of seven district elementary schools last year participating in the American Heart Association’s “Kids Heart Challenge,” where students and families spent weeks learning about heart-healthy activities and raising awareness and funds for the American Heart Association.
Both View Acres and North Clackamas deserve some heart-felt applause! NCSD finished the 22-23 school year as the top fundraising school district in the entire state, gathering more than $64,000 worth of lifesaving donations. Nearly one-third of that record total came from View Acres, who led all seven participating NCSD schools by raising more than $20,000.
“It was an amazing thing for our school,” said Greenleaf. “It feels good knowing we were able to help an organization that helps families with heart research and kids that have heart defects.”
Congratulations to Scouters Mountain, Lot Whitcomb, Spring Mountain, Ardenwald, Riverside, and Beatrice Morrow Cannady, who also participated in the 22-23 Kids Heart Challenge…and participation from even more NCSD schools will soon start to circulate in the 23-24 school year.
“My grandpa, my mom, and my dad helped me raise money last year because we know it’s important for people to stay healthy,” said View Acres first grader Ellie Ciabattari, who says her uncle passed away from heart disease. She can’t wait to get started this year. “I want to raise the most biggest amount that no school has ever had before, even more than last year!”
Celebrating More Than a Decade of Dedication
More than 13 years ago, the North Clackamas School District converted an aging elementary school into a community resource center located in the heart of the school district’s 40 square miles. Since then, the Wichita Center For Family & Community has served as the lifeblood for hundreds of families who visit the King Road location each week to access supports ranging from a clothes closet and food pantry to housing assistance, dental care, and a preschool program.
This fall, NCSD hosted an open house at the Wichita Center to celebrate more than a decade of heartfelt support from these community partnerships, and the local families who utilize them.
“We want all of our partners housed at the Wichita Center to know how thankful we are for their commitment to our community,” said Superintendent Dr. Shay James. “It’s because of them that we’re able to help provide our families the extra assistance they may need week to week.”
One Oak Grove mom who wished to remain anonymous says she doesn’t know what she’d do without that assistance. The mother of five former or current North Clackamas students ranging in ages from 19 to pre-kindergarten relies on the Wichita Center’s resources to provide her kids food, clothing, and medical care throughout the year.
“I honestly don't know what I would do,” she said. “My family wouldn't have these resources. I probably wouldn't know about the Head Start program here and would have to figure out somewhere else to go to for food. I am not sure if they have another place to go to for clothing, so we’d feel pretty hopeless if it wasn't here.”
NCSD’s recent open house celebration showcased those partners who fill community members with hope each day. Lining the center’s hallways were program directors from Clackamas County Children’s Commission, Smile Squad Neighborhood Health Center, Oregon Department of Human Services, Metropolitan Family Services, Clackamas County Health Centers, and the Oregon Health Authority, each of whom are housed in this one-of-a-kind community center.
This “one stop” resource approach, where families can access multiple resources without appointments and all under one roof, gathered the attention of many community leaders in attendance, including Milwaukie Mayor Lisa Batey.
“It’s of big importance to the community,” said Mayor Batey. “I see and I know the great services that it provides for our families from clothing to backpacks to the food pantry to after-school care and just so many services that families in our community take advantage of.”
The Wichita Center For Family & Community is located at 6031 S.E. King Road in Milwaukie, and is open Monday-Friday from 8:00-4:30. The food pantry is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00-6:00, and Wednesdays from 10:00-4:00. Volunteers are encouraged to contact the center directly or visit their website
Spring 2024
The Finish Line is Near
Even if your family no longer has school-aged children, you can almost hear the cheering in the distance this time of year for student accomplishments…the finish line of another school year is drawing near. When our students and families took their first steps on this yearly marathon back in September, they likely didn’t know what was ahead of them during this 2023-24 journey.
While nobody could’ve predicted the challenges we’ve faced (a weeklong ice storm in January?), we’re so grateful to NCSD families for trusting us—your teachers, your paraeducators, your counselors, your coaches, and your district office support staff—as we’ve run alongside to support and learn from you throughout the year, helping you up when you fell and giving you bursts of encouragement to keep going. The finish line is now in sight, so I encourage you to keep up the pace during these last weeks of classes, take rest breaks when you need them, but concentrate on finishing this school year strong and proud of all your achievements throughout the year!
Like a marathon, navigating a school year is not an easy task. You need a team—to guide you on your path, to help you reach your goals, and to cheer you on every step of the way. In North Clackamas, our most valuable teammates consist of our families and community partners as you’ll find in our Strategic Plan’s Family & Community Collaboration section. (Show graphic off to side)
Throughout this school year, we’ve continued to stride toward ensuring two-way communication between families, schools, and the district. Thank you to all families and community members who attended our “Community Conversations” throughout the school year, where we conducted open, honest discussions about topics ranging from kindergarten readiness to high school rigor. We’ve also initiated a new weekly video series called “5 On Friday,” where I step out of my comfort zone on camera to give you a “behind the scenes” look at the most interesting people and places throughout our district.
The Family & Community Collaboration section of our Strategic Plan also states that we’ll “Create new and nurture existing community partnerships that advance the school district mission and vision.” Three such partnerships immediately stand out and continue to thrive. First, we’re so grateful to work side by side with the North Clackamas Education Foundation, which recently raised $125,000 in its “Let’s Grow” Gala in April, all of which will be invested in NCSD staff and students. Second, our partnership with Clackamas Community College continues to allow our students to earn college credits on their transcripts before high school graduation, while our Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center provides students both high school and college credit options in 18 different career fields. Finally, we’re proud of our continued cooperation with the Clackamas Workforce Partnership to help build an inclusive staff that reflects the diversity of our students and families.
The end of a school year is a finish line and should certainly be celebrated, but all of us in NCSD are already lacing up our shoes and getting ready for new challenges ahead in 2024-25. As we continue working together with families and community partners, we know we’ll always help each other finish strong!
Sincerely,
Dr. Shay James
Superintendent
North Clackamas School District
Interested in reading, seeing, and even hearing more amazing stories about NCSD students and staff across our school district? We encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube Channel (North Clackamas Schools) and download the NCTV app, where you'll find the latest episodes of NCSD NEWS and "5 On Friday With Dr. Shay James." You can also find and subscribe to our "Proud To BE NCSD" podcast on nearly all podcast providers.
Dual Language Immersion Says ¡Hola! to Rowe Middle School
As a student at Seth Lewelling Elementary School, fifth grader Krystal Miralrio has the unique ability to speak English throughout the school day with her teachers and friends, then talk about her day in Spanish when she returns home to her Spanish speaking parents. But Marcos Miralrio wanted to make sure his daughter continued to build her Spanish skills while learning in English. "It's about the roots," said Marcos. "If you're going to open doors in the future, it's important to have both languages."
That's why when NCSD announced an expansion of its Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program to Rowe Middle School starting this fall, the Miralrios immediately signed up Krystal to join sister Alexia, who already attends Rowe in 7th grade. "We were thrilled to hear about Rowe," said an excited Marcos. "The girls speak English to each other, but my wife and I want them to keep learning Spanish."
NCSD’s Spanish DLI program began when El Puente Bilingual School opened 20 years ago. Starting this fall, students can enroll in DLI programs at Rowe and six other school locations, including Riverside Elementary, Milwaukie El Puente Elementary, Lot Whitcomb Elementary, Alder Creek Middle, and Rex Putnam High School.
With the DLI program's goal of all students becoming bilingual and biliterate by 12th grade, kindergarten students receive 80% of instruction in Spanish and 20% in English. Gradually, students receive more English instruction until it is about 50% Spanish and 50% English in 4th and 5th grade. Only one language is used at a time and is not translated.
In middle school, students in the DLI Program attend 3 of 10 class periods in Spanish. High school students have the opportunity to continue their education in Spanish at Rex Putnam, where in 9th and 10th grade,they can take advanced Spanish reading and writing courses. International Baccalaureate (IB) Spanish is available in 11th and 12th grade, which is a two-year honors program teaching college level content for potential college credit.
“Something that I liked [about the DLI program] is having a connection to my culture,” said Rex Putnam Senior Leslie Osorio. “I remember, I think it was first or second grade, we had a cultural day, so everybody brought their own food, like tamales, whatever it was from their culture. And it was just very interesting to see all these people come together and make food.”
With this fall’s expansion, DLI students living within the Alder Creek, Happy Valley, and Rock Creek attendance areas will continue attending Alder Creek Middle School, and families who live within the Rowe boundary will now be able to attend their neighborhood middle school.
The Miralrios recently attended a DLI Welcome Night hosted by Rowe staff and students, including Alexia who performed in a dance group. The school plans to offer more opportunities for students from different elementary schools to meet.
"The Rowe staff is honored to be chosen as the next Dual Language Immersion School," said Principal Emily Moore. "We have been meeting as a staff and with 5th grade families to make sure everyone's feeling confident and prepared for the fall."
Click here to find out more information about NCSD’s Dual Language Immersion Program.
Find out more information about NCSD’s Dual Language Immersion Program
Girl Power Soars In SSC’s Automotive Class
Take a tour through any of NCSD’s Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center’s campuses during a school day, and you’ll likely see students precisely measuring wood angles and pouring over architecture plans as part of their Building Construction class…or students in full welding gear igniting sparks as they finish a project in their Manufacturing & Engineering class…or even students analyzing the profit margin of the center’s snack bar as part of a course in the Business & Management program.
Then there are juniors Emma Wesley, Maya Shearer, and Bella Dickerson, who each found a passion for fixing and maintaining cars in Sabin-Schellenberg’s Automotive program, inspiring them to create an after-school club aptly named, “Girls Get It Done." Their first order of business during a recent meeting? Changing the oil step-by-step of a Ford Fusion on campus. "That was pretty easy for me," said Dickerson, who attends Rex Putnam. "I think the hardest part was teaching and having to explain the steps so people could understand. I believe it's an incredible skill to know and could save people a lot of money if they knew how to do it themselves, especially with how much prices have gone up nowadays."
The Automotive curriculum certainly isn’t the only program in Sabin-Schellenberg’s impressive list of skills and trades inspiring NCSD students like “Girls Get It Done” year after year. When the campus opened in 1967 as the Owen Sabin Occupational Skills Center, it offered just three programs for juniors and seniors. Today, more than 3,400 9th-12th graders shuttle back and forth from their home high schools each day to Sabin-Schellenberg’s North and South campuses in Milwaukie, along with the Land Lab near Clackamas High School, allowing them to learn skills working with flat irons in Cosmetology to tire irons in Automotive…and from conducting live interviews in Broadcasting & Journalism to raising live animals as part of the award-winning Agriculture program.
"One of the biggest benefits of our program is that kids get to experiment with different things that may not be the career they eventually want," said Principal Ajai Huja. "And they learn a little bit more about what actually working in those fields are like, and they're able to rule out things, which I feel is a hidden benefit of our program. So a lot of our students take courses across multiple programs, which allows them to really understand what it is they want out of a work experience."
Eighteen different Career Programs are currently listed on the center’s website (see the full list below), and NCSD students say every course teaches invaluable skills for any career path post high-school.
"I plan on taking Diesel next year alongside Bella, and Programming and Coding," added Clackamas High School's Wesley. "It’s important to me to take both of these classes to hopefully have a leg up in the future, as I want to combine automotive and programming skills in my career."
Dickerson says NCSD students are lucky to have SSC as part of their high school experience. "I think the classes at the SSC campuses are a great experience and also offer tons of opportunities for people," said the 16-year-old. "We all are incredibly lucky to be able to have these programs and I think people take them for granted. You as well meet some incredible people from other schools in the district which I think is pretty cool."
"One of the great joys of my job is to go around and see students engaging in all of the different experiences that lead directly to work," added Principal Ajai Huja. "I tell people all the time that I get to walk around and see the magic happen every day, and I feel very proud to do that."
Want to learn more about each of Sabin-Schellenberg’s amazing programs? Visit ssc.nclack.k12.or.us.
All Signs Lead to Spreading Kindness
When Jake Lee asked his kindergarten students at Scouters Mountain Elementary about ways they could spread kindness throughout local neighborhoods, all 24 of his enthusiastic five- and six-year-olds immediately signed up.
And by “signing up,” that meant putting motivational signs up at landmarks all over the Scouters Mountain and Happy Valley area, including walking trails, parks, and even the local library.
“We were talking a lot about community helpers after reading a story in class,” said Lee, who like most NCSD kindergarten teachers, leads group discussions after reading picture books with students on a classroom carpet space. “I wanted the kids to realize that they’re also community helpers by spreading kindness across the community, and we came up with the signs and the messages of kindness on them.”
The signs’ messages are all colorfully decorated by “Lee’s Bees,” a nickname the teacher gave his busy, hard-working students at the beginning of the school year. Each eye-catching banner brightly displays a bee pun giving reminders to community members such as “Bee Brave” or “Bee Unique,” then asks them to snap a smiling photo with each sign they find during their outdoor activities. “We came up with the messages and they hand drew the bees,” said the proud teacher. “Then I was able to place the signs around town so the kids can not only find the sign, but also find their bee.”
And it didn’t take long for the bee-themed Kindy Kindness Photos to create quite a buzz on social media. “It makes my day every day,” said Lee, “Every day different kids and families find one and they love to email them to me with kindness quotes in the caption. Some of the parents are tagging on social media if they have the accounts, and I’ve been challenging them to expand it by telling friends and neighbors to find the signs as well.”
Just about every day, Lee shows his eager students how the project continues spreading, such as when a post comes in from students’ neighbors out walking their dogs or even Scouters Mountain teachers who live locally and come across signs during evening hours.
Lee and his kinders proudly bee-lieve they’re helping spread kindness throughout the community one photo at a time. “I found like ten of them,” excitedly shared six-year-old Parker Woodfill. “The signs help our community be kind to each other and that makes us happy, and then we can tell other people to find them.”
“The best part is that we’re filling people’s buckets up,” said 5-year-old Elina Volvovic. “That means we’re making people happy.”
“I feel like kids in kindergarten just get it still,” summed up Lee. “Like they’re still at that level where it just comes from inside of them so naturally, so to include them in this project has just been awesome. I just hope more people go out and find the signs and the more people who are tagging it, my kids will feel like they’re making more of an impact.”
Signs are located throughout Happy Valley and can be tagged on Instagram at Kindy_Kindness_Signs. Want to learn more about the story that inspired the project? Check out Ordinary Mary and the Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson.
"Every School Should Have A Bobbie"
It was near the start of the school year in 2007, and as school buses filled with eager kids criss-crossed the neighborhood streets around her home, Milwaukie resident Bobbie Reed said she was “in a funk.” The Chicago native and former Portland Public Schools librarian was mourning the recent loss of her mother and says she spent six months without any feeling of purpose or accomplishment.
A persistent neighbor finally convinced Reed to visit a nearby elementary school. “And so it was like, OK, time to get out of my own way,” remembers Reed, who entered the school doors hoping she could maybe volunteer a few hours on a couple days each week.
Luckily for Linwood Elementary staff members, students, and families, those few hours quickly turned into eight hours every day, and Reed’s outgoing personality has been a daily fixture at Linwood for the past 17 straight years…and counting!
“At first they hustled me down to the library because of my librarian experience,” recalls Reed. “But then I noticed all the laminating that teachers didn’t have time to do, so I learned how to laminate. Then it just kind of developed into taking care of the printing for teachers, or I cut squares of paper for art projects, and now I sub on the playground or in the cafeteria. I fill all the little cracks around the school.”
And every day for the past 17 years, Reed has been filling in those cracks to the delight of Linwood students and staff members, who still can’t believe how lucky they are to have such a dedicated volunteer among them every day, which is why they claim “Every school should have a Bobbie.”
“She’s like a friend who never leaves,” said a smiling Maeve Donahoe, whose third grade class sees Reed every week when they visit the library. “I like how she reads books to us and makes different voices for each character.”
And the voices of Linwood staff members are filled with admiration for their beloved volunteer colleague. “When I first got here, I was taken aback by having someone here all the time, just ready to help,” explained Instructional Coach Vickie Beraka. “She’s always asking if I have anything for her and I’m often giving her projects like organizing materials to help staff and students, and she gets it done that day. And if I don’t have something, she’s disappointed,” Beraka laughs.
Reed never feels any disappointment about taking those first steps through Linwood’s doors 17 years ago. “You know how you have a distant cousin who all of a sudden shows up? That was kind of how it was. They took me in and said, ‘You’re a part of us now.’ We’re family. We help each other, and it just makes life so much easier,” said Reed, tears welling up in her eyes. “Like yesterday I had a birthday, and I got a card from everybody. I just love it here.”
So how much longer can students and staff count on seeing Mrs. Reed in the hallways? “Oh I don’t know,” Reed giggles, “since I don’t consider myself old yet. I have no idea, but I’ll be here until either they don’t need me or I just get old, I guess.” Linwood community members shouldn’t worry-- neither of those scenarios seem likely anytime soon.
New Urban Celebrates 20 Years
Once a single computer lab within the Sabin Schellenberg Career Professional Center, New Urban High School is now celebrating 20 years as a model learning environment for students seeking a more individualized high school experience.
The school opened in 2004 as a magnet school on the Schellenberg campus to provide an innovative educational approach for high school students. The newly-created school was funded by the Bill Gates Foundation's technology and small schools grant, which provided a computer for each student.
Within the small computer lab, New Urban’s founding teachers were able to create a school culture that fostered creativity, teamwork, and a little friendly competition.
“New Urban High School emerged as a beacon of educational innovation for non-traditional students who many labeled as disenfranchised, where the pursuit of knowledge was synonymous with collaboration, creativity, and a relentless commitment to pushing the boundaries of traditional schooling.” wrote Kirstan Fangler, who teaches science at New Urban.
The school has now grown into its current location, a beautifully reconstructed building on the former site of the original Oak Grove Elementary. While the location has changed, New Urban’s culture of care, innovation, and a more personalized learning experience for students continues 20 years later. The innovative high school still focuses on project based learning, and finds opportunities for students to explore more individualized interests while meeting academic standards.
School traditions have emerged over the past 20 years, including a Student Exhibition of Learning event twice per year, allowing students to celebrate and showcase what they’ve learned over the semester with friends, family, and community members. These exhibitions focus on academic and personal growth, allowing students to reflect on their academic accomplishments, identify areas of improvement, and celebrate the milestones along the way. February's exhibition allowed staff and community members to celebrate their two decades of accomplishments.
"It is an honor to lead such a special school and staff community," said Principal Celeste Pellicci. "Every day I see our students growing and flourishing with our care and attention. Twenty years is an exciting milestone. I look forward to our continued success!"
New Urban’s second Student Exhibition of Learning takes place on Thursday, May 30th, where community members can view the many impressive projects students have been working on throughout the spring semester.
New Urban is accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year! You can find more information about the application process online.
No Debating These Talented Cavs!
Not all state championships are won during athletic events. Congratulations to the hard-working members of Clackamas High School’s Speech & Debate team, who competed among 58 schools and 451 entries in April’s OSAA State Speech & Debate Championships. Senior Zoe Klawetter was crowned state champion in Radio Commentary and a finalist in Lincoln Douglas Debate. Senior Elizabeth Tran won the state championship in Dramatic Interpretation. Senior Rainie Chan, junior Hai Nguyen, and sophomore Ethan Parker also reached the semifinals in several events. All five will take their talents to the National Championships in Des Moines, IA in mid-June.
Fall 2024
Community Link, our twice-yearly printed publication, highlights all of the exciting happenings around the North Clackamas School District. Every Fall and Spring, a publication is sent in the mail to every home within the NCSD boundary area.
Welcome Aboard the S.S. NCSD: A New Journey Begins!
Welcome to our Fall 2024 Community Link! Although it’s hard to believe it’s been about nine weeks since we set sail in September, I can't help but think of the adventure that lies ahead as we head out into the open water of another school year together.
As you’ll read in this newsletter, just like planning for a grand voyage, our amazing NCSD staff members have been busy preparing for this school year throughout the summer and into the fall, ensuring that every aspect of your students’ educational journey is shipshape and ready for an exciting year.
As you’ll read in our featured article, all North Clackamas teachers… particularly those in our youngest grades…have been busy adding new knowledge and strategies to their suitcases full of skills to enhance their reading instruction most effectively. Our latest assessments show this new approach to literacy district wide is helping all NCSD students navigate the vast seas of literature with confidence and enthusiasm in plotting our course toward ensuring all of our students are reading at or above grade-level proficiency.
Speaking of assessments, any seasoned traveler knows every journey has its challenges. Have you ever wondered what it’s like for our students to navigate the annual Oregon State Assessments in grades 3-12? This issue also maps out three different sample math problems for you to try to steer through as if you were in 3rd, 6th, or 9th grade. I encourage you to see if you can shore up the correct answers!
I'm always so proud of all NCSD staff members, and I am thrilled to announce that three members of our “crew” have been recognized as Teachers of the Year! As you’ll read for yourself, these dedicated educators exemplify our district’s mission of inspiring graduates empowered to act with courage in life, and we're so fortunate to have all three of them on board.
Finally, the best-planned voyages always anticipate potentially choppy seas. That's why we're grateful for our longstanding partnership with the Clackamas Educational Service District, which recently provided our bus drivers with important trauma-informed training to respond to student challenges with empathy, care, and understanding. These skills will help our drivers ensure that every student's journey to and from school is as calm and pleasant as possible.
As we cast off into this new school year, I'm filled with pride for our exceptional staff and students, and excitement for the adventures that await us. We’re excited to ensure our work is anchored in our district’s four Strategic Points: People & Culture, Family & Community Collaboration, Resources & Service, and Student Experience & Success. These are the guiding stars as our school year continues to sail forward.
Remember, we're all in this boat together. Your involvement and support are crucial to making this year's voyage successful. So, let's continue catching the wind in our sails as we embark together throughout this school year full of growth, discovery, and achievement!
Respectfully,
Dr. Shay James, Superintendent
Shout Out to the Shamrocks!
If your family has a student older than second grade, you likely know about the annual Oregon State Assessments administered to students across the state each spring in English/Language Arts and Math. The results for all Oregon school districts—including North Clackamas—were released in early October, and although results are down statewide, one NCSD middle school deserves a special shout out. Congratulations to Rowe Middle School, one of the only middle schools in Oregon where students showed growth in both English/Language Arts and Math at all three grade levels for three straight years.
Math
| Grade | 21-22 | 23-24 | increase |
| 6 | 21.8% | 24.7% | +2.9% |
| 7 | 8% | 15.5% | +7.5% |
| 8 | 6.9% | 7.9% | +1.0% |
English Language Arts
| Grade | 21-22 | 23-24 | increase |
| 6 | 24% | 40.9% | +16.9% |
| 7 | 26% | 31.2% | +5.2% |
| 8 | 21.7% | 24.5% | +2.8% |
“What I love about Rowe is we have the most dedicated educators here. And our goal every day is to build relationships. Learning doesn't happen if there isn't a safe community to work in. I think when you let kids know they can do hard things, they step up every time. Kids love challenges, and they want to be successful. Being successful feels good. School is supposed to be collaborative. And we've been doing that for a long time and we're teaching kids again after the pandemic how to work together. Those are the skills that make Rowe a more successful place.” – Rowe 6th grade teacher Tim Hays.
Put Your Math Skills to the Test!
This issue of Community Link celebrates lots of our district’s academic achievements throughout this past fall. Whether you’re reading about how NCSD is turning to a new page in reading instruction for elementary school (page _) or why Rowe Middle School deserves a “Shamrock Shout Out” for its noteworthy improvements in reading and math proficiency for three consecutive years in all grades, you might be wondering where our assessment data comes from.
In all grade levels, assessment could mean in-class quizzes or student presentations, but did you know that all 3rd-12th graders across the state—including in North Clackamas—also take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math? Just what do those tests look like? When it comes to last spring’s Math exams, we thought we’d show you a sample question from three different grades. Sharpen your pencil and see how you do! (Answers below)
A New Chapter in NCSD Reading Instruction
It’s just after 12:30 at Scouters Mountain Elementary, and time for small groups of fourth graders to start shuffling around teacher Carey Bostwick’s colorful classroom during their daily Reading lessons. In one corner, four kids sit on the floor and start discussing the plot structure from the short story they’ve been assigned. Others are partnered up and reading aloud to each other.
Toward the front of the classroom is where Bostwick has arranged what looks like an old kitchen table, where groups of students gather around their teacher so Bostwick can listen to them read aloud and assess their progress. This is a favorite part of the day for 9-year-old Kai Hosaka, who proudly reads through the words on the page as peers listen closely. “Your fluency just keeps getting better and better,” says the impressed teacher. “I can tell you’ve been practicing.”
Hard to believe that when Hosaka started second grade just a couple years ago, he was struggling to read basic grade level words, languishing below benchmark reading standards and losing self-confidence. His second grade teacher at Scouters Mountain, Nicole Neil, was determined to do everything she could to make sure all of her students, including Hosaka, met or exceeded second grade reading benchmarks before sending them off to third grade.
“I don’t think it matters where you teach in our school district,” said Neil, now in her 14th year of teaching, “we’re all committed to making sure our kids gain the reading skills they need, and we’re thankful to the district for providing layers of support.”
Neil was part of an Emergent Literacy cohort group of elementary teachers, who met monthly with NCSD Literacy Coaches hired to help sharpen teachers’ instructional skills based on research-based practices proven to work in classrooms across the country. By January of Hosaka’s second grade year, his mother had written Neil a heartfelt email: “I thought you might get a kick out of this - twice in the last week I have busted Kai for staying up past his bedtime. He's been sneakily turning on a reading lamp to read the Wings of Fire book from the library. No pictures. His confidence has grown so much in the last few months. He came home the other day and was so proud he was beating his reading target.”
And thanks to the combined efforts of all NCSD teachers, coaches, and district office personnel, success stories like Hosaka’s are excitedly becoming more frequent…especially for students of color. The recently released Oregon English Language Arts Assessment results show double-digit proficiency improvements for NCSD’s African American students in 3rd, 6th, and 8th grade, along with more than 20% improvement rates for Pacific Islander students in 4th and 6th grades. The improvement data is also surfacing in the district's youngest grades, where nearly 10% more students started first grade this year with proficient reading skills as compared to last year, while kindergarten reading proficiency is up 35% since the grade's pre-pandemic level in 2019.
What are the biggest contributors to the growing success? District leaders say the ongoing efforts to bring NCSD reading instruction to A+ level…really relies on three C’s: Cohorts, Curriculum, and Coaching.
NCSD has established collaborative teacher cohorts designed for educators to engage in professional learning and then apply new strategies in the classroom with the support of a dedicated coach to ensure successful implementation. Teachers routinely review student data to ensure their teaching matches the specific needs of each student.
"My practice is changing as I analyze assessment data from my striving readers," said View Acres first grade teacher Michelle Emra. "My students continue to surprise me as they become more successful in their letter and sound knowledge, their blending, and their spelling. That success is changing me!"
Of course, even the most dedicated and passionate classroom leaders still need access to top-notch curriculum materials. That’s why North Clackamas has invested in tools that dive deep into the Science of Reading, which is a collection of research gathered about how children best learn to read. NCSD teachers’ reading instruction is based on five big ideas: phonemic awareness (common sounds made in words), phonics (how letters and groups of letters link together), fluency (the ability to accurately read with speed and expression), vocabulary, and comprehension.
"Through our Phonics instruction, my striving readers are all of the sudden getting it," said Scouters Mountain third grade teacher Tamara Ireland. "They are blending more fluently and using their known blends and word families to figure out high frequency words. They are now able to read more independently and the books they can read are more interesting."
Finally, NCSD teachers know that reading instruction is a team effort, and every great team needs a great coach…or even 18. North Clackamas has added a Literacy Coach position at all 18 district elementary schools, who help teachers analyze their assessment data, debrief a lesson’s successes and areas for improvement, and prepare for upcoming instruction.
"Coaches have taught me how to look at the whole child as a reader," added Cannady first grade teacher Anna Tsoi. "During our last meeting, we talked about how reading skills are complex because they depend on each individual student. It's crucial we teach based on the student and not just on the curriculum."
North Clackamas is certainly proud to celebrate the efforts of teachers districtwide and the success of the district’s ever-improving literacy structure so far, but teachers and administrators know there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Just ask students like Hosaka, who is looking forward to carrying his newfound love of reading into middle and high school.
“I can already read big books, but I want to get better and better to reach my goal of reading even bigger books in high school,” said the forward-thinking fourth grader. And thanks to the collaborative efforts throughout North Clackamas, that goal is well within reach.
NCSD Bus Drivers Taking New Skills for a Test Drive
For many North Clackamas students, they’re the first staff members they see in the morning…and the last ones they see before heading home. Who are these safety superheroes who know students by name and often offer a high five as each one passes by? They’re our NCSD bus drivers, who safely steer students to and from school each day, along with thousands of field trips and athletic events each year.
But how do these highway heroes manage to calmly put the brakes on challenging bus behaviors from students? That’s where NCSD turns to Elaine Merighi Morelock, who works as the staff support coordinator with the Clackamas Education Services District (CESD). After spending time at NCSD’s Transportation Center last August, Merighi Morelock trained more than 150 NCSD bus drivers how to respond to student bus misbehavior with empathy, care, and understanding.
“Bus drivers are a vital part of the beginning and end of most kids' day before they get home, and we want to prepare all staff to become confident and empathetic toward all students regardless of their background and experiences,” said Merighi Morelock, who is in her third year as a CESD Training Coordinator. “Our goal was to share trauma-informed strategies to support each other toward becoming a safe, caring adult that students trust.”
And NCSD bus drivers are right on board when it comes to putting their new learning into practice. “There were a lot of things that I think were important for drivers to learn,” said driver/dispatcher Terry Davidson. “When students are upset, drivers don’t know exactly where the feeling is coming from. It could be coming from home, so it's important to learn the why from kids and for drivers to control their own emotions and not get in a struggle with kids.”
North Clackamas is always thankful for its partnership with the Clackamas ESD, especially when it comes to keeping our students and drivers safe as they rack up more than 6,000 miles in bus routes across the district each day!
Proud To Be Preschool in NCSD! - From the Proud To Be NCSD Podcast
Since Oregon state policy says students need to be five years old before entering public kindergarten, none of our schools in North Clackamas enroll students younger than that, right? Well, not exactly…did you know that in one NCSD elementary school, you’ll find one colorful classroom where thriving three- and four-year-olds playfully paint, sing, and even snooze as they learn to be a part of a classroom community? In a recent episode of our district's Proud To Be NCSD podcast, host Curtis Long sat down (in tiny chairs) with “Ms. Melinda” at Oak Grove Elementary, who teaches NCSD’s newest preschool classroom. The 25-minute episode focuses on both the silly…and the serious sounds of preschool…and why Melinda Hayward says she wouldn’t want to teach anywhere else!
Listen to the full episode
3 Oregon Teachers of the Year at 3 NCSD Schools!
It was less than three weeks into the school year, and as Robert Parker was getting ready to start his third period class at NCSD’s Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center, the Architecture & Design teacher was taken aback when the district superintendent suddenly walked through the door. Then came the principal, and behind him, more people holding balloons. That’s when to the excitement of cheering students and colleagues, Parker was named the 2024-25 Regional Teacher of the Year for Clackamas County.
Parker laughed as he held up the oversized $1,000 check presented by the Oregon Lottery. “It’s kind of mind blowing and super humbling,” he said, still trying to calm his nerves from the surprise announcement. “I just want to give my appreciation for this award, and while I did not enter teaching to receive it, I take it as a reflection on some success and hopefully growing to do more and better for future students.”
And although the current school year is barely two months old, Parker isn’t the only NCSD teacher to already earn prestigious, statewide awards. In September, The Oregon Council of Teachers of English awarded Rex Putnam High School Language Arts teacher Laura Mundorff the Oregon Excellence in Teaching the Language Arts Award.
Now in her fifth year at Rex Putnam, Mundorff said she was thrilled to be the only high school teacher to receive the award, and owes much of the credit to her Putnam teammates. “Good teaching is necessarily collaborative, so I share this award with my many talented colleagues.” The busy Language Arts teacher, who also helped start a Unified basketball program at Putnam for students with developmental disabilities, is also nominated for a similar award at the national level to be awarded later this year.
Another decorated NCSD teacher is also up for a national award. Milwaukie High School’s Alyson Battistel was named the 2024 Oregon History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History last July, qualifying her as one of 53 finalists for the institute’s National History Teacher of the Year award.
“I feel equal parts deeply honored and mortified,” said Battistel, who’s spent all 17 years of her teaching career at Milwaukie High/Milwaukie Academy of the Arts. “I have great respect for Gilder Lehrman, and to receive an honor from that institution is particularly gratifying. That a panel of teachers, administrators, and scholars made the selection is icing on the cake!”
Community Commitment Continues for Years to Come
After months of good-faith negotiations between the North Clackamas School District and the North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District, NCSD is proud to announce that our district has officially purchased the property and building that currently houses our Wichita Center for Family and Community. We are sincerely thankful for our continued partnership with NCPRD, and excited to continue offering our community access to the wide array of services available, including assistance with food, clothing, housing, dental care, and after-school programs.
Would you like to donate to the Wichita Center? Food donations, including shelf-stable food and produce, are accepted during building hours Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:30. The Center also accepts clothing and shoes for students, and is currently collecting new or gently used coats for its annual Winter Coat Drive throughout the fall.
Spring 2025
Community Link Spring 2025
The Final Scene Unfolds
As we start to draw the curtain on another school year, it seems fitting that this year has often felt like watching an edge-of-your-seat thriller—one where each scene builds upon the last, keeping viewers completely captivated. With each passing month, our cast of hard-working students and staff members continues to shine together as they navigate plot twists toward new levels of achievement. Now, as we approach the finale, we're preparing for these final weeks that will leave everyone cheering for the incredible accomplishments of our 17,000+ students.
Like dedicated actors immersed in their roles, I know our students and staff have been turning in brilliant performances all year. I’m so proud of the year-long achievements of our students as they prepare to advance to the next grade, while our seniors prepare for those emotional closing credits as they transition to their next paths.
In this issue of Community Link, we've captured scenes that spotlight our exceptional students and staff. You'll read about our ninth-grade On-Track Teams, who often attend morning "pre-production" meetings long before the school day begins, to analyze student data and ensure our freshmen stay focused on their four-year storyline toward graduation.
You'll also learn about our evolving approach to mathematics instruction, where students work much less as solo performers memorizing tables and facts, and much more as ensemble casts, directing discussions on how to solve real-world math problems through exploration and peer collaboration.
The power of feedback drives another featured article, highlighting how the exchange of ideas between teachers and students can dramatically improve classroom performance. This responsive teaching practice ensures student voices are heard in every classroom scene.
As we approach the final acts of this school year, the story grows even more rewarding. Every frame captured this year—every lesson taught, every challenge overcome, every goal achieved—contributes to the magnificent production we're creating together. And I can't wait to see how the final sequence—these spring months—leaves us as we all cheer through the closing credits!
With pride and appreciation,
Dr. Shay James
Ninth Grade Success is Truly a Team Effort
The first morning bus isn’t set to arrive at Milwaukie High School for more than an hour. Still, a small group of dedicated staff members is already on campus, pushing together a group of student desks to create a makeshift early-morning meeting space within a third-floor classroom. Although each of the team members teaches a different subject, they gather each week to help achieve the same goal—making sure every ninth grader is earning enough credits to remain on track toward graduation in four years.The conversations aren’t always easy. There’s the student who continually misses first period because he has to ensure his elementary siblings get to school. Or the classmate living with a relative as her family searches for affordable housing. And some freshmen don’t have secure housing at all.
Still, MHS teachers Adrianne Cohen, Kathleen Fuller, Hyacinth Schukis, and counselor Roberto Aguilar forego extra breakfast time once a week as one of four “Ninth Grade On-Track Teams,” each overseeing one-fourth of Milwaukie and Milwaukie Academy of the Arts’ nearly 300 freshmen, coming up with creative ways to keep their students engaged and invested in school so ninth grade attendance doesn’t falter and grades don’t slip.
“He’s incredibly bright and very peer-motivated,” Fuller chimes in as the discussion shifts to one of her Biology students. “Maybe he’s failing other classes because he doesn’t have friends in them.”
“OK, who feels like you have a good enough relationship with him to ask about those classes?” asks Math teacher Cohen, who leads the weekly discussions as the school’s Ninth Grade Coach.
“He’s pretty confident when communicating with me,” adds Schukis, who teaches the student’s English class. “He’s a good self-advocate and I’ll be happy to talk with him.”
Just like at Milwaukie High, every freshman throughout NCSD is strategically placed on an “On-Track Team,” meaning a group of approximately 60-100 ninth graders all have the same teachers for core subjects like Math, Language Arts, and Science. That means their core teachers often know as much about their students’ lives outside of school as they do about their attendance rates and latest test results, which leads to personal connections helping motivate students to succeed in their first year of high school and beyond.
Adrienne C. Nelson High freshman Hank Villa Tapia smiles while telling a story about Ninth Grade Coach Laurie Thurston tracking him down in a hallway while he was trying to avoid attending class. “I even started speed-walking when I saw her coming, but she actually ran after me to make sure I got to class. In a way, that made me feel good because I knew she had my back.”
Every NCSD high school reports that both freshman attendance rates and quarterly grades continue to grow as the teams consistently build personal relationships.
“You can’t teach them until you reach them,” says Thurston as she leads a recent early morning On-Track Team meeting at Nelson, the district’s largest high school with more than 400 ninth graders making up four different freshman cohorts.
On a recent April morning, Thurston and her early-rising teammates spend the first few minutes of the meeting hand-writing encouraging postcards to students who have made dramatic improvements in the past several weeks. When Geometry teacher Bethany Chan shares her latest postcard nominee, the group cheers.
And at each of NCSD’s high schools, teachers aren’t the only ones cheering the success of these dedicated Ninth Grade On-Track Teams. Students who were once struggling say it’s nice to know their teachers truly care about them.
“At the beginning of the year, my grades weren’t very good and I was getting into lots of drama,” explains Nelson freshman Harper Sneed. “But Ms. Thurston kept meeting with me, helping me catch up on assignments little by little, and kept checking on me during class. She’s helped me keep my grades up and now they’re the best they’ve been since fifth grade.”
“We’re teaching kids those habits of mind when it comes to work,” sums up Thurston. “How do I ask for more help? How do I advocate for myself? How do I stay in the work when it gets hard? We’re helping kids identify what that feels like instead of running and avoiding, and there’s no better time to do that than the first year they come into high school.”
Math Confidence Multiplies Throughout NCSD
Spend some time in class with sixth graders Morgan Sturgill and Sophia Demagalski, and the sounds of middle school chatter aren’t surprising—they giggle about something that just happened in the hall on the way to class…they encourage each other about an upcoming test later in the day…and they even plan where they’ll meet in the cafeteria for lunch. But perhaps the most surprising topic of conversation as they enter second period? The two girls LOVE learning math…and thanks to a districtwide focus on improving the way math is taught across all grades in NCSD, they’re not alone.
“I like it a lot more because reading out of math books used to make it boring,” explained Sturgill as she and Demagalski work together to solve a story problem on a large wall-mounted whiteboard. “It’s easier to draw on whiteboards than having to keep erasing on paper, and when you’re up and around and moving you can talk out answers with classmates and find out different strategies for solving the same problem.”
That’s exactly how Sturgill and Demagalski’s math teacher at Rock Creek Middle School, Tedra Heron, plans each of her math lessons. Along with hundreds of NCSD teachers, Heron has attended hours of district-provided training in research-based mathematics instruction, shifting the focus from rote memorization of math facts and formulas to helping students deeply understand and apply math concepts around complex, real-world problem-solving tasks.
“Last week all of my students turned in an answer to a problem I gave them and every one of them had solved it differently,” shared Heron, now in her sixth year of teaching sixth grade math. “So I shared all the answers and asked them, ‘Which one makes the most sense to you?’ Because even though everybody got the right answer, my job as a teacher is to see what they understand. And when they work in groups, they see that it’s not just the (quotes in the air) smart kids that have it right.”
In fact, this new approach to math has many North Clackamas student mathematicians discovering they’re the “smart kids,” especially in high school, where more high school students are enrolling in high level math courses like Advanced Algebra and Calculus than ever before.
“We do have the highest number of students enrolled in our Pre-Calculus courses than we’ve had in the past, including racially and economically diverse student groups,” pointed out Luke Weinbrecht, NCSD Math Instructional Coach. “Another nice trickle to this is having more than 50% of our seniors taking a math course, even without being required to.”
Anyone who grew up learning math memorizing theories out of textbooks might be surprised to witness a math lesson in any NCSD elementary, middle, or especially high school. In a recent Advanced Algebra lesson at Clackamas High, sophomores rarely sat still as they shuffled around the classroom debating classmates about how to best simplify square root equations. So is it possible that students are helping each other learn tough math concepts more effectively than their teacher?
“Oh, absolutely,” quipped CHS math teacher Kristen Faust, “I think nine times out of ten, that’s definitely the case.”
Weinbrecht also helps coordinate monthly “Math Studios,” which allow bands of grade-level teachers time outside of class to view and analyze math lessons in other classrooms, collaborate with each other, and learn how to better incorporate math “habits of mind” for students such as explaining reasoning, sharing multiple pathways, comparing logic, and critiquing and debating possible solutions.
Those habits aren’t limited to middle and high school either. Thanks to the hard work of NCSD’s hundreds of elementary teachers who teach math every day, younger students are seeing themselves as collaborative mathematicians more and more. Just ask them!
“My teacher makes me feel smart and I really love math,” said Riverside Elementary fifth grader Serenity Green. “Like sometimes if I don’t get the answer right away, she says things like ‘Oh I see where you got that part right.’ So she guides me through it step by step but never tells me the answer.”
“I thought I could do zero math last year, but this year I’m doing math and I’m reflecting on my thinking and we make posters together so we can learn from each other,” added the energetic 11-year-old.
And when it comes to a new approach to math instruction, learning from each other has been a key to improving instruction among teachers and mathematical confidence among students…especially squirrelly sixth graders.
“It’s fun to see multiple strategies,” said Demagalski, “and we have to show why it makes sense. It’s not just one method out of a book and the teacher tells us what to do. We work together to solve them on our own and if we need help, our teacher’s right there.”
How Do We Know What They Know? Feedback!
As seen throughout this spring Community Link, it’s no secret NCSD has some of the most dedicated, skilled, and effective teachers across the state. In fact, two of the last three Oregon Regional Teachers of the Year teach in North Clackamas. Often in NCSD, teachers are driven by what may seem like a simple question, but is really quite complex: How do I know my students know what I want them to know? The answer? Feedback! NCSD teachers at all levels often conclude lessons by providing students opportunities to “show what they know.” That can show up in the classroom in different ways:
Student To Teacher Feedback
“I like to give my students ‘Exit Tickets’ at the end of class periods. And I tell them, ‘You’re telling me what you’re picking up from what we just did, and you’re telling me what we need to focus on next’.” - Tedra Heron, Rock Creek Middle School teacher
Teacher To Student Feedback
“When I’m working on reading fluency with the kids, I like to record them so they can listen back and hear themselves. Then we do a little bit of goal setting together and really talk about how we’re sounding and the pace we’re reading at. The recording gives them instant feedback.” - Melissa Anderson, Riverside Elementary teacher
Student To Student Feedback
“The more I give students the opportunity to work with each other and explain their thinking, knowing that as a group we know more than we do individually, that really helps their own understanding. If they can explain something to each other, they know it even better than they think.” - Kristen Faust, Clackamas High School teacher
Putnam Students Make Wishes Come True
When Turner Foster and Daniel Meyers decided they wanted to create a schoolwide participation project to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, they knew they’d need to take a unique approach that had never been done B4. That’s why the two seniors organized and hosted the first-ever Rex Putnam High Bingo Night.
“My young cousin is an ambassador for Make-A-Wish,” said Turner, who spent more than a month balancing advanced classes and organization duties. “So I thought about it and decided, ‘Let’s do a Bingo Night, that seems like something we could do.’”
The two National Honor Society members got the ball (or balls) rolling by first contacting local Make-A-Wish coordinators, then publicizing the special event throughout the community via social media and signs throughout the school. They collected prize donations from local businesses and even assigned classmates to call the winning letter-number combos.
“We wanted to create as many positions for students as we could,” explained Meyers. “So we had our NHS members call out the numbers so they could get community service hours too.”
The dynamic duo raised more than $1,500 to help make wishes come true for kids living with serious medical conditions. Wondering whether they have future events planned? Bingo! The two college-bound seniors say they’d definitely organize another fundraising event in the future.
“We only had about four weeks to put this one together,” said Foster, “but it feels good to know we could make a difference in that time.”
Rise Up at Oregon Trail!
🎶Look around, look around at how lucky they are to be alive right now! 🎶 Oregon Trail students got to Rise Up in a big way during a special event in April, when two stars of the touring cast of “Hamilton” performed at an all-school assembly. Jisel Soleil Ayon (“Angelica Schuyler”) and Blaine Alden Krause (“Alexander Hamilton”) then allowed students to perform some of the musical numbers themselves!
"I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," beamed fifth grader Jayden Gonzalez. "It was really cool that they took time out of their day to come listen to us, and then they also performed. The way they could control their voices was unbelievable!"
The surprise singing lessons from the professionals came with a message tied to the Rise Up song: Always stand up for what you believe is the right thing to do.
Building Our Future Together: Community Forums on School Infrastructure
Join us for our ongoing Community Forums series, where parents, educators, and community members collaborate to shape the future of our school district's facility infrastructure. Following our successful March and April gatherings where we provided an overview of how school districts are funded, we invite you to participate in upcoming sessions focused on capacity planning, safety technologies, and long-term facility maintenance.
These forums provide an opportunity to learn about enrollment projections, funding mechanisms, and construction initiatives while contributing your valuable insights to develop a comprehensive plan that meets our growing community's needs. This work will help inform future capital construction bonds and lead up to a Superintendent’s Bond Advisory next fall. Together, we can ensure our facilities support equitable, innovative learning environments for all students for generations to come.
Upcoming Sessions:
Foundations & Futures: Caring For Our District's Infrastructure
August 13, 2025 - 6:30PM
Sabin-Schellenberg Center South Campus
Fall 2025
Community Link Fall 2025
Setting the Stage for an Exciting School Year
Lights, camera, action! As we roll the opening credits on another school year, welcome to our district’s annual Fall Community Link. Like any great production, what you see on stage—students learning, growing, and thriving—is supported by countless dedicated individuals working behind the scenes. These unsung heroes rarely take a bow, yet their contributions are essential to our district's success story.
In the pages that follow, you'll learn about staff and students playing extraordinary supporting roles. Meet members of our district Nutrition Services team serving up more than 11,000 hot and healthy meals each day with the precision of a Broadway production team. Learn how our bus drivers help students feel like they're entering school to a standing ovation. We also spotlight a crew of fifth-grade environmentalists who've written recycling into their weekly script, and a community volunteer whose light-up wardrobe steals the scene at the morning crosswalk. You'll also see high school students directing their own uplifting stories as they star as future teachers in our Sabin-Schellenberg Technical Center’s preschool.
Our featured story focuses on the essential production infrastructure that keeps our district running smoothly, including the custodians, groundskeepers, and technology specialists who always make sure our students and staff are staged for success.
Speaking of infrastructure, we're excited to introduce our Superintendent Bond Advisory Committee, a talented ensemble helping us map out the next act of our district's facility improvements. And here's where you come in: Every great production needs audience feedback, and we want to hear from you about the infrastructure needs you consider most important. Your input will help us write the script for our district's future.
Thank you for being part of our production. Together, we're creating something truly special—a place where every role matters and every contribution counts.
With pride and appreciation,
Dr. Shay James, Superintendent
Preschool Prepares Tomorrow’s Teachers Today
Heading into her junior year at Milwaukie Academy of the Arts, Ella Genzer knew she’d have a long list of important responsibilities—keeping up her grades in advanced-placement classes, helping take care of her younger sister at home, and even taking time to start thinking about college and career options post high school. But her favorite responsibilities so far this year?
“Just helping these kids,” she says with a smile. “As part of this program, I’m helping kids solve problems, make friends, and even write their names.”
Genzer is one of several NCSD high school students who spend two class periods a day teaching a group of cheerful, charming, and yes, sometimes a little chatty three- and four-year-olds enrolled in NCSD’s Sabin-Schellenberg preschool program.
“They can be a lot because they’re always running around,” laughs Clackamas High sophomore Paityn Schilling. “I love seeing how creative they are and what they come up with. Sometimes it’s completely different than what you’d think.”
What’s also different? How this unique work experience offered in high school helps students gain skills that prospective teachers wouldn’t ever learn from a textbook.
“I want to be a kindergarten teacher someday, so this is perfect,” Schilling explains. “I also went to preschool and know how helpful it was for me, so I want to be able to give back and help other kids. They’re all so sweet.”
It’s also sweet to know Schilling and her classmates could be part of NCSD’s next generation of teachers in just a few short years.
Bus Drivers Steer Students in Positive Directions
After 30 years as a flight medic, Glen Sharp certainly thought he was ready for the rest and relaxation of retirement. But once the youngest of his three children graduated from North Clackamas, he decided to steer his quiet retirement life in a new direction.
“I had read that the school district was looking for bus drivers, and my wife was getting tired of me sitting in the house,” he laughs. “So I decided, what the heck? I’m a smart guy; I could probably learn how to do that.”
Not only did Sharp soak in all the knowledge that comes with NCSD’s multi-week training program, he now excitedly reports for duty every morning before 6:00, runs routine safety checks on his bus (which he decorates with student artwork near his driver’s seat), and then waves to coworkers while heading out on his first of two morning routes delivering NCSD students safely to school.
Asked what he loves most about his newly found second career, and his answer is pretty simple: “I love the kids. I mean, sure, sometimes you have some rowdy ones, but if you just talk to them and get to know them a little bit, you find that they’re pretty cool.”
Sharp’s youngest passengers think “Mr. Glen” is pretty cool too. “He’s really funny and he puts you in a good mood,” says Sojourner fourth grader Cole Roberts. “Like one morning Mr. Glen stopped me as I was getting on the bus and said, ‘That’ll be 32 dollars please.’ That really made me smile.”
Interested in joining NCSD’s Transportation Team? Learn More Here.
Caring For Our District Infrastructure
With nearly 17,000 students, did you know the North Clackamas School District is Oregon’s fifth largest out of nearly 200 districts throughout the state?
NCSD’s 32 schools are spread among 40 square miles encompassing Milwaukie, Oak Grove, Johnson City, Clackamas, and Happy Valley. In addition to its award-winning schools, the district also maintains several other buildings, including a central office, technology center, transportation headquarters, and a facilities/groundskeeping yard. That’s more than 2.5 million square feet of floor-space to shine, landscape to manage, technology to upgrade, and heating/cooling systems to maintain, let alone the daily operations that fill more than 160 school days each year. How is all of this accomplished?
Take a look:
Building Maintenance
NCSD employs 16 maintenance staff members who maintain more than 30 buildings ranging in age from 6 to 100+ years, along with all plumbing fixtures, heating and ventilation systems, and all the different pieces of equipment that help a school building function properly.
It must take a large team to cover that many buildings, right? Not really-- our specialized team includes three heating and ventilation technicians, two carpenters, two electricians, two locksmiths, one plumber, and a fire/security technician, all of whom are on the move all day, every day.
Grounds Maintenance
Each of our facility sites receives weekly mowing and trimming—that’s nearly 500 acres of grounds to maintain each week, which must mean a long list of groundskeepers spread out across the district each day. Actually, NCSD employs just seven general grounds staff members, along with one irrigation specialist, and one athletic field specialist. That’s nine total grounds staff, who each cover 69 acres every week!
Custodial Maintenance
Every school has multiple custodians, whose job is to maintain safe, clean, and healthy learning and work environments for students, staff, and community members. That means daily cleaning, disinfecting, sweeping, mopping, trash removal, and restroom maintenance, along with other school supports like changing filters, minor repairs, and even touch-up painting. NCSD employs 86 custodians across all buildings, which means each custodian is responsible for about 31,000 square feet each day. And you thought keeping your living space clean was a lot of work!
Safety, Security, & Technology
While not traditional facility maintenance, our technology and safety systems go hand in hand with operations. NCSD’s Technology & Information Services staff expertly manages the network that provides WiFi access in schools, all security cameras, emergency radios, the district phone system, and all computer hardware and software. Still, WiFi does not exist in NCSD outdoor areas, which is certainly a safety concern. Security cameras are also an area for improvement, which vary in numbers and placement among all district sites. NCSD is constantly working to improve its technology infrastructure to enhance the safety of all students and staff.
Superintendent’s Bond Advisory Committee: Asking and Answering Tough Questions
It’s no secret that school funding is an ongoing challenge for all Oregon school districts, and NCSD is no exception. As enrollment is projected to grow, how can North Clackamas adequately fund the necessary upgrades to our buildings and infrastructure that our students and staff richly deserve? And which of those proposed upgrades should be prioritized? Those are the types of questions addressed by our Superintendent’s Bond Advisory Committee, a superintendent-appointed group of community members, business leaders, staff, and students meeting throughout this fall.
“I appreciate the opportunity to have a voice for my community and represent our families,” says NCSD parent Nicole Woodfill. "I've learned a lot about the structures of our facilities and what we need for those."
The committee meets to review data, share ideas, discuss challenges, and help prioritize items for consideration as the district develops a bond package for voters. Should the Board move forward with a bond package, voters can expect to see a facility-focused bond on the November ballot in 2026.
Serving Hot & Healthy Meals with a Side of Smiles
Olivia Teav and Sarah Cavanaugh are the polar opposites of the grouchy, grumbling lunch ladies typically portrayed in children’s books or on television. Not only are the two close coworkers constantly cracking each other up as they serve up nearly 300 healthy meals a day at Verne Duncan Elementary, they also solicit laughs in the hot lunch line from students…or at least a few eye rolls.
“Kids like to tell me what they’re ordering as they come through the line,” explains Cavanaugh. “So they get in front of me and they’ll say ‘I’m pizza’ or ‘I’m salad,’ and I’ll say, ‘That’s funny, you look like a first grader to me.’”
Yet making sure NCSD’s schools are ready to serve more than 11,000 healthy breakfasts and lunches each day is no laughing matter. The district has two “base kitchens” strategically located at different school sites, which serve as food preparation hubs before menu items are sent off to schools long before breakfast begins.
“We’re always the first ones in the building at 5:00 a.m.,” says Cavanaugh. “Since Duncan is a base kitchen, we’re getting food ready for other schools for the first hour and a half-ish, and it’s a little chaotic but it’s perfect because it wakes you up. You don’t even need coffee!”
The Duncan kitchen team, recognized as NCSD’s Team of the Year in 2024, says there’s no caffeine needed to keep cafeteria workers on their toes during up to five lunch periods a day at some schools.
“I love the kids,” says Teav, who prides herself on knowing the favorite food choices of most of her daily visitors. “I have three grandkids of my own, and I feel like this is the job for me because I’m like the grandma of this school, so I’ve been loving it ever since I started.”
Great News Coming from Rowe Middle School
When middle schoolers accidentally do something embarrassing, the last thing they want to be is caught on camera. Unless you’re one of 58 eighth graders enrolled in Rowe Middle School’s “Shamrock News” class, where students spend nearly every minute of class time with video cameras in hand reporting school news and laughing over bloopers as they skillfully produce Rowe’s weekly news program.
“It’s really fun shooting and editing the different segments,” says eighth grader Seren Dreves. “Plus you can always go back and find them on the internet. Someday I’m going to watch and think, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s what I was like in eighth grade!’”
As the 25-30 minute finished product is steamed throughout the school each Wednesday, there’s nothing embarrassing about it. In a recent episode, the student journalists impressively showcased their on-camera and computer editing skills while producing stories ranging from their school’s tutoring options, to an upcoming dance, to how to join the yearbook committee.
“I really enjoy myself because I love filming and using cameras while having fun with my friends and seeing ourselves on screen every Wednesday,” says classmate Zoe Bohlmann as she skillfully downloads video segments into a computer editing program.
The class also comes with the deadline pressure of a real television news program. As one period begins with less than 24 hours before the streaming deadline, teacher Lucas Dix displays the week’s checklist on the board, listing 14 different stories he expects filmed, edited, and completed by the end of the day. Still, these creative commentators remain unfazed.
“I feel like once you get the hang of it, it’s not too stressful,” says Bohlmann. “You have to be on top of things because once your story airs Wednesday morning, next week’s assignment is already waiting.”
And with video cameras in hand, the Shamrock News staffers don’t wait long to get started.
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Students Strengthen Sunnyside’s Sustainability
It’s less than a half-hour before the Friday afternoon dismissal bell rings at Sunnyside Elementary, and while teachers shuffle around their classrooms organizing end-of-week routines and students busily put the final touches on late afternoon assignments, one group of volunteer fifth graders is doing some weekly weightlifting up and down the hallways.
But these tireless 10- and 11-year-olds aren’t lifting dumbbells. Instead, they’re flexing their muscles to make recycling a top priority at their school.
“We actually miss our recess time,” explains fifth grader Jordan Huynh as he carefully dumps a large orange bin of paper scraps from a nearby classroom. “But I think it’s worth it because when we recycle, we’re not just throwing paper away in the trash. We’re reusing it, and maybe we can make more stuff with it.”
In one afternoon round of politely knocking on more than 30 Sunnyside classroom doors, the platoon of paper picker-uppers, which rotates among 4-6 fifth graders each week, fills two large garbage bins with snack wrappers and scratch paper for the school custodian to keep separate from the everyday trash.
“I like keeping our school clean, and I like to think about what all this recycling can turn into,” says fifth grader Fi Lilly. “Like maybe it can be recycled into new paper to make an art project, or maybe into different bright-colored papers.”
And thanks to more NCSD schools with trash-to-treasure troops like Sunnyside’s, the future of sustainability in North Clackamas schools is just as bright.
Oregon Trail Loves Their Light-Up Man
After shuffling their way through neighborhood streets, the last stop for thousands of North Clackamas students and families who walk to school each morning often comes at a crosswalk, where they’re met by a friendly crossing guard who makes sure drivers stop at the flashing lights blinking from all directions.
At Oregon Trail Elementary, those blinking lights are actually woven into their favorite volunteer crossing guard’s clothes.
Rain or shine every morning, students and families are guided across SE 152nd Avenue by neighbor Gordon Hubbard…who lights up kids’ faces by always reporting for duty decked out in blinking multicolored lights from head to toe.
“I’m just trying to help out my community,” says the 77-year-old Hubbard, who first started volunteering at Oregon Trail last year after a long stint volunteering at a local hospital. “It’s been great to see all the smiles on kids’ faces and just pass it on. I think we all need to do that more.”
Known as simply “the light-up man” by many students, Hubbard plans to keep shining for years to come. “I obviously enjoy it,” he says with an equally glowing smile. “It bounces back on you when you do something like this. It’s the smiles that come back that are so important for kids and for me too, as I get older. You want to be some help and make a difference.”