North Clackamas
School District
NCSD Community Link
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 multiweek 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 floorspace 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.
NCSD Wants Your Input!
We want to know what facility improvements are most important to you and which you feel would most impact student learning.
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.”
