October 2025

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.

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.”

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. 

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.