Principals provide update following end of first semester

The Lind and Ritzville School Board of Directors met for their monthly meeting on Jan. 28, as they received updates from the principals and Superintendent Don Vanderholm following the end of the first semester of the school year.

Lind-Ritzville High School Principal Kevin Terris reported that the collaboration between his staff and the Lind-Ritzville Middle School staff while they share the same building this year has been going well. The two staffs have been meeting and working together in smaller groups based on their areas of teaching to address what is and is not working and ensuring that everyone remains on the same page.

Terris also reported to the boards that the high school is near an agreement with Cruisers Driving Academy out of Moses Lake to provide driver’s education classes in Lind. The tentative plan is for the course to begin toward the end of March, with the class meeting twice a week for seven weeks, with classes running from 6 to 8 a.m. at the middle school in Lind.

Terris noted that the class times were rather early, but said that they will provide buses to students who need a ride to the middle school on those mornings. Terris also said that the cost is about $20 cheaper per student than it was last semester, but that the costs are expected to rise again next year. Payment plans will be available for those who don’t want to pay all at once.

Ritzville Grade School Principal Tom Arlt noted that the demographics of RGS has been changing a little bit, and said that for the first time ever this fall that there are some English-language learning students at the school. Arlt said that it is something he and Superintendent Vanderholm will be talking about in regards to what options might be available for the school to best help and support those students.

Arlt also gave an update on RGS’ Watchdog program, where dads of students will schedule days and times where they will come into the school and assist the staff with tasks such as helping out in the lunchroom, performing crossing guard duties at the end of the day and handling recess duties. Seven fathers have signed up and have participated in the program so far, which Arlt says is a pretty good turnout.

Arlt also highlighted the statewide emergency that was declared regarding the measles outbreak in Vancouver and other parts of the state. He shared that there are eight RGS students who are exempt from having to receive vaccinations, and that the school would ask the parents of those students to keep their children home if it came to the point where the community was being affected by the emergency.

LRMS and Lind Elementary School Principal Cindy Deska made sure to point out to the board that the new LRMS reader board is now up and working. The reader board was purchased following a $10,000 donation from Avista Utilities and Strata Solar to LRMS at the Adams-Neilson Solar Farm ribbon-cutting ceremony in October. Deska said they were still trying to figure out some of the technological aspects of the new reader board, but that they’re figuring it out and are really excited to utilize the reader board’s cool features.

At the Lind Elementary School, Deska shared that the school has a new counselor whose first day was on Jan. 25. The counselor will be in Lind on Wednesdays and Fridays each week. The counselor is a state Educational Service District employee, and the school contracts her to come to the school twice a week. The counselor lives in Edwall and grew up in Reardan, and Deska said her familiarity with small towns made for a good match with the school.

Vanderholm provided an update of the school district’s emergency crisis plan at the meeting. Vanderholm shared that Adams County Undersheriff Adolfo Coronado sat down with himself and the three principals to review the plan, and noted that Coronado is the county’s emergency trainer. They will be meeting with Coronado again this month to put together tabletop exercises for district staff.

One of the changes to the emergency crisis plan is making it clear that lockdowns are being consistently treated by the staff in a completely serious and important manner, and that there won’t be different variations or forms of lockdowns.

“Part of what principals will be training their staff is that if you hear ‘lockdown,’ it’s serious,” said Vanderholm. “There’s no other form of lockdown, so we don’t have confusion.”

Another change is that any staff member will now have the ability to initiate a lockdown. Phones in Lind classrooms have the ability for teachers to call for a lockdown, rather than them having to go through a chain of command that could take additional seconds or minutes, which could be crucial in a lockdown situation. RGS classrooms will be getting that capability in the near future, and the new high school will also have that capability in its classrooms.

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense in a real-life emergency situation to say, ‘Oh, I see danger in this hallway, I need to get ahold of my principal so they can initiate a lockdown,” Vanderholm said.

In other news at the meeting, the Lind School Board and the Ritzville School Board each approved to contribute $250 per attending student for the 2018 FFA National Convention that was held in Indianapolis, Indiana from Oct. 24-27. The contributions from the boards are similar to what’s been given in the past, with the money going toward covering travel costs and other expenses.

Jim’s Market was this month’s Community Connection. Owner Dale Stevenson couldn’t attend the meeting, but remarks were shared on his behalf that applauded the behavior, conduct, presentation and manners of the students that are on “full display” when students visit his store during the lunch hour.

Stevenson also wanted it to be emphasized that the entire community and everyone who’s involved with the activities of the schools have also been courteous and respectful, and like any business in a small town, “they’re glad to have people walk through the door and do business with them.”