An emergency at a school is something that school leaders are always dreading and preparing for at the same time. To prepare, they have regular drills. In Oregon, the state requires schools to hold two Lockdown drills each year. A Lockdown happens when a threat is inside or near a school building and is used to secure individual rooms and keep occupants quiet and in place. In a Lockdown, everyone in the building goes to a secure room and it’s “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” which means the door is locked, lights are turned off and occupants of the room stay away from doors and window.
On Wednesday, January 15th, Pendleton High School had a drill that was a little different – they had informed teachers and staff there would be a drill that day but didn’t say what time. School leaders had the drill during a passing time when most students were in the hallways. This requires students to remember they should find an open classroom or other room and get in it, even if it’s not one of their regular classrooms or their teacher. Teachers are tasked with gathering as many students near their classroom as possible, then locking the door and remaining quiet with the students.
About 14 law enforcement officers from the Pendleton Police Department and Oregon State Police were at PHS to participate in the Lockdown drill.
About one minute before the drill started, Principal Pat Dutcher sent a text alert to PHS parents that the drill was about to happen. At the start of the drill, Dutcher and Curt Thompson, Assistant Principal, monitored the large number of cameras around the PHS campus. Thompson said he was pleasantly surprised to see on the cameras that there were not many students outside, in halls or in other common areas. Officer Lance Zaugg, School Resource Officer for Pendleton School District, said he encountered a small group of students during the drill who didn’t know what to do, so he ushered them into the school library.
“Our drill today went much better than we anticipated, and most of our students knew what to do. I am also pleased how well our staff did today getting kids into classrooms quickly and remaining there,” Dutcher said.
Dutcher, Thompson and law enforcement officers then went around the building, unlocking doors, turning on lights and confirming to students it was a drill.
Lieutenant Tony Nelson from the Pendleton Police Department said both PHS leaders and his PPD officers wanted to know what the student response would be to a less controlled environment today. “We were very pleased with how everyone did, especially adults in the school scooping up kids into classrooms and getting them somewhere safe,” Nelson said.
Assistant Principal Thompson said the goal of every safety drill is to learn as much as possible, which is what happened today. Principal Dutcher said he hopes that parents of PHS students will discuss the drill with them and reflect on ways students can help contribute to school safety.
The Pendleton School District Board of Directors Announces Finalists for Superintendent Interviews
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgFebruary 25, 2025
Contact: Douglas Nelson, Ed.D.
McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C.
541-410-8292
The Pendleton School District Board of Directors Announces Finalists for Superintendent Interviews
Pendleton, Oregon – The Pendleton School District Board of Directors is pleased to announce that they have selected two candidates to interview for their superintendent vacancy. The district had twelve applicants for the position, and candidates were vetted through a variety of reviews prior to consideration by the school board. The results of these activities were presented to the school board at an Executive Session on February 24, 2025. The two finalists were selected based on their educational attainment, depth and breadth of experience, and alignment to the priorities of the Pendleton School District stakeholder input. The candidates selected for interviews are:
Interviews are scheduled to be conducted on March 10, 2025, with both candidates. Several stakeholder groups will have the opportunity to meet the final candidates and submit input to the board about each of them. The board intends to make their selection by the week of March 17.
The Pendleton School District retained the services of McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C., to assist in conducting their search. The consultants reviewed, screened, and conducted extensive background checks on all applicants. On Monday, February 24, 2025, the consultants presented the applicants to the Board of Directors and provided them with detailed background information on each applicant.
CTE Spotlight – Bailey Sitts
/in District Site News, High Schools News /by rthornburgPendleton High School
2025 CTE Month Spotlight
Meet Bailey Sitts, Engineering Instructor at Pendleton High School
What do you teach?
I teach the engineering pathway at PHS including Intro to Engineering Design, Digital Design and Production, Robotics and Aerospace.
In your classes, what is the CTE focus for the 24-25 school year?
My focus is to work further within the Oregon Employability Skills curriculum and to further our Career Technical Student Organization connection through TSA by having more focus on my own involvement and student competition attendance.
How do you think CTE work in your school is making a difference for students?
It is teaching students that all of the basics they have learned so far have a connection to real life. CTE is a wonderful bridge between basic education and technical skills that shows students how to apply what they’ve learned already to more specific and real circumstances while they explore their strengths and abilities before entering trade schools, the job market, military or college. CTE at PHS is making a difference by showing students they can do anything and that no job, school or skill is out of their reach.
What is something people may not know about CTE in schools?
As a CTE teacher, I hear that our classes are “just electives” all too frequently; CTE is more than just an elective. CTE in schools is a necessary connection between professionals in the field, community, and students that is intended to build community connections and bring industry standard knowledge into the classroom for students.
Most CTE teachers are brought in from industry to teach what they know and bring a higher level work ethic and expectation into the classroom that more closely mirrors a workplace than a traditional classroom.
McKay Video – School Assemblies & Student Leadership
/in District Site News, McKay Creek School News /by rthornburgPHS Principal Message
/in District Site News, High Schools News /by rthornburgSunridge Middle School Drama Presents Charlotte’s Web in February
/in District Site News, Sunridge News /by rthornburgThe Sunridge Middle School (SMS) drama program is presenting the play “Charlotte’s Web” on February 26th and 27th at 7:00 PM in the school Commons. It’s free and open to the public.
Including both cast and crew, there are 20 students putting on the production.
Carly Elder, Choir/Drama Teacher at SMS, said the play is about an hour long with no intermission; families with children are welcome, but she would recommend ages five and older for the audience.
The play is based on the book by E.B. White and adapted by Joseph Robinette.
The poster for the production was designed by Autumn Kolacz, an eighth grader at Sunridge Middle School.
2024 Pendleton School District Graduation Rates
/in District Site News /by rthornburgPSD has much to celebrate in recently released graduation rates.
On Thursday, January 30, 2025, the Oregon Department of Education released the graduation cohort and dropout data for all public school districts in Oregon. The Pendleton School District results are very strong, with a couple of very specific areas needing improvement.
The four-year cohort graduation rates are calculated by following students from the fall of their first year in high school to the end of their fourth year. This tells us the percentage of those students who graduated within four years. The Pendleton School District graduation rates represent a combination of all students who attended Pendleton High School, Hawthorne High School, and Nixyaawii Community School.
This year’s four-year cohort is made up of the students who first entered high school in the fall of 2020. This is important to note since these students started high school 100% online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been much to overcome for these students and many challenges our staff have faced head-on to ensure these students graduate. We celebrate the successes of these students and staff and thank them for their efforts.
The Pendleton School District’s four-year cohort rate is 83.2%. This is a 6.5% increase from the year before and almost 2% higher than the state average.
We have listed areas to celebrate success and a few areas of improvement. Areas of success:
Areas of improvement:
We also look at specific school rates as we celebrate successes and try to replicate them in all schools. The Pendleton High School rates increased in nearly every area and exceeds the state average in every area. PHS’s outstanding graduation rates are a great tribute to the many hours of hard work our staff and community invest in our students.
The Pendleton High School four-year cohort rate is 88.8%. This is a 4.9% increase from the year before and 7% higher than the state average.
Areas of success:
Areas of improvement:
The Hawthorne High School four-year cohort rate is 55%. This is a 10.3% increase from the year before and almost 27% higher than five years ago.
Areas of success:
The Nixyaawii Community School four-year cohort rate is 87%. This is a 14.3% increase from the year before and 6% higher than the state average.
Areas of success:
New TAPP Family Coordinator, Ray Fox
/in District Site News, Sunridge News /by rthornburgThis school year, Sunridge Middle School has a new member on its team to help improve attendance. Ray Fox is the new Family Advocate for the TAPP (Tribal Attendance Promising Practices) program. He started working at SMS in November and explained that his job has two components.
The first part focuses on attendance of Native American students, including tracking data, identifying potential barriers to attendance and creating connections with Native students and their families. The second part of Fox’s job is to be a resource every day for all students at the middle school. Fox’s office, which is located in the Counseling Office, offers a space to talk with students and a place where a student can take a quick break.
“A big part of my job is helping to build the school’s sense of community and being a connection point for students. Every day when I listen to students and work with them, they are teaching me about their needs and how to better support them,” Fox said.
Many Native students have extreme diversity in their lives, Fox said, as their home life may be much different than their school life. Although school attendance may be important for a student and their family, sometimes cultural activities like hunting with their family my cause them to miss school. Fox said the Pendleton School District now offers cultural leave for students, which is a positive step.
Sunridge Middle School had a regular attendance rate last school year of 59%, so building administrators are committed to improving it to 69% this year. Through their Attendance Matters campaign, the school established a chart where teachers can track days of 100% attendance in classes, and the school has “No Tardy Parties” where students can earn treats at lunchtime.
Piper Kelm, Principal at Sunridge, said the school is emphasizing positive behaviors they want students to exhibit and having Fox onboard is a helpful addition to the effort.
What does attendance/school success look like for Kelm and Fox? SMS students having a positive experience at school, a sense of belonging and the feeling that they are being heard, all of which contribute to students wanting to be at school.
School Board Recognition Month – January 2025
/in District Site News /by rthornburgJanuary 2025 is School Board Appreciation Month. Thank you for your hard work and continued service to the Pendleton School District.
Pendleton High School Lockdown Drill Recap
/in District Site News, High Schools News /by rthornburgAn emergency at a school is something that school leaders are always dreading and preparing for at the same time. To prepare, they have regular drills. In Oregon, the state requires schools to hold two Lockdown drills each year. A Lockdown happens when a threat is inside or near a school building and is used to secure individual rooms and keep occupants quiet and in place. In a Lockdown, everyone in the building goes to a secure room and it’s “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” which means the door is locked, lights are turned off and occupants of the room stay away from doors and window.
On Wednesday, January 15th, Pendleton High School had a drill that was a little different – they had informed teachers and staff there would be a drill that day but didn’t say what time. School leaders had the drill during a passing time when most students were in the hallways. This requires students to remember they should find an open classroom or other room and get in it, even if it’s not one of their regular classrooms or their teacher. Teachers are tasked with gathering as many students near their classroom as possible, then locking the door and remaining quiet with the students.
About 14 law enforcement officers from the Pendleton Police Department and Oregon State Police were at PHS to participate in the Lockdown drill.
About one minute before the drill started, Principal Pat Dutcher sent a text alert to PHS parents that the drill was about to happen. At the start of the drill, Dutcher and Curt Thompson, Assistant Principal, monitored the large number of cameras around the PHS campus. Thompson said he was pleasantly surprised to see on the cameras that there were not many students outside, in halls or in other common areas. Officer Lance Zaugg, School Resource Officer for Pendleton School District, said he encountered a small group of students during the drill who didn’t know what to do, so he ushered them into the school library.
“Our drill today went much better than we anticipated, and most of our students knew what to do. I am also pleased how well our staff did today getting kids into classrooms quickly and remaining there,” Dutcher said.
Dutcher, Thompson and law enforcement officers then went around the building, unlocking doors, turning on lights and confirming to students it was a drill.
Lieutenant Tony Nelson from the Pendleton Police Department said both PHS leaders and his PPD officers wanted to know what the student response would be to a less controlled environment today. “We were very pleased with how everyone did, especially adults in the school scooping up kids into classrooms and getting them somewhere safe,” Nelson said.
Assistant Principal Thompson said the goal of every safety drill is to learn as much as possible, which is what happened today. Principal Dutcher said he hopes that parents of PHS students will discuss the drill with them and reflect on ways students can help contribute to school safety.
Online Survey to Provide Input
/in District Site News /by rthornburgIf you were unable to attend the open forum (January 13, 2025, at 7:00 pm in the PHS Auditorium) with the consultants from McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C., Executive Recruitment, and Development, who were selected to assist the Pendleton School District in the important task of selecting superintendent candidates for the board to interview, you may provide input using the online survey link provided.
The five-question survey, available in English and Spanish, will be open for participation from Monday, January 13, through Monday, January 20, 2025.
https://survey.k12insight.com/r/Pendleton2025