Pendleton High School Receives Wildhorse Foundation Grant
The Pendleton High School (PHS) Art Department was recently awarded a Wildhorse Foundation Grant in the amount of $5,500 to purchase display equipment for the Pendleton School District Art Show and other future art exhibits. With the grant, PHS was able to purchase 18 lightweight display panels and three collapsible display cases. All of the display equipment was recently used in the PSD Art Show at the Convention Center in early April.
Abbey Prevot, Art Teacher at PHS, said, “We are very grateful to the Wildhorse Foundation for this opportunity to purchase transportable display equipment, which has enhanced our ability to exhibit our student artwork. The display equipment really helped showcase artwork at the PSD show.” Prevot went on to say that the new equipment will provide students with opportunities to exhibit their creations in a professional and inspiring manner, enriching the artistic atmosphere of school events.
Salmon Hatchery Field Trip for PELC Students
In early April, all of the kindergartners at the Pendleton Early Learning Center went on a field trip to the CTUIR’s salmon hatchery facility.
As the district’s young learners made their way around the facility, they got to see and touch coho and steelhead salmon, feed the fish, and examine a lamprey.
Easton Powaukee, a Technician III at the fisheries site, said he is always happy to see students visit. “To have the kids see the different types of salmon in the rivers they live near is good and to experience the involvement of the schools with the tribe is positive,” Powaukee said.
The facility houses about 660,000 fish at this time of year and is part of the large effort to increase the number of salmon in the region’s waterways.
Squeals of surprise and excitement could be heard at all the stations, especially from those who held the lamprey. Lamprey technician Kanim Moses-Conner said he loves to see the reaction of the students when they see the lamprey’s teeth, which some see as scary. “Most of the students have never seen a lamprey, so I want them to have a memorable experience here, to be introduced to the lamprey and be able to pass on their knowledge,” Moses-Conner said.
The PELC thanks those who helped with the field trips:
Umatilla Hatchery Satellite Facilities Staff:
Iron Cody
Tysen Minthorn
Shaun Montgomery
Easton Powaukee
Lamprey Project:
Aaron Jackson
Kanim Moses-Conner
Paul Sheoships
Jerrid Weaskus
PSD Art Show Recap
Hundreds of Pendleton School District students took field trips to the annual District Art Show on April 9 and 10 to see their own artwork and that of fellow students in the district. The event at the Pendleton Convention Center was also attended by hundreds of district parents, families, and community members.
A wide variety of artwork was on display at the event, from textiles, wooden collages, and painted masks to bird sculptures and paintings.
The show kicked off on Monday, April 8, with an Opening Night celebration that included free books and cookies handed out by Altrusa International of Pendleton.
Abbey Prevot, Art Teacher at Pendleton High School, and John Bradt, Art Teacher at Sunridge Middle School, organized this year’s show. “It’s very exciting to have the show up, and for me, it’s completely new. It’s great to see all K-12 art together. It’s helped our programs make connections with the elementary schools and be able to collaborate on this huge project,” Prevot said.
Bradt said since this is the first year he and Prevot have organized the event, it was a little stressful, but the show turned out great. His favorite part is the variety of the art, even within each classroom where they are doing the same project, but all the pieces look different.
The district thanks the Education Foundation of Pendleton for funding this year’s art show.
Bring Your Grown-Up to Music at the PELC
The Pendleton Early Learning Center students invite their grown-ups to music day on Monday, April 22, 2024. Adults, please enter the building through the gym doors on 13th Street. Be prepared to join in on the fun!
School Play at Sunridge Middle School
Students at Sunridge Middle School will be presenting the play “The Raven & the Rue Morgue” on March 19-21, 2024.
The play is based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe. It has 14 actors, five singers, and three crew members doing technical work. Abby Foust, a senior at Pendleton High School, is also an assistant director. The play is rated PG as it is a “whodunit” mystery with some references to violence.
The play will be performed at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, 3/19, Wednesday, 3/20, and Thursday, 3/21, at Sunridge Middle School.
Admission is FREE and open to the public.
Pendleton High School Student Awards
Several Pendleton High School students have worked hard and won awards at recent competitions.
TSA (Technology Student Association)
Students from both PHS Engineering and PHS Digital and Media Arts compete in TSA competitions throughout the year. Students recently competed in February at the competition for Promotional Design at the Boardman BMCC Campus. Pendleton had nine competitors in the event and fifteen total competitors from three regional high schools. The competition was to create three different promotional designs, plus a portfolio cover for the Oregon State TSA Conference that will be held in April.
- Laura Ward (Sophomore) won 1st Place for her Promotional Design for TSA. Ward’s designs included a poster, T-shirt, and button design.
EOU Regional High School Art Show
Each year in late February, EOU organizes its Regional High School Art Show, hosted in the Nightingale Gallery, displaying artwork from 13 regional high schools. The following PHS students were awarded:
- Atlas Garcia (Junior) won the PCA Promise Award, a $100 cash prize.
- Paige Erickson (Senior) won Honorable Mention
Pendleton Center for the Arts (PCA) Poster Contest
This year, Pendleton Center for the Arts hosted its poster contest design in conjunction with the Eastern Oregon Climate Change Coalition to promote climate change awareness. The following PHS students received awards:
- Viviana Martinez (Senior) won 1st place, a $500 cash prize.
- Jubilee Morrison (Junior) won 2nd place, a $300 cash prize.
- Mollie Waterworth (Junior) won Honorable Mention, a $100 cash prize.
Pendleton Center for the Arts Open Regional Photography Exhibit
PHS art students submitted 18 photographs for the teen section of PCA’s Regional Photography Exhibit in early March. The following students received these awards:
- Tori Estrada (Senior) won Teen First for “Grandma and Her Room”
- Laura Ward (Sophomore) won Teen Third for “Fog”
- Atlas Garcia (Junior) won Honorable Mention for “Man Made Stars”
Abbey Prevot, PHS Visual Arts & CTE Teacher, said the recent awards represent the hard work and talent of these high school students. “I am very proud of all the students who participated in these competitions and excited to see the award-winning students recognized for their dedication and skill,” Prevot said.
Pendleton TSA promotional design group.
Viviana Martinez PCA poster – 1st place.
Paige Erickson EOU honorable mention.
Jubilee Morrison PCA poster – 2nd place.
Mollie WAtersworth PCA honorable mention poster.
Laura Ward TSA – 1st place.
Laura Ward TSA promotional design.
3rd-Grade Class Named Oregon Reading Champions at McKay Elementary
McKay Creek Elementary is proud to announce that Teacher Noele Mead’s 3rd-grade class has been crowned Oregon State Reading Champions for READBowl 2024.
READBowl is a free global reading competition where Pre-K through 8th-grade teams around the world compete to read for the most minutes over four weeks. This year’s seventh annual competition was held from January 8 (the day of the American College Football National Championship Game) through Super Bowl Sunday in February. The program is organized by Read with Malcolm, the youth literacy initiative of NFL Super Bowl Champion and children’s book author Malcolm Mitchell.
In a press release from READBowl, Mitchell said, “Winning a state championship is always prestigious. However, this year is especially notable, as there were more than 280,000 students from all 50 states and 14 countries on the reading field for the big game this year. I am so proud of every student who competed and congratulate our state and national champions.”
Overall, students from across the globe read for more than 180 million minutes during READBowl 2024.
Mead’s class read a total of 102,788 minutes to become the Oregon champions!
“We were completely shocked!” Mead said. “There was an uproar of WOO-HOO’s when I read the email out loud. As a teacher, it is such an honor to have my students recognized for their hard work and dedication to reading. Not everyone enjoys reading and for every student to be excited to participate was a highlight.”
Each day, students counted the reading they did while at school – reading instruction, reading silently, group reading, and anything they read during the day. They also kept track of the minutes they read at home. Mead said she saw an increase in her students completed weekly reading logs, which made her book-loving heart happy. Her students were the most excited when she told them the class was getting a box of books. One student stated that they were excited to have a prize they could keep forever.
McKay Teacher Shelby Cook’s 2nd-grade class also participated in READBowl 2024.
District Selects New McKay Creek Elementary School Principal
The Pendleton School District School Board has selected Mrs. Anne Sokoloski as the new Principal at McKay Creek Elementary School.
Sokoloski is currently the Dean of Students at Loma Vista Elementary School in the Hermiston School District. Prior to that, she was a Counselor at Desert View Elementary in Hermiston and a Child Development Specialist at the Pendleton Early Learning Center in Pendleton.
“I am thrilled to return to Pendleton to serve as principal of McKay Creek Elementary,” Sokoloski said. “The past two years as Dean of Students at Loma Vista in Hermiston have been invaluable in helping me grow as a leader. The Hermiston School District, colleagues, students, and families have played a pivotal role in my career, and I appreciate their support and collaboration.”
Sokoloski earned a bachelor of science in Speech Communication from Oregon State University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Eastern Oregon University. She received her Professional Administrator Licensure from Lewis and Clark College in 2019.
According to Superintendent Kevin Headings, “Mrs. Sokoloski possesses the qualities we are looking for in our next McKay Elementary principal. She’s a skilled leader, student-centered and a strong communicator. Finding someone with knowledge and understanding of our region and who is familiar with Pendleton is an added bonus.”
Sokoloski will replace the outgoing principal, Sherri Kilgore. Sokoloski’s contract begins on July 1, 2024.
