All first graders at Washington Elementary enjoyed a fun field trip to Pendleton Fire Station #1 in May. After walking from their school to the station on Court Avenue, the students rotated to different areas of the facility. Then, paramedics and firefighters talked to them about the fire trucks, equipment, how to put out wildland fires, what it’s like to work as a firefighter, and more.

Students got to walk through an ambulance, climb up into a fire truck, and ask lots of questions.

One firefighter showed them how he puts on all his equipment, including his boots, coat, helmet, gloves, mask, and oxygen tank. He talked to them through the microphone in his mask. He explained that, even though he sounds kind of like Darth Vader and looks different when he has all his equipment on, he is still the same person underneath. He let students walk around him, looking at his clothing and equipment. “If you saw me in your house or in a building with all this on, you can know I am there to help you.”

The paramedic showing children around the ambulance explained how paramedics may have to use oxygen to help people breathe and showed them the thermometer available to take someone’s temperature, just like their parents may do at home.

Morgan Hall, Paramedic and Firefighter with Pendleton Fire and Ambulance, said when students come on field trips, station employees want young people to learn about the tools and equipment they use, see the inside of an ambulance in case they ever have to ride in one and learn the basics of what the fire and ambulance department does and what they provide to the community.

“The fun part for us is interacting with the kids, sometimes kids of people in the community we may know. It’s great to hear the funny things kids say and the questions they ask, and we enjoy seeing their curiosity,” Hall said.

Thank you, Pendleton Fire and Ambulance, for a great field trip!

Marjorie Carter
Special Education Teacher
Washington Elementary School

Marjorie said she experienced a lot of different communities growing up but spent most of her time between Pendleton and Bothell, Washington. She attended school in the Pendleton School District from third to eighth grade before moving to Bothell. She has lived in Pendleton for a combined total of 40 years.

 She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education from Western Governors University.

About working in the Pendleton School District, Marjorie said, “What excites me most about working in the Pendleton School District is that I get to support students from my own neighborhood to become the best version of themselves.”

In her free time, she loves to cook new foods.

The new Principal and Assistant Principal at Washington Elementary School have started the 24-25 school year strong. Heidi Paullus and Rachael Olson are both new to their jobs, although they were both in the building last year. Principal Paullus was the previous assistant principal, and Olson was an administrative intern before assuming the role of Assistant Principal this year.

Their goals for Washington this year are to:

• Provide effective academic support to students
• Provide strong, solid support in classrooms
• Provide emotional resources to support students
• Effectively implement curriculum
• Ensure continuity in intervention strategies

Paullus’ and Olson’s overall goal is to address the needs of all students and to always have the attitude that every student can learn.

“We want to be leaders who want to know more about our students every day and what they need to grow,” Olson said. She is excited about a new app on teachers’ iPads called Notability, which allows teachers to move around the classroom while teaching. This app can lead to increased student engagement and help with classroom management.

Paullus said she and Olson working as a team is another key to success at the school, as well as knowing your “why” every day. “I love my job. Getting to be here with the kids is why I work in education. We have amazing students, an amazing staff, and amazing parents to work with,” Paullus said.

For the 420 Washington Wildcats at school every day, that sounds like an amazing start!

To read more about Washington Elementary, visit their website at https://wes.pendleton.k12.or.us/ or find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Washington Elementary School would like to thank and acknowledge Rachael Olson, who was an Administrative Intern at the school during the 23-24 school year.

Olson, who works for InterMountain ESD, was a Special Education Instructional Coach at Washington this year, providing instructional support for two new teachers at the school. In addition, Olson was an intern obtaining hours toward earning her Administrative License through COSA (Coalition of Oregon School Administrators) and the University of Oregon.

She worked with Principal Kevin Dinning and Assistant Principal Heidi Paullus, doing job shadowing, observing meetings, and more.

Olson said the intern experience has been amazing and exceeded her expectations. She said she wasn’t sure how she would feel about someday being a school administrator, but she has grown to love it. “I could see myself doing this in the future. I really like being in a building, and I love seeing the little faces of the students.”

What was surprising to Olson was the amount of steps an administrator gets walking around in a day. She said you are never really sitting at a desk.

On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, all of the students at Washington Elementary School got to spend time with an author in their school. Gary Hogg, author of the Spencer’s Adventures and Charlie Bacon books series, plus other books for young readers, visited the school thanks to funds from Altrusa International of Pendleton and the Parent Club at Washington.

Hogg started the all-school assembly by relating a story of him and his children encountering spider monkeys in the jungle on a family trip. His descriptions of a monkey jumping in the car and several of his children trying to get the monkey out of the car had Washington Wildcats engaged and laughing. Hogg explained that everyone has stories to tell. “You have a voice in the world, and the world needs your author’s voice,” Hogg told the students.

When he was in elementary school, Hogg told jokes to his fourth-grade teacher, who finally encouraged Hogg to turn those jokes into stories into books that would be read worldwide. And that’s what Hogg has done. He encouraged students to listen to their teachers, who are working hard for students and whose “superpower is hearts that hold hope for all of their students.”

After the school-wide assembly, Hogg conducted workshops in the school library with each grade level. During the fifth grade, the author outlined a few strategies for effective writing:

• Use fancy colors
• Use interesting size descriptions
• Put names on things
• Describe places
• Be a detail detective

Students then worked on writing personal narratives. One last piece of advice from Hogg was, “Remember, there is only one you in the world. When you write, to be powerful, you have to be original.”

Gary Hogg grew up in Burley, Idaho, with a mom who loved to read and a dad who loved horses. He is the author of 26 books and has visited more than 3,700 schools. Learn more about him at garyhoggbooks.com