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Students from Pasco and Chiawana high schools proudly showed off their handiwork and were honored by District staff and community members at the 2013 Team Pasco Home dedication ceremony and open house on May 15.
Pasco High School junior Pablo Alvarado and CHS sophomore Julio Borquez each spoke about how the project has positively impacted their lives. Alvarado said building the home has taught him the value of teamwork and has made him want to pursue a college degree in construction management. “I want my education to be like a strong wall, flush on the sides and on the top and the bottom...every detail has been covered,” said Alvarado. “Constructing this house was one of the best experiences of my life,” added Borquez.
A product of the Pasco Vocational Building Program, Team Pasco Home houses are built by students from both high schools. Construction trades students, led by John Weatherby, as well as students in landscaping, floriculture, agriculture science, and metals and welding classes all contributed to the home.
OCHOA MUSICAL SCHOWCASES COLLABORATION OF TALENT
Ochoa Middle School choir students performed “Fields, Freedom, and Funk” on May 16. Tracing the roots of modern R&B through story, song, and dance, the musical production was written and directed by Ochoa choir teacher Heidi Nelson and featured sixth, seventh, and eighth grade student singers, actors, and musicians. Ochoa alumni Omar Farias and Juan Hernandez, both PHS graduates, contributed to the live music. Students created the majority of the set backgrounds and contributed choreography on several numbers.
Posted May 17, 2013
With funds from the State Farm Shift into Safety grant, Chiawana High School DECA club is hosting an “Every 15 Minutes” safe driving event on the morning of May 17.
“CHS DECA and State Farm hope to save lives by delivering this very important safe driving message with the Every 15 Minutes program,” says DECA advisor Leslie Bell. “The program is very emotional and effective, and it touches the lives of hundreds of students, staff and families.”
This is the fourth year in a row that CHS DECA has won the Shift into Safety grant, which focuses on teen driving safety. Throughout the year, DECA has focused on creating awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving with the slogan “Don't Gamble with Your Life.”
Every 15 Minutes is a nationwide program focusing on high school seniors. By staging a mock car crash, the program challenges students to think about drunk and distracted driving, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions. In recent years the program has expanded from an anti-drunk driving campaign to include the dangers of texting and driving. The program also makes teens focus on the impact that bad decision have on family and friends.
“This is an incredibly powerful program,” says Superintendent Saundra Hill. “It is very emotional for many students, but it certainly makes the point that distracted driving is never a good choice.”
Pasco High School also hosted the Every 15 Minutes program March 21-22.
STUDENTS HELP SALMON SWIM FREE
Students have been looking after the salmon since early spring, when the eggs and 50-gallon tanks with all the necessary chemicals and food were delivered to their classrooms. During the three-month project, students learned about the life cycle of salmon.
The releases take place at Sacajewea State Park and typically last from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. A Discovery Pass is required to visit the park.
The schedule for release is as follows:
May 14 - Livingston
May 15 - Livingston
May 16 - McGee
May 21 - Frost
May 23 - Twain
May 24 - Longfellow
May 28 - Markham
May 29 - Whittier
May 30 - Angelou
May 31 - Robinson
Rowena Chess and Emerson elementary schools have already released their salmon. The Pasco School District celebrates our hard-working, dedicated nutrition services employees in honor of national School Nutrition Employee Week. The District’s 140 Nutrition Services workers and substitutes prepare and serve approximately 4,000 breakfast meals and 10,000 lunches to Pasco students every day. Across the country, school nutrition professionals feed 31 million students each school day while meeting comprehensive nutrition standards, navigating students’ special dietary needs, and offering service with a smile. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO! PSD INVITES COMMUNITY TO GROUNDBREAKING FOR ELEMENTARY #13 Pasco School District cordially invites parents, students, and members of the community to a groundbreaking ceremony for Elementary School #13 on June 13 at 10 a.m. at the site of the new school on Road 52 and Powerline. “We are so pleased to share this celebration with the members of our community,” says Superintendent Saundra Hill. The school is scheduled to open for the 2014-2015 school year.
May 13,2013DISTRICT HONORS SCHOOL NUTRITION EMPLOYEES 
Posted May 9, 2013EMERSON STUDENT DRAWS WINNING SALMON IMAGE
Emerson Elementary fourth grader Alexis Lopez created the winning design for this year’s Salmon Celebration t-shirts. Alexis and his classmates in Karen Boyer’s class received free shirts, which they wore during a salmon release event May 2 at Sacajewea Park. Fourth grade students from schools across the District are making trips to the park this month to release the fish as part of the Salmon in the Classroom program facilitated by the Benton and Franklin Conservation Districts. Posted May 8, 2013PASCO SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM EARNS STATE AWARDS
The Pasco School District Public Affairs Department was recognized by its peers from across the state for outstanding writing, photography, design, video production and more at the Washington School Public Relations Association (WSPRA) annual conference in Leavenworth on May 2.
WSPRA’s Publications and Electronic Media Awards contest is open to all public or private schools or districts in Washington. Entries are judged by communication professionals by group according to the type of publication. The highest award is the Award of Excellence, followed by the Award of Merit and Honorable Mention.
The District’s Public Affairs team—which is made up of Director of Public Affairs Leslee Caul, Administrative Assistant for Communications Jessica Morgan, Publications Manager Annie Warren, and Community Relations Manager Gracie Valle-Chimal—earned a variety of awards including six Awards of Excellence for photography and an Award of Excellence for “The Best of PEAK!” booklet, which was compiled by Warren and Valle-Chimal and highlights outstanding PEAK! (Partners in Educating All Kids!) events and activities.
Gaining an Award of Merit was the District’s annual calendar and reference guide, titled “I (Heart) Pasco Schools,” which featured Pasco School District students, employees, and community members and their words of appreciation for the District. The calendar was photographed and designed by Warren with contributions from her colleagues.
The Department also earned an Award of Merit in the branding and image category for its 2013 bond campaign, which included informative posters, brochures, flyers, videos, and postcards centered on the theme “More New Students Equals More Schools Needed.”
Other awards include: Awards of Merit for the 2012 All-Staff Rally video and the District’s external electronic newsletter, Positively Pasco; and Awards of Honorable Mention for ‘Your Pasco Schools’ community newsletter; ‘Budget 101: An Information Guide to School Funding’ (with contributions from Superintendent Saundra Hill and Director of Fiscal Services Howard Roberts); bond campaign videos for McLoughlin Middle School, McGee Elementary School, and Livingston Elementary School; and a video about math in the District. All videos were produced and edited by Morgan. May 8, 2013PEDESTRIAN OVERPASS CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE The pedestrian overpass located on 20th Street in Pasco will be closed for maintenance and repairs until further notice. Robert Frost Elementary students who use the overpass will be aided by two additional crossing guards to help them safely navigate crosswalks. Signs have been placed at the entrance to the east and west sides of the overpass directing pedestrians to use the crosswalks. Drivers are asked to use extra caution in this school zone as more students will be crossing at this location. Thank you for your cooperation on this matter. Posted May 7, 2013
He is the grandson of migrant workers, the first in his family to be born in this country and like many Pasco students he didn’t speak English when he started kindergarten. This fall Ignacio Bayardo will be a freshman at Harvard University and a recipient of the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship.
Chiawana High School saxophonists are the 2013 WIAA/WMEA State Solo and Ensemble Contest champions. The annual state high school music competition took place in Ellensburg on April 26 and 27.
