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There's plenty of drama going on at La Conner Schools these days. Which is just fine, especially when blended in equal measure with comedy, stage craft and set construction. Theater arts, which boasts a long and storied tradition here, is back on campus after an intermission imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A trio of young college- trained theater aficionados is welcoming La Conner students back to the stage twice weekly as an extracurricular program – similar to the format used in districts w...
THE AWARD IS EVEN LARGER – La Conner Schools' Andy Wheeler, director of special programs, left, and ceramic arts teacher Steve DeLeon accept a $4,500 check, a gift from Epting Foundation Trustee Kathleen Faulkner, Nov. 9. See original story...
La Conner Schools officials are fired up about the district’s arts program’s newest addition. It is, after all, a kiln for students to use to fire pottery. The acquisition is made possible by a $2,500 donation from the Anacortes-based Rick Epting Foundation, accepted at the school board’s October meeting. Director of Special Programs Andy Wheeler explained that the Epting Foundation, an all-volunteer organization that raises money for the arts, had decided on a gift of up to $1,500. Wheeler checked with teachers and heard from Steve DeLeo...
She's already in the state coaches' Hall of Fame. Now Suzanne Marble is having her name affixed to a space closer to home, off the corridors of Landy James Gym, where she has guided the school's storied volleyball program to six state titles in three decades. The school board voted unanimously to name the gymnasium's women's locker room area after Marble in recognition of her vast impact upon district students and athletes since arriving here in the early 1990s at their Oct. 24 meeting. A...
At its meeting Oct. 24, the La Conner School board heard reports from middle school and high school students who attended Cispus Leadership Camp in Randle, near the base of Mount Rainier, last summer. The students reported enjoying the experience, saying they had been introduced to problem-solving and leadership skills, gleaned new fundraising ideas, were encouraged to brainstorm and received instruction in how to promote inclusion, kindness and empathy. “I think we all grew a lot,” said high schooler Hadley Shears. La Conner was the sma...
New La Conner Schools administrator Tanya Houle is fond of hats. Good thing, too, since she will be wearing several in her dual role as La Conner Middle and High School assistant principal and career and technology education (CTE) director. The personable Houle wears a smile as often – if not more – than her stylish headpieces. Her approach to school administration is to lead with compassion and create safe and meaningful learning environments for all students. "A couple of my primary goals wil...
Data was the name of the game – along with a fall sports update – when the La Conner School Board met Aug. 22 in a 90-minute hybrid session on campus. Director of Special Programs Andy Wheeler and Teacher and Learning Director Beth Clothier took lead roles. Clothier provided her update via Zoom on staff summer training for the new all-grades math curricula. Clothier said more than 50 staffers had participated in nine days of math curricula training this summer. The trainers commended the La Conner staff, ranking it ahead of “90% of other staff...
Faced with a projected drop in student enrollment, La Conner school board members on Monday unanimously approved a $13.8 million dollar budget that includes forced staff reductions in the new academic year. The amount is only down slightly from last year’s $14 million. Three full-time teaching positions were cut. At the same time the board also approved a two-year labor agreement negotiated with the La Conner Education Association (LEA) during the 45-minute session July 25. It includes state-funded cost of living support and a 1.5% per annum lo...
La Conner School board members went on retreat Monday to plan a path forward for the 2022-23 academic year, addressing a wide range of discussion topics – from finances and goal setting to maintenance priorities and student enrollment– during a three-hour afternoon in-person public session at the Swinomish Casino conference room. The dozen agenda items included reports from district business manager Brian Gianello and operations and planning director Bobby Vaughn. Gianello had good news, reporting that an infusion of $852,000 in...
Preschool is coming back to the La Conner campus by popular demand. The La Conner School Board on June 13 approved the return of a district preschool program this fall on a one-year trial basis after members were assured it would be supported by outside funding sources and not dip into a K-12 budget projected to be tight due to declining enrollment. Board members gave the green light for a 15-student, four days per week, morning only campus preschool staffed by one teacher and a paraprofessional. The decision followed an impassioned...
Few have shown the can-do spirit on a sustained basis as well as Shegay Vanderpool. The career educator, after all, has proved since the early 1970s that she can do just about anything in the classroom, at all grade levels. Same with the campus music hall. And auditorium. Not to mention the counseling office. In baseball parlance, said her longtime friend, retired La Conner Middle School principal Maureen Harlan, Vanderpool is the ultimate utility player – someone versatile and skilled...
The school district honored its volunteers – a vital group of more than 70 strong – along with retirees and colleagues not returning here in the fall with a reception and awards program at the middle school gym June 7. The 90-minute event led off with school administrators and staff praising the volunteers, who lent their time and expertise across academic activities at all grade levels. “Just think of all that volunteer time,” said Superintendent Will Nelson, serving as the afternoon’s master of ceremonies. “I can’t imagine that yo...
Ryan Hiller and Beth Clothier were instrumental in helping La Conner schools navigate uncharted waters posed by a global pandemic. The couple, members of the La Conner High School Class of 1987, were formally recognized as the school’s Outstanding Alumni for 2022 at the La Conner Alumni Association’s annual banquet and program in the middle school gymnasium June 4. “These two individuals are very important to the school district,” said association vice-president Susie Deyo. “During the pande...
La Conner School Board members dealt with topics from A to Z during their two-hour hybrid meeting May 23. During public comments, a series of speakers stressed the value of preschool instruction being accessible to all children. They said it helps build a lifetime foundation of academic and social-emotional skills and that a district program will make sure children unable to attend private preschools not “fall through the cracks.” Members said they will consider it. Counselor Lori Buher reported that 24 seniors plan to attend four-year pub...
Passage of national Title IX legislation 50 years ago began leveling the playing field for female athletes. Now, five La Conner High School senior girls have signed letters of intent to compete for college athletic programs next school year. Juna Swanson, Sarah Cook, Rachel Cram, Emma Keller and Emma Worgum were front and center at Landy James Gym May 17, with their friends, family members and school staff during a 45-minute collegiate athletics letter of intent signing ceremony. “This is a s...
The La Conner School District’s population has increased over the past decade but projected declines in student enrollment this fall is forcing tough budget personnel cuts ahead of the 2022-2023 academic year. La Conner School Board members dealt with that harsh reality at their Monday study session by reluctantly agreeing to a plan of not renewing contracts of the two most recently hired high school teachers. State funding of school districts is based on student enrollment. The drop from around 600 K-12 students in years prior to the COVID-19...
The La Conner School Board has chosen the right formula – they hope – to raise student math test scores and provide instructional programs featuring more hands-on problem-solving and critical thinking skills. At their hybrid meeting April 25 the board adopted new K-12 math curricula composed of three separate parts –for the elementary, middle and high schools. The 4-0 vote accepted district staff recommendations to adopt the Bridges to Mathematics component for Grades K-12, iReady Classroom Mathematics for Grades 6-8 and...
Math was the primary subject of study for La Conner School District board members at their April 11 study session. District librarian Beth Clothier made a presentation on two new math curricula being considered for adoption next year at the nearly two-hour special hybrid session. Clothier outlined the pros and cons of Bridges to Math and iReady Classroom Mathematics, the program finalists from four curriculum options reviewed by members of the La Conner Elementary School math adoption team. The board will choose a program April 25. Team...
La Conner School District board members met March 28 in a hybrid meeting to discuss changes coming to the school and even a new app. The board anticipates extending its high school Lushootseed language education program to the eighth grade. To help facilitate that, they unanimously approved use of grant funding to purchase a software app designed to increase Lushootseed proficiency. “We’ll be using technology that younger folks are used to,” Superintendent Will Nelson said. “Having that app,” added board president Susie Deyo, “will be very hel...
La Conner fifth graders did some old school livestreaming at Hansen Creek near Sedro-Woolley last week. The students released into the upper Skagit River tributary the salmon they have been raising in a 60-gallon aquarium in the hall outside their classrooms, a tank acquired by the school with a grant provided by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. The class field trip upriver March 28 was just one part of an instructional program that integrates salmon into many aspects of the fifth-grade...
La Conner Schools are looking to adopt a new math curriculum intended to better match student learning styles, emphasize development of problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and improve standardized achievement test scores. District librarian Beth Clothier told school board members during their hybrid meeting Monday night that a final staff recommendation on which curriculum to select for La Conner’s respective campuses should be presented to the panel at its April 25 session. “We have a couple favorites,” Clothier said, “but we’re d...
Town officials plan to focus on signage this year, and La Conner School Board members intend to follow suit. Board president Susie Gardner Deyo and Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Executive Director Mick Hoffman conferred on a variety of topics, most notably how to better promote sportsmanship at interscholastic events. “We talked about what we can do to step up sportsmanship,” Deyo told fellow board members during a 90-minute March 14 hybrid special meeting. One strategy is to increase signage on the La Conner Sch...
The La Conner School Board accepted a donation of 900 COVID-19 rapid tests from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community valued at $7,000 at its Feb. 28 meeting. “This is a huge deal,” Board President Susie Deyo said. “We really want to thank the Swinomish Tribal Community for this donation.” During surges in positive cases earlier in the school year, athletes had to be tested several times weekly. The board voted 4-0 to accept the donation, with member J.J. Wilbur abstaining as he serves on the Swinomish Tribal Senate. Elementary School Princip...
On again, off again. That’s the way it has been for the past two years in terms of indoor mask mandates designed to help stop spread of the coronavirus. In Washington state, the off button will be pushed March 12 instead of March 21, a decision announced by Gov. Jay Inslee and the governors of California and Oregon Monday, Feb. 28. Local entities are given latitude as to when and where masks can still be required. Town governments can require masks for their employees and inside their buildings. The Town of La Conner policy, however, will e...
La Conner School District Superintendent Will Nelson was like a student facing a big exam Monday. The administrator, hired last spring and at the helm since July 1, underwent his initial job evaluation during a one-hour executive session at the end of a special, mid-month board meeting. The board announced no action and adjourned immediately when it reconvened on Zoom. But early indications are that all went well. Nelson and board members lavished praise on one another prior to the executive session, making a lengthy review of efforts to set...
