New Year, New Opportunities! 

2020 has lots of excitement in store for students, staff, and our Wishram School community.

From the Superintendent:

Hello everyone, and thank you for taking the time to read our monthly newsletter. This is a fabulous opportunity to hear about the great things going on at Wishram School District #94, and stay current on upcoming events. This submission is going to be based entirely upon our upcoming school levy initiative. In February of 2018, the community of Wishram approved the first school levy in recent memory. With the funds obtained from that initiative, we have been able to hire a full- time counselor, full-time CTE instructor, and have continued to support our athletic programming. These crucial funds help ensure that we can continue to provide a comprehensive educational experience for our students at Wishram.

With the social emotional needs of students reaching limits never before seen in public education, the hiring of a full-time school counselor was a blessing for our district. Since her hiring, Ms. Ashley Blodgett has provided many necessary services for our students. Ms. Ashley has taken on the role of testing coordinator for the PSAT/SAT/ASVAB assessments, and has worked tirelessly to prepare our students for those crucial examinations. She assists students in filling out the FAFSA, and applying for and enrolling within post secondary institutions, and as a result, our post secondary enrollment numbers have increased dramatically! She teaches our Seniors course, in which all 12th grade students learn essential skills like perseverance, career exploration, money management, and much more. The levy funds obtained by the generous taxpayers of the community of Wishram support her position, and the passage of our levy would help ensure that her position is retained for the foreseeable future.

This year, our secondary students have had the opportunity to participate in CTE (Career and Technical Education) programming for the first time in quite a few years. Wishram School District #94 had the pleasure of retaining the services of Mr. Dave DeVoe, who is a certificated CTE instructor with years of experience to come and share his expertise with our Wishram students. To date students have created birdhouses, cutting boards, shelving, and coffee tables (to name a few). He has also written several grants aimed at increasing our course offerings to include welding, plasma cutting, and small engines in the near future. With a renovation of our shop facility coming in the near future, our district is poised to provide essential programming in the trades that will help our students succeed on levels not possible before hiring Mr. DeVoe. This is another area that levy funds help support, and those resources are essential to the continued success of the CTE program. 

Athletic participation has long been a source of pride for Wishram School District. A recent study reported that over 80% of our secondary students participate in at least one sport, with over 60% participating in three sports. Athletics are a foundational component to providing a comprehensive K-12 experience to our students, and we believe that sports participation helps students obtain skills that are very difficult to develop otherwise. The funds approved by the Wishram community help support our transportation efforts to and from Lyle, and without those resources, we would be very limited in what we could provide to our student athletes.

While the three areas mentioned previously aren’t an exhaustive list of what our levy helps support, they are the most crucial for our districts continued success. With the ballots set to come out in early February, we just wanted to reach out and explain in detail what your support means to our school. As a brief reminder, the initiative on your ballot is asking that you approve or deny the same amount as our previous levy, meaning that your property taxes will receive no additional increase if the levy is passed, and this levy would be approved for the next four (4) school years. Thank you so much for all that you do for our students, staff, and greater community, none of our success could be possible without you. If you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. The best is yet to come!

- Mr. Mike Roberts

Superintendent/Principal

Wishram School District #94

‘TistheSeason!

For giving, sharing, and counting our blessings here at Wishram.

From the Superintendent:

Hello everyone, and thank you for taking the time to read our monthly newsletter.

     We have many exciting things going on at Wishram School District #94, and it’s a pleasure to have this avenue to share these items with the greater Wishram community. We have some exciting grant funding news pertaining to our newly created CTE (Career and Technical Education) program. Also, we want to share some information regarding the continuation of our essential school levy coming up for vote in February, and last but certainly not least we want to talk about a wonderful opportunity that we were fortunate to be able to take advantage of through our generous community members responsible for bringing us a fantastic musical performance that was enjoyed equally by students and staff. There is never a dull moment at Wishram School, and it wouldn’t be possible without our community’s support!

     Our CTE teacher, Mr. Dave DeVoe, hit the ground running by filling out numerous grants in addition to the paperwork required to establish the pathways necessary to substantiate our programming, and was able to acquire over $20,000 for new equipment for our facility! This is going to make a tremendous difference in the type of programming that we are going to be able to provide to our students in the future. With students already in the process of making birdhouses, shelving, cutting boards and more, it’s exciting to imagine what else is going to be possible with the newly acquired funding. Great job, Mr. DeVoe!

     It’s hard to believe that it’s already time to begin discussing our levy again, but here we are, and your ballots will be in the mail for the February election. We have been extremely fortunate to utilize those additional funds to provide a full-time counselor for our students, as well as provide support to the CTE program, and offset some of the transportation costs for our activities. The levy that you will be voting on is unchanged from the levy that is already in place, so no additional cost to the taxpayer will be incurred should the levy be renewed. If you have questions about the levy, please don’t hesitate to contact the school directly. A community levy meeting will be scheduled for mid-to-late January, so please plan to attend.

     Patti Blagg and other generous supporters from our community donated funds to bring us a musical performance by a band titled “Birch and the Gin Joints”. This was a tremendous opportunity for our students and staff to get a taste of the arts, and enjoy music performed by an exceptional group of musicians. The music ranged from original compositions to classic hits. They provided the students with knowledge about the various instruments being played, as well as allowing them the opportunity to share their passion for music. Being a rural and remote school district, it isn’t too often that our students are able to participate in activities like this, so a big thank you needs to go out to Patti and the members of the pinochle club for making events like these possible!

     In closing, I again have to say how proud I am to serve as the superintendent of such a great school district. The work that we have the privilege of carrying out for our students, parents, and community is truly an honor, and being able to watch the daily progress being made throughout every facet of our district provides us with a sense of accomplishment that would be difficult to match elsewhere. In a recent legislative meeting, an elected official commented that “Wishram School District #94 is doing the most with the least, and they need to be commended for their efforts.” It’s a pleasure to come here each day and do the most for our students, parents, and community members. Thank you all, and the best is yet to come!

-Mike Roberts

Superintendent/Principal

Wishram School District #94

OneDown,Three to Go...

As the first quarter ends, Wishram School is full-steam ahead!

From the Superintendent:

Hello again, Wishram community!

It’s hard to believe that we are already coming to the end of the first quarter of the 2019/2020 school year. As always, it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to keep you posted on some of the tremendous things going on at Wishram School. Our CTE classes have gotten off to a great start, and we have some pretty fantastic projects being completed. We held our annual Homecoming events which included special spirit dress-up days, as well as our first trunk or treat event, and our students were able to participate in PSAT and SAT testing on campus this month. There is never a shortage of activities within our district, and we love to share brief highlights with our supportive community.

Our new CTE (Career and Technical Education) courses are currently being enjoyed by all 6th through 12th grade students. To date, students have had the opportunity to build shelving, boxes, and birdhouses at the direction of our newly hired CTE teacher, Mr. David DeVoe. It has been quite an experience watching the excitement our students display at being able to develop new skills and talents in the workshop, and we feel like this provides our students with essential skills necessary for them to take away from their K-12 experience here at Wishram.

Homecoming spirit week was exceptionally lively this year with dress-up days including pajamas, color wars, wacky clothing, costumes, and school team spirit day. Each day was eagerly anticipated by students and staff at Wishram School, and we had many individuals participate. The week culminated with a pep assembly for the big football game. The Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat Cougars were able to pull down the win against Tekoa/Rosalia, and Alaura McCullough and Blake Kostrach were crowned Homecoming Queen and King. During this busy week, we also held a trunk-or-treat event on Halloween to provide the community with a safe and fun trick-or-treating experience. There were lots of spooky costumes and many decorated cars. Thank you to everyone for your donations and assistance in making this trunk-or-treat a successful event for everyone!

On an academic note, some 10th-grade students, and all 11th and 12th-grade students had the opportunity to participate in our PSAT and SAT day at Wishram School. In times past, our students have had to commute to take this examination at a neighboring district, but due to new state legislation, we have the ability to hold testing at our own school site. This required faculty members like Ms. Ashley Blodgett and Mrs. Kadee Hilton to become certified to provide these examinations, but they were happy 1 to oblige to provide our students with this unique and beneficial experience.

Overall, things at Wishram School are off to an exemplary start this school year. Students are gaining essential content and skill mastery, and we’ve never been able to offer more programming than we are currently. Each day, we continue to provide an educational experience that is built upon high expectations, consistency, and character-building, and that makes up the Wishram difference. The best is yet to come.

-Mike Roberts

Superintendent/Principal Wishram

School District #94

And We’re Off! 

The 2019-2020 School Year Has Begun at Wishram School

     The 2019-2020 School Year Has Begun at Wishram School From the Superintendent: Hello everyone, and welcome back to another school year at Wishram School District #94! Even though the school year is barely a month old, we have many great things to share with you. First, we were fortunate enough to have Governor Jay Inslee stop by and visit with our certificated and administrative staff on September 18, 2019. Our annual Open House was held on September 4, 2019, and our CTE programming is up and running for the 2019/2020 school year. There is never a shortage of exciting news to share about our wonderful school district, and we are honored to serve our students, staff, and community every day.

     The Governor and First Lady of Washington State made an unprecedented impromptu visit to Wishram School District #94 last month. The Governor was interested in seeing how small schools like ours operate, and he and the First Lady were very impressed with everything we are able to offer our students. The First Lady commented on her personal Facebook page regarding her visit, saying that our staff was both “inspirational” and our success as a district “a testament to the hard work and dedication of Wishram Staff.” The Governor provided a brief Q & A session in which staff was able to voice some concerns of the inequities of school funding, and other issues pertaining to small schools. The visit was a success, and provided us with the opportunity to show how Wishram sets itself apart from schools across the state regarding achievement, culture, and character.

     Our annual Open House event was held last month, and it was well attended by parents/guardians, students, and community members. Root beer floats were provided, and this was a fantastic opportunity for families to come visit with the individuals who will be working with their students this school year. We look forward to these events as we try to employ more avenues for a connection to our families and the greater Wishram community.

     At long last, CTE (Career and Technical Education) is available for secondary students at Wishram School! After the long-awaited arrival of our school counselor in 2018/2019, the opportunity presented itself to create a CTE program to further assist all of our students in obtaining essential skills that are vital to the ever-changing job market. Mr. Dave DeVoe comes to us with a wealth of experience in Washington and Idaho as a CTE instructor. Thus far we have courses in Architecture and Construction, Cabinet and Mill Work, and Computer Skills, with the opportunity to add more programming in the near future! 

     In closing, I have to say that the future is bright and the possibilities are endless here at Wishram School District #94. We are extremely fortunate to have the ability to work with some of the finest students, staff, parents, and community members in the entire state of Washington. It is a pleasure to serve as your Superintendent/Principal, and as always, the best is yet to come. Go Wishram! 

Mike Roberts

Superintendent/Principal

Wishram School District #94 

     Hello Everyone, my name is Mike Roberts, and I am the Superintendent/Principal of Wishram School District #94. My wife and I moved to the Gorge in 2015 shortly after I accepted my position here. We are a small, rural district that sits on the Columbia River Gorge. We currently have 72 students enrolled in grades Pre-K-12. Our students enjoy many of the same courses, activities, and experiences as they would if they attended a large comprehensive school district.

     In Wishram, I have found a school district that is dedicated to educating the whole student. We have the opportunity to really get to know each of our students, and watch them grow up, sometimes from age 3 to 18, and that is a tremendously beneficial circumstance. Since I started here, we have been able to accomplish some wonderful goals.

     Through tireless efforts from our students and staff we have collected every missing assignment since the 2015/2016 school year. We have been able to create a fully online Running Start Program for our high school Juniors and Seniors, and we have an athletic participation rate of 82% in our secondary student population. At Wishram School, we are dedicated to maximizing educational outcomes for all learners, and we are willing to do whatever it takes to guide our students to personal and professional success.

-Mike Roberts

Superintendent/Principal

Wishram School District #94