A possible end to an era

With fresh tans and hesitation to begin homework again, students have settled back into the brightly lit hallways and got back into the groove. 

On the cusp of a new school year, the Cascade School District addressed how the beginning of the year has unraveled to reveal a successful first couple of weeks at the school board meeting. 

It was also the first school board meeting, new member Cyndi Garza attended. 

The meeting held on Monday, September 10 discussed construction updates, flyer distribution for parents and even had some special guests trickle in. 

A group of Cascade High students made a guest appearance and got to immerse themselves in the backdrop of the mechanics that keep the school district churning. The meeting opened with the students introducing themselves by their name, how long they’ve been in the school district and post-high school plans. It was a chance for the school board to rub shoulders with the students and the students to get an inside glimpse. 

John Henry, construction liaison, spoke during the meeting to give insight about construction updates and progress for the school district. Henry informed the healthy sized crowd that the athletic fields’ grass was laid recently. First phase of the high school academic wing is completed and the next phase is getting athletic wing completed along with finishing up landscaping. The temporary roof, possibly permanent roof at the high school is targeted to be done by the end of the 2018 year. The art room for the high school is also shooting to be finished between December 15 and January first. 

“I am thrilled to have two buildings go up brand new and to have the things most people are upset about be teeny, tiny, non-structural, non-safety, non-anything is pretty exciting,” said Board Member Carrie Sorensa. “And we’ve had a great job overseeing it and we’ve had great committees.”

Next on the itinerary that was notable was an influx of new hires for the district and only one resignation. Patricia Copado, Marlena Sharkey, Brenda Rojas, Dylan Morrison, Jeffery Houfek and Timothy Grosse are the new additions; whereas, former Cascade High School Assistant Softball Coach Taliyah Riddick-Waters resigned. 

Another subject area that was touched on was flyer distribution for the students. Many parents prompt their child with the standard, “How was school today?” which is usually responded with a grunt, some gossip about the mean girl two seats away in math and then volley back a question about “What’s for dinner?" Since parents don’t always get the ins and outs of what’s going on, the flyer distribution within the schools can be helpful and informative to guardians. The school board touched on the Flyer Distribution policy,  reviewing what all that entails. 

“The way the system works is if we chose to distribute flyers, then we pretty much have to do anybody that walks through the door,” said Bill Motsenbocker, superintendent. “We do have some requirements. They have to be translated to either English or Spanish."

At the elementary level, flyers are either stuffed in the backpacks or left on the counter for parents to pick up. Sometimes the flyers are just hung up as posters for people to stop and skim over if the information catches their eye. Motsenbocker noted that most parents like the elementary level style when the teacher tucks the flyer into the backpack.  This method is helpful when the student pulls out his crinkled papers and creased notebook, the flyer also appears for mom or dad to read over. 

“With it in the backpack, it usually ends up at home. This takes a lot of work; and actually, Julie and I approve them when they come through to make sure they meet our mission. Most of them are great activities — good for kids and good for families,” said Motsenbocker. “I just wanted to have the conversation. Do we really need to be the postal service for non-profits?”

Motsenbocker said if the board thinks that teachers shouldn’t double as the mail service due to the lengthy time it takes up, the policy will be tweaked to table the flyer distribution and instead stick to just leaving flyers on the counters or hung up in a poster format. 

The board then looked to Emily Ross, Peshastin-Dryden Elementary School principal, for her thoughts on the matter. 

“I’d probably would have to give it a little bit of thought,” said Ross. “As an elementary mom, I love it. I love getting it. That’s because there isn’t a different option to consider, so it does take time  — so I’d have to think about it. I know there are other options available that are more digitally based that have been successful. But we have a strong population, about 25, 35 percent that don’t have access to digital means of communication. It does take time, but I have to think about if I love it or not. As a mom, I love it.”

School Board Member  Cindy Pluckett noted that flyer distribution is easy communication between the community and posters get cluttered; whereas, Motsenbocker fell on the other end of the scale commenting on the time commitment. 

The conversation will be further discussed at a later time for a final decision on whether or not to continue with the flyer distribution as is.