Cascade School Board Meeting includes Food Services & ASB Updates

At the school board meeting held on January 10, the board recognized the unusually high snowfall that caused schools to be closed three days in a row and have a late start in order to ensure the roads and parking lots were safe for buses, students and staff. Superintendent Tracey Beckendorf-Edou thanked staff Dan Osborne, Ken Baumann, Andrew Disher, Jason O’Brien, Teresa Disher and Kenny Renner-Singer as well as Apex Construction, led by Randy McKee, and Chipman Construction, led by Lance Chipman, saying “These people did an amazing job helping our school district get ready to get kids back in school.”

The first agenda item was a presentation by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) by Jeanette Morales and Erica Romero about becoming a partnering Hispanic Serving School District (HSSD). Cascade School District would qualify because over 25% of the student population is Latinx. HACU is a national organization whose mission is to champion Hispanic success in higher education. This is accomplished through a combination of networking, resources and advocacy for policy change at the local and federal level.

There are 3471 HSSDs in the U.S., and if CSD joins HACU, it would be the first school district in the state to do so. The school board thanked Morales and Romero for their presentation and will consider membership further. Next, the board heard updates from Colin Levi, food services director. Levi explained that CSD follows the provision “Offer versus Serve,” (OFS) of the National School Lunch program and School Breakfast program. OFS is at all schools except Peshastin Dryden and allows older students to decline some food offerings in order to reduce waste.

Following Chelan Douglas Health District recommendations, the schools do not have self-service items, such as a salad bar, like in the past. Students can, however, choose condiments and a milk option. The Food Services department received high marks from the administrative review done by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). The middle school was randomly chosen for the audit. Levi’s focus on scratch cooking was lauded. The scratch cooking is enjoyed by students and staff and also has been helping the district adapt to unexpected interruptions in some product delivery due to pandemicrelated supply line issues. For the most part, Levi’s team has been able to swap unavailable products (often ordered a year in advance) with replacements.

As for utilizing local fruits and vegetables, Levi reported that they are working with Seattlebased Charlie’s Produce, which offers seasonal options. CSD no longer partners with the even-more local farmers of the county because the GAP certification and paperwork requirements are too onerous for small operations. When asked about utilizing locally gleaned produce, Levi said the district can do so, but the fall gleaning window is relatively small. The board and BeckendorfEdou thanked Levi for his meticulous efforts and passion for food and scratch cooking. The superintendent read the governor’s proclamation recognizing January as School Board Appreciation Month. Each board member received a certificate of appreciation for their “vital service to our community.” Kindergarten classes also created thank you posters for the school board to enjoy.

Several high school students, including Olivia Cappellini, Carly Ostrom and Britni Harris, gave a presentation about the Association Student Body (ASB) activities. After relatively low ASB activity during remote and hybrid education, the ASB is reenergized with thrice monthly meetings. ASB is credited with a very successful Homecoming dance in the fall, adapting it to health safety requirements by holding it outside and receiving a large student body turnout. The ASB is planning a Family Gala fundraising event in the spring (when omicron is no longer a threat) for families of K-5th grade students. There will be activity booths, a dance floor and a photo booth. All funds raised will go toward the Senior ASB fund. Board chair Trey Ising asked these students how the year has been going.

Cappellini said, “There have been some hurdles as we adjust to going back to ‘normal.’ But adapting and getting things accomplished has felt great.” CHS vice principal Rudy Joya praised the ASB officers, saying, “They’re go-getters. They’re always ready to meet and are helping make positive change at the school.” Kenny Renner-Singer, principal of Alpine Lakes Elementary and Beaver Valley School, explained the process of naming the new soccer pitch at Beaver Valley, which will be completed by fall 2022, assuming some grant funding comes through.

A survey went out to staff and parents for suggestions, with the understanding that it can be named for a locally or federally prominent person who has been deceased for over five years or it can be named for a geographical feature. A committee will present the top 3-5 names to the school board, which will vote on the name at the next meeting. There were a few personnel items on the agenda, and then board discussed the annual superintendent evaluation process. Each board member will collect data and interview staff affiliated with various district departments. They will then compile the responses and discuss the results with Beckendorf-Edou in the early spring.

The superintendent is on a three-year contract. However, each year the board determines whether they will offer a contract extension for the next year. Finally, the board congratulated Beckendorf-Edou in her new role as president of the North Central Washington Superintendent Group. Beckendorf-Edou also thanked nurses and administrators for working diligently to keep schools safe during the omicron surge. And she shared a thank you card from the Fowl Run 5k organizers for some district assistance. The 5k, which happened on Thanksgiving, raised $3400 which was divided for the CHS tennis team and Upper Valley MEND.