Cascade School Board receives regional award, highlights Discovery School program

LEAVENWORTH — The Cascade School District (CSD) Board of Directors received a regional award during its May 26 meeting. The meeting was held at Discovery School, where staff highlighted the alternative high school program’s hands-on learning, mentorship and individualized student support.

North Central Educational Service District (NCESD) presented the board with a 2026 Regional School Board of the Year award for the category of “Clearly Defined Experiences that Benefit Other School Boards.”

NCESD said the board was recognized for “collaborative and high-performing governance model that benefits both their students and the broader educational community,” referencing its sustained excellence for four years, along with its willingness to share best practices with peer districts, such as Eastmont. It commended the board’s strong and consistent commitment to self-assessment, reflection and continuous improvement through annual retreats focused on goal setting and growth.

The meeting was held at CSD’s Discovery School, located on the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery grounds. As a learning alternative for high school students, the program includes traditional classes in a smaller group setting, self-paced classes, experiential education, job shadowing and mentorship opportunities.

“One of the most beautiful things about being out here is you get to learn the story about students. You can have up to 20 students, and so with only two teachers here, we really get to learn the story,” said Discovery teacher Travis Blue.

According to Blue, the program’s vision is to provide opportunity for all, with a goal of graduation for all, while helping students find their passion. This includes emphasis on relationship and community building, incorporating structured “unstructured time,” and providing space for students to explore their interests.

“There's a lot of time for students to choose to do things that they're passionate about,” said Blue.

The program is run in partnership between CSD and U.S. Fish and Wildlife, offering opportunities for programming and mentorships with Hatchery staff in addition to its standard high school curriculum. As a part of that partnership, the students have had access to the wood shop, where they have built adirondack chairs, shelves, and even a dulcimer, said Blue. He highlighted other projects, such as tapping maple trees to make syrup, making leather out of salmon skin from the hatchery, and building beaver dams. 

“I have a new friend who moved here, and she works on [the beaver dams]...And she was like, "Oh yeah, that program out there is awesome. The work those kids do is incredible,’” said CSD Board Chair Trey Ising.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media