, ,

Camas School District Faces $3.2 Million Budget Deficit — This Year

Camas, WA — At Monday’s Camas School Board Meeting, Jason McEathron, Director of Business Services for the Camas School District (CSD), addressed the $3.2 million budget deficit the district faces in this current school year, and his plans to form a budget committee to resolve the issue.

“The anticipated budget deficit is $3,212,141 by end of this school year,” said McEathron. “Expenditures are also trending above our initial budget. Labor costs are higher than expected at $4.9 million.”

He said the fiscal issues are primarily a result of the new funding model mandated by the State Legislature — issues that CSD has been open about for months.

Other contributing factors are headcount (which is 2.7 percent higher than budgeted) and Running Start (which is 25.5 percent higher than budgeted).

CSD warned in August that a 3.1 percent teacher pay raise would create deficits, and likely cause layoffs in 2-3 years. Teachers received 9.3 – 12.6 percent pay increases in their negotiated settlement, which last for two years.

At the time, Camas Education Association (CEA) negotiator, Mark Gardner, called it “a scare tactic by the District.” CSD Superintendent Dr. Jeff Snell defended the numbers and has been meeting with schools and the public for months alerting them of the projected deficit. The new funding model cuts the CDS levying capacity by 50 percent, which will result in a nearly $5 million loss within 12 months.

McEathron said expenditures currently outpace revenues, but this is typical during start-up of a new school year. A full end-year report is due by the end of this week.

“We are looking for other areas to sharpen the pencil to adjust the budget,” said McEathron. “We will work to shrink the deficit down. We can’t dip into fund balance because that’s not sustainable.”

To address the deficit, McEathron is creating a public budget committee.

“So, we really want to have a budget committee that involves stakeholders,” said McEathron. “Let’s shed the light on this and let’s work together as a community. We will do this together.”

He said other similar districts across the state are dealing with these same issues. The state is currently $600-900 million short of fully funding education statewide, and that will hit in the 2019-20 school year.

The district will be on the front end of dealing with the state budget, and will work with OPSI, the Governor’s office, and the Legislature, which McEathron said is dealing with a McCleary hangover.

State Representative Brandon Vick, LD-18, responded to the issue in a private interview at the Camas Youth Advisory Council Candidate (CYAC) Candidate Forum.

“The Legislature feels we’ve done our job by fully funding education as mandated by the Supreme Court,” said Vick. “There isn’t much appetite right now to address this. I voted against the bigger McCleary law because I knew it would cause this problem, but I did vote for the fix, which we passed earlier this year.”

About 30 minutes later, Vick publicly said the following at the forum:

“We dealt with McCleary. I voted against the first law. McCleary is a big bill. Does McCleary get the job done? The answer is yes. This was a very good piece of legislation. I think what we did made a lot of sense. We funded McCleary to those salary numbers that were recommended.”

Candidates at the forum were asked about McCleary, and several citizens responded afterward that they wished the candidates for the State offices would have had more to say about the issues the legislation is causing.

McEathron expects to have the CSD budget committee started in November.

 

Deficit

CSD is forming a special Budget Committee to address a $3.2 million deficit.

/0 Comments/by
, , ,

Artist Jeffs: Completed 6 Murals in Puerto Rico; Sees Hurricane Recovery

San Juan, Puerto Rico — Camas mural artist, Allan Jeffs, has just completed a monthlong series of major projects in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. He was hired to create six murals at multiple locations, and is now back in Mill Town taking some off to rejuvenate.

He painted three murals at an Old San Juan restaurant, called El Punto Café, which represented various aspects and history of the island, and Valparaiso, this article’s featured image, is a landscape mural of Chile.

Following that project he traveled to Aibonito, and painted two murals — one at a mountain top Italian restaurant, called Fiore — and the other at a private home owned by Peter Matina. At Fiore, he painted a large 15-foot wide pheasant, which symbolizes elegance to Fiore’s owner.

He the left the mountains, and returned to Old San Juan to paint one mural, and a little painting at the residence of Dr. German Ramirez.

“I love it when the clients are pleased with my work,” said Jeffs. “That’s the most important thing.”

His days were long, often spending 10-14 hours creating the murals while on his feet.

Call 360.696.9877

“I’m really tired,” said Jeffs. “My body hurts. I’ve been home for five days now, and my hands still hurt. I was on my feet all day long, and one day I walked 18,000 steps in the same wall. I’m satisfied with the work.

The clients knew what they wanted, but Jeffs had creative license to create each masterpiece using his talent and imagination. He spent time designing each mural, and each result is almost identical to the original specifications.

He said even though Puerto Rico was severely damaged by last year’s hurricane, he sees many signs of recovery.

“After the hurricane, they are starting to recover,” said Jeffs. “It was horrible there for many months, but nature is coming back, and people are rebuilding their community, and they are preparing for the next hurricane by improving the electrical grid, and using alternative sources of energy, such as solar. They’re getting prepared.

“I saw a lot of progress. There are a lot of people creating art and fashion. The restaurants are getting better and better. Electricity is there full-time in most of the country, but there are still some areas struggling with electrical problems. Puerto Rico has a lot of problems, but they are starting to become better than before. It’s something that you feel. Schools are in session. I think it’s better than what you hear in the news, but they do have a lot of problems with government. I was surprised because everything is getting better, and there are a lot of possibilities there.”

He said the rain forest was severely harmed, and many areas have been closed, and are now starting to open up.

“It’s a great place again for tourism,” said Jeffs. “The prices are very low for airfare to San Juan. It’s hot, it’s a Caribbean island, but it’s a great time to travel there.”

To learn more, go www.AllanJeffs.com

Photo Gallery

 

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Lacamas Magazine is Officially on Apple News! A New Option to Get Updates

Camas, WA — Lacamas Magazine is officially part of Apple News!

What does this mean? Well, each time we post an article from our main website, www.LacamasMagazine.com, and if you subscribe to Apple News (and us) you will receive automatic updates through your Apple News feed. The service is available to consumers who use iPhones, iPads, iMacs, etc.

To sign up, do the following:

  1. Go to this link: Lacamas Magazine on Apple News — Or click on the Apple News App on your device.
  2. In the Search Field, type “Lacamas Magazine.”
  3. Then click on the heart icon to subscribe. It’s that simple!

As we continue to grow — thanks to viewers like — this new endeavor helps expand our presence and reach, and puts us in line with local news cycles from other news outlets like Fox12, OregonLive.com, and many others.

We appreciate all the work by our business partner, Ransom Collective. Please provide feedback.

We are also in Pilot for Google News for our Android users, and will have more information about that in about eight weeks.

 

Apple

Access via iPhone.

About Us

LACAMAS MAGAZINE was launched in 2012 driven by our passion for journalistic excellence seeking real stories about real people. We’ve interviewed mayors, state representatives, a Chamber of Commerce President, CEOs, school principals, city councilors, teachers, athletes, students, pastors, and kids! We’ve discovered fascinating accounts of triumph and tragedy, stamina and strength, hard work, and determination.

We endeavor to share your stories and to publish original and compelling features. With the rise of social media, information has become a recycling of content. We are determined to pursue a higher path.

/0 Comments/by
,

Humane Society for SW Washington Announces 4 Major Initiatives

Portland, OR — At their annual Fall Luncheon at the Red Lion Jantzen Beach Hotel, the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW) heard from several key speakers and announced four major initiatives.

The event Emcee was HSSW Board Chair, Kim Capeloto, and the program featured Fritz Graham, of Senator Ron Wyden’s office; Jeff Brant, of Legacy Vet (and co-founder of Banfield Pet Hospital); HSSW President Stacey Graham; and Vancouver City Councilor, Alishia Topper. The fundraiser event featured an elegant lunch, a raffle, and a splendidly decorated theme  — A Walk in the Park.

Brant said the region is doing well at placing pets in homes, and that HSSW is Top 20 in the nation with pet placement.

Graham said that HSSW is receiving 1,200 calls per month, of which 60 percent were focused on local residents inquiring on how to best keep their animals in their homes. Graham also made news by announcing four new HSSW initiatives.

Those initiatives are:

  • Partnering with neighboring humane societies for essential services
  • Creating a new Call Center
  • Creating a Behavior Resource Center
  • Opening a veterinary clinic for low-income seniors and families

Graham said working with neighboring humane societies will assist greatly with “veterinary care, community outreach, development, strategic planning, finance management, and volunteer training so that we all meet the same standard of care so that more animals in SW Washington will go home to families, and stay with families.”

The Call Center will help HSSW manage their high volume of calls more efficiently. The Behavior Resource Center will be a resource to help behaviorally challenged cats and dogs.

“The Behavior Resource Center for both dogs and cats will be for people who have behavioral problems with their dogs and cats,” said Graham. “They can come for training, they can come for coaching. We’ll have classes and have experts on staff that will work with shelter animals and with owned pets and animals.”

The veterinary clinic is to help pets that live with low-income seniors and families.

Topper shared a story about visiting a home of a senior whose cat had a major tumor. They found the resources to treat the cat and return her to her home. The new veterinary clinic will help those families.

The end of the program featured a fun raffle, and guests were encouraged to make donations to HSSW so the organization can focus on one goal: Keep people + dogs + cats together as families.

To learn more, visit www.southwesthumane.org

Event Photo Gallery

 

/0 Comments/by
,

Camas Mayor Pro Tem Issues “Red Ribbon Week” Proclamation — Starts October 23

Camas, WA — At Monday’s Camas City Council Meeting, Mayor Pro Tem, Don Chaney declared the week of October 23-October 31 “Red Ribbon Week,” to bring awareness and support to the fight against drugs. The Lewis and Clark Young Marines were presented the proclamation, after which they handed out red ribbons attached to cards asking citizens to wear the ribbons for the remainder of the month.

Here is the full text of Chaney’s proclamation:

“WHEREAS, communities across America have been plagued by the numerous problems associated with illicit drug use and those that traffic in them; and

“WHEREAS, there is hope in winning the war on drugs, and that hope lies in education and drug demand reduction, coupled with the hard work and determination of organizations such as the Lewis and Clark Young Marines of the Marine Corps League to foster a healthy, drug-free lifestyle; and

“WHEREAS, governments and community leaders know that citizen support is one of the most effective tools in the effort to reduce the use of illicit drugs in our communities; and

Ribbon

Red ribbons are being handed out to citizens.

“WHEREAS, the red ribbon has been chosen as a symbol commemorating the work of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent who was murdered in the line of duty, and represents the belief that one person can make a difference; and

“WHEREAS, the Red Ribbon Campaign was established by Congress in 1988 to encourage a drug-free lifestyle and involvement in drug prevention and reduction efforts; and

“WHEREAS, October 23-31, 2018, has been designated National Red Ribbon Week, which encourages Americans to wear a red ribbon to show their support for a drug-free environment;

“NOW THEREFORE, I, Don Chaney, Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Camas, do hereby proclaim October 23-31 , 2018, as: “Red Ribbon Week” in the City of Camas, and urge all citizens to join me in this special observance.”

To learn more, visit www.LCYM.org

/0 Comments/by
, ,

State Superintendent Pushes For Capital Gains Tax To Remedy Deficits

Washington state Superintendent Chris Reykdal announced a capital gains tax in his 2019-21 budget Tuesday, which addresses the funding gyrations and looming budget deficits in many districts across the state as a result of the new public school funding model.

Capital

Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal.

His proposal includes additional funding for students with special needs, nurses and dual language programs, which have historically been unfunded by the state, requiring local districts to implement levies.

“Our students deserve an education system that does not allow opportunity gaps to persist,” Reykdal said in a statement. “That can only happen if our system provides equitable opportunities and individual learning pathways for each student.”

Reykdal’s budget proposal is funded by an 8 percent long-term capital gains tax that would raise $1 billion annually. His goal is to reduce the state property tax by 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. This would affect approximately 53,000 households. Single filers who earn $25,000 from capital gains annually or couples who make more than $50,000 will be taxed.

Jewelry

www.michaelnutterjewelry.com

Would it affect sales of residences? No, said Reykdal.

The objective is to reduce the burden on homeowners so school districts can increase levies as they’ve done in the past.

The state legislature, in their response to the McCleary Supreme Court decision, capped the amount of levy money schools could collect to whichever was less: $2,500 per student or $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value. This decision reduced Camas School District levy capacity by 50 percent, and is a chief cause of projected CSD deficits. Districts all over the state are dealing with similar issues, which Reykdal readily admits.

“Without critical changes, the reduction in levies will leave some districts in a very tough financial situation,” Reykdal said in a statement.

The rest of the capital gains tax would go towards these public school funding areas:

  • $150 million for special education
  • $46 million for mentoring and professional learning
  • $45 million for career and technical education
  • $38 million for institutional education
  • $38 million for counselors
  • $20 million for dual credit programs
  • $14 million for dual language programs
  • $13 million for nurses
  • $13 million for mental health and school safety
  • $10 million for expanded learning opportunities
  • $9 million for family and community coordinators

Reykdal’s plans has critics from both Republicans and Democrats.

“The capital gains tax is basically an income tax,” said Clark County Assessor, Peter Van Nortwick. “If we have one Fisher Investments will be gone. You let a new tax in and it expands. The State brings enough in sales and other taxes.”

Retiring State Representative Liz Pike thinks it’s a terrible idea that tries to fix bad legislation with more bad legislation.

”School districts should not have given raises they had no way to pay for,” said Pike. “It was financially irresponsible. I’ve said all along the WEA orchestrated these strikes with Democrat operatives in order to justify a new state income tax. The Capital Gains Tax proposed by OSPI Reykdal is a back door to a new state income tax.”

The capital gains tax was floated by Governor Inslee two years ago, and most recently by House Democrats in this last budget cycle.

“I’m opposed to any new tax structure,” said candidate Larry Hoff, a Republican who is running for the 18th Legislative District, Position 2 seat. “McCleary needs to be fully implemented prior to suggesting that major changes are necessary.”

Hoff’s opponent is also against the capital gains tax.

“I’m disappointed in his proposal,” said Kathy Gillespie, a Democrat who is running for the open 18th, Position 2 Legislative District seat. “It ignores the huge property tax increase passed in 2017 and also ignores the levy swipe contained in that deal. After a summer of strikes and sky-high property tax bills to boot, I don’t think taxpayers will have an appetite for another ‘fix’. The idea has been around for a while. It’s not new, and it’s still a bad idea.”

 

 

 

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Lukens: Actor Reflects on Summer Theatre Experience; Looks Forward to “Macbeth”

As he prepares for his starring role in the upcoming Camas Theatre production of “Macbeth,” which opens November 8, Camas, WA actor Clayton Lukens reflects on his summer theatrical experience at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Lukens was accepted into the Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute, which is a four-week summer program full show intensive for young actors. This summer, they produced “Tuck Everlasting.”

“You do a full production,” said Lukens. “Some other camps are about workshops, and this is about doing a full-scale production. We arrived and the first day we all go find our houses and the boys are housed in the colored cottages. They placed all the girls in a mansion. The first day we all walked to the beach together and we start in a circle to talk about our goals and what we are able to bring to the team.”

Each summer session has 25 students, plus the crew program with about eight youth, the institute staff and the director, Joe Barros, who has worked on Broadway several times.

“He’s [Barros] is always doing big, big projects,” said Lukens. “He always likes to switch things up.”

Being accepted into the program was a dream come true for Lukens, who found out in March he was accepted into the $6,000 camp — but he’d already been saving his money for about a year.

During application time, he filled out the basics and sent a video audition of him singing and dancing.

“And, so I brought out a friend who choreographed a dance for me,” Lukens said. “Her name is Grace Thompson. I signed my application, and was just doing Little Shop rehearsals and I was waiting. We found out March 16, which was opening day for Little Shop. The whole day I had my Chromebook open in the corner and kept refreshing. I got the email that said I was accepted. I’d been wanting to do this for over a year, and then they placed us all in a Facebook Group. We all got to know each other before we went. It was a virtual audtion process.”

The summer institute had much to do about chemistry with other people, and he was called back for two characters: Jesse Tuck, and Man in Yellow Suit. The whole plot is this family drinks the water and now will never die.

“They learn lessons that life is valuable, and some point you have to get off the wheel so others can experience it,” said Lukens. “I ended up playing Man in Yellow Suit. He wants to monopolize on the water. I was double cast, and then I played ensemble second weekend. That was hard. You have to learn two roles.”

He said the first challenge was having to memorize everything off-book before arrival, which was rough for the “in-the-moment” learner that Lukens is.

Theatre

On the set of “Tuck Everlasting.”

The institute program is pretty tough, with 9-13 hour rehearsal days, every day.

“We spend our time choreographing every scene, learning the music, learning the harmonies,” he said. “We do that for the first two weeks, and it’s very exhausting. We did this seven days a week with only two days off. On those days off, we went to Savannah, and then went to the beach on Hilton Head.”

By the time they got to opening day, he said the team felt very prepared and that they all became really good friends.

The teens did six performances in total, with each lasting 1 hour and 40 minutes — which is a short time for a musical.

“Joe completely reinvented the show,” Lukens said. “It’s very different from what appeared on Broadway. The play flopped on Broadway, so Joe fixed the dents. He incorporated 126 umbrellas into the whole show. It was amazing!”

Breaking umbrellas was a real problem.

So, what did Lukens learn the most from this?

“I think I learned that the biggest part is interpretation,” said Lukens. “It can be funny, and wild and weird, but deep down you have to be a person that the audience can relate to. They taught me how to get deeper into the character. A lot of people can fake it on stage, but making it an actual character so that he feels like a person.”

“Kris Saucedo played Tuck. He went to the program last summer, so I found him on Instagram and he’d been to the institute previously, and he had been helping promote the program. We became really great friends. The set design was amazing. It was the best set I’ve ever stepped on to. They had these umbrellas in the sky, and we had lots of trap doors on the stage. One time I sat in the trap door for four hours while reading a book. It was totally fine to listen.”

“It took us that whole year to save up for it. It was the best experience I’ve ever had with theatre. You’re just in a group of people that all want to do the same things you do. There are some days when you’re with someone for 13 hours, and you want to snap — you get so exhausted. For sure, we had our different groups, but it was just a crazy community to be around. Time moves differently there. It’s its own little world.”

Theatre

Man in Yellow Suit, played by Clayton Lukens.

To be considered for the program, you have to be in high school —as a rising freshman up to a recently graduated senior.

Ben Wolfe started the program, which has flourished through the years. He contributes so much, said Lukens, and he gives everything to that company.

One of the original producers came to the show, and the original Jessie Tuck came and did a Master Class. His name is Andrew Keenan-Bolger. He’s a big broadway celebrity.

“Clayton is an outstanding young man filled with a joy and energy that makes every room he enters a little bit brighter,” said Wolfe. “We loved working with him this summer.”
`
Go to www.summertheatreinstitute.com to learn more.

Photo Gallery

Photos by Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Camas Youth Group Preparing for Upcoming Candidate Forum

Camas, WA — Camas High School and members of the Camas Youth Advisory Council (CYAC) are preparing their 16th annual Candidate Forum, which will take place on Monday, October 22 at 7 pm in the Camas High School Theatre. The public is invited and your participation is encouraged.

CYAC is a Camas High School organization dedicated to educating students and others about the politics taking place in Camas and throughout our community.

“We are sure that you are aware that the national, state, and local elections will soon be upon us, and we encourage you to become involved with CYAC’s sixteenth annual Candidate Forum held at the Camas High School auditorium,” said CYAC in a statement. “The Candidate Forum is a great way for members of the community to hear the opinions and ideas of their political representatives. In past years, we have had many influential candidates attend the forum, which has been significantly beneficial to aiding voters in the decision-making process.”

This year, the forum is bringing together candidates running for the following seats: U.S. Representative for Washington’s 3r​d​ District; Washington State Representatives from the 18th​ District, positions 1 2; and County Commissioner for District 3.

The council is expecting to have the participation of Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, her opponent, Carolyn Long; State Representative Brandon Vick, his opponent, Chris Tobaben (running for 18th LD, position 1); Larry Hoff and Kathy Gillespie (running for 18th LD, position 2, a seat which is currently being held the retiring, Liz Pike; as well as Eric Holt and Eileen Quiring (running for Clark County Commissioner).

 

/0 Comments/by
,

Camas Girls Swim Team Wins Kelso Invitational; Breaks Meet Record

Kelso, WA — The Camas Girls Swim Team won the Kelso Invitational Saturday, and set a new meet record along the way.

”We broke the meet record in the 200 Free Relay,” said Camas swimmer, Bailey Segall. “We were only .2 off of the state time and are planning on getting it shortly. We were all really trying to pump each other up and we all swam very well.”

Their time was 1:43.91, and broke the record set five years ago. The 200 Free Relay team included Paeton Lesser, Bailey Segall, Hope Yim, and Kristina Perian.

“We really wanted to get the state time because we were about two seconds away and we gave it our best shot,” said Hope Yim. “We will continue to work hard and hopefully break the pool record!”

Swim

www.VancouverLaserSkinCareClinic.com

Here are the results from several events:

200 Free
-1st Bailey Segall
-4th Hope Yim

200 IM
-2nd Paeton Lesser
3rd Lily Seitz (Wash)

50 Free
-2nd Kristina Perian
-5th Mia Kamenko

100 Fly
-4th Lily Seitz (Wash)

100 Free
-2nd Paeton Lesser
-4th Bailey Segall
-5th Hope Yim

500 Free
-1st Grace Benjamin
– 5th Audrey Hinchliff

100 Back
-2nd Mia Kamenko
-4th Madi O’Neal

Camas also placed first in the 400 Free Relay swim event with Grace Benjamin, Mia Kamenko, Kate Gerstler, and Jessica Bretz.

“This year we are just very lucky to have a great group of girls,” said Lesser. “Everyone is very encouraging, and I feel very fortunate to be on a relay with them.”

The girls will keep going after the state cut in the 200 Free Relay.

“Bailey pumped everyone up before the race,” said Perian. “I believe that we all performed the best we could for our team.”

“We are very fortunate to have such an amazing group of girls extending well past the relay,” said Segall. “We had decided we wanted to make the cut, both for us and for our team. More importantly we wanted to swim the best that we could. We were all hyping each other up both in the warm up pool and behind the blocks. The majority of our team was there encouraging us and cheering us on. We all swam fantastic and every single girl on the relay gave it her all. I am so excited to be apart of such a fantastic and enthusiastic team and relay. I can’t wait to see what we can all accomplish.”

Photos by Kristie Greenwood.

Swim

The Camas High School Girls swim team.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Washougal: Kindness Matters, Students Honor Parkland Shooting Victims

Vancouver, WA — At their annual ESD 112 Principals’ Meeting, a group of Washougal students presented the results of their April Kindness campaign, which was done to honor victims of February’s Parkland shooting massacre, and to remind people to treat each other with respect.

The five students, who attend Washougal High School, representing the Unite! Washougal Youth Community Coalition, reported on the origins of the campaign, its activities, and its statistical results.

ShaylaRae Tyner explained the campaign’s origins, which are rooted in this writer’s relationship with Ryan Petty, whose daughter, Alaina, was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

“The editor [at Lacamas Magazine] had a personal connection with the Parkland incident, and he wrote an article, which later led our mayor [Molly Coston] make April the month of kindness, which brought kindness into our community and into our schools.”

Kindness

http://tvc.org/meet-jen

Leaders of the Unite! Washougal Youth Community Coalition reacted to the mayor’s proclamation and created a special kindness campaign that had significant local impact.

”We created a project called Kindness Week for our school and community to promote thoughtfulness and care,” said Amara Farah. “We created three major goals with this opportunity and we wanted to promote positive action and give people a reason to smile. We wanted to create some source of community after the Parkland impact, and our Mayor declared April Kindness month and we wanted to include the entire community by providing fun activities and random acts of kindness.”

Over the course of a few weeks, the group created a series of fun lunchtime activities designed to get people connected and to put kindness at the forefront of their daily lives.

”From the first day to the last we only saw an increase in participation,” said Rachel Lyall. “With our school principal saying in a time in our society when the norm is to criticize and blame, kindness week modeled the complete opposite.”

Chloe Connors said the activities included a compliment battle, and at Friday’s meeting the students showed the principals a brief skit on how the compliment battle worked, where students tried to out do compliments with each other. The also reported on their kindness boards where people wrote good thoughts. The team created hula hoop competitions that became quite popular. Students filled out smile grams to lift each other up — which increased over the campaign.

Kindness

The team honored the students and teachers who were killed and injured in the February Parkland, FL shooting.

There was great enthusiasm from fellow students about continuing these types of activities throughout the year. WHS does plan to continue these kindness campaigns, and Kurtis Villareal said they witnessed groups of kids who never spoke to one another start to open up and communicate.

Villareal reported on the statistical findings before and after the campaign.

”We sent out a survey at the beginning of our kindness week, and at the end because we wanted to know if our students at WHS thought we had a positive culture,” said Villareal. “When we sent this out most people didn’t think that we were so positive, but with the all the activities we saw a big increase in the school culture being positive, which is really awesome.”

Photo Gallery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/0 Comments/by