Doepker will succeed Connie Taylor-Randall who is transferring to the Curriculum Department at the end of the school year, while Painter will succeed David Talley who is resigning at the end of the school year. Doepker and Painter will assume their new duties July 1, 2009.

“Donna and Kim have done exceptional work in their current administrative positions and have demonstrated the leadership that qualified them for these principal openings and prepared them for this important next step in their careers,” Deputy Superintendent Dr. Bill Jordan said. “The Walla Walla School District is fortunate to have had a strong pool of candidates interview for the principal positions at Berney Elementary and Blue Ridge Elementary.”

Principal candidates spent March 23 in a rigorous interview and selection process. Staff and parent representatives from both Blue Ridge and Berney Elementary schools assisted in the day-long interview process, according to Jordan.

Doepker served as Assistant Principal at Pioneer Middle School from 2007 to present. She has been employed by Walla Walla Public Schools for seven years with experience as a classroom teacher and instructional coach. She began her teaching career as a 4th grade teacher in the College Place School District and has 16 years experience as a classroom teacher.

Doepker received her undergraduate degree in education from the University of Idaho and her Master’s Degree in Education and Administrative Credentials from Eastern Washington University. Doepker is currently a school board member for College Place Public Schools.

“I want to thank my Pioneer family for the support they have given me the last two years as we worked collaboratively to improve student achievement,” Doepker said. “I want to build on Blue Ridge’s reputation for excellence by using my experience as a teacher, instructional coach and administrator to positively impact learning. We will do this by building strong personal relationships through open communications, purposeful planning, use of data, best practices and making the school environment fun.”

Painter served as the district’s Director of the Head Start/ECEAP Preschool program since 2005. Painter was an elementary principal for the Klickitat School District where she also served as director of special education and Title I programs. Painter has nearly 30 years experience as a classroom teacher.

Painter received her undergraduate degree in education from Lewis Clark State College and Master’s Degree and Administrator Certificate from Heritage College. Painter is a board member for the Blue Mountain Action Council and serves on the Walla Walla Community College Early Learning Advisory Board.

“It’s an honor to join the Berney Elementary family and build upon the legacy of this outstanding school,” Painter said. “I look forward to getting acquainted with staff and students and commit to making a positive contribution in working with them. I believe in an open door policy and putting in the effort to build trust and support through personal relationships with the parents, staff, students and community partners.”

Get to know Kim Doepker...
Birth place: Salem, OR
High School: Cheney High School
Favorite food: Mexican
Favorite movie: “16 Candles”
Favorite band (or music): 80s Rock
Favorite book: The Outlander Series
Hobbies: My children keep my husband and me busy with soccer, softball, dance and basketball. Being a fan is my hobby!

Most memorable life experience: Honestly, the birth of our three girls and being a mom.

Tell us something about yourself that nobody else would know: I am a former swimmer and according to my dad I still hold records in my home town of Cheney.

What do you love most about being an educator?
What I love most about being an educator is the ability to inspire lives. Making a lasting positive impression on the students, teachers and families that I come in contact with is most important to me as an educational leader.

Get to know Donna Painter...
Birth place: Cottonwood, Idaho
High School: Lewiston, Idaho
Favorite food: Anything that has pasta as one of the ingredients
Favorite band: I like too many to pick a favorite
Favorite book: A Girl Named Sooner (a book I read in 7th grade - it ignited my passion for reading)
Hobbies: Outdoor time

Most memorable life experience: How to I narrow this one down, life in general is a memorable experience?
- Graduating college
- My first date with my husband - an Elvis Presley concert
- The birth of our children

Tell us something about me that nobody else would know:
When my son was in kindergarten, he (along with many others) was poisoned by the Rajneesh when they tainted the salad bars at several restaurants in The Dalles, Or. with salmonella. This incident is considered the first instance of modern bioterrorism in the United States. It was a frightening episode.

What do you love most about being an educator?
Children, they keep me grounded. I enjoy the sense of déjà vu I experience when I witness a child discovering something new.

Classified:
Lacey Milleson, Para-Educator, Walla Walla High School

RESIGNATIONS/RETIREMENTS
Classified:
Anita Haws, Bus Driver, Transportation Department, 17.5 years
Linda Joshlin, Para-Educator, Lincoln Alternative High School, 2.5 years

LEAVE OF ABSENCE - RESCINDED
Certificated: Patricia Weeks, Speech Language Pathologist, Special Programs, 13 years
Patricia’s request for a leave of absence for the 2009-2010 school year was approved at the February 17, 2009 Board of Education meeting. She is now requesting to cancel that request.

Teams with an accumulative GPA of 3.0 to 3.499 receive the WIAA Distinguished Academic Award and teams with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and above receive the WIAA Outstanding Academic Award.

“Congratulations to the teams and athletes for outstanding work in the classroom and a big thank you to our coaches for providing the leadership and motivation for our student-athletes and providing excellent programs which help our student-athletes connect with our school,” District Athletic Director Don Wilkins said.

The following teams won awards:
Outstanding Award
Frosh Boys Basketball - 3.614
Varsity Girls Basketball - 3.583
Frosh A Boys Basketball - 3.557
JV Girls Basketball - 3.510
Distinguished Award
Frosh A Girls Basketball - 3.486
Boys Swimming - 3.294
Dance Team - 3.284
Frosh B Boys Basketball - 3.263
Cheer - 3.208
JV Boys Basketball - 3.166
Varsity Wrestling - 3.143
“C” Girls Basketball - 3.047

“Also, our Varsity Girls Basketball team had the highest team GPA of any 4A Girls Basketball team competing in the Regional Tournament and won the Outstanding Regional Academic Award,” Wilkins said. “For the record, our team that did not receive state recognition had a team GPA of 2.946.”

Please visit www.esd123.org/hdl3 to register and for more details on the upcoming HD-L3 Conference: “High Definition Leading, Learning, Living in a Digital World”.

“Two of our own staff will be presenters: William Calhoun from WWHS and Martin Telstad from Green Park,” said Technology Director Janis Barton. “Ian Jukes, the featured speaker, is a long time educational innovator who has a vision for how today’s classrooms can prepare students for our digital world.”

HD-L3 Agenda
4 p.m. - THIN SLICES
“Thin Slices” features a series of dynamic speakers from K-12, Higher Education and the Business community, speaking on what it is to lead, learn and live in a digital world. In these fast paced powerful presentations speakers will capture the essence of the topic quickly and succinctly!
- Open Educational Resources - Cable Green, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
- Mathematica - a visual approach to learning math -Eric Schulz, WWCC
- Increasing Classroom Democracy & Participation -Martin Telstad, Walla Walla Elementary
- Assessing Digital Assessment - William Calhoun, Walla Walla High School
- Key Technology TBA
- From concept thought to high volume production / Education & Technology Intertwined -Fred Sweet, Nelson Irrigation
- You Can’t Replace the Face -Dale Ingram, LIGO
- Maintaining Your Ground Game on a Tech Savvy Campus - Julie Dunn, Whitman College
- Effective use of technologies for distance Education - Russ Beard, Big Bend CC

6 p.m. - DINNER (included)

7 p.m. - IAN JUKES - “LIVING ON THE FUTURE EDGE”
Ian Jukes has been a teacher, administrator, writer, consultant, university instructor and keynote speaker. He currently is the Director of the InfoSavvy Group, an international consulting group that provides leadership and program development in the areas of assessment and evaluation, strategic alignment, curriculum design and publication, professional development, planning, change management, hardware and software acquisition, information services, customized research, media services, and on-line training as well as conference keynotes and workshop presentations.

Register Online: http://www.esd123.org/hdl3/

HD-L3 Conference Sponsors:
• Whitman College
• Walla Walla Public Schools
• Pocket iNet
• College Place School District
• Walla Walla Community College
• ESD 123

Last Saturday’s 2nd Annual Bowling for the Bee created some friendly competition for local elementary schools. Last year’s winner, Green Park, will be relinquishing the traveling trophy to the Davis/Meadow Brook team, comprised of Meadow Brook Principal Bill Varady, Blake Morris (3rd grade, Davis), Jared Huchinson-Hogg (4th grade, Meadow Brook), and Kassi Parker (5th grade, Meadow Brook), with a team score of 479.

This event was a kick-off for the upcoming Spelling Bee scheduled for Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds, in the Pavilion. The Spelling Bee is open to 3rd, 4th & 5th graders whose principal residence is in the Walla Walla Valley. Entry applications, official rules, and the study lists are available on the Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce website at http://www.wwvchamber.com, as well as the Walla Walla Public Schools website: http://www.wwps.org.

Altrusa of Walla Walla is a community service club that focuses on literacy. Other Altrusa projects include the Walla Walla Children’s Museum, Summer Reading Skills Lab, Fall School Supplies Drive, Literacy Grants for Teachers, College Scholarships, and YWCA Resident Support.

“We started this program last summer on a shoestring budget, actually no real budget as the staff were not paid and the kids’ tuition paid for t-shirts and snacks,” said Drama program producer Denise Marr. “This is a great opportunity to open the doors to more students.”

This grant allows the district to provide an understanding and knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays, according to Walla Walla High School Drama Director Brian Senter.

“It is our hope to further the interest of our students in the classical theatric arts through education and exploration,” Senter said. “It is our belief that no performing arts program can be successful without having its feet grounded in the classics of the stage.”

“A truck from Children of the Nations will be coming from Seattle with all packaging materials and supplies needed for the project,” said Pioneer PTA President Holly Carrera. “We are seeking 50 to 60 volunteers for this event. We held a candle fundraiser in December with 100 percent of the proceeds going to support this project.”

For more information, contact Carrera at: mcarrera@charter.net.

Gregoire said the following to Green Park Library Media-Specialist Michelle Shaul, who helped organize the event.

“First, yesterday during a discussion concerning the main character (Cassie) in the book ‘More Perfect than the Moon’ my 5th grade ELL students brought up the comparison with the author’s childhood stories.

‘How so?’, I questioned. For the next 20 minutes they spoke with near perfect recall of the terms ‘dreamer’, ‘eavesdroppy’, ‘fibberish’ and ‘jabber-mouth’. How she could ‘disappear’ and ‘make herself small’ in order to listen in on her family. Just like the fictional Cassie. These second language learners had used higher order thinking to connect the dots in ways I might not have imagined and did so without prompting. Talk about the perfect ‘teachable moment’! Good stuff!

Second, a student came up to me in the hallway this morning clutching her autographed copy of ‘the Anybodies’ and said she had gone to see the author at the library because she had enjoyed the presentation at Cordiner Hall so much. We both know how shy she is, so it was obvious to me that the book was now a prized possession.

Sharing these experiences are my small way of saying ‘THANK YOU’ for your efforts in bringing the authors to our town. Please pass this message along to Patrick Carman and convey my appreciation along with the knowledge of how we don’t always know at the time the full extent how experiences such as Kids Read can positively affect our students.”

This year Wa-Hi Science teacher Peggy Payne helped recruit high school girls to support the event by talking to parents and meeting with 5th grade classes.

A new bus service was added this year to transport students from Garrison and Pioneer Middle Schools.

“Pat Johnston and Tracy Munns were great to work with and very helpful,” said Jeanne Beirne, event publicity coordinator. “My favorite story from this year’s conference is of two girls leaving the bus to walk home from Pioneer, doing the “Yellow Brick Road” walk from the Wizard of Oz and singing “we dissected a cow’s heart, we dissected a cow’s heart....” They obviously had a great experience! Thanks again to Walla Walla Public Schools for all of your support.”

“More than 98 students participated and did an outstanding job of preparing for this event,” said Roger Garcia, district music coordinator. “Their support for one another received high praise from many onlookers.”

STATE QUALIFIERS:
ENSEMBLES:
WWHS Men’s Quartet #2 - Men’s Small Ensemble: Daniel Lockart, Preston Loomer, Michael Bell, Tony Nichols
WWHS Mixed Quartet - Small Mixed Vocal Ensemble: Kristin Glaeser, Eva Reich, Thomas Rowley, Martin Sanks

SOLOISTS:
Anne Marie Joes - Mezzo Soprano
Rebeccah Bagley - Soprano One
Sarah Hemenway - Soprano One
Martin Sanks - Baritone

STATE ALTERNATES:
ENSEMBLES:
FIRST ALTERNATES:
Shakespeare Six Women’s Large Ensemble: Courtney Bruner, Willa Schober, Lori Goodwin, Kara Goodwin, Teddilynn Dyer, Kathryn Bogley, Samantha Herriot/Dana Wardwell Vocal Duet; Women’s Small Ensemble

SECOND ALTERNATES:
Men’s Quartet #1; Joseph Quiner, Daniel Lockart, Martin Sanks, Will Bergstrom
Rebeccah Bagley/Michael Bell Duet; Small Mixed Vocal Ensemble.

SOLOISTS:
FIRST ALTERNATES:
Kelsey Palmer, Soprano One
Madelyn Angulo, Soprano One
Nichole Locken, Mezzo Soprano
Eva Reich, Mezzo Soprano
Malila Kiliona, Alto
Kolton Kolbaba, Tenor
Jeff Ladderud, Bass

SECOND ALTERNATES:
Alli Fowler, Mezzo Soprano
Alina Reese, Alto
Willa Schober, Soprano One

ORCHESTRA RESULTS
STATE QUALIFIER
Dan Brown, cello (*Winner of regional contest)

SECOND ALTERNATE
WWHS String Orchestra
(Students are: Olivia Welker, Marshall Mabley, Eileen Calvario, Meagan Holmes, Jacob Dyer, Mac Clifton, Taylor Anady, Gabriel Gonzales, Heston Farrelly, & Zach Morris)

Event Overview: Walla Walla High School students will present selected passages and songs from their upcoming musical performance of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Join Kirkman House Museum in this celebration to honor Women’s History Month and the upcoming centennial of Women’s Suffrage in Washington State.

“Louisa May Alcott is an important figure in our country’s history,” says Kirsten Schober, Executive Director of the Kirkman House Museum, “She was an abolitionist, suffragette and Civil War nurse in addition to being a successful novelist in a time when women were extremely limited in their opportunities. We are delighted to provide a forum for Alcott’s historic influence while promoting the talent of Walla Walla’s youth.”

The dramatic reading will take place at Kirkman House Museum, 214 N. Colville, Walla Walla, on Sunday, March 29 at 2 p.m. Admission is free; space is limited to twenty seats and standing room for up to thirty additional people. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The program will last about 45 minutes.

For more information please contact Greer G. Buchanan at 509-529-4373 or gbuchanan@kirkmanhousemuseum.org.

Walla Walla Public Schools will also post the School Scene Magazine program on its website and use it for staff recruiting, parent information meetings and community presentations.

School Scene Magazine schedule to air on KAPP/KVEW (ABC)
Sunday, March 29 - 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 11 - 4 p.m.
Sunday, April 26 - 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 9 - 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 24 - 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 31 - 9 p.m.
Sunday, June 7 - 8 p.m.
Tuesday, June 9 - 9 p.m.
Sunday, June 14 - 8 p.m.
Tuesday, June 16 - 9 p.m.

A radio spot featuring Fish is now playing on regional stations.

Special thanks to sponsor Alexandra Communications and volunteer Master of Ceremonies Jim Bock. For more information call Chris Drake at (509) 301-1777.

Date: Sunday April 19, 2009
Place: Marcus Whitman Hotel, Explorer Ballroom — Corner of 2nd & Rose, Walla Walla, WA
Time: 2 p.m.
Tickets: May be purchased in advance.
Ticket Cost: $25 each or - 2 or $40

Ticket Information:
- Contact Jodi Ferguson: 301-2042
- Penny Dimino: 522-7055 - diminomk@msn.com
- Kim Corcoran: 529-5333 - kimcorcoran@bmi.net

Get Your Tickets Today!
Can’t come? Donations also accepted.

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes!
Gather your friends & buy tickets for all, come and enjoy an afternoon of fun for a great cause! There will also be a silent auction on-site.

Make Checks Payable to: Adam Piercy Donation