District names architect to plan for high school improvements
Superintendent Miller says architectural support is needed
School board members voted during the February 1 school board meeting to hire BLRB/USKH (Tacoma/Walla Walla) to help the district design future facility improvements at Walla Walla and Lincoln High Schools. Architectural firms Architects West (Coeur d’ Alene) and NAC Architecture (Spokane) were also finalists. The district is in the process of negotiating a contract with BLRB/USKH to provide architectural services.

“High school facility needs were our top priority according to the Community Facilities Task Force,” said Superintendent Mick Miller. “We are to the point where we really need professional support. We’re a group of educators, not architects. Architects can come in and take the input of students, staff, parents and community members and really help us with our planning.”

BLRB/USKH representatives said during their interview two weeks ago they pride themselves on listening and working in collaboration with all school district stakeholders to get the right design for the community.

This month Superintendent Miller will continue his Educate, Listen and Plan effort to discuss facilities improvement needs. Miller has met with more than 20 community groups and nearly all staff members. By the end of February, Miller will have met with nearly all staff twice to get input.

Miller is expected to make a recommendation to the school board in March as to whether the district should pursue a bond measure this spring for high school improvements, or wait, and continue the planning process. A survey is posted on the district website (www.wwps.org) to provide Miller with input. Contact Miller or Communications Director Mark Higgins to learn more about the facilities improvement process or to take a tour of district facilities.

Energy program saved $286,081 in utility costs
Despite rising utility costs the district continues to trim usage and save money through its conservation efforts. District Energy Management Program Coordinator John Butenhoff reported to school board members February 1 the district saved $286,081 this past year. Butenhoff said this brings the 11 year total savings to $2.9 million or a savings of 22 percent.

The energy management program is based on behavioral modification and is designed to not interfere with the classroom instructional program or impact comfort.

“The staff and everybody involved have done a great job of controlling what they are using,” Butenhoff said. “On week nights, weekends and holidays we try to shut things down and turn off equipment that should not be running.”

Butenhoff said utilities costs continue to increase since the program began in 1998.
- Natural Gas Up: 104%
- Electricity Up: 72%
- Water/Sewer: Up 66%

Abe Roberts memorial services
Retired Walla Walla High School principal Albert “Abe” Roberts passed away January 25 at Providence St. Mary Medical Center at the age of 70.

Services Information:
- Friday, February 4: Viewing and visitation from 3 to 8 p.m. at Herring Groseclose Funeral Home (315 W. Alder)
- Saturday, February 5: Memorial Funeral Service - 1 p.m. at Pioneer United Methodist Church preceded by a private family graveside service.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Abe Roberts Walla Walla High School Athletic Fund or Pioneer United Methodist Church through the Herring Funeral Home.

Personnel Report (from 2/1/11 school board meeting)
Employment
(Classified)
Kelsey Trejo, Para-Educator, Edison
Kristen Coffeen, Para-Educator, Blue Ridge

Resignation/Retirement
Malinda Pankl, Library Technician, Various Locations, 28 years
(effective December 31, 2010)
Pamela Dressler, Occupational Therapist, one month
Catherine Mehn, Mental Health Coordinator, Head Start/ECEAP, 6 months

Superintendent’s Patron Tour features Walla Walla and Lincoln High School visits
Thursday community members spent the morning with Superintendent Mick Miller as part of the district’s Patron Tour program. Miller introduced himself and provided guests with a district update. He also briefed them on facilities improvement planning and then received input and recommendations.

“This was an eye opener,” said guest Duane “Dutch” Meier, retired soldier and civil servant. “I had three kids graduate from the Walla Walla school district. Everyday we drive by the schools and we know our taxes are paying for them. This helps in knowing where your taxes are going. Education is never an expense, it’s an investment in our kids, our community and the future of our country.

Patron Tour Guests
- Michael Davidson, Tourism Walla Walla
- Mike Clark, Clark Arias Physical Therapy
- Shauna Bogley, School volunteer and parent
- Rod Shumate, Washington State Penitentiary
- Jana Woods, School volunteer and parent
- Johnny Johnson, Community Center for Youth
- Duane “Dutch” Meier, Retire soldier and civil servant

Join Us for the next Superintendent’s Patron Tour
- Thursday, April 21
- 8 a.m. to 12 noon (District Office: 364 S. Park St.)
- Tours of Walla Walla and Lincoln High Schools
- Meet and provide input to Superintendent Mick Miller
- Lunch provided
- Contact Communications Director Mark Higgins to sign up: 509.526-6716 or mhiggins@wwps.org

Walla Walla High School Conspiracy of Hope Benefit Concert features a variety of student performances
Walla Walla High School presents the annual Conspiracy of Hope Benefit Concert featuring a variety of student performances on Thursday, February 10 and Friday, February 11 at the Walla Walla High School Auditorium. Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m. with a $5 donation collected at the door.

The Conspiracy of Hope Benefit Concert is a student production benefiting both the Dave Meyer Foundation and the S.O.S Health Services of Walla Walla. The Dave Meyer Foundation was created to help athletes of low-income families with expenses associated with sports participation such as equipment and camp fees.

The S.O.S Health Services of Walla Walla is a free medical clinic to serve the greater Walla Walla Valley area. It functions as a walk-in family medicine/urgent care clinic designed to service the uninsured.

For more information about this event, contact Wa-Hi ASB Coordinator Arch McHie at amchie@wwps.org
 
Conspiracy of Hope Fact Sheet
Event Highlights: Student produced benefit concert highlighting the multi-talented student body
Concert Dates: Thursday, February 10 and Friday, February 11
Location: Walla Walla High School Auditorium
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $5 Donation

Blue Mountain Dental Care to offer free dental services to children
Blue Mountain Dental Care will offer free dental services today as part of “Dental Day” to select Walla Walla Public Schools students from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon at its dental care office. This is an effort to reach students who are not covered by dental insurance or find it difficult to access care. The children will receive an exam, a cleaning, and fluoride treatment.

The staff will also take x-rays as needed, provide fillings, sealants, and additional work as required. Students will also receive oral health education. In addition, they will leave the dental office with a new toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, stickers, balloons and big smiles on their faces. The free dental services offered are expected to exceed several thousand dollars in value. Blue Mountain Dental Care dentists Dr. Ron Will and Dr.Geoff Stuart organized the event. Fellow community dentists Dr. Cameron Stewart and Dr. Eric Gustavsen donated their services as well.

High School Debate Team compete at Moses Lake and Pacific Lutheran University tournaments
The district’s High School Debate Team competed at the January 22 tournament in Moses Lake against Big Nine and Spokane teams. The team traveled to Pacific Lutheran University Tournament the following week to compete in the largest tournament held in Washington this year with approximately 50 schools attending and all the top students in the state competing. “Although we did not earn any team awards, we did have some students who had individual successes,” Debate Coach Jean Tobin said.

Moses Lake Tournament:
DEBATE: Students received top marks in all divisions of debate.
- Marisol Beck made it to finals in Congress. She debated a number of bills including receiving high scores for supporting a bill that would limit filibustering.
- Julia Cosma and her partner Kera Parsons took 2nd in the top level of Public Forum debate winning all 3 rounds and Bryan Preston and Sean Hamilton took 3rd in the top division of Public Forum. Sean is a new competitor this year! These students were debating whether or not plea bargaining undermines the criminal justice system.
- Rosa Tobin, Konor Clark, Carrie Moore and Calvin Brigham all tied with several other students for the best records in the top level Lincoln-Douglas debate competition with 2-1 records (2 wins, 1 loss). No student in the tournament went 3-0 in this division. Rosa Tobin earned the highest speaker points at the tournament. These students were debating whether juveniles who commit violent felonies should be treated as adults in the criminal justice system.

Open Division Individual Events:
- Hope Grant-Herriot took 1st with an Expository on Facial Hair and was 3rd in Interpretive Reading and 4th in Tall Tales
- Carrie Moore took 3rd for her Expository on the Electrical Grid.
- Machado Migija took 3rd in Tall Tales
- Calvin Brigham took 3rd in Editorial Commentary for a humorous speech on a man who intends to live with lions for 30 days.

Dual Interpretation:
- Carrie Moore and Marisol Beck, 4th In Impromptu
- Kendall Dunovant, 4th
- Konor Clark, 5th in Tall Tales
Novice Interpretive Reading
- Ori VanDyke was in a four-way tie for 2nd with her rankings!

Pacific Lutheran University Tournament:
Open (Top) Division Individual Events:
- Marisol Beck earned 4th place with her Expository on Women and Rabbits.
- Hope Grant-Herriot took 1st place with her Interpretive Reading on making your own fairy tale endings.

Novice Individual Events:
- Kendall Dunovant earned 1st place with her Impromptu speech on Segregation.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Senior Division:
- Rosa Tobin took 3rd place, going 5-1 and losing to Eastside Catholic in Semi-Finals.

“Attending this tournament was an amazing experience,” Tobin said. “The best students in the state of Washington attend this tournament and the competition is intense. It was a great opportunity for our team, especially our novices, to watch and see what is expected at the highest levels. I heard many comments from other judges and coaches about the politeness of our students and about the quality of their presentations. No other school from our region had students earn awards at this tournament,” Tobin said.

The High School Debate Team will host a district debate tournament Saturday, February 5 at Lincoln High School.

Walla Walla High School student-athletes sign National College Letters of Intent
Congratulations to Walla Walla High School seniors Andrew Glaeser and Aaron Nelson for signing National Letters of Intent this week to attend college on athletic scholarships.

Glaeser signed with Oregon State on a soccer scholarship and Nelson signed with the University of Washington on a cross country and track scholarship. Hope Klicker signed this fall with College of Charleston on a softball scholarship.

“Congratulations to these outstanding student-athletes and their families,” District Athletic Director Don Wilkins said. “All three have exceptional academic records and have worked extremely hard to achieve both on and off the fields. Thank you to all the coaches, teachers and staff who have helped these and our other student-athletes work to reach their potential and be successful and thank you to the three athletes who have been outstanding representatives for our Athletic Program, our school, our District and our community. We now have a HUSKY, a BEAVER and a COUGAR (Charleston). Good luck Aaron, Andrew and Hope.”

Graduates of Distinction nominations now accepted
Nominations are open for the 2011 Graduates of Distinction Program. All nominations and recommendation forms must be received in the district Curriculum Department by April 15, 2011.
The purpose of the Walla Walla Public Schools’ Graduates of Distinction program is to provide an avenue for recognizing high school graduates of Walla Walla Public Schools who have distinguished themselves in their communities, professions, or careers; and to honor the Walla Walla Public Schools’ staff members who were the most inspirational in the lives of those individuals.

In order to be eligible for nomination, an individual must have graduated from high school in the Walla Walla Public Schools at least 10 years prior to nomination.

The recognition is intended to honor Walla Walla High School graduates for outstanding achievement. The honor will be given to mature adults who are exemplary citizens and have distinguished themselves in their communities, their professions, or their careers. Nominations will be held for five years, and will automatically be included in the selection process during that time.

Nomination forms are available at the district office, 364 South Park Street, or on the district website: http://www.wwps.org/news/grad_distinction.htm . Please call Kay Schisler, 526-6735, for more information.

Kindergarten and Open Enrollment Registration dates set for 2011-12 School Year
Walla Walla Public Schools Kindergarten and Fall Registration period is Monday, March 21 to Friday, April 1, 2011.
Kindergarten registration will be conducted at the student’s attendance area elementary school. Parents wishing to pick up the kindergarten registration information may do so at their child’s school beginning March 14. However, the completed registration forms will not be accepted until March 21.

New Student Registration Hours:
Monday, March 21 - 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
March 22 - April 1 - 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Parents/guardians who wish to open enroll their child to a school outside of their attendance area may pick up Open Enrollment application forms at their attendance area school during normal school hours beginning Monday, March 14; however, forms will not be accepted in the receiving school until Monday, March 21.

If there is space available to accommodate open enrollment requests, then the priorities outlined in School Board Policy No. 3130 will be used to determine movement of a student. School Board Policy manuals are available for public viewing at all Walla Walla Public Schools and the Administration Office. School Board policies are also online at http://www.wwps.org/leadership/board.htm#11

Please contact your attendance area school for more information. District boundary maps are available at all schools, the Administration Office at 364 South Park Street, and online at www.wwps.org . Click on the District A to Z link and then click on Boundary Map.