February 28, 2020:
- “In an example of building together, I want to recognize Franklin teachers for coming together this year! We have built our School Improvement Plan goals together, and created grade-level goals to coordinate. With a focus on writing for our goal, from the Center for Educational Effectiveness, we have come so far. We have given two whole-school prompts, calibrated scoring for both, and refined rubrics and student checklists. This an amazing group of talented educators coming together to use assessment in instruction and create systems for use in the future. By the end we will have grade-level common core aligned rubrics, anchor papers, and student self-assessment check lists. I so appreciate the team work and collaboration of our Fox Family!” -Stephanie Bray
- “I would like to give Mrs. Blehm a High Five for organizing the WAX MUSEUM at Kamiak. All the kids were well prepared and delivered great speeches. Thanks for all the work you did! Well done! :)” –Rosana Magoia
- “Thank you Heather Strader and Scott Randall for working together, and for collaborating to organize a reader’s theater. Second grade readers performed a great reader’s theater for Kindergarten students.” -Stephanie Bray
- “Thank you and well done to the PSD transportation department for a safe winter transportation season. Between regular routes and trips across the state, they safely transported students over thousands of miles of winter roads.” – Joe Thornton
- A big shout out for Liz Quinley at Sunnyside. She does a great job of including the office staff in helping with her students’ emotional regulation. When she sends someone to the office for a task it is with a note telling us why they were sent and then encourages us to ask about something positive the student has done or accomplished. Makes for a great opportunity to turn the day around and lets us be a part of it. – Carmen Roberts
- “Shout out to Esther Hart! Esther surprised the JES students with homemade pancakes for breakfast this week. The pancakes were made with barley floor that was donated by WSU Sustainable Seed Systems Laboratory. Special thanks to Esther for going above the call of duty for the JES students by providing them with healthy homemade pancakes with barley flour milled right here in Pullman! By the way, the students loved the barley pancakes!” –Jim Bruce
- A huge shout out for the district administrative team. They continue to approach everyday challenges with grace, humility and compassion. I appreciate their work and efforts every day. – Bob Maxwell
February 21, 2020:
- Shout out to the bus driver assigned to our Lincoln Middle School Math Team field trip to Spokane on Jan. 31. Stephen Koberstein did an excellent job while implementing a safety-first protocol. We had left early in case of snowy weather, but there wasn’t any, so we arrived too early to even enter the school parking lot. I particularly appreciated how Stephen knew exactly where to go to let the kids get out, stretch, and release some energy without being a bother to anyone else. I actually think that the makeshift “rest stop” helped the students focus once we got inside Mead High School. Thanks very much to Stephen! -Chuck Munson, Lincoln Middle School Math Team Advisor
- Thank you to the many staff members, departments, schools, Pullman PD (Scott Patrick, Joe Thornton, Roberta Kramer, Shannon Focht, Transportation, Maintenance, and LMS, KES and PHS staff) that stepped up to help with the after school transportation challenges yesterday! All students were kept safe and we were able to smoothly implement an emergency plan due to the teamwork of our staff! - Bob Maxwell
- Shout out to Luke Conley. My son, Daniel, plays the Bass Guitar in the PHS Pep Band. When he found out the Luke Conley was also a bass player, Daniel asked Luke to come sit in with the band and play along. On our final Basketball Pep Band game, Mr. Conley came in and read some songs with the band. From Daniel’s reaction, you would have thought that Mr. Conley saved the world through “Louie, Louie!” It meant SO much to Daniel to have a teacher join in with something that he’s passionate about. It just reminds me that it’s often times the small things, the small acts of compassion and kindness and interest, that can have a huge effect on our students. Thanks so much to Mr. Conley for listening to what a student needs, and coming through for them! – Andy Mielke
February 14, 2020:
Shout out to Trisha Doumit and Jill Patera! For organizing the opportunity for the Jefferson Student Council to deliver student made Valentine’s Day cards to the residents at Bishop Place. The cards were made by several JES students from various grade levels. Each of the residents had a nice smile and greatly appreciated the cards that they received.
-Jim Bruce, Jefferson Elementary Principal
Shout out to Esther Hart and Sheba Nalle! They are doing creative and wonderful things with breakfast in the morning at Jefferson – the kids love the smoothies and the homemade granola in the yogurt and fruit parfaits! Great way to get kids to try new things.
-Joe Thornton, District Director of Operations
Shout out to Bob Maxwell, Diane Hodge and Shannon Focht! For the pre-planning, financial calculations, presentations to dozens of groups and diligent communication to our community about the two levies and the building bond…resulting in all three passing with overwhelming community support.
-Joe Thornton, District Director of Operations
Shout out to Kristen Coke-Sutton! She helped me get my programs for the WMEA State Conference performance copied (it was a tricky job and took many tries to get it oriented correctly but she completely figured it out) and she and her awesome library aides folded them for me. She took a huge job off my plate and helped me out a ton. Thank you Kristen!
-Katherine Covill, Lincoln Middle School Orchestra Teacher
Shout out to the LMS JV girls basketball team! I had the honor of driving them over to Logos last week. They were the most polite and respectful students I have ever driven. They each said thank you as they exited the bus, as did their coach, Parker. Please share with them my appreciation for their positive behavior.
-Joe Thornton, District Director of Operations
Shout out to the entire nutrition services team! Everyone has been so warm and welcoming!
-Kent Bevers, Pullman High School Food Service Worker
Shout out to Mrs. Covill! The time, effort, and dedication you have put into getting the LMS orchestra ready for their Yakima performance is way above and beyond. Best of luck to you and your orchestra as you represent LMS at the WMEA Conference tonight!
-Robin Hendrickson, Franklin Elementary Library Paraprofessional
Shout out to Evan Hecker! For coordinating an awesome Wellness Morning for Kamiak students – a small group of students were invited to start their day with a mindful morning movement session in the Wellness Center at Kamiak! Before the movement session, students set a goal for the day using SOAR expectations as a guide. They wrote their goal in a provided journal. After writing, students had 60 seconds at each movement rotation. After recess and lunch today, students will return to the Wellness Center for a midday check in, and an opportunity to write a reflection about whether or not they met their goal. What a creative and powerful way to work with students! Well done, Evan!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to everyone who worked to inform our community about the Bond and Levy! Your efforts definitely made a difference. As of today, of 21 Bond measures on the Feb 11th ballot only 5 are passing. Pullman being one of the five. I am very grateful to live in a community that supports education.
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
February 7, 2020:
Shout out to our incredible school counselors! Although it’s National School Counselor week, we appreciate you each and every week for all of the work you do to support students!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to the Sunnyside staff and students! For the warm sendoff they gave me last week. I really appreciated how welcoming Sunnyside was for this novice Art/STEM teacher. I loved being a part of the Sunnyside Family and I will miss them all <3
-Desiree Gould, District Art/Stem Teacher
Shout out to Katharine Covill! She is taking a group of 7th and 8th grade students to perform in Yakima at the Washington Music Educators Association Conference next week. Wishing you all the best of luck at your performance next week! We’re proud of you!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Aaron Cameron! He has been helping us with the virtual reality carts. Yesterday, my students got to take a virtual tour of the Great Depression before our study of Of Mice and Men. I heard “This is so cool!!” so many times! Thanks to Aaron for setting everything up and helping this go off without a hitch…or, it had a few hitches, but he was there to help figure them out so that all my students got to experience the tour.
-Julie Hahn, Pullman High School English Teacher
Shout out to Stephanie Bray! When I arrived at Franklin on Tuesday morning, Stephanie was out assisting Cooper in making sure our sidewalks, paths and stairs were safe for our students! That is a lot of ground to cover and I appreciate Stephanie’s willingness to support our building and staff where ever and whenever needed!
-Heather Lohrmeyer, Franklin Elementary Fourth Grade Teacher
Shout out to Pam Brantner and the Sunnyside team! Pam created a Cultural Beliefs showcase that recognized staff members and the way they positively represent the district’s cultural beliefs! This is such powerful of showing the value of each employee – well done! -Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
January 31, 2020:
Shout out to Heather Lohrmeyer! For being relationship-minded when it comes to homework. Heather has created an optional checklist for her students and parents so they are able to choose what works best for their family. She has also developed a tracking system to identify the needs of all the students in the class. During in-class work that is sometimes sent home, she has adjusted reading-level and length of book to accommodate for the student’s needs and have the work done in class. The change in practice this year is definitely putting students first and taking action towards seeking solutions.
-Stephanie Bray, Franklin Elementary Principal
Shout out to Dominick Ventresco, Cristina Johnson-Hyde, Natalie Dobbins, Joe Thornton, and Bill Dolph! For continually building together to accomplish shared goals for our Intensive Learning Center. We now have an outing per week with our students that assist them in developing skills and building upon their strengths out in the community.
-Stephanie Bray, Franklin Elementary Principal
Shout out to Sarah Davis! Sarah continually works on making shared decisions with each grade-level. After this last round of assessment, Sarah met with each and every grade-level team independently to adjust groups and students she serves. I appreciate that she builds the Core+ program together with all of our staff and with a mindset of students first, prioritizing resources for the success of each student.
-Stephanie Bray, Franklin Elementary Principal
Shout out to Katie Iverson, Claudia Bishop-Haynes, and Lindsey Barnhill! Thank you for taking action to see solutions to our transportation for our community outings. Shout out for getting training in CPR AND for taking driver’s training to drive our school district vans when needed.
-Stephanie Bray, Franklin Elementary Principal
Shout out to all the PSD staff! For their dedication and hard work. On a daily basis I see so many great things happening across the district. I see teachers engaging students in learning and being reflective about their professional practice. Keep up the great work.
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
January 24, 2020:
Shout out to the Maintenance and Custodial Staff! For maintenance, they began to plow at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday and worked well into the afternoon. They were back at it at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday and did not stop until around 4:00. Then….they were in at midnight Sunday night and plowed all night (then two of them had to do food service deliveries). Snow removal is never perfect, but they came close. Three plow sessions over 48 hours is rough. For custodians, almost all of the building’s evening staff were out Friday night to get a jump on the snow that fell Friday night. Then, every building had people in on the weekend to keep up. Thank you all for the work to have schools ready this morning. And…to transportation for getting all students home safely in that wonderful weather last Friday.
-Joe Thornton, District Director of Operations
Shout out to Rolos Salamjohn! For showing off his outstanding snow removal skills. Looks great out there…all of us appreciate you!
-Cameron Grow, Lincoln Middle School Principal
Shout out to my teammate, Ellen Kellie! For her willingness to be vulnerable and take risks by presenting at our PD! I’m so proud of her! She did an amazing job as did all the presenters today!– Heather Strader
-Heather Strader, Franklin Elementary Kindergarten Teacher
Shout out to all Library Paraprofessionals and Eve Strongoni! Approximately 450 books were purchased for each school (1800 total) as part of the Elementary Science Adoption last spring - it has taken quite a bit of time to process them and to get them onto each of the library systems with complete records. I would like to give a big thanks to all of the library paraprofessionals who have helped make this process more efficient for me, especially to Eve Strongoni at the high school who put call labels on all of them and cataloged each book onto 3 of the 4 library’s systems’ records.
-JulieAnn Udy, District Librarian
Shout out to Cooper Jaquish! We had an icy spot at Franklin. I saw Stephanie and Cooper and suggested that some chicken grit to add traction would be nice. Cooper Jaquish was immediately on it and as usual, Cooper went ABOVE and beyond- he didn’t just spread chicken grit, he OBLITERATED the ice, cleared it to the side, and then put down chicken grit! THANK YOU for ALWAYS doing whatever is needed for our building! We are so lucky to have you at Franklin!
-Heather Lohrmeyer, Franklin Elementary Fourth Grade Teacher
Shout out to Diane Hodge! For distributing 2019 tax documents in an efficient, timely manner. It’s a big job, and I SO appreciated receiving the documents as early as we did.
-Paden Carlson, Pullman High School English Teacher
Shout out to Grace Grow! For organizing another PD day. Personally speaking, it was meaningful and relevant for my current needs as a teacher.
-Paden Carlson, Pullman High School English Teacher
Shout out to Debbie Crabtree! For her ceaseless efforts and administrative endurance. More than once in the past week, she was at the high school well into the evening, and this isn’t at all uncommon. Thanks, Deb!!
-Paden Carlson, Pullman High School English Teacher
January 10, 2020:
Shout out to the Facilities crew! I wanted to give you and your crew a shout out for your work on Wednesday night. Franklin looked awesome when I came in this morning. I know that means late nights with little sleep and long days for many of you. Thank you. Thank you.
-Cooper Jaquish, Franklin Elementary Custodian
Shout out to Sheba Nalle and our nutrition services staff! They continue to develop new recipes, increase the number of recipes made from scratch, and seek ways to better serve our students. Thank you for all that you do!
–Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
December 20, 2019:
Shout out to the LMS staff & Ms. Jensen's leadership class! Ms. Jensen's class High Fived us in! Thank you for the warm welcome Thursday! #spartanproud!
–Franklin Elementary Staff
Shout out to Raeiah Currier! She is our newest National Board Certified Teacher - Well Done!
–Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Mrs. Conley, Ms. Lohrmeyer, and Mr. Randall! Mrs. Conley's 3rd grade class created a "Take What You Need" bulletin board with uplifting sayings. The board is truly "living". Students, teachers, staff, family can take what they need as the days go by. The board was also replenished throughout the week by her class. This week, according to Ms. Lohrmeyer "it looks like Meg’s class bulletin board is being “owned” by more than just her class!” These teachers must be modeling the belief that “Every Franklin Fox is my Franklin Fox” so well that the students feel ownership throughout the building! A 2nd grader from Mr. Randall’s class asked Mrs. Conley to use her stapler and he attached a note to Meg’s positivity bulletin board for someone else to take if they needed! I’d say Mr. Randall’s activity of being Thankful inspired a message for others! Way to be amazing the week before winter break! -
–Stephanie Bray, Franklin Elementary Principal
Shout out to the Franklin Elementary and Lincoln Middle School staff! For their quick action and kind welcoming! I was home today and dropped my kids off right as LMS students were welcoming them in by saying “welcome, we are so glad you’re here.” I watched the FES staff members efficiently and graciously change their routine during a very busy week! A special thank you to the flexibility of my guest teacher as well! #TakeAction”
–Heather Strader, Franklin Elementary Kindergarten Teacher
Shout out to Stephanie Bray! For the wonderful job she did today with the evacuation at Franklin. Within half an hour of announcing the evacuation, every student and staff member was loaded on a bus and headed to the middle school. Stephanie ensured every staff member was informed and knew what to do and that every student was accounted for. The evacuation could not have run smoother thanks to Stephanie and her hard work. Go foxes! Lindsey Barnhill
–Lindsey Barnhill, Franklin Elementary Special Ed Paraprofessional
Shout out to Stephanie Bray, Cameron Grow, Tammy Lehmitz, and John Naranjo, Joe Thornton and your respective staff! For the work yesterday during the FES evacuation. Stephanie, your staff ran the evacuation like clockwork and very efficiently evacuated the students and loaded them on buses. Cameron, you and your staff were very willing to adjust what you were doing to receive the students from FES. Tammy L., you and your drivers were at FES within minutes to load and transport the students to LMS. John, you and your staff were there immediately on site to troubleshoot and diagnose the problem. Shannon Focht for the prompt communication. Thank you all for the great team effort to assure student safety! – Joe – Ditto – Bob
–Joe Thornton, District Director of Operations & Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
December 13, 2019:
Shout out to Melony Wells and Barb Travis! For spearheading the effort to create Kamiak playground expectations. I would also like to thank all of the recess paraprofessionals who assisted my efforts.
–Alexa Beckett, Kamiak Elementary Paraprofessional
Shout out to the Tech Crew! This week all my fancy new technology has worked without a hitch! AWESOME!!! I appreciate everyone’s hard work making this happened!”
–Jill Brockmier, Kamiak Elementary First Grade Teacher
Shout out to Haylee Fishback! For ALWAYS being a team player!
–Heather Strader, Franklin Elementary Kindergarten Teacher
Shout out to Tammy Lehmitz, Bill Dolph and the entire transportation department! For the 19-20 school year, they had to completely rearrange all the bus routes and completely revamp student transportation to accommodate a new school, elementary attendance areas and no more a.m./p.m. elementary transfer. The new system has been near perfect and they continue to fine tune routes. Take Action and Students First.
–Joe Thornton, District Director of Operations
Shout out to John Naranjo and his crew! They get stuff completed so quickly I don’t have anything to note on the safety report!
–Pam Brantner, Sunnyside Elementary Principal
Shout out to the LMS office staff! The most welcoming, kind group on the planet. LMS is a busy place and they always seem to be there for all kids, staff, and parents!
–Cameron Grow, Lincoln Middle School Principal
Shout out to Will Jones! A wonderful guest teacher we always have in our building at LMS. He is always able to come in and work with all kids and staff. He is truly a part of our staff at LMS!
–Cameron Grow, Lincoln Middle School Principal
Shout out to Ethan Johnson! Another stellar concert production for FES. Mr. Johnson always brings in a new twist to the everyday music concert. He uses class music and children perform those pieces with grace. The 5th grade students drummed, 4th grade played recorders, and 3rd grade used percussion to deliver a stellar performance. Our Jazz Choir started the night out right with amazing songs. Thank you for all you do Mr. Johnson!”
–Stephanie Bray, Franklin Elementary Principal
Shout out to Nancy Nelson and her 2nd grade class! thank you so much for coming to present to our School Board on Wednesday. The 2nd grade class wrote opinion/persuasive letters to our board to urge them to plant more trees around Franklin Elementary. The students all spoke from the heart, and had amazing letters to share. They were poised, compelling, and delivered a unified message. Thank you so much!
–Stephanie Bray, Franklin Elementary Principal
Shout out to Dom Ventresco! Thank you Dom for sharing the Fox Academy with the Board. The presentation was extremely thoughtful, explanatory, and informative. He is a leader not only in our school, but in his professional learning community as well. Thank you for explaining the Academy’s mission to the board and your dedication each and every day!
–Stephanie Bray, Franklin Elementary Principal
Shout out to Katie Evermann! Always willing to take on a challenge and to work for finding the right supports for all our students. Katie works with groups of students and individual students on a daily basis. Ranging from taking a break, to working out a solution with a group of students, Katie’s support for all of Franklin is unwavering. She goes in to help instruct, provides professional developments, and helps all who ask her. We are so lucky to have her as part of our team here at Franklin!
–Stephanie Bray, Franklin Elementary Principal
Shout out to Sarah Davis! Though only 2 years in the posit-ion, Sarah has become a leader in providing instructional intervention. Sarah not only assists students, she often assists our staff in monitoring progress, provides intervention ideas, and works with others in the district to create a program that ensures that all students needs are met. Sarah sends out schedules for assessments, far before they happen so our staff can work on solutions if there is a problem with timing. She has even presented at our Open house, and provided conferences during our parent-teacher conference week. We are so lucky to have Sarah at Franklin!
–Stephanie Bray, Franklin Elementary Principal
Shout out to Michelle Hyatt! Thank you for the health updat-e presentation to the Board. The presentation provided great information about upcoming new regulations regarding immunizations.
–Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Cristina Johnson and Megan Itani!- Thank you for the comprehensive special services update to the Board. It is great to see the progress made regarding the recommendations from the special education review.
–Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
December 6, 2019:
Shout out to Jeff Jones! For responding to all types of DLC "hazmat" without flinching, and even with a smile!
–Loree Pugh, Kamiak Elementary Special Education Paraprofessional
Shout out to Risa Holgin! Risa came in on her own time to festoon our offices in Pioneer Center, just to bring us some holiday cheer! Thank you, Risa, for making this a better place to work. We appreciate you!
–District Office Staff
Shout out to LMS Staff! Huge thanks to all of you who did an amazing job during the unplanned fire alarm. This happened during the first 10 minutes of 7th grade lunch and so many of you helped take action with the kids and get them to the grass out front. Kids were amazing during the prolonged time until we got the “all clear”. Appreciate all of you. Thanks!
–Cameron Grow, Lincoln Middle School Principal
Shout out to Marci Sontgerath! She did a great job leading a well-planned and organized collaboration day for the district first grade teams. She had fun ice breaker activities to help us get to know one another better, she honored all of our thoughts and ideas throughout the session, and she planned a meaningful book study that we could turn around and use in our classrooms right away. She rocked it!
–Sunnyside Elementary First Grade Team
Shout out to our fantastic School Board! The Pullman School District Board of Directors was named a 2019 Board of Distinction by the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA). Our board is one of just 34 school boards in the state to receive the 2019 Board of Distinction award from WSSDA. This high honor recognizes exceptional collaborative leadership, oversight, and dedication to students and the community as well as exceptional levels of correlation between data, board decisions and positive outcomes for students. Please be sure to thank them!
–Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Kim Mowbray! Thank you for a great Thanksgiving Turkey Trot send off. What a magnificent job you did! It was amazing to watch. Way to take action and support all students! We are truly building this community and making it strong.
–Janet Adams, Kamiak Elemetary Fourth Grade Teacher
Shout out to the PHS Admin Team: Juston Pollestad, Debbie Crabtree & Chris Franklin! For providing great leadership in our building on a daily basis. Their professionalism and dedication to the students and staff are much appreciated. The week before Thanksgiving, they also surprised us by replacing our morning staff meeting with a non-agenda gathering where homemade treats and great coffee were provided. The little morale boost was just what we all needed to finish the week strong!
–Debbie Nakata, Pullman High School History Teacher
Shout out to Katharine Covill! She was recently named the 2020 WMEA Regional Outstanding Music Educator! Well done, Katharine!
–Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Kamiak Staff! To those who use a walkie-talkie at KES: a High Five for communicating on the devices without using student names or initials. I appreciate your concern for student confidentiality!
–Evan Hecker, Kamiak Elementary Principal
November 22, 2019:
Shout out to Kim Stockton! She has put on two fabulous Jefferson musicals this week with 2nd - 5th grade students and for all of her time and hard work in helping plan the Veteran's Day assembly earlier this month. It was such a great addition to have 1st grade singing!
–Jefferson Elementary Staff
Shout out to Abby Lawton! For sharing all her wonderful social/emotional resources with our staff and for getting accommodations entered in so quickly before the 4th grade reading interim yesterday. You are so appreciated at Jefferson!
–Trisha Doumit, Jefferson Elementary Fourth Grade Teacher
November 15, 2019:
Shout out to John Naranjo! Driving a bus is certainly not in his job description, but he is always quick to volunteer to drive a school bus whenever we are short-handed. He is the definition of a team player and he is so appreciated! (Yes, he has a CDL!)”
–Joe Thornton, District Director of Operations
Shout out to our School Psychologists! It's National School Psychologist Week ! Our hardworking psychologists who support staff and students to help us set goals, identify action steps, communicate needs and engage in discussions that help create the connections necessary for students to develop critical academic and social emotional skills. Your contributions are invaluable!
–Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Berenisse Bencomo! Thank you for helping all of us transition to SEBB – we’ve witnessed you help so many of our district staff by answering questions and assisting with the application process. You do it all with patience and kindness; it is seen and appreciated!
–Joe Thornton, Lani DeBuhr and Shannon Focht (Main District Office Crew)
Shout out to Jeff Jones! For demonstrating: Students First, Cultivate Trust & Build Together! Watching Jeff take time out of his day to toss around a football with a student (on a cold, wet day nonetheless) made my day and is a great example of how we are all in this together for the students!
–Megan Brannan, Kamiak Elementary Library Support Paraprofessional
Shout out to Julie Lippay! The Veteran’s Day Assembly was once again amazing. Looking out at the students and the community members that attend, it filled me with such joy. The fox council are so well prepared with their speeches, the decorations were great and included everyone from Franklin, and the PowerPoint slide show really showed why we honor our Veterans. I remember when you took this on, and what a huge undertaking it was, and now to see how it has evolved into an amazing Franklin tradition!
–Marci Sontgerath, Franklin Elementary First Grade Teacher
Shout out to Chris Lippay! Bingo Night was once again a wonderful family event. Your guidance on the games will help families provide fun, educational family time for years to come. Your calling of the event is always fun-filled and entertaining. Everyone has a great time due to your running it. Thank you for continuing this Franklin tradition.
–Marci Sontgerath, Franklin Elementary First Grade Teacher
Shout out to the front desk staff at KES: Lynda Hamilton, Alexa Beckett & Melony Wells! They exemplify what it means to show Mutual Respect & Cultivate Trust for all who come through the door from students, parents, community members & staff. They do so with warm greetings, professionalism & a sense of humor! They understand confidentiality and Take Action for some of our highest need students from those injured on the playground, to those who need a safe place to calm down before returning to class. They problem solve parent & staff questions and there are many with being a new school. If they need additional support they ask and do so quickly because Students First is what they believe. As a new staff member from outside of this district, I am impressed. Lynda, Alexa & Melony, thank you for making KES welcoming and safe place for students to grow & learn. KES is grateful for all you do.
–Staci Estenson, Kamiak Elementary Counselor
Shout out to those who helped execute the PHS Veterans Day assembly including custodians, staff assembly chaperones, and others. I so appreciate each of your efforts to ensure students remained respectful, and I especially appreciate the following individuals who were instrumental: Juston Pollestad: for his sure support and enthusiasm. Debbie Crabtree: for her ability to field ALL the questions. Denise Thompson: for keeping PHS and the community up to date on the assembly and for graciously greeting our guests. Andy Mielke: we were all serenaded, and, dare I say, captivated, especially by the anthem performers and the "taps" performance. Doug Winchell: all things "tech" including our veteran video clip and assembly pictures. The CTE program: for supporting leadership students and for funding much of what was accomplished. Rachel Chartrand: for covering a portion of my second period class so I could prepare for the assembly. Thank you for a memorable experience!
–Paden Carlson, Pullman High School English Teacher
Shout out to Meghan McKeirnan! Thank you for sharing your students with me. My favorite conference was (student name redacted). You truly taught him what having a growth mindset means and he literally owned it. He has grown and changed mentally as a learner because of your support and belief in him!
–Staci Estenson, Kamiak Elementary Counselor
Shout out to our Nutrition Services Staff! As I saw firsthand this week, they put considerable time into cooking fantastic meals for our students. On Thursday, they made fajitas (pic below), and they were definitely enjoyed! Thank you for all that you do to feed our students well!
–Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Paula Bates and Kerrin McMillen! I want to give a big, heartfelt thank you to them for all the hard work they have been putting into assisting me with all the many components of our program. Their hard work is noticed and appreciated!
–Cristina Hyde, Assistant Director of Special Services
November 1, 2019:
Shout out to Andrew Munson! He was our bus driver and was just fantastic tonight. He even came in to our meet to cheer on the Knowledge Bowl team. When we faced hours of sitting on 195 he was positive, solutions-oriented, and kept all of us safe. I was so impressed by his care for us.
–Johanna Brown, Pullman High School Science Teacher
Shout out to Stephanie Bray, Katie Evermann and the whole amazing Franklin Core + team! They helped make what can often be a stressful week so much less stressful! They graciously fed us, provided treats and a calming space to decompress! It’s such a joy to work with so many amazing individuals who genuinely go out of their way to make someone else’s day better! I love where I work and the amazing people I work with!
-Heather Strader, Franklin Elementary Kindergarten Teacher
Shout out to Stephanie Bray and the Franklin staff! I’m new to nutrition services in Pullman School District this year. I have had the pleasure of working in the kitchen at Franklin Elementary for a number of weeks since school started. The staff at Franklin are top notch. Stephanie Bray has great passion for serving the students, and it shows in every aspect there at Franklin. It has been such a pleasure to work there with the students and staff. One example of the passion that Stephanie has for her students is that every day I have been there during meal times, she helps the custodian wipe down tables. In my 13 years of school food service experience, I have never seen a principal wipe down tables. This is just one example of the wonderful staff there at Franklin, and the passion the staff there have for serving students.
-Kent Bevers, Food Service Assistant
Shout out to K-8 Staff! They spent considerable time and energy coordinating and holding parent conferences this week! Parent involvement is so valuable, and you all do a fantastic job communicating with parents and involving them in their students’ educations. It is noticed and appreciated!
–Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to PHS Metals & Woods Teacher, Tim Schotzko and his impressive students! They are utilizing their learning to build two beautiful sheds – one will house an ATV at Kamiak, and will be used by our maintenance staff! I’m looking forward to watching progress on these projects! #CTEINACTION
–Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
October 11, 2019:
Shout out to Savannah Nelsen! Just want to say how much I appreciate how she is so on top of any changes in her after school plans when they occur. Every single time I get an updated sheet with the information. The little things easily become the big things in the after school rush. Really appreciate her organization to help others.
-Carmen Roberts, Sunnyside Elementary Head Secretary/Office Manager
Shout out to the PSD267 Staff for making substitutes feel welcome! All the staff member have shown support with their kindness, simple smiles, hallway greetings and the helpful hints for substitute.
-Mei Clark, Substitute Para-Pro
Shout out to Lani DeBuhr! Lani gave the staff links page of our website a much-needed overhaul and it looks AMAZING! Thank you!
-Shannon Focht, District Communications Coordinator
October 4, 2019:
Shout out to Stephanie Bray, Katie Evermann, and Haylee Fishback for supporting me in the classroom and being amazing examples of showing that “Every Franklin Fox is my Franklin Fox!”
-Heather Strader, Franklin Elementary Kindergarten Teacher
Shout out to Diane Hodge and Berenisse Bencomo for all of their extra effort trying to help us make sense of the insurance change over and options. -Robin Hendrickson
-Robin Hendrickson, Franklin Elementary Library Para-Pro
Shout out to Keith Russell! I am very appreciative of having such a clean health room! Thank you Keith!
-Michelle Hyatt, District Nurse
Shout out to Evan Hecker! This is a big shout out to let you know about the hard working, persistent Principal we have here at Kamiak Elementary! Evan is always on the run, doing his best to support ALL Kamiak Students, teachers, and para professionals with a smile on his face. Thank goodness the man is an athlete!!!
-Jill Brockmier, Kamiak Elementary First Grade Teacher
September 27, 2019:
Shout out to Garren Shannon! Thank you for letting me shadow you and help map the Wi-Fi connectivity at KES. It was a great opportunity to visit classrooms and see the work that you do to make our district’s technology run smoothly!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Trish Blehm! Thank you for letting me work with one of your students this week and read to your entire class. Thank you for your ability to meet the unique needs of all students in your classroom!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Mimi Dissmore! I enjoyed shadowing you this week working on calculating the surface area of pyramids and prisms. It was awesome. Your students are lucky to have a teacher that is passionate about math instruction!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Justin Marley! I had a great time shadowing you this morning and learning how to do the bus pre and post trips! You are a great driver, and I am grateful that your students are greeted by your friendliness each morning!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to our tech department for their diligent work to get our network back up and running yesterday, and thank you to all staff for their patience and flexibility!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to the LMS Staff! I just wanted to give a huge shout out to some of my amazing co-workers today. Not just as a teacher, but also as a parent. My son Eric, who is a 5th grader, broke his arm this morning at Franklin before school. I was already teaching my first period class. When my phone rang the first time, I answered, but the call got disconnected before it was transferred. When it rang again, I let it go to voice mail. Mary Lopes came to find me to let me know I needed to call the nurse at Franklin. The nurse took great care of my son (even with him puking from getting hurt) until I could get there to get him. Michelle Dunlap was worried about him and asked us to please let her know how he was doing. Cameron Grow was amazing and offered to find teachers to cover my classes for the rest of the day. Robin McDougle helped find Cameron and called to find a teacher on their prep to cover my class. Jeff Martin stepped up with no notice to cover my first period class. Marla Haugen covered my 2nd period and created a lesson for them with no notice either since the computers weren’t working for her. Geoff Reilly also created a lesson that actually covered the topics I needed covered today (I even used his lesson for my 7th period!). I couldn’t do this job without my village surrounding me. I didn’t have time to create sub plans, and yet, I knew my students would be taken care of. Also, a HUGE shout out to my AWESOME 1st period 6th graders, who picked up the lesson after the phone rang, and to the couple of students who took over to finish the lesson. They ran the discussion, helped other students stay on task, and finished the class diagram/model to the agreement of all the students. I am so proud of them!
-Heidi Fluegel, Lincoln Middle School Science Teacher
Shout out to Marie Wallace! Marie has her food handlers permit and jumped right in to help get hash browns on trays where they belong. So many of the staff here are willing to go above and beyond to help each other out. Thank you, Marie!!!
-Diane Hathaway, Jefferson Elementary First Grade Teacher
Shout out to Stephanie Wysup! Stephanie’s commitment to her students is shown daily in seeing both her interactions with students all day and communicating with families long after school ends. She finds the time on top of this to head the social committee and help us all think and appreciate others!
-Shelley Opgenorth, Kamiak Elementary Third Grade Teacher
Shout out to Shelley Opgenorth! I appreciate how Shelley actively addresses concerns about her students. She is currently working with a student who spends a great amount of time living in his downstairs brain, and works to not to not only have her student acknowledge his feelings, but what to do when he acknowledges them, and how to sooth and calm himself. I also appreciate her use of positive behavior supports with this student and all students. She smiles, high fives, and dishes out verbal praise to reinforce expected behaviors.
-Evan Hecker, Kamiak Elementary Principal
Shout out to the Kamiak Staff! Thank you all for working so hard to build a great school. Without you and your staffs’ hard work, Kamiak would just be a building.
-Nathan Roberts, District School Board Member
September 20, 2019:
Shout out to John Naranjo and Lester Erwin for safely (and without using pesticides) eradicating a hornets nest next to the FES playground... with only one sting to show for it.
-Joe Thornton, District Director of Operations
Shout out to Haylee Fishback for teaching a PE class of 1st graders (quietly, even!) in a hallway! This was the epitome of flexibility and patience. Thank you for quickly taking action to accommodate needs in your school!
-Shannon Focht, District Communications Coordinator
Shout out to the IT department and specifically Kameron Haramoto! He has come to help fix every problem we've had in computer science, been patient with questions and has made me feel more confident in my own skills! His incredible kindness really helped make AP Computer Science start off well. Additionally, Ryan Dunlap and Garren Shannon have both supported me a ton. Thank you!
-Johanna Brown, Pullman High School Computer Science Teacher
September 13, 2019:
Should out to Tammy Lehmitz! A very HUGE thank you for doing the impossible and arranging for transportation for one of our M-V eligible families needing transport on a short timeline. Tammy was so professional and very “can-do” about the whole affair! She worked a miracle and got transportation [organized] within 24 hours of our request. Amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
-Paula Cartwright, Lincoln Middle School Counselor
Shout out to Jo Brown! In an effort to cut down on single use plastics Jo is working on amassing some mismatched silverware that can be used for PHS staff functions. Awesome!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Evan Hecker! For inspiring a culture at Kamiak with special emphasis on self-care, wellness, and work life balance. This is so important!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Stacey Estenson our school counselor at Kamiak for putting Students First and Cultivating Trust. Stacey has taken the time to visit our classrooms to introduce herself and teach our students what she does and how she can help them. This was a super engaging and light hearted opportunity for her to make herself known. I love that she did this with the whole class because it helps put an end to the stigma of visiting with the school counselor. I’m glad they all know she’s available if they need someone to listen or help them problem solve.
-Emily Poston, Kamiak Elementary Fifth Grade Teacher
Shout out to Craig McCormick! Awesome work teaching students the value of civic engagement and responsibility as they study the constitution!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
September 6, 2019:
Shout out to All Staff! Each of you have contributed to making this a smooth start to the school year. Well done and greatly appreciated.
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Lani DeBuhr for the job shadow suggestion! Such a great idea, and I’m excited to get it started!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Abby Stolp! Explicitly setting expectations in her classroom around culture (Respect). She is also asking for and giving feedback! Also, using most “everything” from Orientation – already called home most of her families to share something positive about their student!
- Grace Grow and Joni Stevens, TOSAs
Shout out to Kelcie Peterson! Positive and supportive with her students and team during challenging situations!
- Grace Grow and Joni Stevens, TOSAs
Shout out to Rayna Charles! Being resourceful with students to support their needs as learners and sharing compliments with others!
- Grace Grow and Joni Stevens, TOSAs
Shout out to Kevin Agnew! Working to learn more about students by getting out of his classroom and into the social spaces.
- Grace Grow and Joni Stevens, TOSAs
Shout out to Parker Ruehl! Creating a culture of HOPE in his classroom by building productive relationships with students from DAY 1. He did an activity for students to identify their GOALS for the year – what will those Look, Sound, and Feel like!
- Grace Grow and Joni Stevens, TOSAs
Shout out to Mary Krumpl! Witnessed her interactions with Kinder students and it is obvious she comes from a place of encouragement with all students. She is also seeking feedback and reflecting on how to best set up her space to create a culture for learning.
- Grace Grow and Joni Stevens, TOSAs
Shout out to Destiny Barker! Willing to support students and teachers however she can (helping find students that lost their way).
- Grace Grow and Joni Stevens, TOSAs
Shout out to Amanda Ingram! Asking questions, seeking advice and feedback. She wants to do better and improve. Smiling and welcoming to all that enter her classroom.
- Grace Grow and Joni Stevens, TOSAs
Shout out to Stacey Estensen! Have you seen her office? Creating a safe, welcoming space for students. Supporting KES in any and all ways needed.
- Grace Grow and Joni Stevens, TOSAs
August 30, 2019:
Shout out to Roberta Kramer! Even after a really long day, I noticed you took the time (at 8pm, no less!) to talk with a parent about their child, showing compassion and concern.
-Shannon Focht, District Co=mmunications Coordinato
Shout out to Claudia Mickas! Claudia made sweet paper fortune cookies with kind messages inside, and handed them out to students arriving for their first day of school!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to Kamiak Staff! They rolled out a (paper!) red carpet for all of the students arriving on the first day! Such a fun way to welcome students!
-Bob Maxwell, District Superintendent
Shout out to PHS ASB and Mrs. Willy for running a solid PHS Block Party. Students had a great time hanging out, playing games, and getting dinner from the food truck! Thank you club advisors for attending and reaching out to students to help them get involved and join a club. This was perhaps the most well attended event by our staff that I can remember. WHAT AN AWESOME WAY TO START THE YEAR!!! I appreciate you taking time to come out and support our students. They also appreciate seeing you in a different environment. It’s another GREAT way for us to show that we care about them both inside and outside of the classroom.
-Juston Pollestad, Pullman High School Principal
Shout out to the Jefferson Core+ Team! The Jefferson kindergarten teachers want to give a shout out to all the Core Plus staff. They have been an amazing help to us during our Wa-Kids conferences. They have made our newest JES students feel special and comfortable! Thanks for taking such great care of them this week!
-Jefferson Elementary Kindergarten Teachers
Shout out to the Summer Maintenance Crew! I would like them to know how much I appreciate their hard work in delivering all the curriculum and special education supplies to each school. Our hallway was completely cluttered with boxes and they cleared it out in one day in the heat. Incredible!
-Kerrin McMillen, Instructional Programs Office Assistant
Shout out to the Maintenance Department - (John, Gwen, Lester, Justin, Ernest, Kevin, Gary, Michael and the summer crew: Trevor, Tim, Pepper, Scott, Lucy, Carson , Aron!) What they accomplished this summer was, in my opinion, amazing. The district generated a list of over 100 summer projects that needed to get done, some small…most large. Minus the projects that were earmarked for September or before winter, the maintenance crew knocked out +/- 85 projects this summer. This was on top of the usual summer stuff that needs to happen, landscaping, moving, fixing irrigation and fixing other broken stuff. Oh yeah…then there was the move into Kamiak that involved thousands of boxes of materials, curriculum and furniture that needed to be delivered….with the help of an amazing summer crew, who turned out to be mostly former PSD students.
-Joe Thornton, District Director of Operations
Shout out to the Instructional Technology Department! (Garren, Kameron, Aaron, Alex and Matt) for working on all of the vast amount of technology upgrades, computers, phones, and intercoms. Well Done!
-Bob Max=well, District Superintenden
Shout out to the LMS Staff! There was a lot of love in the building today. I witnessed so many people, staff and students, helping each other in stressful, busy, hectic conditions. Just because that’s what we do. It’s a big part of the reason that I love working at Lincoln. Nice job, everyone.” –Michael Riley
-Michael Riley, Lincoln Middle School Social Studies Teacher
July 3, 2019:
Shout out to our awesome transportation department! Our school buses once again had exceptional inspection results from the
Washington State Patrol! 👍
March 7, 2019:
High Five! I want to recognize Emily Poston - I appreciate how present Emily is in the community. She is such a positive role model for Pullman Schools!
-Alison Weigley, Rotary Club President Elect
High Five! I want to recognize Pam Brantner - Pam is professional, caring and always follows through! Pullman Schools are lucky to have Pam who really cares about students and the community.
-Colleen Hinman, Rotary Club President
High Five! I want to recognize Bob Maxwell for his presentation to the Pullman Rotary Club.
-Lou Ann Heroff, Rotary Club Member
February 7, 2019:
High Five! I want to recognize Kimi Emerson - As a volunteer sponsor for K-Kids she has helped bring the opportunity for service to Sunnyside Elementary students. Kimi also has a wonderful spirit and great ideas.
-Larry Clark, Kiwanis Board of Directors Member
High Five! I want to recognize Garren Shannon - I appreciate Garren's drive, passion and energy as he works to advance community initiatives which impact and support our youth- thank you!
-Francis Benjamin, Kiwanis Immediate Past President
High Five! I want to recognize Wendy Kruger - She is a WONDERFUL PE Teacher!
-Janell Focht, Kiwanis Member
High Five! I want to recognize Frieda Nutsch - She helps students and cares about them. She also helps Kiwanis & Rotary with our breakfast and dinners at Lincoln Middle School.
-Glenn Johnson, Kiwanas Member
High Five! I want to recognize Charlie Hammerich - He goes on field trips to support children. He is an AWESOME human being!
-Katie Schweitzer, Kiwanis Member
High Five! I want to recognize Lester Erwin - He is one of the most respectful people I k now. He makes sure others have a chance to share ideas and genuinely listens.
-Kaylee Hammerlich, Kiwanis Member
High Five! I want to recognize Art Powers - He has created a wrestling program that supports kids of all abilities!
-Suzy Scott, Kiwanis Member
High Five! I want to recognize Kandice Held - She is just so awesome with the kids she works with!
-Devon Felsted, Kiwanis Member
High Five! I want to recognize Michelle Dunlap - She knows every single student at Franklin and is a cheerful and kind representative of the school.
-Dawn Butler, Kiwanis Member
High Five! I want to recognize Rob McPherson - He helps across disciplines to help Theatre Arts in their productions. Nice Job!
-Jeff Guyett, Kiwanis Member
January 4, 2019:
Terry Parker deserves a major high five! Thank you for going above and beyond to care for our students - you make Pullman a great place to live. ❤️