News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 176 - 200 of 1328
Lake Roosevelt Schools’ proposed 2022-23 calendar went through its final reading by the Grand Coulee Dam School District board of directors on April 11 and was approved. The Nespelem School Board approved that district’s calendar for the next school year March 31. The GCDSD calendar shows the first day of the next school year starting for students on Aug. 31, 2022 and the last day as June 16, 2023. When school gets out on Dec. 16, school will be out until Jan. 2, 2023 when school resumes. When school gets out on March 31, 2023. Spring break in...
Several Lake Roosevelt students will head to state competition this month in the Future Business Leaders of America statewide contest in Spokane April 20-23. Sam Amarilla, Kaitylyn Nordine, Noah Hunt and Kailah Leadingham will compete in their respective categories, ranging from business law to broadcast journalism to help desk. The team earned the right to compete at state in Wenatchee in February when they took three first place wins, four seconds, two thirds, a fourth and a sixth. Advisor Susan Duclos received permission to go on the trip...
The Grand Coulee Dam School District PTA will be having a general meeting the high school hub at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday, April 12. Elections and upcoming events are on the agenda. Those interesteed in being a board member should note that they need to have been a PTA member 15 days prior to the meeting. Membership forms are at the elementary office. Zoom meeting is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86493619586?pwd=NE5DSnQ2TkNFblhiOGhoYm9HOHVVQT09 Hope to see you there... Full story
Incidents of violence and other issues at Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High seem to be decreasing after a few measures have been implemented. In her report to the Grand Coulee Dam School District board of directors, Principal Sara Kennedy wrote that to address an “escalation in behavior incidents” they have implemented a few new measures. One new measure is that restrooms are now closed between class periods. Students can use the restrooms during class time after signing out of class, one at a time. Kennedy told the board that this has red...
Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High School is purchasing a used car for its traffic safety/driver education program. The Grand Coulee Dam School District board of directors on Monday approved the purchase of a 2017 Ford Escape for about $25,000 from Jess Ford using school levy money. The class has been leasing a Ford Fusion from Jess Ford. Superintendent Paul Turner said the four-wheel-drive Ford Escape has low mileage and that the school should get a lot of use out of it over the coming years. “We’re a district that champion’s drivers ed,” Turne...
School was disrupted last week by a possible threat that was later determined not to be credible. There was no school at Lake Roosevelt Schools on March 16, then only a distance-learning day March 17 due to the alleged threat through a reported remark on social media. The incident was described in a March 17 Facebook post shared on the Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High School page from the Grand Coulee Dam School District’s administration. The post explains that at 6:25 a.m. on March 16 “we got a call from a parent stating that their student received a...
Notice of an Executive Board Meeting Of the Grand Coulee Dam Board of Directors March 23, 2022 5:30 p.m. The Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors will be holding an Executive Board Meeting tomorrow March 23, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss personnel items....
School was disrupted last week by a possible threat that was later determined not to be credible. There was no school at Lake Roosevelt Schools on March 16, then only a distance-learning day March 17 due to the alleged threat through a reported remark on social media. The incident was described in a March 17 Facebook post shared on the Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High School page from the Grand Coulee Dam School District’s administration. The post explains that at 6:25 a.m. on March 16 “we got a call from a parent stating that their student received a...
ended his valiant battle with Parkinson's disease on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at the age of 89. Al was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, to father Alva Reeves and mother Mary Lambert on July 24, 1932, a birthday Al shared with his father. Al grew up in Sandpoint, on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille, surrounded by mountains and forests. He became an avid hunter and fisherman, activities that helped feed his family and which became lifelong passions. Al was a Sea Scout as a youth. He played high school and...
Students of every age at Lake Roosevelt Schools are busy this week learning their parts for a play they'll put on in just a few days. Join the Emperor, his friends and subjects, and the busy Silkworms this Saturday March 19, 2022 when the Missoula Children's Theatre and 28 local students present an original musical adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen classic, "The Emperor's New Clothes." Playing the title character of the Emperor is local student Noah Hunt. Other featured performers...
A report from the Okanogan School District determined that noises made during a basketball game were not racially motivated, but others, including Colville Business Council members, disagree. Reviewing game footage, Lady Raiders Assistant Coach Matthew Pleasants, himself an African American and Native American, took note of racist monkey noises being made while a Lady Raider, also an African American and Native American, shot free throws during a Feb. 18 basketball game in Okanogan. Pleasants reported the incident to the Washington Interscholas...
Communication between the Colville Tribes and the Grand Coulee Dam School District should be prioritized, officials from both groups say. At their meeting Monday night, GCDSD School Board directors hosted the chairman and other members of the Colville Business Council, the governing body of the Colville Confederated Tribes. With 37.8% of students in the district being enrolled tribal members, and more being of tribal descent, the school board has spoken frequently in recent years about wanting...
It’s the year 2022, and racism is still an issue that children face at school. Following a report of racist behavior at a basketball game in Okanogan, the school district there has been investigating the matter, and a report is anticipated to be done later this week. Lady Raiders Assistant Coach Matthew Pleasants reported that while he was reviewing video of a Feb. 18 game in Okanogan, he noticed that some fans at the game had made monkey noises while a Lady Raider who is African American and a tribal member was shooting free throws. P... Full story
The wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round, and you can help them go. The Grand Coulee Dam School District is in need of more bus drivers. Transportation Director Tim Rasmussen said during the Feb. 28 school board meeting that if anyone 21 or over is interested in being a bus driver, the school will pay for them to train. Rasmussen can be reached at Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High School at 509-633-1442....
The Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors will be holding a Executive board meeting tonight Tuesday March 8th @ 5:30 p.m. At this meeting the board will be discussing personnel items.... Full story
Lady Raiders Assistant Coach Matthew Pleasants came across something shocking while reviewing video from their Feb. 18 game against the Okanogan Lady Bulldogs. While a Lady Raider, who is of African-American descent as well as a tribal member, was shooting free throws, Okanogan fans jeered at her by making monkey noises. Pleasants and his father, Head Coach Wallace “Peewee” Pleasants, are also African-American, and Matthew Pleasants, said that he found the jeering “disheartening” but added that he wasn’t “one bit surprised.” That type of behav...
With mask mandates changing around the country and in the state of Washington, people expressed mixed feelings in a Star poll this week. Readers who took the poll on state mask mandates ending in March are split over the topic, with 56.5% being comfortable with the idea, and 43.5% being uncomfortable with it. Gov. Jay Inslee announced Feb. 17 that Covid-19 mask restrictions will be loosening on March 21 for the state, the date "we project we will be in a position to be able to reduce some of... Full story
There'll be a new superintendent in the Grand Coulee Dam School District for the 2024-25 school year. Current Superintendent Paul Turner told the district's board of directors Monday that he intends to retire after working part time for two more school years. Turner noted the past two years being hard both physically and mentally caused him to look at his personal situation and his future, leading to his decision. A full-time assistant superintendent will be hired to potentially, but not definit...
With mask mandates set to lift in late March, half of school district personnel are skeptical about the idea, and our readers can voice their own opinions in a brief online poll. Governor Jay Inslee announced on Feb. 17 that Covid-19 mask restrictions will be loosening in March for the state. As of March 21, masks will still be required at medical facilities, long term care settings, public transit, correctional facilities, and at whatever private businesses that choose to require them. They will no longer be required at schools, libraries,... Full story
With roughly 56% of voters voting against two levies in the Grand Coulee Dam School District last week, school board members are looking into running just one levy in November. In the Feb. 8 election, the Educational Programs and Operation Levy failed 631 votes to 483 among voters in the district, while the Capital Levy for Safety, Technology and Facilities Improvements failed 599-477. Combined, the two levies would have brought in a combined $1.4-$1.7 million per year from 2023 to 2026 into the school district. Superintendent Paul Turner...
Voters turned down two local school levy proposals by a hefty margin yesterday. Grand Coulee Dam School District’s Proposition 1 appeared to fail by about 58 to 42 percent, with 570 voters selecting No on their ballots, 418 selecting Yes across the four counties the district serves. Proposition 2 was also voted down 538-413, about 57% no to 43% yes. “We got hammered bad,” Superintendent Paul Turner said, noting only the Pateros district appeared close to have a close vote at about 50-50 last night. All others were failing in Okanogan Count...
It may make sense that a school board would have good communication with students, being that students are the reason schools exist. That need may be addressed in the Grand Coulee Dam School District in the 2022-23 school year by a pair of student representatives, a junior and senior, being chosen to represent the student body at school board meetings. Sophomore Celeste LaPlace, daughter of School Board Chairman George LaPlace, made a presentation to the district’s Board of Directors Jan. 24, leading to the approval of moving forward with t...
Local voters are casting their ballots on two school district levies that would replace three levies expiring at the end of this year, with passage of the educational levy coming with a bonus of $700,000 in "assistance funds" from the state annually for the four-year duration of that levy. On Feb. 8, election day, ballots will be counted for the two levies in the Grand Coulee Dam School District. If passed, the two levies will bring in an estimated $1.4 to $1.7 million to the school district... Full story
Setting aside the likelihood that the Grand Coulee Dam School District is not perfect, critics who argue that the fix is voting against its local funding are way off the mark. When the Legislature changed the formula for basic education funding, getting dollares for this district became even more complicated than it already was, restricting funds in different buckets dedicated to specific uses, even more so than they usually are. But administrators here, like others across the state, have had to figure it out. This year, the district is... Full story
Capital levy dollars, with some assistance from grants, have helped upgrade the heating and air conditioning (HVAC), roofing and electrical systems at the gym, as well as to replace asbestos-based wall panels, and could upgrade school facilities further if renewed by voters next month. Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner took The Star and The Tribal Tribune on a tour of the Career Technical Education building, also known as what remains of the old high school, to show...
