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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 24, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 24, 2020
 
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Page A-14 — Shelton-Mason Journal — Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020 STATE OF THE COMMUNITY Shelton schools tout academy programs By Kirk Boxleitner '4 O kboxleitner@masoncounty com The Shelton School Dis- trict’s “State of the Commu- nity” presentation Sept. 10 focused on the district’s older grade levels as Shelton High School Principal Bruce Kip- per and Deena Alley, direc- tor of the Shelton Academies, explained how they prepare students for continuing edu- cation or careers after gradu- ation. Alley said the Health Sci- ences Academy, which al- ready includes designated pathways for patient care and sports medicine and fitness, has added the “Lead the Way” path for advanced scientific studies such as biomedical sci- ence and innovations, human body systems and medical in- terventions. In the Business, Finance and Hospitality Academy, Alley said culinary and en- tertainment production re- mains popular with students, and includes courses on both tourism and multimedia com- munications. In the Natural Resources Science Academy, Alley touted the horticulture path as focusing on providing food year-round from green- houses and farms to table. While the Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology Academy already exists, with SHELTON HIGH SCHOOL MET ACADEMY 0’ 75’ 150’ N AflCl-‘llltllnu The Shelton School District plans to build a new MET Acdemy building on the high school campus where the current staff parking lot is. Graphic courtesy of She/ton School District its paths previously catego- rized under the headings of construction, welding, auto- motive and engineering, Alley explained the courses would be reorganized to create two new pathways, one for “pure engineering,” composed of computer-aided design and engineering courses, while the other would focus on “mecha- tronics” with courses on elec- tronics and robotics. “We want to help prepare our students for what’s next, so that they’ll be armed with 2lst-century skills,” Alley said. The Shelton Academies plan to furnish the Manufac- turing, Engineering and Tech- nology Academy with a new 3,400'—square-foot building that can expand based on fu- ture enrollment and technol- ogy needs. Alex Apostle, superinten- dent of Shelton School Dis- trict, told the attendees of the online presentation that this project will be funded en- tirely by non-high school dis- trict money. “This money is the non-high school district’s legal obligation and contri- bution toward the passing of the $60-million-plus bond, and can only be spent on high school capital projects, mak- ing the Manufacturing, Engi— neering and Technology Acad- emy facility possible,” Apostle said. Apostle placed the total non—high school district con- tribution at $6.5 million, and the cost of the new Manufac- turing, Engineering and Tech- nology Academy at $4 million to $5 million. “Our vision is a 100% graduation rate by even though COVID has ob- viously made that harder,” said Apostle, who considers it the schools’ duty to “excite, inspire and motivate” its stu-, dents to learn, as well as to support their successes. Alley encouraged commu- nity members to donate their time, talent, materials or money, whether by stepping _in as guest speakers, project mentors or members of advi- sory committees. “Show us part of your day,” Alley said. “Host a job shad- ow, or wear a body cam for a few hours, to show students a day in the life of someone in your field.” Alley invited those inter- ested in participating to email her at dalley@sheltonschools. org, or to call her at 360-229- Duririg the question-and- answer period, Alley assured one inquiring residents that regardless of the district’s plans for its academies, Cedar High School “is not going any- where.” sy’kark soxléiiuér kbox/eitner@masoncounty com The North Mason School District is weathering “a very interesting year” due to COVID-19, while achieving a relative degree of success under al- ready difficult circumstances, Superintendent Dana Rosenbach said during a Sept. 10 “State of the Com— munity” presentation. North Mason schools have seen their enrollments increase while several district neighbors have seen losses of students. to online learning programs, Rosenbach said. Due to a recent double-levy failure, the district had already made provisions for budget cutbacks, including what Rosenbach described as “significant layoffs.” Although close to half a dozen teachers had their reduction in force notices reversed, allowing them to stay on, more than employees, of whom more than were teachers, lost their jobs. North Mason has maintained its meal service to students through its transportation department, al- though meal deliveries have been reduced from dai- ly to Tuesdays and Thursdays, with multiple meals delivered on those days. Because of the North Mason School District’s . proximity to Kitsap County, the district is in regu- lar contact with the public health districts of Mason and Kitsap counties, and follows the standards of whichever county is undergoing the worst condi- tions. On a six-stage scale, under which Stage 1 would see everyone stay at home, and Stage 6 would see everyone return to school, Rosenbach placed North Mason at Stage under which the students are staying at home, and explained that Stages 3 through 5 would see specific groups of students re- turn to school, based on the priority of their return. Rosenbach touted the “extremely robust” options that North Mason families have for online learning while acknowledging that several families are only North Masondistrict overcoming obstacles able to take advantage of such programs by using one of the parking lot Wi-Fi hubs set up by Mason Public Utility District 3. . . North Mason has teaching assistants visiting those hubs in vans at scheduled times to provide in- person aid to complement online materials. After being forced to abandon initial plans to of- fer a “hybrid” model of online and in-school instruc- tion, the North Mason School District is attempting to provide music instruction and school clubs online, in addition to counseling services and regular les- sons, the latter of which are offered both live online, and recorded and downloadable. Although the 'district is waiting for- guidance from the Washington Interscholastic Activities As- sociation on school sports, Rosenbach said several student athletes have been conditioning at home. Among its many partnerships with agencies out- side of school, Rosenbach cited the district’s work with child care centers to ensure students in need are fed and clothed. Olympifgollege seeks to equalize educational experience sy'kiifsoxieimr kbox/eitner@masoncounty. com Olympic College Shelton campus Administrator Allison Smith described the current state of affairs as resembling “a snow day that just keeps go- ing” during her Sept. 10 “State of the Community” presenta- tion, which reviewed the col- lege’s recent past, present and future plans. Addressing the question “Where we were,” Smith re- counted Olympic College’s renovations of buildings that were relics of the 1990s —- composed largely of “leftover furnishings” turned into more state-of-tho-art facilities, with an eye toward providing equal resources among all three of the Olympic campuses. The other keys to guaran- teeing this equity, Smith said, have been building up faculty and expanding the selection of courses at the college’s branches so students who at- tend Olympic College at its Shelton campus can expect a parity of personalized instruc- tion and educational options. Likewise, by instituting a “no cancel” policy, Olympic College intends to reassure students that they can make reservations for classes at any of its branches and they’ll be sure those classes won’t be canceled. By moving most of the col- lege’s curriculum online, Smith said she sees COVID-19 as having equalized the Olympic College branches by imposing similar limitations on them all. Moving to “Where we are,” Smith noted that courses such as nursing and welding con- tinue to provide some on-site clinics, but most of the cam- pus’ other functions are at a distance, from online instruc— tion to a “virtual ofi'ice” of staff available via phone and email during regular business hours, acting as what Smith called “a ranger station.” Enrollment is down roughly 12%, Smith said, and they’ve been told to wait on answers regarding budget matters until However, Olympic Col- lege has already been told to prepare for budget cuts in the neighborhood of 15%. Smith expressed sympathy for students who have dropped out because the shift to a near- ly all-online format has been too much, given that many of those students are likely to be older and juggling responsi- bilities of families and jobs, in addition to their educational aspirations. An additional complication has been Olympic College’s transition from a computer system that Smith said dated to the 1980s. She said “the transfer of information has not necessarily gone well.” Smith closed on a more posi- tive note with “Where we’re go- ing” by detailing the college’s attempts to secure money for students enrolled in certain cumulative credit levels of courses, but also teasing the possibilities of a Washington College Grant and access to on- campus day care for students who are doubling as caregivers to children —— courtesy of the many otherwise empty build- ings on campus. Smith touted Olympic Col- lege’s more than online courses and pledged that the college is searching for safe and innovative ways to increase its in-person instruction too.