Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 60
DAVENPORT-There's a new superintendent to be Chad after last Wednesday's school board meeting. On the same night former district boss Jim Kowalkowski was recognized heading into his retirement, Chad Prewitt was sworn into the position by board chair Deanna Fitzpatrick to conclude the June 29 regular meeting. Prewitt took the oath of office with Kowalkowski by his side as Fitzpatrick read him the rather complicated pledge to recite. He officially became superintendent...
Davenport superintendent Jim Kowalkowski's 15-year tenure in the position ended Wednesday, July 29 after the school board meeting. Area superintendents, community members, family and past and present school board members accumulated to send the longtime educator off into retirement. Here, Kowalkowski gathers with those present who have served on the school board at some point since he began in 2007. Next week's issue will cover the news of the school board meeting, which...
ODESSA- Five new resignations were announced at the Odessa School Board meeting on June 22. Resignations were from high school secretary Chris Luiten, junior high assistant basketball coach Zoe Clark, High school assistant basketball coach Matt Gorman, bus driver Steve Matthews and junior class advisor Larry Moffet. During public comment Kerry and Paul Scheller expressed their concerns over school security. Kerry Scheller expressed the need for more security due to recent shootings. Superintendent Dan Read shared the average...
REARDAN- The Class of 2022's excitement was felt at the June 11 ceremony. The gym was decorated with school colors of maroon and gray. The Senior Band played the national anthem. Class President Darby McLaughlin gave the welcome speech. She expressed how excited they were to graduate. She thanked the parents and school faculty. Valedictorian Alyssa Boyd expressed a thoughtful perspective. "Our teachers began asking adult questions, as if we would know everything at 18," Boyd...
ODESSA- Larry Weber, the now-former head high school baseball coach and math teacher here, discussed ideas and concerns with the athletic program at the May 25 school board meeting. Concern arose due to open coaching positions for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Weber created one of those open positions, as his resignation as high school head baseball coach was announced by Athletic Director Bruce Todd. Postings for head high school baseball coach and high assistant volleyball coach will be posted at a later date....
DAVENPORT-A months-long search to fill a vacant principal position came to a conclusion in early May with the hire of Sarita Hopkins as the new elementary principal. The school board approved Hopkins' hire Monday, May 9. The hire moves Noelle Carstens to secondary principal as Chad Prewitt prepares to take over the superintendent role from the retiring Jim Kowalkowski. Hopkins comes to Davenport from Cheney Middle School, where she is wrapping up her third year as the...
ODESSA- Superintendent Dan Read informed the board that the free meals for all students will conclude at the end of this school year at the board’s meeting Wednesday, April 27. Students who are eligible for free or reduced meals will still be able to participate in the programs during the 2022-23 school year and going forward. Read also provided information on potential heating upgrades which he hopes will be funded through ESSER III funds. Quotes and bids will be reviewed at the May board meeting as well as timelines for t...
HARRINGTON—Will the Panthers stay put for sports? Or is a merger with Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, Davenport or Odessa on the horizon? Those were some of the questions the school board faced at its special meeting Monday, May 2 in response to an offer from LRS for Harrington to join the Broncos for middle and high school athletics on a one-year trial basis next year. Harrington administration began to explore the idea of a merger with LRS about three weeks ago after a couple Panthers joined the Broncos softball team. LRS then o...
REARDAN-The scent of smoked sausage and sense of Reardan spirit packed Gene Smith Gym as hundreds of current and former football players and community members gathered for a once-in-a-generation "50 Years of Football" banquet Saturday, April 23. The event served several purposes: Celebrate Eric Nikkola's retirement, honor former coaches Dan Graham and Gene Smith and introduce new head coach Matt Clouse to the Reardan faithful filling the building named after Smith. Who better...
REARDAN-The school district's nine-month period of being mascot-less, or "just Reardan," as many locals refer to it, is over. The school board approved a motion to make the "Screaming Eagles" the new mascot by a 3-1 vote at the board's meeting Wednesday, April 27. The district was forced to change its mascot from the "Indians" following the passage of House Bill 1356 in 2021, which banned the use of Native American mascots or logos by public schools in Washington. The moniker...
DAVENPORT—The search for a new principal remains ongoing, but a candidate may be selected by next Wednesday, according to discussion at the school board’s regular meeting Monday, April 25. Superintendent Jim Kowalkowski’s looming retirement has created a ripple effect down to a principal opening after current high school principal Chad Prewitt was named Kowalkowski’s successor. The district may move current elementary principal Noelle Carstens to middle/high school principal, or hire a secondary school principal dependi...
DAVENPORT—The school district is planning to broaden its search for a new principal by opening the door for a new elementary school principal and moving current principal Noelle Carstens to the middle/high school, the school board learned at its regular meeting Monday, March 28. Current high school principal and soon-to-be superintendent Chad Prewitt, presiding over Monday’s meeting in Jim Kowalkowski’s absence, said the move doesn’t guarantee Carstens will be moved to the secondary school. He said he wants the positio...
The Reardan FFA chapter came to the Lincoln County Commissioners' meeting Monday, March 21 to give two presentations on issues presently faced in the agricultural community. The first presentation focused on vegetarian vs. plant-based eating, while the second presentation concerned the impacts of state mandates on the ag economy. Students presented both sides of the issue before taking questions from the audience. Here, Andrew Schulz discusses state vaccine mandates as...
The lifting of the state's mask mandate in most instances effective March 12 meant Monday, March 14 was the first time in nearly two academic years that children didn't have to wear masks to school. This means that kindergartners and first-graders are attending a mask-less classroom for the first time in their grade school years. Here, Katy Fisk's first-grade classroom practices math problems with their contemplative faces fully visible....
DAVENPORT—The school board here held a special meeting to approve a $523,919 federal grant from the United States Department of Agriculture that the district won in a shared application with Lind, Hatton and Ritzville. The grant, which must be spent in three years and will be disbursed in a reimbursement process, allows rural schools to bring telecommunications equipment into classrooms. As part of the grant, participating schools must provide education about the nation’s opioid epidemic in some fashion over the next thr...
DAVENPORT-The school board went over the process for finding a new principal and whether a redistricting process needs to happen at its meeting Monday, Feb. 28. The secondary school will have the principal vacancy when Chad Prewitt replaces the retiring Jim Kowalkowski this summer. A sample schedule for selecting a top candidate was shared at the board meeting by Prewitt and elementary school principal Noelle Carstens. The proposed schedule would be an all-day affair that...
DAVENPORT—Test scores, daily class schedules and a new secondary school principal were chief among the discussion topics at a busy school board meeting Monday, Jan. 31. The meeting also included approval of three action items and the announcement of two educational resignations and hires apiece. High school principal Chad Prewitt led a discussion regarding English/language arts and math test scores. Students were tested in these subjects in a standardized test this fall for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a...
HARRINGTON—The school district here is seeking passage of a two-year replacement levy for collection in 2023 and 2024 to help fund several school expenses. The assessed value is less than in previous years, but the amount remains the same as the most recent levy. Voters will decide the levy’s fate in a special election Tuesday, Feb. 8. The two-year levy seeks $375,000 for collection in 2023 and 2024. The assessed impact on school district taxpayers is estimated at $2.25 per $1,000 in property value, which is a decline from th...
SPOKANE—29 locals from Davenport, Reardan, Edwall, Harrington and Sprague made honor roll at the two community colleges of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College and Spokane Community College for fall quarter. 1,553 students from SFCC and 2,105 students from SCC total made honor roll, which is awarded to scholars with a grade point average of 3.0 or better for fall quarter. Davenport residents on honor roll at SFCC included Lau Olesen, Tina Ek, Pearl Wilson, Cami Heidegger, Phillip Barton and Daniel Watkins. They were j...
Reardan-Edwall fifth-grader Colbie Anderson took third place in the Washington State regional VFW Veteran's Day essay writing contest. Anderson is seen here with her winning certificate and ELA teacher Jackie Whitfield....
DAVENPORT—The school board approved three new hires, finalized its meeting calendar for 2022 and agreed to transfer funds to buy a new bus at its final meeting of 2021 Monday, Dec. 13. The board approved Gerly Bouchard as food service assistant, Brandan Rainwater as assistant high school boys basketball coach and Jennifer Doyle as registrar/district office assistant. The board also agreed to transfer $21,078.11 from the general fund to purchase a new school bus. John Doyle resigned his paraprofessional position, so new b...
DAVENPORT-In the span of about 10 minutes, the Davenport school board went through some drastic (albeit planned) changes at its Nov. 29 meeting. The board elected a new chair and vice chair, swore in a new member and saluted two outgoing members goodbye. The board also approved a contract for its new superintendent and business manager. Consent agenda OK'd The board first approved its consent agenda. That included the contract for incoming superintendent and current high...
DAVENPORT-Local schools used the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 10 to hold Veteran's Day assemblies to recognize and remember military members who have served the United States. In Davenport, a short 30-minute assembly featured the playing of the national anthem and the high school choir's rendition of "America the Beautiful," both directed by Rob Harper. John Doyle, a 10-year veteran of the United States Navy, spoke to students about his time in service and why it's important to...
REARDAN-Ian Wagner, a farmer with three children in the school district, has wrapped up his time with the Reardan-Edwall School District after five years on the board. He was recognized at his last board meeting Oct. 27. Wagner had been on the board since 2016. He had served just over two two-year terms and went through the election process twice. "It's just time," Wagner said of his decision to leave the board. "Five years is plenty. It's time for some new ideas and a change...
DAVENPORT—The school board approved two new positions for hire in a move tabled at the end of September at the board’s quarterly meeting Oct. 11. However, the approval came with adjustments requested by the board. The board had previously waited to approve a request from school administration to create and advertise for two new positions, a lunchroom assistant and health room aide, seeking more financial information at the board’s Sept. 27 meeting. Administration described both positions as part-time positions. The lunch...
