A look at some of what made education news in Medical Lake

February:

Medical Lake passes school funding levies

The Medical Lake School District presented a pair of ballot propositions to voters, one an educational programs and operations levy with the second dedicated to a variety of capital projects. Both measures passed by over 60 percent.

Residents would pay $1.50 per $1,000 in property valuation for a levy to replace one currently in place and charging $1.95 per $1,000. The funds raised cover a variety of things including athletics, band, transportation, nurses and more.

Proposition 2, a 40-cents per $1,000 request was to pay for a variety of safety, security and facility upgrades like floors and roofs. The district would collect 6 percent in the first three years, about $367,000, and 3 percent in the final three years.

The money would cover critical security and safety updates following school shootings in Freeman and Florida.

Student issues threat to Medical Lake High

An initial social media threat following a basketball game at Medical Lake High School Feb. 1 was taken with all seriousness.

The incident started during the game against Colville. The student in question was in the MLHS cheering section, accompanied by an adult friend who are not allowed in student sections.

That person was twice asked to move and then finally escorted out of the building. The student later posted on Facebook with verbal threats aimed at students and then uploaded a pair of music videos with what Superintendent Time Ames said contained, “Graphic stuff about killing, blood and that’s where he threatened a staff member.”

But after a thorough investigation, school officials, and those with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office determined the post did not pose harm.

March:

Medical Lake Knowledge Bowl team tops in state

Another Medical Lake team has took home a state championship, not with sweat and muscle, but with brain power.

The high school Knowledge Bowl squad are now the owners of bragging rights after their 14-13 victory over La Center High School in competition staged in Arlington, Wash. earlier this month.

Knowledge Bowl joins the school’s robotics team as winners of recent state titles away from the athletic field where Medical Lake had recently won a 2017 boys cross country championship.

Members of the 2018 Medical Lake Knowledge Bowl state championship team included Sarah Ransom, Alli Smith, Emilie Browning, Anthony Barnes, Kaden Lee, Taylor Cannon, Megan Goertz, Justyce Cogswell, Lauren Saue-Fletcher, Evan Peterson, Faraz Abounorinejad and Tanner Henry.

April:

Medical Lake’s Circuit Breakers are off to robotics nationals

The Medical Lake High School Circuit Breakers robotics team earned another notable accomplishment April 4–7 and hope to have more.

Competing in Portland, Ore. against 64 teams from Washington, Oregon and Alaska, Medical Lake finished 10th and played in the semi-final round of the playoffs, securing a second invitation to the FIRST World Championships in Houston, Texas. Competition took place in April and the team finished in the top half of all participants.

May:

Medical Lake School District gets security updates underway

Summer vacation was anything but for the Medical Lake School District’s maintenance department.

The list of projects for the district while students were away included security upgrades at all district schools that included new secure entrances. There was also a security camera component where front-office personnel can see who is seeking access before being admitted.

Capital Levy funds approved earlier in February paid for the updates.

Medical Lake High School cooks up championship chili

A class project at Medical Lake High School got out of control, but in a very good way.

Sophomore Kaylee Thompson and Calvin Ross, a freshman, concocted a vegan chili recipe that has likely exceeded expectations, having won both regional and state competition.

The members of Maureen Fanion’s Family Consumer Science class took the recipe to national competition in Atlanta, Ga.

July:

Medical Lake School District approves budget

The Medical Lake School Board approved in unanimous fashion its operating budget for the 2018-19 school year at a special meeting prior to its regular July 24 meeting.

Chad Moss, director of finance, prepared a detailed budget document that delved into all facets of the operation of the district under new guidelines from the state.

But the crucial figures are that it will take an estimated $25.9 million general fund dollars to educate the district’s projected enrollment of 1,850 students. That’s a 25-student increase from the 2017-18 school year.

September:

Steps to stopping school violence before it starts

School shootings always seemed to happen someplace else — until they don’t, as was the case just over a year ago at Freeman.

Medical Lake took the lead locally by becoming engaged in the work of Safer Schools Together (SST). The presentation at a school directors convention by Nick Chernoff, a threat analyst for SST, convinced them to bring the message to town at their annual staff orientation day in August.

Chernoff, a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces, and still part of their reserves, conducted a riveting 90-minute presentation that covered everything from how a smart phone tracks your every move to diving into social media to try to detect a problem before it gets out of hand.

Endeavors begins its mission in Medical Lake

The start of a school year means many new things lie ahead for students and staff.

And for those at Endeavors, this was especially true. Endeavors is the new name for the former Medical Lake Alternative High School as the rebranding became official when new signage took the place of the old.

“We’ll always deal with the stigma of the word, ‘alternative,’” school director Lyra McGirk said. “We’re definitely detaching that from our name,” she added.

Medical Lake School Board ratifies employee contract

A month later than originally planned, the Medical Lake School Board officially signed off on a new three-year contract for teachers and classified employees in the district at its Sept. 25 meeting. The new contract provides teachers with a 9.76 percent salary increase.

“They did a nice job, both teams,” Superintendent Tim Ames told the board who approved the deal, minus Ron Cooper who was away on district business. “It was a great team effort.”

Under the deal, first-year teachers will be in the $40,000 and above range while veteran educators will earn between $83,000 and $85,000. Also approved was a similar collective bargaining deal with classified employees who will receive a 5.5 percent raise after expecting 3 percent, Ames reported.

October:

Medical Lake’s Johnson honored by West Plains Chamber

Medical Lake schools band teacher Craig Johnson was singled out among dozens of teachers in the district by being named the West Plains Chamber of Commerce’s “Medical Lake Public Schools Educator of the Year.”

The original honor was announced on Oct. 26 at the West Plains Chamber’s annual “Best of the West” gala. That, however, was the same night Johnson chose to be with seniors in their final performance at a Medical Lake football game. The award was later given to Johnson at a middle school assembly.

Fencing completed at high school

Crews from Northwest Fence put the finishing touches on a new barrier to further secure the rear of Medical Lake High School and some of the campus annexes. The project to have an 8-foot security fence was completed about a year after passage of a bond in February, 2018.