District News

James Tenesaca DeMaster, fifth grade Memorial student, and Opal Primozich, eighth grade Duniway student, have been named winners in the annual American History essay contest sponsored by the Yamhill chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). This year’s essay explored the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment in June 1919,…

The McMinnville School District’s elementary Science Experiences program wrapped up a new session this week at Linfield College.  The sessions covered principles and forms of light and sound energy, activities aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. “One of the goals of the Science Experiences program is to expose students to different places in our…

The district calendar committee has presented two calendar options for the 2019-2020 school year. The final calendar will be adopted at the School Board business meeting on March 11, 2019 The committee would like input on which option is preferred. Parents and district employees are invited to participate in a short online survey by clicking…

Students from Duniway and Patton middle schools wrapped up performances this month with the Oregon Music Educators Association (OMEA) Honor Band and Honor Choir events.  This year’s Honor Band was made up of 90 students from 15 different middle schools representing six different school districts. Students rehearsed for over six hours on Friday, Jan. 18…

After years of steady increases, the McMinnville High School (MHS) overall graduation rate has exceeded 90 percent. This rate is 12 points higher than the state average and more than three points higher than last year. The results were announced yesterday by the Oregon Department of Education. In every category, MHS exceeded state averages, including…

The Arts Alliance of Yamhill County invites submissions to the 26th annual Paper Gardens competition. Paper Gardens is a creative writing program with categories in prose and poetry that accepts free entries from students ages 6 through 18. This year’s competition will be judged by Tracy Daugherty and José Angel Araguz. The top three submissions…

Five McMinnville High School (MHS) students earned honors in the state competition for the Scholastic Art Awards.  Across the state, 2,604 students entered 7,007 individual pieces of art and 270 portfolios. Seniors Keelie Grasley and Carly Szedlak won Gold Key recognition for their work (see below) and will advance to the national competition in New…

January is School Board Appreciation Month. Thank you, School Board members Carson Benner, Janis Braich (pictured), Barbara Carter, Paul Haddeland, Gerardo Partida, Tim Roberts and Larry Vollmer for your service and dedication to the McMinnville School District! Superintendent Maryalice Russell read a formal proclamation into the record and noted that board members serve in a…

Paige Lomas, third grade teacher at Columbus Elementary, today launched a new session of Success Now called “Web Writers.”  Targeted to third-fifth graders, the after-school session is designed to develop informative writing skills among the more than 20 students who signed up. With a special news feed on the Columbus website, the students will publish…

Students at Grandhaven and Wascher elementary schools will have the opportunity to spend time with children’s advocate and award-winning author Trudy Ludwig. Ludwig will lead two student assemblies,  broken out by age group, at each school. She will read one of her books to the audience and discuss the story and the characters’ roles. Through engaging,…