District News

The McMinnville School District (MSD) will join an international event this week called an “Hour of Code.” Created to coincide with Computer Science Education Week, this year celebrated December 5 – 11, the event was created as one-hour introduction to computer science.  The Hour of Code is designed to demystify computer coding, to show that…

The Santa Claus Project, a partnership with McMinnville’s Noon Rotary, is an annual event that took place this year despite the wintery weather. Students were selected from every elementary school in the district, 24 students in all, and were treated to a holiday shopping trip for clothes, toys and gifts for their families. Rotary volunteers…

McMinnville High School (MHS) principal Tony Vicknair introduced students and ceramics teacher Dan Willis to talk about the Visual Arts pathway at last night’s meeting of the McMinnville School Board.  Students Sydney Hayward and Aidan Hamel, along with Willis, demonstrated how pottery is created on a potter’s wheel. Hayward brought a large pot she plans…

Duniway Middle School teachers Jeremy Hurl (left) and Tim Love spent the day at the Capitol today as part of the Civic Scholars program.  The program is a statewide initiative to enhance high quality professional development in civic education for teachers. The teachers were selected by Oregon Senator Brian Boquist, representing District 12. The day-long…

The McMinnville Education Foundation (MEF) has awarded grant funds of more than $25,000 to 33 projects from the school district that extend learning opportunities for students, both in and outside the classroom.  Teachers at all levels requested up to $1,000 to support additional educational projects including field trips; science opportunities; arts, history, and reading activities;…

Yesterday, the recipients of the Technology Integration and Innovation for the New 21st Century Learner Grants gathered to share with each other details about how they plan to implement the use of funds. One of the projects was a MakeyMakey invention kit (pictured), which turns everyday objects into touchpads and connects anything to the computer….

Hailey Huddleson from Patton Middle School, Joseph Cope from Duniway, and Ethan Keleher and Luke Cornelison from McMinnville High School were all selected for All-State Honor choirs, a program of the Oregon Music Education Association (OMEA). These students have to show outstanding musicality and submit an audition recording that’s judged by a panel of screeners. …

Last Friday was the last day of this year’s third grade Science Experiences project that focuses on the water cycle. Students visit a local water treatment plant and study how water flows from local reservoirs to  city faucets. Every third grade class in the district spends a day learning about the science behind local water….

On Friday night, McMinnville High School students won recognition at the National FFA Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event (CDE) competition. The students were awarded a Team Bronze emblem, and first-time competitor Taylor Ames finished with a national ranking of 58th and Luis Garibaldo ranked 74th, which earned them both individual Silver emblem awards. The winners were…

Today, the McMinnville School District participated in the Great Oregon ShakeOut, a statewide earthquake drill for emergency preparedness. Every school in the district practiced the recommended action of “Drop, Cover, and Hold On!” beginning at 10:20 a.m. “It’s important to practice disaster response as a regular part of district routines,” said Dr. Maryalice Russell, superintendent…