District News

McMinnville resident Carson Benner has been named to the McMinnville School Board. Benner replaces long-time member Stan Primozich, who retired in June. Benner, who has lived in McMinnville for more than 20 years, has served the district for more than 10 years as a member of the Budget Committee, Long Range Facilities Task Force and…

This week, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici visited Newby Elementary to learn about the McMinnville School District (MSD)’s summer meals program.   U.S. Rep. Bonamici visited the district to see the federally funded child nutrition programs in action.   Newby serves approximately 100 meals a day, at both breakfast and lunch, according to MSD Nutrition Director Cindi…

Nine staff members of McMinnville High School (MHS) attended the AVID Summer Institute this month. The institute is an annual professional learning event created to help educators learn the latest in AVID methodologies and strategies to successfully implement the national college readiness program in their schools. Teachers and administrators Doug Barsotti, Amy Fast, Darcy Houston,…

More than 30 middle school students attended a STEM camp at Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum last week. The four-day camp is designed to improve science, technology, engineering and math skills through hands-on projects. Projects included new sessions focused on forensic science and DNA; rocketry; computer programming and game theory; and flight science with hot…

For the seventh year in a row, the McMinnville School District has been honored by the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting award, considered the Gold Standard in the industry, recognizes having met or exceeded the program’s high standards for financial…

Rising third graders start summer school this week.  The five-week sessions are held at every elementary school in the district, running Mondays through Thursdays from June 20 – June 30 and August 1 – 18, from 9 a.m. until noon. Breakfast and lunch are offered at every site. The free Step Up to Third Grade…

Nearly 80 girls attended the seventh annual STEM camp for middle schoolers at the Evergreen Space Museum this week.  The girls cycle through several different sessions, including new offerings in forensics, DNA and game programming, among others. “I’m really excited about the computer programming addition,” said McMinnville High School science teacher Andrea Brown, who has…

At last night’s School Board meeting, the following staff members were recognized for their years of service to the students of the McMinnville School District. Retirees were presented a “Golden Apple” by School Board members, and attendees were served cake to celebrate. Musical entertainment was provided by the Wascher choir, under the direction of Lindsey…

The biggest graduating class ever matriculated from McMinnville High School this year. There are 12 valedictorians, 22 salutatorians, 64 honors diplomas, 110 honor cords, 234 career pathway endorsements, 7,455 college credits earned, and $6.6 million in scholarships and grants awarded to date. Additionally, the class included 38 scholar-athletes and 26 activity-scholars. To qualify as an…

Patton eighth grader Tara Vogel won first place in Rotary’s regional 4-Way Speech Competition in Vancouver, Washington! Tara’s speech on female stereotypes won first place at the local level in the McMinnville Noon Rotary in March, which qualified her for the regional competition. Competing against other local level winners, Tara came out on top and…