District News

For some district students, Saturday mornings are all about reading.  This past weekend, Columbus and Wascher students began a five-week camp intended to better engage young students in literacy.  The students are invited to attend by their classroom teachers. Run from 9 to 11:30 a.m., the camps start with breakfast and provide reading time and…

The McMinnville High School (MHS) FFA team attended the Lower Willamette District (LWD) Leadership event  and competed in the advanced parliamentary procedure (parli-pro) contest, and junior McKenna West participated in the advanced public speaking contest. “All kids were pretty stoked at how well they performed, since a majority of them had never participated in this…

The McMinnville School District takes a comprehensive approach to STEM education, coordinating science learning across the district with the FOSS curriculum and the Science Experience program outside the classroom.  FOSS (Full Option Science System) is a K-8 research-based science curriculum that was developed at the University of California at Berkeley. The instruction depends on inquiry-based,…

The first AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) classes launched at McMinnville High School this week with 60 freshmen in two classes.  The students, recruited from the fall freshman seminars as well as outreach events, applied for the inaugural cohort, which will continue through their senior year. AVID, part of a 30-year-old global non-profit, uses research-based…

McMinnville School District’s middle school robotics program sent four teams to the FIRST Tech Challenge qualifying tournament at Oregon State University last weekend.  The teams competed against 20 other teams from around Oregon and Idaho, including high school teams, and received multiple awards, including the tournament’s top award.  Three of the teams advanced to the…

Kyra Donovan, director of Elementary and Federal Programs for the McMinnville School District (MSD), was honored today with OACOA Achievement of Excellence award.  The award honors a member of the Oregon Association of Central Office Administrators (OACOA) who represents the commitment to excellence in education that exemplifies the organization’s membership. The award was announced today…

Winners for the annual Scholastic Art Awards, the largest regional and national art competition, were announced today. Out of 1,220 submissions in the mid and southern Willamette Valley, McMinnville High School (MHS) students won a number of prestigious awards. Work is rated for originality, technical skill and student voice. This year, MHS students garnered the…

The McMinnville School District has been awarded nearly $220,000 in two state grants for the Career Pathway programs this month.  The bigger grant, part of the Oregon Department of Education (ODE)’s CTE Revitalization Grant program, will provide $146,796 to the protective services pathway programs, including the existing Criminal Justice and Fire & Emergency Services pathways….

The McMinnville School district has partnered with the Yamhill Community Care Organization’s Early Learning Hub to bring Vroom, new initiative that empowers parents and caregivers to play a proactive role in their children’s early brain development. For parents and caregivers, Vroom has developed an app they can download for free called Daily Vroom, which serves…

This week’s board meeting celebrated School Board Recognition Month with a formal proclamation recognizing their service, signed by Superintendent Maryalice Russell. Each school principal also presented a board member with a book that will be donated to the school library in the board member’s honor. The proclamation states WHEREAS, school boards create a vision for…