District News

The townspeople of Zion, Indiana, are searching for something to believe in. As the Great Depression of the 1930s hits and the Dust Bowl begins to spread, the ability to find water (known as divining) becomes a commodity.  Buddy Layman – the boy who is afraid of water –  is, ironically, the one diviner in…

This week is Classified Employee Appreciation Week, intended to honor the dedicated support staff who play critical roles in our district. Classified employees are the secretaries, food service workers, educational assistants, custodians, maintenance workers and others who keep the schools and district operating smoothly. On February 8, the McMinnville School Board passed the following recognition…

Patton Middle School’s Junior Thespians are launching a production of Roald Dahl’s classic, “James and the Giant Peach.” This is a kid-friendly stage adaptation of the timeless story. The show will be performed at Patton Middle School on March 5 at 2 p.m. This is a free show for the public.  Doors open a half-hour…

The Duniway robotics team Aftershock was featured in an event at the Capitol in Salem today.  The team was invited to showcase their state-competition-bound robot at “Why We Love Afteschool and Summer.”  The event was hosted by OregonASK, an organization that promotes quality out-of-school time activities with a special emphasis on STEM programs. Kayden Bartley,…

Members of McMinnville High School (MHS)’s Thespian Society Troupe attended the Northwest Regional Thespian Competition in early February.  The event was hosted at Wilson High School in Portland. Under the direction of troupe director, Bethany Mason, and club president, Chandler Simenson, 17 Thespians represented MHS in a variety of nine events including Comedic Duo Novice,…

The district calendar committee has developed two calendar options for the 2016-2017 school year.  The final calendar will be adopted at the March School Board meeting. 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 here. The survey will…

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…