Holiday Greetings Friends,
December is always a fun and exciting month and Ellensburg kids have been living their best lives singing, dancing and, literally, decking the halls. Our schools have been alive at night with holiday concerts and our students have taken their talents out into the community to sing at community events and for the elderly.
We are also very proud of the achievements we are marking this season. Students at Morgan Middle School gathered for a Winter Social to celebrate good behavior and attendance. Our elementary schools have been running food drives to help their neighbors. Ida students held a pet food drive, so that those in need can feed their furry, four-legged friends.
We have also been humbled by the efforts our community makes to ensure that families have food and children have presents. First Responders hosted the annual Shop with A Cop and Firefighter event for more than 50 children. Every child who needed one, got a new bike and helmet, and other toys and games. Our Ellensburg Education Foundation, service clubs, faith organizations and individual community members have shown their heart for Ellensburg kids during this extraordinary season. We are filled with gratitude.
Be gentle with little (and big) hearts this season, enjoy time with your loved ones, and spend some time relaxing. There will be plenty of work waiting in January!
Your Partner in Education,
Superintendent Troy Tornow
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If there are more houses doesn’t the District get more money?
It is a common myth that more homes result in more levy and bond dollars for schools. Once the levy or bond amount is set the amount doesn’t increase, no matter how many new homes and new students are added to the District. However, the cost per $1,000 of assessed value decreases.
Suppose you bought a pie for $10. If you bought it alone, you would pay $10. If you shared the cost with one friend, each of you would pay $5. If 10 people purchased the same pie, it would cost $1 per person. The size and cost of the pie is unchanged, but the cost per slice goes down. It is the same with school levies and bonds. When more homes come into the area it just means everyone is paying less for the “pie” but the pie, or in this case levy amount, remains the same size.
For more information on the Replacement EP&O Levy, visit our website here.
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ESD Board of Directors welcomed a new member, a new student representative and a new President at the meeting of Dec. 10, 2025.
Jeff Dermond was sworn into Position 3 after winning the election in November. Dermond replaces Tosha Woods, who chose not to run after seven years on the Board. Cindy Coe was also sworn in again, having won her election in November.
Isabella Gutierrez was sworn in as the newest Student Representative to the Board. She will be joined by Brianna Smith, who was unable to attend the December meeting. Gutierrez and Smith join Yutong Liang, who is serving in her second year with the Board.
Cindy Coe was voted in as the new ESD Board President, replacing Mike Rowley. Cathie Day will serve as Legislative Representative for the Board.
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Pictured (left to right) Jeff Dermond, Cathie Day, Cindy Coe, Madeline deMaintenon, and Mike Rowley. |
We keep telling you what an awesome job our Child Nutrition team is doing, but if you don't believe us, then check out the latest edition of Tray Talk, a publication of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), a national, nonprofit professional organization representing 57,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country.
The article features our Director of Child Nutrition Alexandra Epstein-Solfield and Chef Todd Berry. Together they find the perfect blend of nutritious and delicious, all while featuring locally-sourced meat and produce. Check out the article here!
Here are a few photos of our littlest learners enjoying quesadilla day at the Early Learning Center.
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Quesadillas weren’t the only excitement at the Early Learning Center on Dec. 16! After lunch, students were joined by family members for a rousing round of math games, including the ever-popular Rolly Poly Math. When students joined together in the multi-purpose room, they found special guests waiting: Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause!
Santa brought a wrapped gift for every child in both the morning and afternoon classes. The Clauses' do this out of the goodness of their hearts and will accept no payment, but will accept donations to help towards next year.
Students waited patiently -- as patient as three and four year old's can be -- to take their turn to see Santa and collect their gift. Back in the classrooms, students ripped into the paper and found a new stuffed friend to hug this season.
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Ida Nason Aronica Elementary 4th graders in Katrina Durham’s class organized a pet food drive for FISH that resulted in an incredible 566 pounds of food for our furry friends.
"They didn’t just match last year’s effort, they surpassed it by more than 300 pounds!," FISH stated. "Thanks to their hard work, creativity, and big hearts, the students collected an incredible 566 pounds of pet food to support families and their beloved animals. Their posters, enthusiasm, and teamwork shine in every photo, and we are so grateful for the kindness they’ve shown our community. Your generosity helps keep pets healthy and at home with the families who love them. We are truly inspired by you!"
Great job students! Thank you to the families who donated to this worthy cause!
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When Lincoln third graders worked with kinders to make Christmas cards, they had no idea what excitement was ahead. The cards were their service project for December, in support of the character trait of the month: “Lending a hand to someone besides yourself.”
On Dec. 17, the students walked down to the Ellensburg Police Department to deliver good cheer. Our friends at EPD even took the kids on a tour! In the photo below, Mrs. Vogt-Thayer is pointing out a picture of her dad who was a police officer in Ellensburg!
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Mt. Stuart 2nd graders were spotted hard at work on a very important writing project: letters to Santa! They used their best writing and coloring skills to get the point across.
Our friends from the Ellensburg Daily Record were on hand as well. Watch future editions for more photos and the letters they wrote!
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Valley View Voices had the opportunity to perform for the Ellensburg Morning Rotary Club on Dec. 11. Rotary often invites local choir kids from the community to sing at one of their last meetings of the year. They are a service club that raises funds for local projects (for example, funding books for the summer bookmobile).
Thank you to our local Rotarians for providing this opportunity and for supporting our schools. And congratulations to these talented students!
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Referrals to the office are down and attendance is gaining at Morgan Middle School. So what better way to celebrate than with a Winter Social?
Morgan staff go out of their way to make sure there is something to interest every student. Cookie decorating, snacks, a cake walk , chess games and silent disco were among the fun activities waiting for students after school. Here are some Morgan Bullpups living their best lives.
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If you need to find Aahan Siwakoti, you need look no further than the computer lab. The Ellensburg High School freshman can rattle off a list of programs and applications he’s already mastered. On December 5, he was honored by Congresswoman Dr. Kim Schrier for his computer expertise.
Siwakoti submitted an app to the Congressional App Challenge, and was invited to a Congressional App Challenge Reception in Sammamish, hosted by Schrier. He called his app Brain Dump, which uses AI to pull from all available resources to organize your day. He spent nearly four months getting his app ready for submission. “It was exciting to meet the Congresswoman," he says.
“Aahan is an incredibly bright and talented student,” says teacher Tiffany Price, who heads computer sciences at the high school. “He didn't make top placement, but I fully expect him to place next year. The congressional district mostly covers Issaquah, Sammamish, so it is very competitive, however, they are no match for the talent we have here at EHS. In fact, seven years ago, one of our students (Ethan Price) took first place!”
Siwakoti became interested in computers in 5th grade, and started programming in 7th grade. He would like to pursue a career in BCI. What’s that, you ask? Brain-Computer Interface to program computers to help people overcome physical obstacles and injuries.
For now he and his lab partner, Surya Rajendran, are hard at work on a programming project for the annual Technology Student Association competitions.
Congratulations Aahan! You make us proud to be Bulldogs!
Below (left) Aahan Siwakoti accepts his award from Congresswoman Dr. Kim Schrier.
(Right) Aahan (left) and Surya work on their TSA project.
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The elves at Big Picture High School have been in the workshop for weeks preparing for the school’s first Craft Fair, which is also their first ASB fundraiser. Student created some fun and inventive items ranging from clocks made from old vinyl LPs, and tree ornaments, to silkscreen shirts, and jewelry. Students also manned the student store selling snacks and beverages to attendees.
When they weren’t crafting, they quietly launched their own streaming radio station! “The kids have set up the playlists, recorded the transitions and promos, put together an artist spotlight, and have developed a variety of shows and interviews to play throughout the day,” says Principal Haley Naboychik. Listeners can submit music requests, and share personal interest stories.
“As we get going, students will be able to retrieve data from the site about the number of ‘hits,’ time spent on the site, where listeners are located, and the web platforms they are using,” says Naboychik.
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Wrestling and basketball are in full swing, and our student athletes will be on the courts and mats this holiday season. Here is the varsity schedule of tournaments, matches and games. In winter months, details may changes due to weather. Check before you leave home! You can find the full schedule, as well as JV sports here.
Wrestling
12/20 – Boys at Pasco High School at 7 a.m.
12/30 – Boys at Eastmont High School 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
1/2 -- Girls at Royal High School at 9 a.m.
1/3 – Boys at Cascade High School (Leavenworth) at 10 a.m.
Basketball
12/29 – Girls at Pendleton High School at Noon.
12/29 -- Boys at Pendleton High School at 1:30 p.m.
12/30 and 12/31-- Boys and Girls Basketball: TBA
1/2 – Girls at HOME vs Quincy High School at 5:30 p.m.
1/2 – Boys at HOME vs Quincy High School at 7 p.m.
1/3 – Girls at Ephrata High School at 3:30 p.m.
1/3 – Boys at Ephrata High School at 5 p.m.
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Here are a few more photos of Ellensburg kids enjoying the holiday season! |
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