02-14-2020 - Requests for Proposals - Mid Valley Elementary School Facilities Upgrades

Pictured: Dr. Corinda Hankins Elliott, Vice-Chair Dr. David Russo, Julia Garcia-Ramirez, Rich Truax, Tom Scully, Brandi Sheppard, Chair Chrissy Reitz, and Superintendent Dr. Sara Hahn-Huston.

January is School Board Recognition Month!

We appreciate our hard-working school board who volunteer great amounts of time throughout the year to help create a very successful school district here in Hood River County. School boards support student achievement by focusing on: vision, standards, assessment, accountability, alignment, climate, collaborative relationships and continuous improvement. Through their actions in these eight areas, school boards place student achievement at the center of what they do while engaging educators and community members.

WyEast STEM Teacher Wins Award

Patrick Getchis, STEM Teacher at Wy’east Middle School, received the 2019 STEM Education Leader of the Year award for his years of excellence in STEM education. Patrick has led middle-school robotics teams to World Competitions several times. He has an impressive and innovative maker lab, constructed from the most recent Hood River County School District Construction Bond facilities improvements. His classroom is a place where all students are welcome and where everyone involved can see themselves as tech and STEM leaders. The GTA donates $1000 to the program of the STEM education award winner.  This donation will help Wy’east Middle School and the STEM program to continue to flourish.

Additional finalists honored included Rob Gilchrist of Trillium Engineering and Jeff Knapp of Insitu for Tech Leader, and STEM educators Jeff Hawkins of Pacific Crest Innovation Academy, Jocelyn Paris of Wahtonka Community School, Dezirah Remington from Dufur School and Robert Wells-Clark of The Dalles High School.

The GTA’s annual awards program recognizes and thanks the many companies, organizations and individuals working to advance the tech industry and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in the Columbia River Gorge. The GTA Technology Leader and STEM Education Leader of the Year awards are presented to the individual or organization who made the largest positive impact on the technology and STEM education community of the Columbia River Gorge. See full article on the Gorge Technology Alliance website.

Hood River County School District Awarded for Excellence in Financial Reporting

10/07/2019 (Chicago, Illinois) --The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to Hood River County School District by Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its comprehensive annual financial reporting (CAFR). The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

An Award of Financial Reporting Achievement has been awarded to the individual(s) or department designated by the government as primarily responsible for preparing the award-winning CAFR.

The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive "spirit of full disclosure" to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.

Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources and practical research for more than 20,500 members and the communities they serve.