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Dear Wishram community, parents, guardians, and most importantly, students!
Many of you know me as the science teacher at Wishram School for the past 17 years. I have been teaching students who are the children of past students. I taught their parents! But now, after 37 years in education, I’ve decided to try something new. I am very excited to be the next Principal at Wishram School.
Besides teaching Science at Wishram, I have taught other classes such as Occupational Education, Financial Literacy, and Horticulture. I have coached basketball and track and have been running the chains/down marker at all home football games. I have been a part of the REACH after-school and summer program for most of those years. Some of our trips included sleeping with the sharks at the Newport, OR aquarium, camping overnight along the Klickitat River, and visiting “She Who Watches”. I have also been the Lead secondary teacher for many years and have been part of the administration team for most of those years. I was the Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Goldendale HS for 11 years before coming to Wishram.
One of the main reasons I took on this position is the staff at Wishram School. The people inside (and outside) these walls truly care about our students, your children. I mentioned some of the things I have done earlier, well every staff member in our building does things outside their normal work assignment, every day, because they want our school to run smoothly, and they care about your kids.
There have been some other changes here at Wishram School. Mrs. Kristen Ringer, who was our 4/5 grade teacher, has moved down to take the 2/3 grades, which were left vacant by the retirement of Mrs. Shinn, who is now camping somewhere. Mrs Carisa Huva-Bellamy, who was a special education teacher for us in the past, is now our new K/1 teacher, taking over for Ms Herrington. Mrs. Chelsea White has moved from a special-ed to a regular-ed paraprofessional position.
We would also like to welcome these new staff members as part of our educational staff. Ms. Monica Snodgrass has been hired as our new Title/Lap coordinator. Ms.Snodgrass grew up in The Dalles. Ms. Hannah van Hoff will be the new science teacher. She is originally from Washington but has been teaching in other countries and most recently in Wyoming. Mr. Will Walters has been hired as our certified school counselor. He has been working at Trout Lake School in the past. Mrs. Jill McNealy will be our new 4/5 grade teacher. Mrs. McNealy lives locally and has been working at White Salmon Schools. Mr. David Barthlow, who most students know as a frequent substitute teacher in our building, will be our new PBIS/Migrant Coordinator, replacing Mr. Cheyne. And finally, since Tye Churchwell is our new Superintendent, Mr. Dets McCollough has stepped up to take over the Athletic Director duties.
To parents, grandparents, and guardians:
Mr. Churchwell and I believe we all want the same thing. We all want our Wishram students to be successful in school. We all want our students to feel safe and to be able to learn without interference from other students. In order for that to happen, we all need to be on the same team, we have to work together. Wishram School is unique. Since we are so small, we pride ourselves on letting no one get overlooked or lost. If you have a question or feel overlooked, please give me a call or stop by. My door is always open.
School Schedule Reminder: Breakfast starts at 7:15, classes begin at 8 am, primary lunch is from 11:23 to 12:10, secondary lunch is from 12:10 to 12:55, and school is dismissed at 3 pm. Since school is starting later, everyone should get to school on time! (hint,hint, No tardies!)
Sincerely,
Brent Cameron
K-12 Principal
Wishram School
brent.cameron@wishramschool.org
509-767-6090
