Student leaders for the coming school year at Cheney and Westwood middle schools gave Cheney school board members their interpretations of a “portrait of a leader” during presentations at the board’s August meeting last Wednesday night.
The presentations were the culmination of activities the students recently undertook during goal-presentation retreats. Cheney Middle School Assistant Principal Eli Holm said the idea for the retreats stemmed from a conference the students attended in Kennewick last school year — but not necessarily the conference itself.
“The most beneficial part of the conference was the car ride there, and the car ride back,” Holm told the board.
Westwood Middle School Assistant Principal Tami Skillingstad said the focus of that group’s retreat was on the culture and climate of the school. The group established a goal for the year of getting all the students to participate in some sort of organized activity or team.
The two groups had each drawn a life-sized human body on butcher paper, and used various parts of the body as illustrations of what they felt were attributes of a leader. Westwood Associated Student Body President Dawson Heuett told the board they chose the trachea because leaders needed a good voice, and arms to show openness.
Micah Richardson, WMS second vice president, said legs were important to a leader’s ability to have “courage to stand up and do the right thing.” Also taking part from Westwood were Sara Graham (first vice president), Alaina O’Connell (treasurer), Jaela Thornburg (secretary), Jasmine Sprague (parliamentarian) and Makenna Benson (Wolverine Pride representative).
“It will help us to know what we need to do and move forward in the year,” Heuett told the board about the retreat.
Holm said differences between the presentations and school goals were due to the differences in the two schools. Cheney Middle School ASB’s goal for the upcoming school year stems on the theme of “It’s Time.”
Treasurer Hope Schneider spoke about learning to work with other people who may not agree with you on issues, while others cited a goal of leading by example through such things as cleaning up the school. ASB President Mayah Spakousky said another goal was to improve the school building climate by showing school spirit.
In their drawing, the group selected broad shoulders to represent broad ideas, a good nose to smell danger and strong ankles to hold up in the body. Spakousky clarified to the board that the group had indeed drawn feet with six toes.
“We drew the sixth toe on ours and said leaders are special, like this sixth toe,” Spakousky said.
Also taking part in the presentation from CMS were Kayli Lucas (first vice president), Finnegan Syrie (second vice president), Sofia Day (secretary) and Abbie Scott (assistant treasurer).
In other reports, Associate Superintendent Sean Dotson said the district’s hiring process for the coming school year was nearly completed. As of Aug. 17, the district had hired 35 certified staff, most replacing staff who retired last year, with 21 of those transferring to new positions. Classified staff hires totaled 38, with 12 transfers.
In the financial report, the district’s executive director of finance, Kassidy Probert, told the board district expenses were within 82 percent of projections for 2015-2016 while revenues were at just over 83 percent; figures that are comparable to last year’s numbers at this time in the school year.
Finally, Superintendent Rob Roettger reported on his district activities, noting he had met with all of the district’s staff as well as many community leaders and members.
He also said he and other administrators met with the district’s bond counsel, the Public Disclosure Commission and architect Design West about aspects of the high school bond proposal, as well as reviewing and evaluating the results of the two unsuccessful bond votes in February and April 2015.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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