KCSD & Me

• Feb. 15: KCSD Board of Directors meeting.
• Feb. 19: No school. Presidents Day.
• March 25-29: No school. Spring vacation.

COVER PHOTO: A Mazama manufacturing student uses a welding booth in the school's metal shop. The school was awarded a $250,000 CTE revitalization grant that will purchase new equipment, welding booths, and other items needed to upgrade the school's manufacturing shop and expand its program. (Details below)

Mazama High School is expanding its manufacturing program next year, offering a career pathway track with college-credit courses and renovating and upgrading its metal shop. The changes will allow students to graduate high school with certifications needed for the workplace and seamlessly transition into degree programs at Klamath Community College or Oregon Tech. The school last month was awarded a $250,000 Oregon Department of Education Career and Technical Education (CTE) revitalization grant to renovate the metal shop. Grant funds will pay for welding booths, high-pressure exhaust fans, plumbing for gas lines, and other updates necessary to create a safe and effective learning environment for students. Read more

Dear KCSD Community,

Our annual Crystal Apple Awards Gala highlights and honors eight teachers and staff members who exemplify our mission: "Inspiring today's students to meet tomorrow's challenges."

We encourage parents and community members to nominate a Klamath County School District employee for the award. A nominee can be a teacher, a counselor, a nurse or a classified employee who has been with the district for at least three years. Winners will receive their Crystal Apples during a gala Tuesday, April 23 at the Ross Ragland Theater.

Our award winners are chosen not only for inspiring students, co-workers, and their community, but also for having a track record of going above and beyond for students of all backgrounds and abilities. To nominate a staff member, fill out the online form (see "Nominate a Crystal Apple here" link below) by Sunday, Feb. 18.

Each year, we received hundreds of nominations for well-deserving teachers and employees -- an indication of just how positively our staff impacts students. As we consider our Crystal Apple nominees, I want to thank all KCSD employees for supporting students without fail every single day.

Sincerely,

Glen Szymoniak

Klamath County School District Superintendent

Five high schools in the Klamath County School District boasted graduation rates above 90% in 2023 and one of those – Bonanza Junior/Senior High School – hit a perfect graduation rate of 100%. The other KCSD schools with above 90% graduation rates were Henley High School at 97.9%, Lost River at 91.7%, Gilchrist at 90.9%, and Chiloquin at 90.5%. Mazama’s rate of 88.4% was down from 2022, but still nearly 7 percentage points above the state average.

“The graduation rate is a product of how we support students and what we do on a daily basis,” said Bonanza Jr/Sr High Principal Jordan Osborn. “Every single staff member is a true champion for our kids – from our teachers and support staff to our secretaries, bus drivers, and custodians. Graduating 100% of last year’s senior class validates the hard work we did together.”

The class of 2023 were freshman in spring of 2020, when the pandemic closed school buildings and forced students into remote learning. The pandemic continued to play havoc with traditional in-person learning well into 2021.

Overall, the county school district’s four-year on-time graduation rate of 79.90% represents a half a percentage point decrease from 2022, coming in at 1.4 percentage points below the state’s rate of 81.3%, according to data released Jan. 25 by the Oregon Department of Education.

KCSD’s rate includes Falcon Heights, an alternative high school for students who are behind on credits and at risk of dropping out. Falcon Heights, though tracking in at lower overall on-time graduation rates than the county’s six traditional high schools, has seen consistent increases over the past five years – from 29.49% in 2019 to 47% in 2023.

Graduates who earn GEDs or extended diplomas do not factor into the on-time four-year graduation rate, but instead are considered completers. The district’s 2023 four-year completer rate was 83.2%, and the five-year completer rate for 2023 was 85.8%.

“I think the data shows that we do not give up on students if they are behind due to life circumstances,” said Glen Szymoniak, superintendent of the Klamath County School District. “We work hard and have programs like Falcon Heights and Great Basin Homeschool Center in place to help all students find a way to graduate.” Read more

Klamath County School District has two openings on its budget committee. The budget committee works with the KCSD Board of Directors to review and approve the district’s annual budget.

Applicants must reside within Klamath County School District boundaries. The following positions are open:

• Position 1: Chiloquin/Gilchrist Zone. Appointment expires June 30, 2026.
• Position 4: Ferguson/Shasta Zone. Appointment expires June 30, 2026.

The KCSD Board of Directors will conduct interviews for each of the positions at the March 7 regular school board meeting at the Klamath County School District Office, 2845 Greensprings Drive or via Zoom.

Interested applicants may call Stephanie Bland at 541-851-8767 in the superintendent’s office for an application or go to the district’s website: BUDGET COMMITTEE APPLICATION. Applications will be accepted until 3 p.m., Feb. 23, 2024.

Klamath County School District cooks spent an afternoon learning a recipe for Oregon-grown and school-grown lamb from Henley and Lost River FFA programs to determine the best way to serve the less familiar meat to students. The cooks gathered at Henley High School’s kitchen Jan. 24 to prepare the test meal, replacing beef with lamb in a shepherd’s pie recipe. Students will get a chance to eat the lamb shepherd pie in school cafeterias Feb. 29 as part of the district’s Farm to School program. Read more

The Klamath County Rotary Club honored our Lost River Raiders and Henley Hornet football teams, the OSAA 1A 8-Player Football State Champions and OSAA 4A Football State Champions, respectively, at their meeting Jan. 11.

The players were introduced and treated to lunch and a desert of touchdown-themed cupcakes. On Nov. 25, Henley and Lost River, both ranked No. 1, won the 4A (Henley) and 1A-8-man (Lost River) OSAA state championships. The Henley Hornets beat No. 2 ranked Marist, 42-28. The Lost River Raiders celebrated winning back-to-back OSAA State Championships after defeating Crane, 30-20.

Click on the link -- https://fb.watch/pwfWEk4n2J/ -- for a Facebook live video featuring the coaches and players answering questions and speaking about the teamwork it took to win a state championship.

More than 40 students from Henley Middle and Brixner Junior High spent Jan. 26 at a robotics competition, matching their VEX robots against each other in a bid to earn rankings in the VEX Robotics Middle School League.

Four teams from Henley and nine teams from Brixner competed in the day-long tournament at Brixner. It was the second of four league tournaments. The top-ranked teams qualify for the Oregon VRC Regional Championships in Salem. The championships have both middle school and high school divisions.

Klamath County School District has nine middle school and multiple high school robotic teams. Teams compete throughout the fall and winter to secure spots in the Oregon regional championship tournament in March.

This year, the VEX Robotics competition is called Over Under. The game is played on a 12X12 square foot field. The object is to score points by using robots to move objects into goals. There are also points for other tasks.

A shout out to the coaches -- the Brixner team is coached by Laura Nickerson; the Henley Middle School team is coached by Josh Campbell.

The local chapter of the Oregon Retired Educators Association (OREA) awarded more than $850 to Mazama High School Jan. 31 for math, science and shop equipment.

Retired Mazama educators Larry and Winnie Wagner attended the morning staff meeting to present the awards to the teachers. Larry Wagner was a science teacher at Mazama for 31 years; Winnie was the school’s library and media specialist. The grants went to:

• $173.50 to science teacher Megan Dunaway for supplies and a Nova DVD, Mystery Beneath the Voltmeters.
• $238 to robotics teacher Laura Nickerson to purchase a vibrating timing device for use during league robotics tournaments.
• $250 to math and science teacher Rachel Rogers to purchase building supplies for a geometry street of dreams house design.
• $189 to Mazama’s shop teachers to purchase a cordless shop vac.

The local (unit 5) Oregon Retired Educators group organizes an annual fall auction to raise money so it can provide grants each year to a school in the Klamath Basin. This year, that school was Mazama High School.

The group is open to retired educators and others interested in supporting education. Members volunteer in the schools and perform community service projects. The local group also has a Kitchen Band that performs for students and at retirement homes. If you are interested in joining, contact the Wagners at 541-884-7589.

This month's KCSD Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 15 at the District Office, 2845 Greensprings Drive. When the agenda and livestream links are available, they will be posted here: KCSD School Board Agenda and Materials. Board meetings are now being streamed live on YouTube.

Check out our 2022-23 annual report for fun facts, financial information, and progress towards our goals. You can find copies at the District Office or read it online here: https://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/KCSD_Annual_Report_2022-23.pdf

Click here for the 2023-24 school year calendar: https://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/cms_files/resources/23-24%20School%20Calendar%20revised.pdf

Check out our job openings: KCSD Employment Opportunities

In our KCSD & Me district newsletters, we will provide updates as well as share news from across our district. If you need information between newsletters, go to our webpage at www.kcsd.k12.or.us and follow us on social media. Keep track of KCSD & Me newsletters at: https://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/district/kcsd--me-newsletters.cfm. Follow district news here: https://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/district/district-news.cfm

Inspiring today's students to meet tomorrow's challenges!

Read our Strategic Plan

Email: kcsd_communications@kcsd.k12.or.us
Website: www.kcsd.k12.or.us
Location: 2845 Greensprings Drive, Klamath Falls, OR, USA
Phone: 541-883-5000