The superintendent and her executive cabinet are pleased to recognize the following individuals for their outstanding work and contributions to our school district and community.

Business Partner of the Month – Dr. Richard Synowski

Pictured from left: Denny Sanders, Steve Chambers, Salem-Keizer School Board Chairperson and Dr. Richard Synowski.

This month we would like to honor Retired dentist Dr. Richard Synowski as our business/community partner of the month. Joining Dr. Synowski is Denny Sanders from Medical Team International. Denny is the dental van manager and operator.

Dr. Synowski is committed to serving our district's low-income, uninsured students experiencing dental pain. Dr. Synowski has provided necessary fillings and/or extractions to 83 of our district's students. He has volunteered nine full days totaling nearly 50 hours this year on the Medical Team International Dental Van taking care of students at our schools.

Dr. Synowski has volunteered with Medical Team International for over 7 years. He has donated his services in countries around the world, including Israel, China, Mongolia, Poland, México, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize.

Currently, there are ten active MTI Dental Vans in Oregon and Washington. During this school year, MTI's Salem area dental van provided 28 clinics at Salem-Keizer schools, for which local dentists took turns volunteering their services. These clinics have provided necessary fillings and extractions to 278 of our students, totaling over $96,000 in donated services.

If it were not for Dr. Synowski's outstanding dedication, fewer of our district's students free of dental pain that so often interferes with their overall health and their ability to perform in school!

Thank you and Medical Team International for your service to the students of Salem-Keizer Public Schools! 

Envirothon Competition, South Salem High School – First Place and Third Place

Chairperson Chambers are the Envirothon team members from South Salem High School.

Envirothon is a hands-on environmental problem-solving competition for high school-age students in the United States and Canada. Teams complete training and testing in natural resource categories: aquatic ecology, soils/land use, forestry and wildlife, and one current environmental issue.

This was the first year that South Salem High School has entered the competition and it has been 9 years since Salem-Keizer had a team.

South High students under the direction of Science teacher Dottie Knecht dominated the state Envirothon competition on Friday taking 1st and 3rd place! 

Our first place team is: Abby Cain, Katherine Hanslits, Rachel Raspberry, Gabi Zani and Andy Zhang.

Our third place team is: Taylor Applegate, Molly Bacon, Eleanor Ellis, Ellie Freeman and Holly Schnee.

The first place team had the highest final score in the history of the State competition. The team will now advance to the North American competition in August where they have a shot at up to $5,000 each in scholarship awards.

Congratulations!

School Bus Safety 2009 Regional  Exercise – First Place

Pictured from left: Teri El Hammouchi, Chairperson Chambers and Patrick McLaughlin.

The Oregon Pupil Transportation Association held the 2009 Regional School Bus Safety Exercise on May 2, 2009, at Volcano Stadium in Keizer. Eleven districts and 70 drivers participated. There are five categories in which the drivers can compete, Mini Bus, General Transit, General Conventional, Novice Transit, and Novice Conventional. During the school bus safety exercise, drivers use their reference-point skills to maneuver through a tight course of eleven events.

Taking in first place in the Mini Bus category was Teri El Hammouchi. Teri has been a school bus driver for 16 years.  She has been with Salem-Keizer School District for over five years. As a standby driver, she enjoys the opportunity to operate a variety of buses, drive different routes, and meet many students. Teri participated in the regional school bus safety exercise twice in Crook County and twice at Rainier.  This is her fourth year at Salem-Keizer School District. She believes that the safety exercise fine-tunes bus drivers' skills, which enhance the safety of our students. At the State Safety Exercise competition held on May 30, Teri took fourth place in this category.

First place in the Novice Transit competition was Patrick McLaughlin. Patrick has been driving school bus for four months. Prior to becoming a school bus driver, Patrick worked for Salem Hospital for 25 years.  His mother was a school bus driver for SKSD from 1977–1980 and always talked about what a wonderful job it was.  Because his mother participated in the safety exercise 30 years ago, winning first place, Patrick decided that he had to do the same. When the awards were given out, Patrick was shocked that he had won first place, just as his mother was shocked 30 years ago. At state, Patrick took 4th in the exercise.

State competition awards also went to these Salem-Keizer drivers:

Brenda Calhoun, 3rd place in Novice Transit and Kim Moore, 2nd in General Transit.

Congratulations, and thank you for keeping our students safe.

Outstanding Librarian of the Year

Pictured from left: Chairperson Chambers, Angela Hatfield and Lamb Elementary Principal Kerry Lohrman.

Angela Hatfield, librarian for Lamb Elementary School has been selected Oregon 2009 Elementary School Librarian of the Year by the Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL), the professional group for school librarians and media specialists throughout the state. 

Lamb Elementary Principal Kerry Lohrman nominated Angela. Kerry said in her nomination that Angela is a vital part of the culture at Lamb and a strong support to staff and students. It would be wonderful to honor her with this award.

This is the highest award given by the OASL, which each year honors one exemplary elementary school librarian, one secondary school librarian, one district Librarian, one school library paraprofessional, and one school or district administrator.

OASL received a number of nominations for the awards this year and Angela stood out above the other highly qualified candidates with the depth and breadth of her school library program at Lamb Elementary School. She incorporates reading promotion, research skills instruction, technology use and collaboration with classroom teachers while running an exemplary school library.

Thank you for your support of the students and staff.

Congratulations. 

Recognition of Salem-Keizer Athletic Directors

Pictured  from left: Mark Risen, Bryan Sutherland, Chairperson Chambers, Adam Watkins and Ron Richards.

Several current and former Salem-Keizer Athletic Directors were recently honored at the 40th annual Oregon Athletic Directors Conference for their professional accomplishments and contributions to athletics at the state and national level. Interesting yet impressive, each local Salem-Keizer Athletic Director was nominated for or received at least one award.

Ron Richards, athletic director at McKay High School was recognized as the Central Valley Conference Athletic Director of the Year, was nominated as Oregon Athletic Directors Association Athletic Director of the Year, and nominated for the OADA Leadership Award. Richards acknowledgements were largely due to the ongoing athletic leadership he has modeled through the coaches education program, his continuing OSAA representation on behalf of the CVC and Salem-Keizer School District, his oversight of the McKay High School Athletic Department, and his leadership contributions this past year as President of the Central Valley Conference.

Mike Maghan, athletic director at McNary High School, was honored for his thirty years of service as a high school athletic director when he was honored by the OADA with the "30 Year Lifetime Service Award" and his additional nomination for the "OADA Jim Rotramel Lifetime Service Award." Maghan also received the "OADA/OSAA Partnership Award" for his ongoing ambassadorship in coordinating the mission of both organizations at the state level, and was prestigiously honored with a standing ovation when he was recognized at the national level by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (the national athletic directors organization) as their "Coach Educator of the Year." His recognition as the national "Coach Educator of the Year" was a result of Maghan's design, implementation and oversight of the National Federation of High School's "Coaches Certification Program" that has resulted in thousands of coaches now being certified to coach at the high school-level across the nation, including Oregon.

Adam Watkins, athletic director at North Salem High School, was recognized as a nominee for the Oregon Athletic Directors Association office of "OADA Secretary" for his ongoing leadership and organization in supporting the Oregon Athletic Directors Association.

Dave Johnson, athletic director at South Salem High School, was honored by the Oregon Athletic Directors Association (OADA) as a nominee for "Best Facility Renovation," for his efforts in bringing a new artificial turf classroom and playing surface to the South Salem campus.

Mark Risen, athletic director at Sprague High School, received the "OADA Innovative AD of the Year" award for the creative insights he has brought to the Sprague High School Athletic Department, the Central Valley Conference, and the Salem-Keizer School District Athletic Directors.

Bryan Sutherland, athletic director at West Salem High School, received the "OADA 6A Rookie AD of the Year" award for his work during his first year as AD at West Salem High School, a year in which the Titan athletic department was highly successful in both CVC and OSAA competition.

The volume of recognition bestowed upon the Salem area AD's was surprisingly impressive to the honorees, all of whom felt deeply privileged that their efforts were recognized by their peers across the state and throughout the nation.

Congratulations!  

District-wide Music Programs Outstanding Achievements 2008-09

Pictured from left: Rebekah Chin, Melanie Rau, Chairperson Chambers, Gwen Gates and Peter Rundquist.

The hard work of many talented teachers and students, along with the continued support of our community is evident in the many local, state, national and even international acclaims Salem-Keizer choirs, orchestras and bands have received.

The list of accomplishments is huge! To highlight a few:

• The 2008-2009 school year started out with the South Salem High School Wind Ensemble being invited to play in the opening ceremonies at the 2008 Olympic Games. In August, they traveled to Beijing, China for this most exciting performance.
• On September 3, all the high schools bands performed at the city of Salem's First Wednesday "Back to School" event, which just happened to be on the first day of School. Talk about going above and beyond!
• Nineteen elementary students and two middle school students were honored by the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem for their essays titled "Why I Like Music."
• The La Marimbanda 5 Ensemble from Bush Elementary traveled to Spokane to perform at a national music conference.
• Students from several of our elementary schools were selected for the All-State Elementary Honor Choir.
• Middle school orchestras and choirs received local, state, and national honors for their excellence.
• Several of McKay's Band /Jazz Band students won honors locally and at competitions.
• McNary's Marching Band and individual band students took high honors in competitions during the year.
• Sprague High School received a Grammy Signature School award - for the fifth time!
• West Salem‘s Advanced Ensemble and Combine Advanced Orchestra won high honors at the Heritage Festival in Boston.
• West Salem Band Director, Ike Nail was selected as the Music Educator of the Year by the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem.

• As a community:   
  
  • The Salem and Keizer community was chosen as one of the 124 "best communities" for music education in the country!

    Congratulations!

Recognition of Service to the Awesome 3000 Competition

Pictured from left: Paul Dakopolos, Soha Badiei, and Dave Harvey.

School board member Krina Lemon, executive director of the Salem-Keizer Education Foundation, presented displays commerating the Awesome 3000 to Paul Dakopolos, Soha Badiei, and Dave Harvey in recognition for their special contributions to the competition.