By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews
WALDPORT – Sandi Battles has been working 18 years for this — her first school principalship.
She’s been an elementary and middle school teacher in Las Vegas, Clackamas, and Lincoln County, handled special assignments on reading and behavior, and served as an assistant elementary principal in Newport and the last three years at Crestview Heights School.
Now, she’s the first-year principal at Crestview, responsible for 26 teachers and specialists, 19 classified staff and – when late registrations are finished – up to 265 pre-school through fifth grade students.
“I’m ready – or as ready as I’ll ever be,” Battles said Wednesday evening as hundreds of students, parents, grandparents and staff took part in the annual back-to-school night for Crestview Heights and Waldport Middle/High schools. “Now the fun part starts – having everybody here at school.”
Although school doesn’t start until after Labor Day, Wednesday night was a chance for students and parents to meet teachers, counselors and coaches, try to adjust their schedules or other paperwork, sign up for activities, get some swag and a hot dog, and just hang out.
“She has a little bit of anxiety, so this helps a lot,” Lora Gustafson of Waldport said as she helped her granddaughter, Scarlet Hoffman, search her fifth-grade class roster for friends and learn the name of her new teacher.
Hoffman’s teacher – Heather Townsend – is also new to Crestview but not new to a classroom. She’s taught overseas for years – China, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Timor and Thailand. She and her husband, Nate, had a home base in Springfield and now are building a home between Waldport and Yachats.
Townsend had intended just to substitute teach this year, but Crestview was still looking for another fifth-grade teacher last week, so she interviewed and was hired Saturday.
Townsend is one of six teachers new to Crestview this year. Also new is Charlotte Galen, who moved from an assistant principal position at Yaquina View Elementary School in Newport to the same spot at Crestview, counselor Amber Kumar, and Terra Brollier, student support facilitator.
Battles said her staff spent much of this week working to develop the school’s mission, vision and “collective commitments.”
“With so many new staff, we spent time getting to know each other and building relationships with the focus on the team and how we play a vital role in supporting students,” she said.
Crestview also received grants and community help this year to provide all back-to-school supplies to every student this year.
“It’s a huge financial burden to place upon our families at the end of each summer and parents should not have to worry about basic school supplies,” Battles said. “All students deserve to walk in here on the first day with everything they’ll need to be successful.”
College emphasis
There was no turnover among the 26 staff at Waldport Middle/High School, where principal Amy Skirvin is starting her sixth year.
“That’s very nice,” Skirvin said as she greeted students and parents at the front of the school Wednesday. The middle/high school expects about 275 students this year from sixth through 12th grades.
The big emphasis this year – and for the next six – is using an $85,000-a-year grant to encourage students to think beyond high school.
It’s part of a $1.2 million federal “GearUp” grant awarded to Waldport and Toledo high schools that is administered by Oregon State University and designed to expose high school students in rural, low-income communities to the possibilities after high school.
The two Lincoln County schools are among 10 Oregon schools picked for the program funded through 2029.
Although the high school is calling its program “Waldport goes to College”, Skirvin says it’s emphasis is on any post-high school training program. Currently, 42 percent of Waldport High students enroll in a two- or four-year college after graduating, according to state figures.
“Our goal is to increase that number,” she said. “We’re trying to build a college culture and anything beyond high school for our students.”
The grant is paying for a full-time coordinator, Jack Boothe, who will work with students, clubs and classes on everything from scouting out colleges or training, applications, financial aid, field trips, and following up later once students leave Waldport.
Booth will also arrange for athletic teams to attend college contests in their sport or have students or clubs do job shadows.
“Each grade level will go on a college trip,” Skirvin said.
