School Briefs

Pioneer hires search consultant

The Pioneer School District has hired a consulting firm to help search for a new superintendent.

The Pioneer School Board on March 22 voted unanimously to hire John Bash with Hazard Young Attea & Associates to recommend applicants after parting ways with Jill Diehl after 1 1/2 years. The district will pay him $5,000.

The district considered five firms for the job, said School Board President Sue Day. HYA helped conduct the superintendent search for the Southside School District and others in the region, “so I feel like we’re in good hands,” she said.

The board Feb. 22 swore in Doris Bolender as superintendent. Bolender, the former superintendent of the Southside School District, is also the principal of the Pioneer Middle School.

The district is looking for an interim superintendent to work from July 1 until June 30, 2023, with the option to make the position permanent after that, she said.

The board Feb. 4 voted to place Diehl on paid administrative leave, and named former Southside Superintendent Bolender as the acting superintendent.

The Pioneer Education Association submitted a letter of no confidence to the Pioneer School Board at its Dec. 14 meeting. In the letter, the group stated that if Diehl does not resign, the board should ask her to do so.

“We all believe these problems directly stem from an inability or unwillingness of the Superintendent to provide effective, competent, compassionate and trustworthy leadership for the District,” the letter states. “These problems have had a corrosive effect on staff morale and fostered a climate of fear, anxiety and uncertainty.”

Local students make dean’s list at UW

Nineteen students from Mason County earned spots on the dean’s list for spring quarter 2021 at the University of Washington.

To be eligible, a student must have completed at least 12 graded credits and earn a GPA of at least 3.5 out of a possible 4.0.

The local students are senior Steffen Tyler Riener of Grapeview; senior Amanda Kristine Abrain of Union; junior Ozelleona Shu-Jun Chu and sophomore Chloe’ Marie Miller of Belfair; and junior Ashley Leann Blackwell, freshman Maeve E. Griffin and senior Kathryn Lynn Jones of Allyn.

The students from Shelton are junior Josephine Lori Beaudoin, senior Kolton Richard Bostrom, senior Matthew Kief Davis, senior Dalton James Edwards, freshman Sirius Michael James, senior Adrian Dallas Lavergne, sophomore Kevin Brice Major, senior Samuel Reed Millard, junior Christopher Apollos Richert, freshman Alexandra Nicole Walters, senior Cece Isabella Amelia Yates, and senior Ziming Ye.

Scholarships available for law enforcement

Graduating Mason County seniors who plan to pursue a career in law enforcement or criminal justice can apply for a Charlie’s Vision Scholarship.

The nonprofit was formed in 2018 to support Washington law enforcement.

May 1 is the deadline to apply for the $1,000 scholarships. Application forms are available at https://charliesvision.org/scholarship. They can be mailed to Charlie’s Vision Scholarship Program, 510 E. Wilson Way, Grapeview, WA, 94546.

For more information, call Irene at 360-426-1296.

School grants available to woman

The Shelton Chapter GQ of P.E.O. is offering grants of $1,500 and $2,000 to local women to continue her education.

To qualify, the woman must be a Mason County resident; a high school graduate or equivalent education; and be enrolled in the 2022-23 academic year at an accredited academic or technical college.

The money can be used for tuition, books, transportation, child care or other expenses while attending. The award will be sent directly to the recipient.

Applications are available at Shelton and CHOICE high schools, Olympic College Shelton and the Shelton Timberland Library, or by calling Dorothy Vonhof at 360-426-2175.

May 2 is the deadline to apply. Applications can be sent to PEO Education Committee, 522 Kari Court, Shelton 98584.

Scholarships for Harstine residents

The Harstine Island Women’s Club and the Judy and Charles Chase Memorial Endowment are offering scholarships to full-time residents of Harstine Island who are entering or continuing their post-high school education.

Applicants must have earned a diploma from an accredited high school or a GED. May 16 is the deadline to apply, and winners will be announced by May 31. The number and amount of the scholarships will be determined by the time the scholarship recipients are selected.

Applications and scholarship details are available at Shelton, CHOICE, Cedar and North Mason high schools, and at Olympic College Shelton, South Puget Sound Community College, The Evergreen State College, Gravity Learning Center, and Sound Learning.

Applications are also available by writing Harstine Island Women’s Club Scholarship Committee at HIWC Scholarships, P.O. Box 1635, Shelton 98584, or at https://tinyurl.com/yc5dsbp8.