EDUCATION BRIEFS

Shelton School Board honored by state

For the sixth consecutive year, the Shelton School Board received the award as a Board of Distinction from the Washington State School Directors’ Association.

The recognition celebrates school boards across the state that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to student success. In this year’s program, 34 school boards, including several first-time applicants, received the honor.

The 34 school boards range from districts with a couple hundred students to more than 30,000.

“Each selected school board has shown a clear focus on assessing their students’ outcomes and exploring ways to enhance their leadership,” WSDDA Director of Leadership Tricia Lubach wrote in a news release. “As schools return to fully in-person instruction after a challenging couple years, it is evident that these school boards have refocused their attention on closing opportunity gaps for students within their districts and committing to consistent communication with their communities.”

Shelton is among the winners of medium-sized districts, which include Anacortes, Arlington, Kelso, Mount Vernon, Peninsula, Pullman, Quincy, Riverview, University Place, Walla Walla, Wapato and White River.

School board members are Chair Keri Davidson, Vice Chair Matt Welander, Sandy Tarzwell, Karla Knudsen-Johnston and Lauren Gilmore. The student representatives on the board, who share their thoughts but do not vote, are Nieves Villa from CHOICE High School, Richard Beckman from Shelton High School and Miranda Myers from Cedar High School.