East Valley School District

Thank you to everyone that was able to join us at the ABC Trades Night on May 3, 2023! We had so much fun watching participants and learning about the various jobs in the trades industry. If you weren't able to check out this amazing opportunity, we hope to see you next time!

Please help us congratulate NEWESD's Center for Student Support for recently winning the WASA Community Leadership Award! This award is presented to community members or groups in recognition of their outstanding contributions to education. Thank you for all the support you have given to East Valley this school year!

At long last, East Valley's new ballfields were ready for play! The Knights downed the visiting Clarkston Bantams 8-3 in the inaugural game on May 4, 2023. Proud of our kids and our community! Together, we are East Valley!

Thank you to everyone that was able to join us at the first Healthcare Discoveries Trades Night on April 27. We had a blast getting to know the vendors and the work they do on a daily basis. We can't wait to do this again!

Thank you to everyone that was able to join us at the first Automotive Trades Night on April 19. We had a blast getting to know the vendors and the work they do on a daily basis. We can't wait to do this again!

Members from the EVHS FFA team competed at the Washington Horse Evaluation in Ellensburg last week. The contest consisted of a test, an evaluation of six classes of horses, and two sets of oral reasons. Team members included Rachel Metge, Ruth Metge, Tiffany Altermatt, Nicole Hornbuckle, and Lacey Jacobsen. Overall the team placed 7th. Congratulations!

Please help us to congratulate Jaylin Brown for recently winning the WASA Student Leadership Award! This award recognizes student leaders who have created or played a significant leadership role in initiatives or programs that promote access, equity, or social justice in their schools and communities. Congrats Jaylin!

Huge congratulations to Marcy Williams’ 8th-grade AVID class that recently won a Chase Youth Award for Middle School Leadership. We are so proud of their accomplishments! Way to go Knights!

On Monday, April 17, 2023, GEAR UP and East Valley College & Career Center hosted over 35 organizations at the second annual career fair. All students were able to attend and it was a great opportunity to explore possible career pathways. Students were highly engaged in talking with community organizations about career options and personal career paths. While the event wasn't intended to be a job fair, we do know that at least one student landed a job interview and subsequently a job from her connections at the fair.

For the 3rd time in EVSD History, a PEP Destination Imagination (DI) Team will be representing at Global Finals! DI is a problem-solving competition meant to ignite the power of creativity and collaboration. This year, our 8th-grade team, “Aged Improvolone,” won regionals, and was amongst the top teams at the Washington State Competition. At Global Finals, they will join 14,000 students from multiple countries as they compete and connect with other amazing kids. If you would like to donate to the PEP team, please visit evsd.org and click on the Donations tab. From there, select Otis Orchards and Destination Imagination Global Finals. We thank you for your support!

A big hug and many thanks to Karen Toreson and Dave Lindstrand from Spokane Valley Sunrise Rotary Club. The cart of boxes contained hygiene and personal products as well as other items needed by our students. We are so grateful for the many partnerships we have with our community and business groups. Together, we are East Valley.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The most important thing we can do to help children thrive is to support families before they reach a crisis. Learn more during #ChildAbusePreventionMonth. #ThrivingFamilies https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/ preventing/preventionmonth/about

Hello EV Students, Staff, and Families, About an hour ago, I was one of 35 superintendents across the state who received a threatening email indicating a bomb threat. The message was emailed to each of the 35 superintendents at the same time. Law enforcement has been notified here and in the many different jurisdictions across the state. Though this is assumed to be a hoax, we are taking precautions. Given recent situations within our own school district and in schools across the state and nation, I felt it important that you learn of this from me rather than through the media. Thank you. Together, we are East Valley. Brian Talbott Superintendent. -bt

Hello East Valley Students, Staff, and Families, Regardless of one’s proximity or involvement in last Friday's school shutdown, it has been a hard and emotional week for all of us in East Valley. It cannot be overstated; we have work to do. That said, we would much prefer to be defined by how we collectively respond to this situation, rather than by the incident itself. Though I cannot yet provide a definitive plan as to next steps, you should know that we are working on it. We have no intention of merely putting a lid on this in hopes it goes away, because we understand that it won't. However, sometimes as educators (and adults), we make well intended decisions on behalf of our young people without ever inquiring of them their own personal perspectives. I believe an essential step moving forward will be asking for and listening to student voices. Through them, all of them, we will engage in the hard conversations and foster the healing process. I ask for your patience as we wish to do this in a thoughtful manner that helps us improve and grow as a school community. Thank you for your support and understanding. The safety of our students and staff must always be at the forefront of our decisions. There is no room for error; we will act thoroughly and thoughtfully, but with necessary urgency in these matters. Thank you for the partnership we have between home and school. If you haven't already, please take the time to talk to your kids about: the incredible power of and potential consequences of their words; when you see something, please say something; and, finally, we look forward to seeing them on Monday, April 10th. Time to roll up our sleeves and get to work; these are our children, in our schools, from our communities, and our neighborhoods. Together, we are East Valley. Brian L Talbott Superintendent -bt

To My East Valley Community, As promised, I am following up to share that information which I am able to provide. Though I have to consider how much is wise to disclose, I am taking the risk of oversharing. If we are to improve as a school community and community at large, it is going to be through truth, regardless of how difficult that truth is. The social media threats made last night, resulting in the closure of all eight campuses today, were not anonymous. Unfortunately, those who perpetrated the threats are (or were) East Valley students. Though no victims were named, threats of harm were made against EVHS students who identify as LGBTQ+. Law enforcement was immediately contacted and the legal process was underway while I was communicating the closure of our schools just before midnight yesterday. Several arrests have been made already today and additional arrests are anticipated. Furthermore, the individuals known to be involved in the threats will be emergency expelled; be assured a full and thorough investigation is in process. I will send out another message next week and prior to our schools returning from spring break. Aside from being your school district superintendent, I am also a father. As both, I feel compelled to share my raw heart today. The intolerance, ignorance, and hate that sometimes comes to and through the schoolhouse doors is horrific at best. It is the same hate, intolerance, and ignorance displayed throughout society on any given day. After all, schools are but a microcosm of society. The cruelty of the world, and that which humanity places upon its own kind, is far more disturbing than the words I am able to come up with. I do not live in a fantasy land; however, I do believe in kindness and most definitely in the golden rule. This incident does not define East Valley; this is not who we are or who we wish to be. We will continue our efforts to educate and to practice acceptance. Hate has no place in East Valley. I stand with, and in this case, in front of our students against hate. I humbly ask you to stand with me...and for them. Together, we are East Valley Brian L Talbott Superintendent -bt

Hello East Valley Students, Staff and Families,  I am deeply saddened to share that tonight we have learned of some social media threats made against East Valley High School students. Thus, we have made the decision to cancel all schools (district-wide) tomorrow, Friday March 31st. Law enforcement is involved in this matter and they are conducting their own investigation on this matter as well. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any additional information at this time; however, we will provide an update when we are able to do so.  Again, all EVSD schools have been cancelled on March 31st to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff. Additionally, all school related activities are also cancelled.

On Saturday, March 25, 2023, Harvey Ballman, Kootenai County Sheriff and owner of Continuum of Force Concepts, and Ty Holms, owner of The Defensive Action Center, teamed up to train our transportation drivers on real-life scenarios. In this training, drivers learned firsthand what a true crisis is and the best way to react to keep our students safe while in transit. We want to thank everyone involved with this training, including the instructors and staff who participated, along with Newman Lake Fire and Rescue who were gracious enough to allow us the use of their facility for this training.

We're now on Instagram!

Congratulations to EVHS Senior Dianna Demko! The 2023 Superintendent Choice Award was Dianna Demko’s photograph titled “Beauty After the Pain”. The piece is a beautiful photograph of yellow roses after a rain. Superintendent Rob Roettger said he was struck by the beauty and emotion captured in the artist’s photo and the incredibly moving artist’s statement of resilience and hope. Dianna received a $200 cash prize, and her artwork will be permanently displayed at the ESD.

During March we partnered with WSU to run a virtual Medical Mystery Event for our 7th & 8th-grade students and after weeks of investigating, the medical mystery has finally been solved! Huge thank you to Becki Meehan and Mariah Newbill from WSU for running this event for our students! Shout out to STCU for donating dinner for the reveal night and thank you to Eric Puthoff from STCU for running a financial education portion of the night. We also want to thank and recognize Michele Chavez for her help and support for this event. Together, we are East Valley! #knightpride