Good things are happening in our local schools. If you have driven along Hwy 101 through South Tillamook County, you probably noticed changes at Cloverdale Elementary School. At a recent Nestucca Valley Chamber meeting, School Superintendent Misty Wharton gave a tour of the elementary school upgrades and the addition that will house the district’s middle school grades 6-8. Along with the much-needed facelift, the school now has clean water, generator capacity and a 10,000 square foot gym that doubles as an emergency shelter. Other features include a new kitchen, media center, computer lab, and career technology lab.
Students will especially benefit from the new covered outdoor play area and playground equipment, sports fields and beautiful school garden ready for harvest. Through innovative partnerships, Nestucca school district is offering hands-on nutrition and science programming, all enhanced by the recent upgrades. The design and atmosphere of the new space is beautiful and welcoming. Kids returning to school will get a true sense of how much their community cares about their learning environment.
People spend a large portion of their lives at school and work. These environments affect our health and sense of well-being. According to Tillamook School Superintendent, Curt Shelley, “Tillamook is a great community to work and live in, where everyone can enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Fall is an exciting time as we welcome staff and students back to school.” Some of the activities Tillamook School District 9 is working on include:
- Finishing up bond projects, including the Liberty bus drop off/pick up and parking lot. This improvement was needed for safety purposes to move loading and unloading off Stillwell Avenue. It will also provide joint parking between the Y and TSD9.
- Remodeling the high school science lab with much needed workstations and additional storage.
- On-going system-wide wellness initiative that includes mentoring, Wellness Wednesdays and other activities that support social and emotional wellbeing. These have been very popular and impactful in improving staff and student experience at TSD9.
Neah-Kah-Nie School District (NKN) is also making investments to help students build health and resilience. Two new 5000 square foot covered play structures were recently built at Garibaldi Grade School and Nehalem Elementary. These structures enable students to recreate during and after school hours outdoors in inclement weather. NKN has also expanded half day preschool at the School District main office to full time preschool at Garibaldi Grade School and Nehalem Elementary.
Through a medical sponsorship from the Rinehart Clinic, NKN School District has added a new school-based health center that will be staffed by a Rinehart Clinic Family Nurse Practitioner on a part-time basis. The district has also hired a full-time school nurse. The time dedicated to nursing services will almost double from last year and will serve pre-K through 12th grade students who reside in the School District boundaries.
School-based wellness centers can provide well checks, sports physicals, care for illness and injury, immunizations, covid testing and vaccinations, routine lab tests, prescription medication support, vision and dental screenings and referrals, and other health education and counseling, including age-appropriate reproductive health information.
Tillamook County schools all offer comprehensive wellness services, including mental health counseling and trauma-informed learning environments. Support for LGBTQ students and on-going efforts to increase equity within school settings is a priority for our local schools. Having a sense of belonging in nurturing environments is very important to a child’s development. When kids feel safe and valued, they can focus on learning and developing into resilient adults later in life.
We have all been through a lot this past year and a half, but disruptions in academic and social routines can be especially difficult for kids. We are excited to share the care and concern local school districts are demonstrating on behalf of students, staff and faculty.
AUTHOR: Michelle Jenck, Tillamook County Wellness Coordinator
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