Oregon Trail School District - 15 updates — Nextdoor (2024)

Come and see the Sandy High School choirs perform their final concert of the year at 7 p.

Communications Director Garth Guibord from Oregon Trail School District · 4 Jun

m. Wednesday, June 5 at the high school! This concert has a little bit of everything, including music by well-known bands (Queen, The Beatles, The Jacksons), songs from popular solo singers (Dolly Parton, The Weeknd, Billie Eilish), music from well-known movies (The Lion King, Avatar: The Way Of Water, Barbie) and some other fun surprises! This concert also features solo performances by senior members of the SHS choral program.
The concert is free and open to the public.

Sandy High School (SHS) 11th grade students Jon Lara and Waylon Lekberg like to push each other to the limits during workout sessions, so Lara wasn’t concerned when Lekberg first said he was seeing stars as the two sat in Lara’s car before school

Communications Director Garth Guibord from Oregon Trail School District · 3 Jun

one morning in April. But, when Lekberg hunched over and leaned on Lara, Lara quickly realized this wasn’t a joke. It was a seizure.
“At that time my training kicked in and by the time I had evaluated the situation he started to foam at the mouth, that's when I knew I had to act fast,” Lara said.
Lara had taken a First Aid class taught by Joe Givens, part of SHS’s extensive Career Technical Education (CTE) offerings, during his 10th grade year and the lessons would serve him well on this day.
He quickly got Lekberg out of the car and down on the ground, using a shirt to make sure that Lekberg’s head stayed level. A friend that had parked next to them called 911, while Lara continued to help stabilize Lekberg as they waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
“I was able to act as fast as I could with everything I remembered, and thanks to the confidence Mr. Givens gave me I was able to do everything with a plan,” Lara said.
Lekberg was back at school within a week, even getting a ride from Lara, with Lekberg’s family grateful for all the help that Lara and the others provided to him.
“We are incredibly appreciative of the swift and effective actions of all the helpers involved the day of Waylon’s seizure,” Lekberg’s family said. “The efforts of Waylon’s friends exemplify how we all hope to behave in an emergency. The memory of that day holds feelings of trauma for us, as we are sure it does for everyone involved as well. However, it gifted the world an opportunity to see and appreciate the strengths in others. Jon, Aden, and Hunter, actions like the ones you all displayed that day make the world a better place and we are deeply grateful for you.”
On Monday, April 29, Lara and Givens received Kindness Citations and some swag from the Sandy Police Department.
“Jon’s recognition of the emergency and subsequent actions were masterfully executed,” Givens said. “I applaud his commitment to learning the skills and applying them without hesitation. I’m excited to lead a program that is making a tremendous impact on this community and am eager to get more students equipped with life-saving knowledge and skills like Jon.”
Lara is interested in pursuing a career in the medical field or in the military, as he likes helping people in need.
“I think First Aid and emergency response should be a mandatory class,” he said, adding that other skills he picked up include CPR and frostbite prevention. “The First Aid class also offers college credit and a further future in life. Without that class my friend since elementary school could have been lost and he could not be here right now.”

Thank you teachers!!

Communications Director Garth Guibord from Oregon Trail School District · 7 May

More than 250 teachers in the Oregon Trail School District do their best every day to make sure that Children Thrive Here! Every single one of them contributes to the successes of our students, resulting in a 91.6 percent graduation rate (10 percent higher than the state average) and the district ranking as the 11th best in Oregon by School Digger (based on achievement data).
A huge THANK YOU to all of our teachers for making an impact on our students, our community and beyond!

Sandy High School's spring musical, "The Lightning Thief," opens this week!

Communications Director Garth Guibord from Oregon Trail School District · 10 Apr

Sandy High School (SHS) 11th grader Sidra Cohen-Mallon has been a fan of the “Percy Jackson” book series by Rick Riordan since elementary school, while also performing theater since he was nine years old. This spring, those worlds collide as Cohen-Mallon takes on the role of Percy Jackson in the high school’s spring musical, “The Lightning Thief,” book by Joe Tracz, music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki and adapted from Riordan’s book by the same name.
“It is really special for me to bring him to life on stage,” Cohen-Mallon, now 17, said.
The musical, which opened on Broadway in 2019, offers the story of Jackson, a teen who finds out he’s actually a demigod and then embarks on a quest to find Zeus’ missing lightning bolt and prevent war between the gods.
“While Percy is stumbling to find his independence, he acknowledges that his life is hard, but he gets to decide how to live it,” Cohen-Mallon said. “He knows that he'll make mistakes, but at least they'll be his own.”
Aurora (Rori) Flerchinger, a 12th grade student who plays Annabeth Chase (the daughter of Athena), noted that her character is always “battle-ready,” making her observant and constantly aware of everything around her. She also added the show features a number of scenes with staged combat and increasing the challenge for actors, who need to have precise and measured movements to make the fights look realistic.
Flerchinger, who started doing theater in the 10th grade, noted that the show’s message is about relationships, both between the teen characters and also with their parents.
“I hope the audience walks away thinking about the connection and impact that peers can have on one another and the complexity that comes with parental relationships,” she said.
SHS Theatre Teacher and the show’s director, Christina Moroney, planned to do this show since last spring, when she picked up the first book of the series. By the end of summer, she had read the five books in the series and more than 20 others related to Percy Jackson.
“From Percy’s journey to find acceptance, to Annabeth’s yearning for recognition from her family, to Grover’s need for forgiveness and fixing past mistakes – everyone can find something in this story that relates to their real life, even though it is set in somewhat of a fantasy world,” Moroney said, adding that the audience can expect some catchy music, fun dance numbers, a high energy cast and a blend of comedy and heartfelt moments. “Whether you love the Percy Jackson series, Greek mythology, musical theater or you’re just looking for a fun night out, this show is going to be a great time for everyone.”SHS Drama’s production of “The Lightning Thief” will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday, April 12, Saturday, April 13, and Thursday, April 18 through Saturday, April 20, at Sandy High School, 37400 Bell Street in Sandy. Tickets are $11 for adults and $8 for students and seniors, with kids five and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at https://sandyhigh.ludus.com/index.php.

Kindergarten Kick Off events start this week!

Communications Director Garth Guibord from Oregon Trail School District · 6 Apr

Know of a family with a child who turns 5 on or before Aug. 31, 2024? They can now register for kindergarten!
Families can learn all about kindergarten at one of our Kindergarten Kick Off events, which will occur at each of our elementary schools on a designated evening in the next few weeks.
These events offer families of incoming kindergarten students a chance to get introduced to the school and teachers. Kindergarten Kick Off will include activities for kids, including meeting teachers, a quick readiness assessment, book making in a kindergarten classroom and a bus ride; and activities for parents, including meeting teachers, assistance in registering, a goody bag of activities and a chance to learn more information.
This week's events includes one at Sandy Grade School at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9 and another at Kelso Elementary School at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11.
Firwood Elementary School will have one at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, while Welches Elementary School will have one at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17 and Naas Elementary School will have one at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23.
For more information, visit our Kindergarten Kick Off page at https://www.oregontrailschools.com/kinde....

Thrive at 25 gives sophom*ores insight into life after school

Communications Director Garth Guibord from Oregon Trail School District · 15 Mar

Girls Basketball program looks to leave legacy

Communications Director Garth Guibord from Oregon Trail School District · 28 Feb

When the Sandy High School Girls Varsity Basketball team finished their season last Thursday, Feb. 22, they had the chance too look back on a season that wasn’t just wins and losses, but a chance to build something more: legacy.
Head Coach Matt Gist noted that while he has always tried to imprint the importance of being a family as a team, he also wanted to see a greater connection form throughout the Sandy basketball program this year. That included the varsity, junior varsity and freshmen teams in attendance to cheer on two of the Oregon Trail School District’s middle school girls’ teams, the middle school teams cheering on the varsity squad against David Douglas and get to visit the locker room during half time, and a holiday party put on by the varsity team’s six seniors: Sydney Perry, Aubrey Perry, Payton Holman, Layla Harmon, Megan Ameele and Olivia Tippett.
“It made me happy seeing the basketball program connect with the older and younger teams as we supported each other every way we could,” said Sydney Perry, who played wing. “My little sister plays on the Welches middle school team and she loved it when me and my teammates came to her games. She wants to be just like us and it’s great to see the impact we’ve had on her and other middle school players.”
“By supporting the middle school girls at their game, I hoped the girls would see how proud we are of them and excited that they’re be playing for the Sandy team soon,” guard Aubrey Perry said. “The program will build the legacy by continuing to improve each year. Teams will look back on this season and remember how much effort we put into it and how far we’ve come.”
Gist noted that he intends to build on the momentum built this season by expanding the relationships between teams, including possibly holding joint practices with the middle school program that will be run by the high school seniors. He also wants to expand the team’s impact with the community, by possibly offering a community night, a veteran’s/first responder’s night and even a scrimmage versus firefighters.
Holman, a shooting guard/wing, sees a bright future for the girls’ program.
“The basketball program is going to build back up stronger than ever after what we have done this season,” she said. “The legacy to better each other, make each other accountable for our actions and the ability to love one another no matter what has become so strong and I am positive it will become even stronger in the future. I see them going to more middle school games, campaigning and fundraising, and collaborating with the middle schoolers.”
As the last four minutes ticked off the clock in their final game, Gist made sure to have an all-senior lineup on the court. While it marked their final moments for this season, their impact on the Sandy basketball community will continue.
“I hope for everyone to always work hard and keep improving themselves on and off of the court, along with being responsible and respectful players,” forward Olivia Tippett said. “I see the upcoming seniors and all of the basketball program building and adding onto the legacy to improve themselves and each other.”
“I hope that I inspired the younger players to keep playing basketball even when times get tough,” added Sydney Perry. “The games may not always go the way you hope, but it doesn’t matter because the memories you create and everything you learned is more important. I hope the players will always show their care for the younger girls and never stop inspiring them.”

Sandy High School hosts middle schools in District Robotics Competition

Communications Director Garth Guibord from Oregon Trail School District · 26 Jan

Cedar Ridge Middle School and Boring Middle School each sent two teams of robotics warriors to Sandy High School on Wednesday, Jan. 24 for a showdown with the high school's own four robotics teams. The friendly competition, held in the main gym, featured robots, designed and built by students, stacking disks to score points.
The two teams representing Cedar Ridge were named Final Pass and The Spacemen, while the two teams from Boring were Glitchy 9.2.8 and Botters V1. Sandy High's teams included Real Steel, Combat, Wrecker Jaw and Bombastic Robot Builders with Sharks.
The robots were the products of the Intro to Engineering classes, new this year at both Boring Middle School and Cedar Ridge Middle School. These classes, in addition to other new CTE classes such as Food Science and First Aid, provide middle school students with credits that will carry over to Sandy High School and give them an early start to their CTE studies. Sandy High School offers eight CTE programs with 57 courses.

Middle school Food Science class offers a taste of Sandy High School's CTE program

Communications Director Garth Guibord from Oregon Trail School District · 8 Jan

Students in Nathan Enns' Food Science class at Cedar Ridge Middle school endured a special test on Friday, Jan. 5 - a taste test. Presented with 16 different anonymous cheeses, the students took notes on the appearance, smell, taste and other attributes of the fermented milk products, which included brie, feta, paneer, scamorza, goat cheese and more.
The Food Science class, also offered at Boring Middle School, is one of the new Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses this year, providing middle school students with credits that will carry over to their CTE studies at Sandy High School. Food Science covers a variety of topics and subjects, including diet, microbiology, chemistry and food safety.
Middle school CTE classes also include Intro to Engineering and Intro to First Aid, while the high school has eight CTE programs comprised of 57 courses.

Sandy High School's Canned Food Drive wrapped up on Tuesday, Dec.

Communications Director Garth Guibord from Oregon Trail School District · 13 Dec

12 as the school's Leadership students and Key Club members ventured over to St. Michael's Church to help the Sandy Kiwanis Club put all the food they collected into boxes. More than 40 students participated and food arrived from a number of schools in the Oregon Trail School District, including Sandy Grade School, Firwood Elementary, Naas Elementary, Boring Middle School and Cedar Ridge Middle School. Sandy High School FFA donated pears and apples for the boxes, while the high school also raised $1,415 for the efforts through the Night with the Pios, HeMan Volleyball and Krispy Kreme sales.
The Kiwanis Club put together 600 boxes of food for 300 area families in need this holiday season. The boxes, which each weigh between 50 and 60 pounds, will be distributed on Saturday, Dec. 16.