On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire staff of the Ellensburg School District, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the community for your support in the recent election.

The results have been certified and we are humbled and inspired to share that the Replacement Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy has been approved by our voters. This outcome is a clear reflection of this community’s unwavering commitment to our children and the value you place on a high-quality public education.

In Washington State, the EPO levy is often called the "Enrichment Levy," because it bridges

the gap between state funding and the actual cost of providing a well-rounded education.

Because of your "Yes" vote, we are able to continue providing:

We recognize that these funds represent your hard-earned tax dollars. We take our role as

stewards of these resources very seriously. Our district remains committed to transparency, fiscal accountability, and academic excellence. We will continue to develop budget priorities that align with the priorities and commitments contained within our strategic plan.

The success of our schools is a shared journey. Your partnership ensures that every student in the Ellensburg School District has the opportunity to walk into a classroom feeling supported, challenged, and prepared for the future.

Thank you for investing in our students, our schools, and the future of our community.

With sincere appreciation,

Troy Tornow, Superintendent, Ellensburg School District

Cindy Coe, President, Board of Directors Ellensburg School District

Congratulations to our Winter Leadership Conference Winners! We are proud to announce that the following students have qualified for the State Business Leadership Conference in Spokane this April by placing in the top six of their respective events. Please join us in celebrating their hard work and professional excellence.

The Champions (1st Place Finishers)

Each of these students placed in other events as well. Several EHS students also placed in their events, though it did not earn them a trip to State this year. They are: Boston Seamons, Chase Wasell, Colter Clasen, Dominic Scappini, James Holiday, Jessica Santana-Valle, Jocelyn Vargas, Kathya Armenta, Mia Torres-Munguia, Miley Porter, Piper Douthwaite, Rhys Kamin, Sherlyn Torres, Sierra Foley, and Weston Hadaller.

Congratulations on your achievements! Good luck to everyone heading to State!

District Office staff bid farewell to Matthew (Matt) Cziske at a pizza party on his last day with ESD, Feb. 20. After working for ESD for seven years, he will take on a new role as Admissions Director for Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, located in Terrace Heights, WA.

The school, which opened in 2005, has reached the capacity that it is now ready to seek out additional students. As the first admissions director, Cziske said he is excited about building the new department from the ground up.

While at ESD, he worked first as the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent, before moving fulltime into registration and Public Records. Prior to working at ESD, Cziske worked in Admissions at Central Washington University.

While we are all sad to see Matt leave, and wonder who will spontaneously burst into song on a Friday afternoon, we wish him the best of luck in his new role! 

It started, like so many things do, with a teacher’s great idea. Thanks to a call-to-action on Facebook, Katie Hull and Heather Harris’ Lincoln Elementary 2nd graders received special Valentines and postcards from across the country.

Not only did the students get to read these greetings, they used big red heart stickers to track where their pen pals were on a large U.S. map in the hallway, with the cards displayed alongside the map for everyone to enjoy. 

Reading and geography weren’t the only subjects they tackled with this project. “The students sent a thank you letter to everyone who provided a return address,” says Harris. They noted their thank you’s on the big map with pink hearts. They also learned facts about other states and the people who live there.

While the volume of mail is dwindling down, the students are still receiving a few postcards every day. Looking at the map, students received postcards and letters from the majority of states. If you know anyone in Nevada, Wyoming, or the Dakotas, see if they have time to send a postcard to the 2nd graders of Lincoln Elementary!

Thank to Harris and Hull for bringing this multifaceted and super fun activity to students!

Feb. 15 marked National School Resource Officer Day. While we weren't in school that day, we did send a shout out to our own SRO Officer Clayton Self.

Officer Self began as SRO in the fall and has been a steady and friendly influence. Prior to that he has been a patrol officer with 11 years of experience and even served as our SRO for a brief period of time previously. Thank you Officer Self for all you do for Ellensburg students and staff!

What began as a PE activity last year at Ida Nason Aronica, has grown into a full-fledged Archery Team competing in local and regional tournaments.

Under the direction of PE Teacher Scott Robertson, the co-ed team is 24 archers strong this year, with the majority being girls. All of the archers are 4th and 5th grade students this year. “This is the most archers we've ever had on our team and there were 33 students who tried out for the team in the fall,” says Robertson.

It was Robertson’s own experience with and joy for archery that led to the PE unit. It wasn’t long before the kids wanted a club. This is their first year of competition, and they have been hitting the mark.

“We were nervous for our first tournament in Kennewick, but our staff did a good job recognizing our team and cheering them on as we departed part way through the school day,” says Robertson. “The kids shot great for their first tournament. Fifth grader Jake Goforth, a first-year archer in NASP (National Archery in the Schools Program) shot #1 out of 40 boys in his division! We have had a number of top 10 girl finishers in the tournaments we've been to as well.”

The team has competed in four tournaments this year, including two in-school "St Jude Children's Hospital E-Tournament” fundraisers, and tournaments in Connell and Kennewick. At Thursday’s in-school tournament, Pamela Thompson watched her daughter 10-year-old Elizabeth compete. Her 12-year-old daughter Brianna, watched as well, but was “a little jealous” that she was no longer eligible for the team as a Morgan Middle Schooler. “Mr. Robertson is so supportive and communicates with parents so well,” says Thompson. “Both girls have really grown in their confidence…and their competitiveness.”

Next up for the Ida Archers is the State Tournament which will be held March 27-28 at Nicholson Pavilion on the Central Washington University campus. There is a small fee to enter the venue. “As a team they are likely to qualify for nationals with their combined score,” says their proud coach. “Perhaps in future years this is something we may consider doing but for now we are proud of all the growth and confidence our archers have made.”

Ida will also look at expanding the program. “As we keep expanding we will be hosting a 3rd grade family day during conference week, as well as an end of the year family celebration at the end of March with our team,” says Robertson. 

Good luck and GO MUSTANGS!

If you’ve seen them on the field or in the gym, you know that Ellensburg High School's cheerleading squad is something special. This year, for the first time, the team took their skills to competition at the WIAA State Cheerleading Championship, held at Battleground High School earlier this month.

The team competed in the Game Day large category, which is 20 or more cheerleaders.

Although they were competing against larger schools that were more familiar with competition, the team garnered 4th place in their category.

As they would say, “GO BULLDOGS!”

Our Child Nutrition team has been busy this month.

Earlier this month, Director Alexandra Epstein-Solfield was in Olympia advocating for school meal policy and funding. She noted, “Watch for HB 2369, which promotes the use of local foods in public schools (how we get our bison, salmon, pork!). Also funding for SunBucks, which helps to combat hunger among students during the summer when school meals are not available.”

But there was also big news in the kitchen, with Chef Todd Berry churning out new recipes every week. Hot dogs (100% beef) have been added to the menu, forcing the question: ketchup or no ketchup? Chef Todd also offered samples of salmon cakes, which will be joining the menu after a positive response.

The team also bids farewell this month to Central Washington University Dietetic Intern McKenna Longtain. While her time with the team was short, her impact was big. For her final project she created the "Make it a Three Star Meal" guide.

“The USDA requires students to take three food groups for lunch, one of which must be a half cup of fruit or vegetables,” says Epstein-Solfield. “Explaining this to students can be challenging, especially when some entrees contain multiple food groups. Using stars to indicate meal pattern guidelines helps both students and staff understand expectations. Great work McKenna- we love this!”

Oh, and in their "spare time" our team officially joined the list of Chef Ann Foundation 2025 Get Schools Cooking graduates!

Ellensburg was among seven school districts — from Alaska to Maine — to complete the program. Our team has worked one-on-one with the Foundation to improve school food operations over the course of three years.

"We are so proud to have been part of the Chef Ann Get Schools Cooking program the last few years," says Epstein-Solfield. "Some of the initiatives that resulted include hiring a school chef, upgrading kitchen equipment, training staff, and incorporating more scratch cooking and local food in our menus."

Great work team Child Nutrition!

One of the biggest stories of the month was our Seattle Seahawks winning the Super Bowl!!!

There was lots of excitement to go around in the days leading up to the big game.

If you are a former Valley View Bobcat, you might remember making a video the last time the Hawks made it to the big game. Well, they did it again! You can check it out on YouTube.

The Ellensburg School District Board of Directors meeting schedule will vary from the normal schedule to accommodate Spring Break.

The March Study Session will be held on March 4, and the Regular Meeting will be held on March 18. Both meetings will be held at the regular time of 5:30 p.m. at Ida Nason Aronica Elementary.

The Board appreciates the opportunity to share the break with their students and families. Thank you for your understanding.