PENINSULA SCHOOL DISTRICT Compass Morgan Yeisley Celeste Colvill Anna Pragnell Landree Tullis Julia Klumker Joe Stephens Julian Baldwin Morgan Murphy Meagan Chitta Cole Schauer Bergen Palmer Jack Grennan Ashlyn Valdez Ross Tello Ethan Baker Kaleb Besst Jonah Derrick Ian Nelson Ian Knapp Elizabeth Cude Congratulations 2020 Graduates Capital Projects Updates Summer 2020 Celebrating Our Retirees 2019-2020: A Year to Forget, or a Year to Remember by Dr. Art Jarvis, Superintendent Greetings to our I remind myself of this imprint as we plan for the return to community, our school this fall. Great effort is being invested to resume staff, and our school in-person. An entire second teaching/learning students. system is being created for families who choose not to return at this time. Our greatest challenge may be This school year responding to children and parents whose lives have been was certainly transformed by this pandemic. memorable, and for many, it was We expect that social-emotional learning will be essential a year of pain. I as we relearn how to do school with all of the safety look at it from a protocols required to keep students and staff safe. perspective of more than half a century Some suggest the pandemic may be with us for years, and in the school business, I suggest that the effect will be with us for a lifetime. As the and nothing in my memory Great Depression changed the world for my grandparents, compares to what we just so we move forward into a world in which school is forever experienced. Our staff struggled for different. I ask the community and parents to join in the last 40% of the year to find ways to connect with their partnership with our staff as they return to different work. students, but it was evident that we did not have the system It is too easy to get caught up in debates over required face to make up for the disconnects imposed upon our staff and coverings, and forget that our children lost something when students. Evidence of individual successes occasionally school closed on March 12, 2020. brightened our days. We saw videos of children lighting up with joy when they connected with their teacher. As cars I am hopeful our wonderful spirit will prevail as we design picked up lunches, we saw staff lining up just to wave at this next step for our schools. For a while, schools will students to let them know they were missed. limit outside visitors, but that does not prevent close relationships between staff and families. I ask you to assist Then there were the parents! Parents who stepped in to our staff this fall with all of the grace possible. We look be the bridge between teachers and children. Parents who back and treasure what we had, but we design for our new learned how to navigate Schoology and mastered internet world. time to provide schooling for multiple children; parents who worried about the lost social time and found creative ways My grandparents will always be the most favorite people to substitute for the world their children missed; and most who ever existed for me. No matter how the world of war of all, parents who lived the role of “primary teacher” and and economic depression influenced their lives, it created kept their children safe. Indeed, a memorable year for all of a special goodness in their hearts. May our children be us, but especially for our children. as blessed by our caring community as we live together through these very difficult and “memorable” years. To diverge for a moment, I watched the lives of my grandparents changed forever by the Great Depression and Thank you. World War II. Their lifestyle, habits, and economics were forged in the painful crucible they experienced. I cannot help but suspect we are seeing a similar imprint upon our school children and our families. The Compass is produced by SCHOOL BOARD the Peninsula School District’s Communications Department President Director of Communications PENINSULA Deborah Krishnadasan • [email protected] Aimee Gordon SCHOOL DISTRICT Communications Coordinator Brooke Finnigan Vice President Social Media & Web Content Specialist Compass David Olson • [email protected] Andrew Forhan Contract Writer SUPERINTENDENT Directors Shana Nash Lori Glover • [email protected] Student Editor Dr. Art Jarvis Maddy Hale Chuck West • [email protected] Photographer Natalie Wimberley • [email protected] Larry Steagall 2 Peninsula School District Compass Together We Prevail by Deborah Krishnadasan, Director and Board President On behalf of the Peninsula School District Board of friends. There were missed hugs, Directors, I would like to thank the entire community for high fives, and that last coming together to honor the Class of 2020 and providing opportunity to give an support to so many students and families during these encouraging look to a unprecedented times. graduating senior, an 8th grader heading This was a challenging end of the school year for everyone. to high school, or a The abrupt decision by the state to close schools was kindergartner finishing made even more difficult with the news that school their first year of buildings would remain closed for the rest of the school school. While it was year, and remote learning was thrust upon us all. As a challenging, we all parent navigating learning from home with three children, I made the best of the developed an even greater appreciation for our educators situation, especially our and support staff. seniors who lost so many well-earned rites of passage. The sudden closure also resulted in many missed moments. Students and teachers did not get to complete Our community willingly partnered to provide multiple the in-classroom learning that, until this time, we have celebrations for our graduates, including the first-ever taken for granted. Some students felt the loss of a safe graduate car parade at the Tacoma Narrows Airport and environment and some felt the loss of interactions with drive-through cap and gown pick up events at our high schools. The Greater Gig Harbor Foundation and Waterfront Alliance publicly displayed banners of our Students of Distinction, and the Key Peninsula News recognized each Key Peninsula senior in its publication. Also, virtual graduation ceremonies for GHHS, HBHS, and PHS were produced and can be viewed at psd401.net/graduation. While these events will never replace what students should have experienced, many graduates and families walked away feeling honored and personally celebrated. As we look forward, the board recognizes there will be challenges with the educational experience in the fall and beyond because of COVID-19. With six months of slowed or stalled educational progress, we must move forward to safely provide our students the education they deserve. The board applauds the district’s commitment and efforts to safely get all students back into our classrooms and provide robust remote learning for those families who choose to remain home for now. We will ensure that the reopening plans are well thought out, carefully designed, well communicated to our staff and families and followed in our schools, to keep our students and staff as safe as possible. Just like we did this spring for our graduates, I am confident our community will continue to support our schools moving forward. The primary thing we can all do is help control the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Please wear face protection, wash your hands, and watch your distance. Thank you all for being a part of keeping our schools strong through your continued support, teamwork, and patience. Let’s roll up our sleeves and do this together. Our children’s TOP: Student board rep. Ashley Phillips, Principal Brian Tovey, and school futures depend on it. board directors BOTTOM: Board director Lori Glover hands a graduation sign to a senior Compass Peninsula School District 3 Peninsula High School Congratulations to the Class of 2020! Angelina Adams Trent Akulschin Brock Allen Gracie Halinen Ryen Hall Chloe Hammel Joshua Rasmussen Katia-Lynn Reasons A Zainab Alrangonee Julia Anderson H Claralynn Hammel Lauren Hammon Isaiah Hardy R River Rector Grace Reed Jillian Reese Whitney Anderson CJ Applebee Dusty Archer Isabelle Hartgrove Christopher Hartjoy Angel Reeves Emma Reinmuth Vivienne Reum Mathew Hasting Christian Haugaard Kristin Riach Chase Richards Jayden Baker Ryan Baker Julian Baldwin Evan Hayden Tyeler Heald Zion Heather Alexander Ridenour Mason Riebe B Emily Barker Sarah Barker Matthew Barry Deondre Hembd Kaia Hemley Jaelee Henneman Celeste Rivas Joanna Roberts Johnathan Beal Hannah Bebich Isaac Hermsen Alejandro Hernandez Lillian Roberts Ayden Robertson Madeline Bebich Preston Bebich Elizabeth Hertzog Rubi High Joseph Hilley Daniela Rodriguez Kaden Rodriguez Madalyn Beck Owen Behrens Daly Bentley Chloe Hitchcock Joshua Hodson Alexis Holden Alexander Rogers Hailey Roncevich Loren Berberich Grace Bernadelli Kaleb Besst Logan Holt Elisabeth Hood Kenneth Hooper Tiffany Rose Michelle Ross Peyton Bice Triston Bigelow Hannah Blake Brandon Hoover Tyler Hurd Wiley Hutchins Caleb Blonski Roman Bockhorn Mason Hyde Yazmin Saber Kyra Sabol Nicole Sala Robert Boman Peter Bosselmann S Milagros Salazar-Gutierrez Carissa Sanders Anne-Marie Botterud Kamalani Boyd Evan Janson Grayson Janson Lena Janson Erica Schaefer Cole Schauer Sydney Schicker Caden Brinkman Cade Bruneau J Emily Jenkins Gabrielle Jensen Emily Joanis Nikole Schobert Lauren Severn Julia Bruno Victoria Bryan Colby Bryant Grace Johnson Mathew Johnson Christopher Sexton Jazzy Shapiro Jayden Bunch Shelby Burns Zachary