Around the Valley

Awards all around to Marcus Whitman staff

COWICHE -- A state educational award has gone to the entire staff of Marcus Whitman Cowiche Elementary School.

The Washington State Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development honored the 45 employees at the school for "significant contributions to education in Washington."

The school is the only one in the area to get an award from the group, which honored 11 educational institutions.

"It's a wonderful thing," Principal Janice Sauve said.

The award noted that third-grade WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) scores have risen significantly in the past two years, through intense efforts by the staff.

The award ceremony will be Nov. 7 in Spokane.

Music Revival Mission nears

yakima -- The Music Arts Revival Mission takes place Friday and Saturday at Valley Fellowship of Yakima.

The two-day conference features saxophonist Ron Brown, guitarist Caleb Quaye, bassist Donald Patterson and percussionist David Cowan.

These musicians have played with Elton John, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, and many others. Workshops are offered in bass, percussion, guitar, keyboards, vocal and team.

Registration is $40 per person. Call Molly Hurley at Yakima Foursquare Church at 575-1490, or find a registration form at www.valleyfellowship.org/marm. Registration is also available at the door.

Friday Kick Off and Saturday Wrap Up concerts begin at 7 p.m. and are open to the public. The concerts and conference are sponsored by The Pastors Who Drink Coffee, an interdenominational group of senior pastors in Yakima.

All events take place at the church, 1701 W. Nob Hill Blvd.

Municipal pool on Grandview agenda

GRANDVIEW -- City Council members will discuss rebuilding the municipal pool at their Monday night meeting.

The 50-year-old pool has a crack-prone tank with a creaky bath house that does not meet state disability codes, said Parks and Recreation Director Mike Carpenter.

A committee that has been researching options plans to present a way to rebuild the pool with a smaller tank, a water slide, a zero-depth area, some small toys, a new bath house and family picnic area.

They got the ideas from a $2.6 million pool built in Othello two years ago.

Carpenter says this recommendation is a far cry from a twice-rejected bond measure that would have built a multi-million-dollar regional aquatic center in Grandview.

Council members will convene at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall.

Prosser school admin. has moved

PROSSER -- The Prosser School District administrative office has moved.

Superintendent Ray Tolcacher and his business staff of 10 now work at a leased office space at 1126 Meade Ave. in downtown Prosser.

The district will still use the modular structure at 823 Park Ave., which served as the district headquarters for 40 years. The departments of curriculum and instruction, technology and data systems, and facilities scheduling will operate in the 1800-square-foot office across the street from Keene-Riverview Elementary School.

The superintendent's office will keep the same phone number: 509-786-3323.

YSD seeks input on superintendent

The Yakima School Board wants your input on the district's next superintendent.

The school district is hiring a superintendent to replace Ben Soria, who is the retiring from the spot at the end of the 2008-09 school year.

Before a national search for the position begins in December, three public meetings are scheduled to garner community input on what criteria are important to look for in candidates.

Yakima residents are invited to attend any one of the meetings, all at the district central office, 104 N. Fourth Ave.:

* 7-8 p.m.Wednesday

* 7:30-8:30 a.m.Thursday

* 12-1p.m. Thursday

Those unable to attend are asked to fill out a survey listing their priorities for the position. Go to www.yakimaschools.org and click on Superintendent Search Survey in the left-hand box.

According to the district, the application period for the position will run December and January, with the hope that the winning candidate will be announced the first week of March.

College planning workshop Monday

The Yakima School District is hosting the 19th Annual College and Technical School Planning Workshop on Monday at Davis High School, 212 S. Sixth Ave.

The free workshop runs from 7-9 p.m.; registration begins at 6:30 p.m.

Designed primarily for high school sophomores through seniors and parents or guardians, the workshop will offer information on applying to college, obtaining financial assistance and transitioning to higher education.

Breakout sessions will cover topics related to college planning.