Matthew Valentine Recognized as Washington State Champion for 2023 Poetry Out Loud Competition
On Saturday, March 11 at Tacoma Little Theater, Olympia High School senior Matthew Valentine was selected as this year’s winner of the 2023 Poetry Out Loud (POL) competition for Washington State. Valentine was one of two finalists from the Southwest [...]
Small habits you can build into your daily life to increase your inclusivity
A diverse and inclusive workplace is one that makes everyone, regardless of who they are or what they do for the business, feel equally involved in and supported in all areas of the workplace. Workplace inclusion is when people feel [...]
ESD 112 Board Selects Susan Barker for District 1 Seat
The Educational Service District (ESD) 112 Board of Directors has selected Susan Barker as its newest board member. Barker, a retired educator and school administrator, will represent District 1, which includes Green Mountain, La Center, Kalama, and Woodland School Districts, [...]
Darlene ‘De’ Stickel Passes Board Leadership to Mark Hottowe
Mark Hottowe was named the next president of the ESD 112 Board of Directors at the agency’s regular board meeting on January 24. Outgoing president Darlene “De” Stickel, who served in the position for the past two years, passed the [...]
Two Students Named 2023 Regional Poetry Out Loud Champions
Two students representing schools in Thurston and Pierce counties have advanced from the SW Washington Regional Final to the State Final for the Poetry Out Loud (POL) competition. The top two scorers were announced during a virtual Regional Final ceremony [...]
Nominations open for next regional teacher of the year and classified school employee of the year
Nominations are now being accepted for ESD 112’s 2024 Teacher of the Year and Classified School Employee of the Year. Each award is presented to an exceptional teacher and classified school employee in Southwest Washington every year. The winner of [...]
Dana Miles featured in ‘Putting Students First’ podcast
Watch or listen as League of Education Voters Communications Director Arik Korman interviews Dana Miles, the 2023 Washington state Teacher of the Year. They discuss why language is so important to students in the Deaf community as well as strategies [...]
ESD 112’s Deb Drandoff Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Washington State Health Care Authority
Educational Service District 112 (ESD 112) Director of Prevention and Youth Services, Deb Drandoff has been presented with a lifetime achievement award by the Health Care Authority in honor of her more than 30 years of work to prevent youth [...]
School Leaders & Legislators Convene to Discuss State Support for Local Education Needs
Elected leaders, school superintendents, and other education leaders gathered virtually for the annual ESD 112 Legislative Forum. The November 28 forum, held virtually for the third year in a row, was attended by ten legislators (representatives from the 17th, 19th, [...]
