News

The Scholastic Art Award recipients of Oregon have been announced and West Albany had 44 students recognized with 127 total works of art honored with Gold Keys, Silver Keys and Honorable Mentions!

There were 30 Gold Keys given to WAHS students, meaning their work was the best in their category. These works will receive the special honor of being displayed in the Willamette Valley Region Scholastic Art Show at Oregon State University in March, with possible scholarships and a certificate ceremony to honor the students. They will also move on to the national level competition, which will be announced in March. There were 38 Silver Keys and 59 Honorable Mentions.

A special mention to Paris Barton who received a GOLD KEY PORTFOLIO for her Photography series “Milk Bath”; Amelia Lawson received an Honorable Mention for a Sculpture Portfolio she submitted titled “After Pains”; Sam Grove also received an honorable mention for his portfolio called “Sad Women.” Portfolios are designated for Seniors only, and it is a significant honor to have one selected.

To see the Gold Key and Silver Key winning artwork, along with AP Studio Art’s breadth portfolio work and some of the top pieces from art classes this semester, please attend a reception Thursday, February 1st at 5:00 pm in the WAHS library. Most of the students will attend so you can talk to them about their work, and we will vote for best in show!

List of Scholastic Award Winners
by student name, grade level, what award they received, category, and title of their piece:

**Paris Barton 12 Gold Key Portfolio Art Portfolio Milk Bath**
Paris Barton 12 Gold Key Art Drawing and Illustration Repeated
Paris Barton 12 Gold Key Art Digital Art A Portrait
Paris Barton 12 Silver Key Art Photography Am I Shining From Within?
Paris Barton 12 Honorable Mention Art Ceramics & Glass Sadness
Paris Barton 12 Honorable Mention Art Photography Field of Love
Paris Barton 12 Honorable Mention Art Photography Reflection
Paris Barton 12 Honorable Mention Art Painting Oma, Resting Bloom
Paris Barton 12 Honorable Mention Art Mixed Media Real Thoughts
Paris Barton 12 Honorable Mention Art Painting My Movement, My Body
Paris Barton 12 Honorable Mention Art Sculpture The Lines Inside of Me

Jenna Berg 11 Gold Key Art Photography Barn Red
Jenna Berg 11 Honorable Mention Art Photography Sobriety
Jenna Berg 11 Honorable Mention Art Photography The Faceless Fijian
Jenna Berg 11 Honorable Mention Art Photography Fragile as China
Jenna Berg 11 Honorable Mention Art Photography A Reminiscing of the Renaissance

Annie Berry 10 Gold Key Art Sculpture Wave of Emotions
Annie Berry 10 Gold Key Art Sculpture A Golden Patched Face
Annie Berry 10 Gold Key Art Drawing and Illustration The Elephant in Me
Annie Berry 10 Silver Key Art Mixed Media Silhouette of the Trees

Gabrielle Budlong 9 Gold Key Art Drawing and Illustration #MeToo

Megan Cox 11 Gold Key Art Mixed Media At the Dinnertable
Megan Cox 11 Silver Key Art Mixed Media Milky White

Jessica Elliott 12 Gold Key Art Digital Art The Fridge
Jessica Elliott 12 Gold Key Art Digital Art The Corner
Jessica Elliott 12 Silver Key Art Digital Art Pretty Bird
Jessica Elliott 12 Silver Key Art Digital Art Piano Perspective

Felicity Halberg 12 Gold Key Art Ceramics & Glass Barn Owl and Mount. Hood

Megan Hansen 9 Gold Key Art Photography Bridge
Megan Hansen 9 Silver Key Art Photography waterfall
Megan Hansen 9 Honorable Mention Art Photography Variegated Leaves
Megan Hansen 9 Honorable Mention Art Photography Bench
Megan Hansen 9 Honorable Mention Art Photography Wagon

Eleanor Klock 12 Gold Key Art Sculpture Twist
Eleanor Klock 12 Gold Key Art Sculpture Beetle Eyes
Eleanor Klock 12 Silver Key Art Sculpture Taxidermist’s Dream
Eleanor Klock 12 Silver Key Art Painting Domes

Amelia Lawson 12 Gold Key Art Ceramics & Glass Polluted Earth
Amelia Lawson 12 Silver Key Art Sculpture Cutting Into the Past
Amelia Lawson 12 Silver Key Art Ceramics & Glass Triple Nuchal Cord Asphyxia
**Amelia Lawson 12 Honorable Mention Portfolio Art Portfolio After Pains **

Rebecca Lundgreen 11 Gold Key Art Painting Graffiti Pop Self Portrait

Geneva Mellison 11 Gold Key Art Photography Lost
Geneva Mellison 11 Gold Key Art Photography Looking Through
Geneva Mellison 11 Gold Key Art Photography Determination
Geneva Mellison 11 Gold Key Art Photography Tangled
Geneva Mellison 11 Gold Key Art Painting heavy mind
Geneva Mellison 11 Gold Key Art Photography She
Geneva Mellison 11 Silver Key Art Photography Doublesided
Geneva Mellison 11 Honorable Mention Art Photography Soft

Andrew Reel 12 Gold Key Art Sculpture Rat King
Andrew Reel 12 Gold Key Art Mixed Media Charlie
Andrew Reel 12 Silver Key Art Sculpture Post Op
Andrew Reel 12 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Squiggle
Andrew Reel 12 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Two-Faced
Andrew Reel 12 Honorable Mention Art Painting Relive
Andrew Reel 12 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Migraine

Jenna Thomas 11 Gold Key Art Mixed Media Exquisite Corpse
Jenna Thomas 11 Gold Key Art Drawing and Illustration Swimming
Jenna Thomas 11 Gold Key Art Drawing and Illustration Self Image
Jenna Thomas 11 Gold Key Art Drawing and Illustration The Process of Forgetfulness
Jenna Thomas 11 Silver Key Art Drawing and Illustration Vagabond

Kassie Worley 12 Gold Key Art Mixed Media Amongst Roses
Kassie Worley 12 Silver Key Art Drawing and Illustration Toes Kendra
Kassie Worley 12 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Milk Glass

Lillith Bailey 10 Silver Key Art Digital Art music touch

Morgan Bell 12 Silver Key Art Photography Fear
Morgan Bell 12 Honorable Mention Art Digital Art Mood
Morgan Bell 12 Honorable Mention Art Photography Downtown
Morgan Bell 12 Honorable Mention Art Photography Pretty Boy Tanner

Samuel Bigner 9 Silver Key Art Drawing and Illustration Samuel

Adelina Crainet 9 Silver Key Art Photography Frumoasa
Adelina Crainet 9 Silver Key Art Photography My Thoughts
Adelina Crainet 9 Honorable Mention Art Photography Cu susul în jos

Evan Diviney 10 Silver Key Art Ceramics & Glass Dragon Foot Mug
Evan Diviney 10 Silver Key Art Sculpture Wire Frame Dragon

Rachel Gilley 11 Silver Key Art Sculpture benny
Rachel Gilley 11 Honorable Mention Art Sculpture homino
Rachel Gilley 11 Honorable Mention Art Photography mirror mirror

Samuel Grove 12 Silver Key Art Drawing and Illustration Long Boy
Samuel Grove 12 Silver Key Art Drawing and Illustration Morgan
Samuel Grove 12 Silver Key Art Painting Aura Dance
Samuel Grove 12 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Molly
Samuel Grove 12 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Dysmorphia
Samuel Grove 12 Honorable Mention Art Photography Girl in the trees
**Samuel Grove 12 Honorable Mention Portfolio Art Portfolio Sad Women**
Samuel Grove 12 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Exquisite Corpse
Samuel Grove 12 Honorable Mention Art Photography Grunge Girl
Samuel Grove 12 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration two part mini brown suit

Lilah Hernandez 11 Silver Key Art Painting Svadhishthana

Rebekah Kenney 11 Silver Key Art Drawing and Illustration Quantum
Rebekah Kenney 11 Silver Key Art Photography Strings
Rebekah Kenney 11 Silver Key Art Photography Space Face
Rebekah Kenney 11 Silver Key Art Drawing and Illustration Shoes
Rebekah Kenney 11 Honorable Mention Art Design Earnest Poster
Rebekah Kenney 11 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Bottle in Hand

Jacqueline LaPlante 11 Silver Key Art Drawing and Illustration Cloaked Boy
Jacqueline LaPlante 11 Silver Key Art Drawing and Illustration My Extortionate Mind
Jacqueline LaPlante 11 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Momma, Everyone’s So Sadistic
Jacqueline LaPlante 11 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Generation Anxiety

Daniel Mize 12 Silver Key Art Painting MaggiePop
Daniel Mize 12 Honorable Mention Art Painting 4SeasonTree
Daniel Mize 12 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Word Me
Daniel Mize 12 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Stairway
Daniel Mize 12 Honorable Mention Art Photography Beach Lights

Grey Nazarian Silver Key Art Mixed Media Human Emotions

Mike Richards 11 Silver Key Art Jewelry A Broken Circle
Mike Richards 11 Honorable Mention Art Jewelry Martian Landscape

Russell Stone 11 Silver Key Art Drawing and Illustration Wires that pull

Sydney Vogt 12 Silver Key Art Sculpture Pangolin

Renee Watte 10 Silver Key Art Fashion Salute to our Paratroopers – Recycled fashion
Renee Watte 10 Honorable Mention Art Mixed Media introverted

Jacie Ames 11 Honorable Mention Art Digital Art Siren Sunset

Leslie Araujo-Gamboa 11 Honorable Mention Art Photography Odell Lake Sunrise

Sylvia Allen 10 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration My Friends and I

Patrizia Alpapara 9 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Save The Elephants

Sarah Aufranc 9 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Knowledge is Power

Becky Briggs 9 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Fourteen

Rachel Burdick 11 Honorable Mention Art Sculpture Hedgehog

Tyler Chipman 11 Honorable Mention Art Jewelry Moon Ring

Leigh Heward 10 Honorable Mention Art Painting Oppression of Women

Melayna Henderson 11 Honorable Mention Drawing and Illustration despair, Abandonment, Anxious, and Accepted

Marissa Moore 11 Honorable Mention Art Photography Kissing the Sky
Marissa Moore 11 Honorable Mention Art Photography Sea Green

Hannah Summers 9 Honorable Mention Art Drawing and Illustration Tiger Gone Wild

Ahni Washburn 11 Honorable Mention Art Printmaking Untitled
Ahni Washburn 11 Honorable Mention Art Jewelry January Rain

The Oregon Department of Education recently released graduation rates for the 2016-17 school year. The report showed the already strong graduation rates in Greater Albany High schools stayed strong for students.

According to the Oregonian, West Albany High School ranked #3 in the state, and was one of only two high schools outside of the Portland metro area to make the top ten.

For 2016-17, Albany Options rate is 38.39%; South Albany High School is 88.68%; and West Albany High School is 95.83%. The state graduation rate was 76.65%.

The news was even better for Latino students or students who took at least one career technical class.

At South Albany High School, 92% of Latino students graduated within four years; at West Albany High School, 100% of Latino students earned a diploma.

See the ODE data.

Read more in the Democrat-Herald.

GAPS parents are invited to join parents of talented and gifted students in Corvallis for an informational night about the social-emotional needs of TAG students.

The featured speaker is Paula Prober, author, counselor and educator with more than 30 years experience.

The event will take place in the Linus Pauling Middle School Auditorium in Corvallis on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. Childcare is available.

“Many staff members and families are eager for more support around TAG students and issues,” said Stacey Torres, District Talented and Gifted Facilitator. “I hope they can attend this event to​​ improve our ability to support our TAG learners.”

Read the flyer
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Sometimes we have to close school, delay the start of school, or release early because of bad weather. This is the annual reminder of procedures for school closures or schedule changes due to inclement weather.

When the decision has been made to close school or delay the start, we rely on local radio and television stations for notifications. Closure and delayed start information will ordinarily be broadcast by 6:30 a.m. Closure information will also be posted on the District website.

 Our District subscribes to FlashAlert. This service forwards school closure information to local radio and television stations. Staff, parents, or community members can register to receive these notices directly. Notifications will be sent via email. For those of you with tablets or smart phones, you can also receive messages by downloading the FlashAlert Messenger app. This app is available on Google Play or the iTunes app store. There are no costs to the recipients for using the email or app for notifications.

All addresses registered on FlashAlert will remain confidential. You will receive an email message once per year asking if you wish to continue your subscription and to confirm your email address.  Subscribers should be aware that some email spam filters may prevent messages from being received.

Below are some of the radio and television stations that will be notified of school closures: 

If you have questions about the procedures summarized above, please contact the school or contact the District Office at 541-967-4501.

Download this letter to parents in English or Spanish.

SELCO Community Credit Union has announced application dates for their 2018 SPARK! Creative Learning Grants. Grants are available up to $1,000 for K-12 teachers.

“We love projects that spark something new and want to see proposals for helping kids create and teachers innovate.”

If interested, find details about grant requirements and scoring criteria on the Selco Community Credit Union website.

Please note the following dates:

August 15: Applications open
SELCO SPARK! Creative Learning Grants

September 30: Application deadline
SELCO SPARK! Creative Learning Grants

Visit selco.org/SPARK for details and to apply.

“We can’t wait to see what innovative projects our teachers come up with this year.”

Girls from South and West Albany high schools joined girls from schools around the region at the annual LBCC Women, Metals and Manufacturing event, sponsored by the Albany Chamber Pipeline to Jobs project.

More than 65 students participated in the hands-on event that had a waiting list of students who were interested in learning about skills in high-demand program areas.

Students each attended two of the following program areas: Computer-Assisted Design and Drafting (CADD), Welding and Fabrication, Machine Tool Technology, and Mechatronics.

Each session included a chance to try the equipment, and learn about program requirements and median salaries. Students who are currently in the LBCC programs were on hand to guide the girls through the activities.

South Albany High School brought 20 girls, and West Albany High School brought 12. Students signed up voluntarily, and the group included freshmen through seniors.

For some, the event was a chance to learn about options after high school. For others, it was a chance to confirm career aspirations. The group from West included a student who hoped to be chef and one who planned to be a welder.

During lunch, a panel of women with successful careers in manufacturing shared their stories, including how they started and how quickly they advanced in their fields. For many, career experiences grew out of entry-level work and evolved to positions of leadership — often as the only female in their company or department.

Kayla MacFarlane-Herold, who works for Viper Northwest, said this is a great time to pursue work in manufacturing because the demand is high, and employers will provide benefits such as tuition reimbursement. “For the first time, I believed I could have a career, not just a job,” she said.

Did you miss these amazing events, or want to share them with family and friends? They are both available for viewing online!

Winter Talent Assembly

Winter at West concert