Category Archives: Education

Articles, Education, Fort Dick, Infrastructure

Redwood School Is In For Some Overdue Upgrades This Summer; Project Will Cost $2.7 Million

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Thumbnail photo by Heather Polen

Redwood School will be under construction for much of the summer and possibly into the fall as Del Norte Unified School District embarks on a $2.7 million modernization project.

Work will include reroofing four buildings as well as the school’s covered walkways, The school will be repainted and all the electric panels, feeders and main switchboards will be upgraded, according to a March 26 staff report from DNUSD Maintenance and Operations Director Josh McCubbin.

“The existing roofing systems on buildings A, F, G-L, N and the covered walkways have reached the end of their useful life and require replacement to prevent water intrusion, protect structural components and reduce the likelihood of costly emergency repairs that could disrupt school operations,” he stated.

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Agriculture, Articles, Education

Sunset High Teacher Nominated for Statewide Future Farmers of America Award

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Photos by Aisling Bludworth

Robyn Payne had a hand in agriculture from the day she could pick up a shovel.

Her father was an agriculture teacher and she grew up on a dairy. These days she follows in her father’s footsteps and teaches agriculture at Sunset High School.

Through her work at Sunset, she has been nominated for the Agricultural Educator of the Year award from the California Future Farmers of America Foundation, the California Farm Bureau, in collaboration with Nationwide Insurance.

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Articles, Education, Infrastructure, Local Government

DNUSD Board Wary Of $5 million SitelogIQ Solar Array Proposal, Urge Superintendent To Pursue Financing Options For Discussion

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Thumbnail photo: SitelogIQ says a solar array near Bess Maxwell Elementary School could offset energy costs for six Del Norte Unified School District facilities. | Image courtesy of SitelogIQ

Local education officials expressed misgivings about a SitelogIQ proposal to install a solar array near Bess Maxwell Elementary School.

They didn’t shoot the proposal down. But they raised concerns about the $5 million price tag, especially after Del Norte County Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Harris said without a $1 million federal rebate, “it makes zero sense to move forward.”

After SitelogIQ representatives outlined their proposal at a Jan. 22 study session, the Board of Trustees had asked Harris to return with potential financing options. On Thursday, the superintendent said the firm had options for the school district that they wanted to discuss, but he wasn’t sure what they were yet. 

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Articles, Community News, Education, Local Government

DNUSD Trustees Raise Concerns About Interference, Division During Point of Contact Discussion

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DNUSD’s trustee area boundaries coincide with Del Norte County’s supervisorial boundaries

Thumbnail photo by Monique Camarena

The longest-serving member on the Del Norte Unified School District Board of Trustees on Thursday dissuaded his colleagues from designating primary points of contact for each campus

But, though Don McArthur, who represents Trustee Area 1, raised concerns about interfering with school management, Trustee Area 5 representative Mike Greer had a different take.

Greer, whose trustee area encompasses only one school, ‘O Me-nok Learning Center in Klamath, said he visits school sites regularly and has established a relationship with teachers and administrators, but he’s clear that he has no authority as an individual.

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Articles, Education, Youth

Five Months After Posting ECE Director Position, DNUSD Officials Consider Changes To Boost Interest

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Michael Hawkins

Nearly two months after the early childhood education director retired, Del Norte Unified School District officials are considering turning the job into a position that requires a teaching credential.

Superintendent Jeff Harris presented the idea — and a job description for a certificated ECE director — to the Board of Trustees on Feb. 12. The district has been hiring for an ECE director as a classified position since October and has had no applicants, he said.

Harris referred to the proposed certificated ECE director position as another option for the Board of Trustees to consider as it looks to fill the two-month-long vacancy. DNUSD Assistant Superintendent of Education Services Tom Kissinger is currently the acting ECE director.

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Articles, Education

Charter School’s ICE Notification To Families Was An Accident, Principal Says

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Thumbnail photo by James Brooks

Uncharted Shores Academy principal Dan Cartwright has issued an apology after a staff member mistakenly sent out a notification stating that ICE agents were on its main campus.

The notification was issued at about 1:22 p.m. Wednesday through the charter school’s emergency communications system, Cartwright said in a letter sent to families and the greater Del Norte community. Once staff realized the mistake, they sent a brief followup at about 1:31 p.m. informing families that the message was sent in error.

At about 1:57 p.m., school staff sent out a final message providing more information about the incident and apologizing to families, according to Cartwright’s letter.

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Articles, Education, Youth

Cal Poly Humboldt Offers Direct Admission to Del Norte Students, Promises Greater Presence At Local High Schools

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Thumbnail photo by Jaradpetroske via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

Cal Poly Humboldt representatives promised a greater presence at Del Norte County’s high schools in an effort to offer a clear path for those seeking a college education.

As part of a statewide initiative to streamline the college admissions process for students and families, the Arcata-based California State University entered into a memorandum of understanding with Del Norte Unified School District about two weeks ago.

According to Dr. Chrissy Holliday, Cal Poly’s vice president of enrollment management and student success, the university will work with DNUSD staff to enact any special programs or supports that will make the choice to go to college easier, especially for first-generation students.

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Articles, Community News, Education, Youth

Del Norte Reads Expands Programs Under Klamath Promise Neighborhoods Grant

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Nearly a year after it received a recommendation not to participate in the state literacy program, Del Norte Reads is using grant dollars from Klamath Promise Neighborhood to expand its services.

The goal is to eventually regain its California Library Literacy Services funding, Del Norte Reads Program Coordinator Terrin Musbach told Redwood Voice Community News. But since KPN will fund Del Norte Reads through 2026, Musbach said she and Del Norte Library Board members are identifying grants they can apply for beyond 2026.

“My work for next year is about identifying different partners — where we work together and can bring some of these resources together so we don’t have to depend on outsiders in the community,” Musbach said.

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Articles, Education, Youth

DNUSD Workshop Series Aimed At Giving Parents Tools to Advocate For Their Special Needs Children

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Del Norte Unified is launching a new workshop series that urges parents to not only advocate for their special needs child, but be a voice for special education issues at a regional level.

DNUSD’s six-week IEP Empowerment Series starts Feb. 5, Special Education Executive Director Jennifer Armington told Redwood Voice Community News. Its goal is for DNUSD to offer a place where parents can air their concerns about special education issues as well as to arm them with information they need to advocate for their children, she said.

A larger goal is to get parents involved in DNUSD’s Collaborating on Meaningful Parent Advocacy for Student Success, or COMPASS, group. One or two parents involved in that group can then bring Del Norte-specific concerns to the committee advising the Humboldt-Del Norte Special Education Local Plan Area.

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Articles, Education, Health

DNUSD To Add Vape Sensors To Crescent Elk Middle School Restrooms; VP Says School Staff Have Confiscated 30 to 40 E-Cigs This Year

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Thumbnail photo by Lindsay Fox via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

A steady increase in vaping over about three years at Crescent Elk Middle School prompted its vice principal to propose using a combination of environmental sensors and cameras to catch students who might be partaking.

Lucas O’Laughlin, who is also the dean of students, said he and Principal Paige Swan have collected 30-to-40 e-cigarette devices this year. They’re either confiscated from a student who’s been caught or a student found them and turned them in, he said.

The proliferation of vaping has also caused damage to Crescent Elk’s restrooms, O’Laughlin told the Del Norte Unified School District Board of Trustees on Thursday.

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