MARYSVILLE – Six awards were presented at the Marysville School Board meeting Monday night.
Jayden Kelly, a student at Cedarcrest Middle School, was presented with the “Outstanding Student Award.” Presenter Jodi Runyon said Jayden has been raised by her great-grandparents since she was 2. She volunteers at Willow Place, where she works with people with special needs. She also mentors a younger student at Kellogg-Marsh Elementary. She “looks for solutions,” Runyon said. The fifth-grader was honored for having perfect attendance since kindergarten.
Three students also were honored as Equity, Diversity and Indigenous Education Students of the Month. They are Saylayla White of Liberty Elementary, Tarynn Fryberg of Marysville Middle School and Angel Davis of Mountain View Arts and Tech High School.
Of Saylayla, Pixie Owyen said she is kind, helps her teacher, leads by participation, is a friend to those who need one, and she has not missed school this year.
Tarynn started a drum group at school and others look up to him. He has overcome some losses and been able to persevere, presenters said. Angel has had to make some tough choices, but has excelled thanks to advocating for herself and surrounding herself with a support group, they said.
Skyleigh Morrison and David Samaniego, seniors at Marysville Getchell, were honored at Marysville Kiwanis-Soroptimist Girl and Boy of the Month.
Later, assistant superintendent Scott Beebe said that a broad cross section of students were honored.
“There’s a lot of trauma in their lives,” he said. “That’s Marysville. We are their hope.”
Also, Greg Dennis honored the Grove Church for its eighth “I Heart Marysville” campaign. Last summer volunteers painted portables and did yard work at various community schools.
Dennis, director of student safety and security, also read a resolution passed later by the board to address safety concerns in the community.
The resolution says that safety is a top priority in the district, but that no amount of safety is failsafe. It says the district will provide mental health support for students and staff. The district works to reduce harassment and bullying, and to educate the public about concerns regarding social media. The district encourages people to report concerns about unsafe actions. The resolution encourages everyone to fight prejudice and treat others with dignity and respect.
After Dennis’ presentation, director Vanessa Edwards said she’s glad the district is looking at student safety “beyond the physical.”
Director Chris Nation said safety will be a top issue this legislative session, which starts in January. Another priority will be righting the wrongs of the McCleary decision so that all school districts can be funded fairly. A third priority is to change law so that school construction bonds could be passed with just a majority vote.
During the preceding work session, Deborah Parker, director of Equity, Diversity and Indigenous Education, talked about the Equity and Diversity Committee that is being formed. That committee is one of the key goals of the district this year. Beebe said they hope to have the committee going by the first of the year.
Parker said they are looking internationally at good models to follow, such as one in Switzerland. “We want to cast out a broader thought range,” she said.
