Innovative Programs

In 2018-19, Klamath County School District continued to offer dual high school and college credit and work experience courses through partnerships with Klamath Community College and Oregon Institute of Technology. It also continued its partnership with the Oregon Air National Guard at Kingsley Field, which provides on-site tours through Henley High School’s Project Lead the Way, an engineering and aerospace curriculum.

The district also started new partnerships – adding opportunities and programs for its students. The district, Klamath Community College, and the Klamath Tribes joined forces to offer GED courses at Chiloquin High School. Mazama High School piloted Leadership Klamath Youth, a new partnership with the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce. And new next year will be a dual college credit business program pathway with Oregon Tech – Diploma to Degree: Jump Into Business.

Oregon Tech President Dr. Nagi Naganathan and Klamath County School District Superintendent Glen Szymoniak sign a memorandum of understanding for a new business academic pathway.

Diploma to Degree: Jump Into Business

Starting in fall 2019, students interested in business will be able to take dual high school and college credit courses and participate in an accelerated pathway to a college degree. KCSD this spring signed a memorandum of understanding with Oregon Tech that will allow program participants who enroll in a business program at Oregon Tech after high school graduation to receive seamless transfer of course credit and full tuition discounts on their first term and their last term towards their degree. Dual credit courses taken as part of the program also would transfer to other Oregon colleges and universities.

Henley students who presented at the Project Lead the Way conference in Anaheim are from left: Grace Parker, Sean Wolf, Thys DeHoop, Dylan Huynh, Michael Molineaux and Alyssa Michaelis.

Project Lead the Way

Henley High School’s aerospace and engineering programs continued to grow, earning recognition this year when its students were invited to present at the regional Project Lead the Way educators’ conference in Anaheim, Calif. The school was the only one in Oregon and one of five schools in the Western region invited to present at the three-day event. Project Lead the Way provides the curriculum for the district’s engineering programs.

The district added the PLTW curriculum in the 2016-17 school year, and in 2018-19, more than 110 of Henley High School’s 650 students were involved in engineering classes. In addition, student-led youth outreach programs provided hands-on engineering curriculum to more than 300 elementary and middle school students.

Growing Farm-to-School

Lost River Junior-Senior High School implemented a new farm-to-school initiative in 2018-19 in which ag science and FFA students grew their own food – including raising and harvesting two steers – and then served it their school cafeteria. Meghan Miller, agriculture science teacher and FFA advisor, pursued grants and community support needed to raise and harvest the steers and purchase feed and equipment. She applied for and received a $3,000 National FFA Living-to- Serve grant, which jump-started the programs, and has pursued other grants and community support for the school.

Area farmers and ranchers, once they heard about the program, pitched in with expertise and donations. The school this year built a barn, installed an underground irrigation line to its pastures and built corrals. A 70-chicken coop provides eggs for the cafeteria. FFA members package and sell eggs at Martin’s Food Center as well.

The school also has a pig – which loves to eat pears from the tree that grows on campus – and more than a dozen sheep, which by February had given birth to more than a dozen lambs. The greenhouse also was up and running this year, selling vegetable starts, perennials and hanging baskets.

Forty freshmen signed contracts for Mazama High School's STEM&M program.

STEM&M: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math & Medicine

Forty freshmen – the largest class so far – signed contracts this spring and were inducted into Mazama High School’s STEM&M program, which partners with Oregon Institute of Technology so students can study specific academic pathways in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine. The students signed contracts stating they will maintain 3.0 GPAs, take four credits of pathway coursework and take 10 STEM&M OIT credits. Students who complete the program, receive $9,500 in scholarship funds from OIT, preferential selection into some of OIT’s competitive programs, and recognition at graduation.

Leadership Klamath Youth students listen to a local rancher talk about his business.

Leadership Klamath Youth

Mazama High School’s business program was chosen to pilot a new Klamath County Chamber of Commerce program that aims to build strong community leaders.

The program mimics the adult Leadership Klamath program, which started 29 years ago and has graduated more than 300 community members. As part of the program, the students spent a day each month touring and learning about a different industry in the Klamath Basin.

Community experts talked to the students about their industries – examples include agriculture, government, and public safety – and gave them a chance to ask questions and get hands-on experiences.

A group of Chiloquin-area residents and KCSD staff members form a circle during an activity at the Character Strong event in November.

Herald and News photo

Character Strong: Uniting Chiloquin

More than 100 Chiloquin community members joined KCSD students and staff last fall for a district-sponsored allday training focused on building one-on-one relationships and creating a positive culture in the midst of discouraging stereotypes facing area youth.

The event was facilitated by John Norlin, co-founder of Character Strong, and included circle games aimed at providing participants insight into individual perspectives on different issues. Chiloquin Junior-Senior High School leaders have worked all year to spearhead positive change using the Character Strong curriculum, which promotes leadership and character development.They also implemented an initiative, Chiloquin Rising, which promotes kindness, personal responsibility, and community service.

The district purchased the Character Strong curriculum with help from a $150,000 grant acquired as part of the Tribal Attendance Pilot Project.

Students in Laura Estes' class at Mazama High School work in the school's greenhouse.

New CTE pathway: Farm-to-Table

Mazama High School next fall will offer a new career and technical education pathway in food production and processing, aligning classes with agriculture and culinary arts courses at Klamath Community College.

The new CTE program includes starting an FFA chapter at the school. FFA is a student-run organization that focuses on agriculture science, business, and leadership. Plans are for horticulture and ag science students to team with culinary arts students to grow, raise, process, and produce food, including vegetables, milk, cheese and eggs. Horticulture students began planting vegetables and flowers in the school’s greenhouse this spring. Eventually, the program will include raising small animals.

Plans also include expanding Pro Start, the culinary program’s catering business for advanced students, and partnering with local businesses. The courses offered will earn students college credits and certifications as well as high school credits. The new food production will add to the CTE offerings at Mazama, which include automotive, manufacturing and business pathways.