Dear SSD Families and Community Members,

I hope that each of you is doing well and in good health! As we near the end of March and the beginning of spring we have transitioned to spring athletics with boys baseball, girls softball, boys and girls track, boys and girls golf, and boys soccer. You can see the spring schedule through the end of March at the following link https://www.arbiterlive.com/School/Calendar/22708. As we get deeper into spring, we will also be testing students in grades 3-11 on state tests that will determine our students' progress over the past year. As a district, we have been working to narrow our instructional focus to ensure that students get excellent instruction in all classes around essential learning standards that build upon previous standards. I make the previous statement because, in the wisdom of our state leaders, the reality is that if we were to teach all standards, students would be twenty-seven years old when they graduate from high school.

Trade Up Day Success!

On Wednesday, March 5, Trade Up Day was held at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. About 150 students from multiple high schools in Snohomish County participated. Sultan High School sent thirty-seven juniors and seniors to participate. I was able to attend for about an hour during the morning sessions, and it was an outstanding opportunity for our students to learn about many terrific opportunities in various trades. Here are various random photos of the event 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. The Sultan School District is continuing to expand our focus on the trades for students in our attendance area.

HOSA State Champions!

Earlier this month, March 11-13 one of our CTE Teachers, Ms. Brandi Varnell took several HOSA (Future Health Professionals) students to Spokane, WA for the 2025 WA HOSA, Future Health Professionals State Competition.  Our students competed alongside 97 WA State High Schools, and almost 3000 participants.  Our students competed and performed very well, placing in several different categories which you can see here. One note of significance is that our Applied Anatomy teams finished first and second in the state out of 132 teams. To do this, each team (1. Bone Apetit , 2. Spleen Queens ) had to finish first and second out of 66 teams on each side of the bracket to meet in the championship match. Each team had to win very challenging matches against teams from schools that were three or four times the size of Sultan High School. By finishing first and second in the state, the Applied Anatomy teams both earn an automatic invitation to the national championships from June 18-21 in Nashville, Tennessee. You can see a picture of our first and second-place teams right here.

Dr. Chris Granger Superintendent Transition

The Sultan School District has hired Dr. Chris Granger as the Sultan School District's next superintendent. I will be working closely with him during my remaining time in the district until he takes over full-time on July 1, 2025. My official last day will be June 30, 2025, and until the transition is complete, we will be working together to get Dr. Granger acclimated to the Sultan School District and communities of Sultan, Startup, and Gold Bar. We have scheduled several days for Dr. Granger to be in the district to attend meetings and community events with me giving him a chance to know staff and community members. One date in particular that I would like to let you know about is Friday, April 11, 2025. Dr. Granger will be in the district office all day and available to meet with available staff and community members.