CRESWELL – Last Wednesday afternoon, during a regular meeting at Creslane Elementary School, the board welcomed Creswell High School’s new principal, Chad Towe, and new assistant principal and athletic director, Kyle Kordon. Both offered up a smile, a wave, and a quick “Hello” before the board moved along.
At the meeting, Kesch Allen, an education assistant at CHS, gave a presentation to the CSD board about her class’s summer trip abroad to Italy.
Through year-long fundraising, Allen brought 12 students on an activity-filled tour where they visited historic landmarks, made friends from around the globe, learned the importance of budgeting their own money, and ate lots of gelato. After her presentation, Allen proposed a 2027 summer trip with another group of students to the board, this time to Japan. The board approved her out-of-state travel request.
After Allen, Bethany Scovil, CSD’s communications and community engagement coordinator, gave two presentations. One presentation covered CSD’s integrated programs annual report for 2024-25 and another presentation went over new communication systems for family and staff
Scovil noted that limited staffing makes engagement implementations difficult. Synergy was selected as the new student information system (SIS), beginning in the fall. Synergy provides access for students and parents to view schedules, grades, and assignments. ParentVUE on Synergy will replace Home Access Center (HAC).
“We are modernizing outdated platforms,” said Scovil.
Amy Aguero, student services director, and Cassidy Howard, who represents Greenways Academy, presented next. The duo explained that Greenways Academy is an online program becoming available for students in the Creswell School District.
“When we lose 100 students in three years, that’s $1 million to the district. That’s a pretty significant number, and that is one goal that we have with bringing back an online program: how can we increase our membership and bring back our students?” Aguero said. “One part that we really liked about Greenways Academy is the opportunity that our students could have to partake in clubs, sports, and school activities. Having that ability to still be part of your school community, where we can also, for whatever reason, be doing school at home or even on site,” she said.
The board later voted to approve the action of implementing Greenway Academy as Creswell’s online academy, and it passed.
“They’re the best program out there that we can find to do this for our kids,” said Michael Johnson, CSD superintendent.
Students are set to go back to school for the 2025-2025 school year after the Labor Day holiday in a staggered release.
Sept. 3, classes begin for 6th and 9th graders.
Sept. 4: Classes begin for grades 1-5, 7-8, and 10-12.
Sept. 4-9: Staggered start for kindergartners.
The next Creswell School Board meeting is on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. at Creslane Elementary School Board Room, 996 A St.
