Praise for Columbia Basin Secondary School

by Michael Nordsten & Assistant Principal
| July 15, 2011 6:00 AM

GUEST EDITORIAL

MOSES LAKE - I must say it has been both an honor and a privilege to have served for the past eight years as the assistant principal of Columbia Basin Secondary School (CBSS).

As I transition into my new position as an assistant principal at Chief Moses Middle School, I would like the entire community to know what a great place CBSS is.

When I arrived at CBSS in 2003, I was not quite sure what to expect. I had heard stories of what sort of students attended alternative schools: misfits, trouble makers, low achievers, kids who couldn't make it anywhere else, etc. It took no time at all for me to realize that CBSS was not like that. I instantly realized that CBSS was a different sort of alternative school. Students liked CBSS because it was a small school where they knew everyone, and everyone knew them. They felt teachers were able to spend more time with them in the classroom, getting to know them and understanding their individual needs.

Columbia Basin Secondary School is much like the school I attended as a youth. There were 13 students in my graduating class, and because we were a small school, people often assumed that we did not get the same quality of education as we might have received in a larger school. That assumption was far from accurate in my case, and it is definitely an inaccurate assumption for CBSS as well. Students at CBSS are fortunate to have excellent teachers who do a great job of presenting opportunities to learn. Those who choose to take advantage of these opportunities excel. Expectations are high. Students attend seven classes per day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are expected to attend every day, work hard, and display good behavior. They are also expected to meet all requirements set by the state and district in order to graduate. Nothing is given to them. They must earn it.

I am so proud of the hard work I have seen over the past eight years by our students. When it became a requirement in 2008 for students to pass the WASL (now called the HSPE) in Reading and Writing in order to graduate, there were many who believed that some of our students would not be able to meet those requirements. They were wrong! It is now 2011, and I am so proud to say that every student at CBSS has been able to meet the WASL/HSPE requirements for graduation. Not one student has been denied a diploma because they could not pass these tests. This is indeed a testament of their hard work and of the good work done by our excellent teaching staff.

In addition to excellent teachers, CBSS is fortunate to have top notch para-educators, security guards, secretaries, custodians, cooks, and other support staff. If it takes a village to raise a child, it most certainly takes an entire staff (not just teachers) to educate that same child. Everyone at CBSS from the principal on down is committed to student success.

Although I am excited to become part of the Chief Moses staff, I will miss the students, parents, and staff of Columbia Basin Secondary. It has truly been a blessing in my life to have been part of the CBSS family these past eight years.