Jefferson County School District 509J

Jefferson County School District 509J Students Flourish Here
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Jefferson County School District 509J

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🎉 Honoring Our 2026 Retirees 🎉We celebrated 9 incredible staff members at our annual Retirement Breakfast Ceremony earli...
06/10/2026

🎉 Honoring Our 2026 Retirees 🎉

We celebrated 9 incredible staff members at our annual Retirement Breakfast Ceremony earlier today. Four of those employees dedicated more than 20 years of service to our district!

Supervisors and colleagues shared heartfelt stories of the impact each retiree made on students, schools, and their colleagues over the years. We’re excited for what’s ahead in their next chapter.

Thank you for your commitment, care, and years of service. Congratulations on an outstanding career to each of you! 👏🏼

JCSD 509J 2025 Retirees

Kevin Gehrig: Director of Student Services - SSB
3 years with JCSD 509J

Lori Stock: Counselor - Madras High School
6 years with JCSD 509J

Mike Risso: Teacher - Madras High School
19 years with JCSD 509J

Ben Hocker: Teacher - Madras High School
25 years with JCSD 509J

Lynn Schmaltz: Teacher - Metolius Elementary School
36 years with JCSD 509J

Jackie Hawkins: Librarian - Metolius Elementary School
25 years with JCSD 509J

Kerick Adams: Teacher - Big Muddy School
12 years with JCSD 509J

Cheryl Walters: Educational Assistant - Warm Springs K-8 Academy
18 years with JCSD 509J

Brian Gallager: Teacher - Warm Springs K-8 Academy
31 years with JCSD 509J

Pictured left to right: Cheryl Walters, Kerick Adams, Kevin Gehrig, Mike Risso, Jackie Hawkins, Lynn Schmaltz, Ben Hocker.

The last day of school at Warm Springs K-8 Academy was full of joy, culture, and community as students, families, and st...
06/10/2026

The last day of school at Warm Springs K-8 Academy was full of joy, culture, and community as students, families, and staff came together for their annual powwow!

This celebration honors tradition and brings our school year to a close in a meaningful way. Thank you to everyone who made this special event possible, what a beautiful way to wrap up the year!

The school also took a moment to recognize Cheryl Walters as she steps into retirement. Thank you Cheryl for your many years at the school and making it a better place for our students and staff. Enjoy your retirement! 👍🏼

06/09/2026

Butch Wallace is our head custodian at Buff Elementary School. He is a key contributor to making Buff a place where students flourish. He ensures their learning environments, gym, cafeteria and outside areas are clean, safe, and ready for them. He does all of this with a smile on his face while greeting the students and making them feel welcome.

Buff’s Principal, Erika Skaar, nominated him for 'Hearts of 509J' for his work in being a friendly face for students and staff and for his positive attitude while keeping the school clean.

“Butch brings so much energy and joy to the halls at Buff! He keeps our building running smoothly and in tip-top shape each and every day! He’s always here with a smile, a helping hand, and a positive attitude to make Buff the best place it can be for students to flourish here. Whether he’s helping solve unexpected problems, keeping our campus nice and clean, or simply being a friendly face to each one of our students, he does it all with care and pride. We’re so grateful for all he does for our students and staff. Buff loves you Butch!”

As part of this recognition, he earned an RTIC Road Trip Tumbler engraved by MHS Manufacturing and a $25 gift card to Midtown Coffee!

We want to give a big shout out to Midtown Coffee Company for supporting this initiative and generously providing these gift cards to our staff members. Their partnership has helped elevate and celebrate the exceptional work of our staff and we're grateful for their commitment to recognizing the people who make a lasting impact on our students every day.

Congrats to Butch for winning our 'Hearts of 509J' award!

06/09/2026

Ansel Evans is a school counselor at Metolius Elementary School. . In his role, he plays a vital role in supporting the academic, social, and emotional growth of our students. He works to create spaces where students can build positive relationships, develop confidence, and learn important skills.

Through classroom lessons, individual support, small groups and working with families, he helps ensure our students flourish at Metolius! He’s worked for four years in this position! Metolius’ Kindergarten Teacher, Taylor Thompson, nominated him for 'Hearts of 509J' for his work in supporting students and staff.

“Ansel is deeply committed to the well-being of both our students and staff. He goes above and beyond to listen, support, and care for everyone in our school community. When teachers seek guidance or need help supporting students, Ansel listens with empathy and never diminishes the challenges we face. His genuine praise and thoughtful feedback make teachers feel seen, valued, and appreciated. Ansel recognizes the hard work we put in each day, and his kindness and encouragement make a lasting difference. I truly appreciate his compassion, professionalism, and the positive energy he brings to our school.”

As part of this recognition, he earned an RTIC Road Trip Tumbler engraved by MHS Manufacturing and a $25 gift card to Midtown Coffee! 🍵

We want to give a big shout out to Midtown Coffee Company for supporting this initiative and generously providing these gift cards to our staff members. Their partnership has helped elevate and celebrate the exceptional work of our staff and we're grateful for their commitment to recognizing the people who make a lasting impact on our students every day.

Congrats to Ansel for winning our 'Hearts of 509J' award!

06/09/2026

Sometimes the most meaningful moments in athletics have nothing to do with the finish time, the place, or the ribbon. 💙

During our recent 5th grade track meet, one of our students at WSK8 had a tough moment during the 400m race. He thought about quitting, but before long, students from across our district noticed and went to help. 👟

5th graders from other schools came over to cheer him on and encourage him not to quit. By the time he crossed the finish line, a whole group of students were right there with him cheering him on and rooting for him. 🙌🏼

This moment was about kindness, perseverance, inclusion, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Those students showed exactly what we hope athletics teaches kids.

We couldn’t be prouder of our students for choosing encouragement over competition! 💪🏼

Congratulations to the Madras High School Class of 2026! 🎓🙌🏼Take this moment in, enjoy it, reflect on everything you've ...
06/08/2026

Congratulations to the Madras High School Class of 2026! 🎓🙌🏼

Take this moment in, enjoy it, reflect on everything you've accomplished. Think about the countless hours of hard work you've all put in to walk across the stage and hear your name called.

You've faced challenges, grown with each other, and continued to show how determined and resilient you all are. We're so proud of you and what you've achieved. We can't wait to see what the future holds for each one of you!

Please click the link below to see pictures from our Scholarship Ceremony, Graduation Ceremony, and portrait photos of our graduates in their caps & gown📷

➡️🔗 Madras High Class of 2026 Photos - https://bit.ly/4v0r5pd

Congratulations to the Bridges High School Class of 2026! 🎓🙌🏼Celebrate all of your hard work and accomplishments up to t...
06/08/2026

Congratulations to the Bridges High School Class of 2026! 🎓🙌🏼

Celebrate all of your hard work and accomplishments up to this point! You've made it.

Class of 2026, you've overcome obstacles, are incredibly resilient and we can't wait to see what the future holds for each one of you.

Please click the link below to see pictures from our Robing Ceremony, Graduation Ceremony, and portrait photos of our graduates in their caps & gowns. 📷

➡️🔗 Bridges High Class of 2026 Photos - https://bit.ly/4dSu6Sk

Bridges High School held their annual Robing Ceremony earlier this afternoon. While graduation and the days leading up t...
06/06/2026

Bridges High School held their annual Robing Ceremony earlier this afternoon.

While graduation and the days leading up to is a time to focus on the hard work, dedication, and commitment our graduates have put in to their academic journeys. This is a moment for our graduates to pause and think of the individuals who've helped them get this far. 🫶🏼

Each graduate from the Class of 2026 at Bridges High selected either an individual or a small group of people who've helped them along the way. It is a ceremony that will leave you feeling happy, proud, and maybe with some happy tears in your eyes.

It was so nice to hear each one of our graduates thank someone, recognize them, and give them the honor of placing their cap and gown on them ahead of their graduation ceremony. 🎓

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! 🎉

The Class of 2026 is making history in our district. This year, 39 seniors have earned the Oregon Seal of Biliteracy. Th...
06/05/2026

The Class of 2026 is making history in our district. This year, 39 seniors have earned the Oregon Seal of Biliteracy. This is the largest number of students to earn the seal in a single graduating class in our district's history. 26 students earned the award by showing proficiency in English and Spanish, and 13 earned it for Ichishkin and English. 🌎🗣️

The state school board created this award to recognize and value the native languages our students speak and bring to their academics, value language programs in schools, and to encourage students in the study of languages. 📕

Students can earn the Seal of Biliteracy by meeting all of their school's graduation requirements, and by demonstrating high proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in two or more languages.

Congratulations to the 39 graduates who've earned their Oregon State Seals of Biliteracy! 🙌🏼

Read more about four individual seniors who earned the Seal and learn why it was important to them. That story is on our website!

www.jcsd.k12.or.us/departments/communications/all-news/class-of-2026-earns-record-number-of-oregon-state-seals-of-biliteracy

Congratulations to the Madras High Class of 2026 scholarship recipients! 🙌🏼At our Senior Scholarship Ceremony last night...
06/05/2026

Congratulations to the Madras High Class of 2026 scholarship recipients! 🙌🏼

At our Senior Scholarship Ceremony last night, the senior class earned more than $280,000 in scholarships. These scholarships are made possible through the Jefferson County Scholarship Foundation. For decades, they have continually invested in continuing education for youth in Jefferson County. We are so thankful for their incredible generosity!

These scholarships offer valuable support to our graduates that can make a lasting difference in their lives and futures. We extend our sincere appreciation to the donors, organizations, and community partners whose generosity helps our graduates pursue their dreams!

In addition we also recognized our graduates receiving the Oregon State Seal of Biliteracy and we recognized our graduates who achieved High and Highest Honors.

We also recognized our Salutatorians and Co-Valedictorians!

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! It is always a great day to be a White Buffalo! 🎓

Address

445 SE Buff Street
Madras, OR

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Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

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