WSD Weekly: April 17, 2026

Inside this edition FFA Forestry Takes 1st Place at Colville Competition Plant Sale is Coming! Bond Update: Community-Driven Design Events and Committee Meetings Panther Sprinter Sets New School Record AppleEttes Place 6th at State READ IT NOW ​

Friday, Apr 17 2026

WSD Spotlight: From Classroom to Columbia: WSD 3rd G...

WSD Spotlight Limitless Potential, Real World Ready From Classroom to Columbia: WSD 3rd Graders Dive Into the Salmon Life Cycle There's a moment in every great science lesson when curiosity takes over — when students stop thinking about school and start thinking about the world. For WSD's third graders, that moment arrived in the form of a salmon. Cascade Fisheries educators visited Lincoln, Washington, Lewis & Clark, and Sunnyslope Elementary schools recently to lead guided salmon dissections for third-grade classrooms across the district. For many students, it was their very first dissection — a hands-on introduction to salmon anatomy and the science behind what healthy fish can tell us about the health of an entire ecosystem. The looks on their faces said everything. Twenty Years of Hands-On Science Experiences like this don't happen by accident. For more than two decades, WSD's Science Resource Center has been coordinating high-quality, hands-on science experiences across every WSD school. The salmon ecology unit — focused on salmon population decline and recovery in the Columbia River system — is one of its signature programs, and a model for what's possible when a district makes a long-term commitment to real-world science education. Since 2015, Cascade Fisheries and the Science Resource Center have built this curriculum together, supported significantly by $300,000 in NOAA grants over the last four years. That funding has covered everything from teacher training and science kits to salmon tank equipment. Though this grant cycle ends in July, the program is intentionally built for sustainability — designed to keep going long after the funding does. A Curriculum Built by Community What makes this unit exceptional is the community behind it. Yakama Nation Fisheries supplies the coho eggs that start the journey. The Cascadia Conservation District and WDFW bring hands-on lessons in and out of the classroom. Chelan County PUD contributes art lessons on salmon anatomy, and the Pacific Education Institute supports educator professional development. The Yakama Nation shares something no textbook can offer — the deep cultural significance of salmon to their people and their active role in modern stewardship, a conversation students come prepared for through their social studies curriculum. Salmon Release In mid-May, it all comes full circle when students travel to Confluence State Park to release salmon into the Columbia River themselves. They give their fish a name and wish them well on their journey to the ocean. For WSD's third graders, this isn't just a science unit. It's a living experience that connects them to the river, the region, and their responsibility to both. And it's what future-ready learning looks like. Learn more about the WSD Science Resource Center on their website  

Wednesday, Apr 15 2026