HOOD CANAL

🚍👏 We’re excited to share that Hood Canal School District has received a Letter of Achievement from the Washington State Patrol and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for outstanding results on our annual school bus inspection—two years in a row!
This recognition celebrates the incredible work of our transportation team in keeping students safe every day, whether heading to school or off to extracurricular events.
A huge thank you to our drivers and support staff whose hard work and attention to detail make this possible. 🚌💛

🏆 We’re excited to kick off a three-part series celebrating our incredible community partners who were recently honored by Washington Association of School Administrators and ESD 113 with Community Leader Awards!
First up: The Skokomish Indian Tribe and CEO and Tribal Council Vice Chair Tom Strong 🎉
ESD 113 Superintendent Dr. Flip Herndon came to Hood Canal to present this well-deserved award, recognizing the Tribe’s deep and impactful partnership with the school, including:
🌿 Monthly leadership collaboration
🤝 Ongoing partnership between the school and the Skokomish Education Department
📚 Time, talent, and funding to support the Since Time Immemorial curriculum, including training training for staff
🏀 Sponsorship and recognition for our boys basketball team’s trip to state
🪶 Skokomish history and culture assemblies for students
🌎 Co-planning and sponsoring our Earth Day celebration
🗳️ Public support in passing both our EP&O and Capital/Technology levies
🏗️ Ongoing collaboration in planning for school renovations and campus expansion
📰 Regular coverage and support for the school in The Sounder newspaper
… and so much more.
Their leadership, generosity, and commitment to our students and community continue to inspire and make a lasting impact.
Stay tuned as we highlight the other two incredible partners in this special series! We’re grateful to be the only district in the entire ESD region—out of 44 school districts—to have three community partners recognized. 💙

More summer smiles at Hood Canal! 😎 Thanks to SUN Programs, our students can stay fueled all summer long with free meals, grocery benefits, and easy pick-up or delivery options—even when school’s out. Learn more at: www.fns.usda.gov/summer

🎉 Congratulations to our retiring staff members and those moving on to new adventures! We send a heartfelt thank you to long-time teacher Tressa Padgett and bus driver Peter Owen on their well-earned retirements. We also wish the very best to kindergarten teacher Tiana Warren and 2nd grade teacher Lisa Shell as they take on exciting new opportunities. All four were honored at our end-of-year staff potluck, where they received custom drums signed by the entire staff—a Hood Canal tradition! In addition, Tressa was gifted a beautiful Hood Canal–branded plate, and Pete received a fantastic branded cutting board to celebrate their many years of service. You will all be deeply missed! 💙🖤 Thank you for the lasting impact you’ve made on our students, families, and community.

🌟 At our last School Board meeting, Amber Hanson was honored by the Hood Canal Education Foundation with this spring’s Volunteer Award! 🌟 Amber wears many hats in our community, including chairing the Hood Canal Indian Parent Committee, where she’s helped bring families together to support Native students and all students—whether it’s through championing the Since Time Immemorial curriculum, staff trainings, or hands-on projects like the recent 3rd grade drum-making experience. 🙌 She played a key role in the successful passage of both our Capital and EP&O levies, and she’s always ready to lend a hand or a voice when needed. In her official role as the College and Career Coordinator for the Skokomish Indian Tribe, she continues to empower our students—recently helping several attend the College and Career Fair at the Skokomish Community Center. As part of the award, Amber received a $50 Hood Canal Market Fresh gift card for herself and a $500 donation from the Foundation to support any school program she chooses. 🎉 Thank you, Amber, for your heart, leadership, and the many ways you make a difference for our students every day. 💙

What an unforgettable adventure to close out the year! 🛶🌲 Thank you to Jeremie and the amazing crew at Kamilche Adventures for hosting a fantastic canoe trip for our 8th graders this past Friday. Students paddled to Hope Island and back, spent time playing on the shore, and enjoyed a fabulous lunch together. It was the perfect mix of fun, teamwork, and natural beauty to celebrate the end of middle school. We’re so grateful for this special experience! 💙

🎓 Huge congratulations to the Hood Canal Promoting Class of 2025! 🎉 We had a wonderful ceremony honoring this incredible group of students and celebrating their many accomplishments. From academic growth to leadership and creativity, these students have left their mark on our school. We’re so proud of each and every one of you! 💙🐋 Here are a few photos from this special day thanks to Tony Herrera. Find more photos here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16aZPHqdNN/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Our staff had a blast wrapping up the school year with our students—and some expressed themselves in a way only middle schoolers could truly appreciate! 😎😂 #LastDayVibes #HoodCanalOrcas #BruhWeOut

🎶 Honoring a longstanding tradition: With the support of Skokomish Indian Tribe volunteers and many proud family members, our 3rd graders built traditional drums in the style of this region. These drums will stay with students throughout their time at Hood Canal, and one day, they’ll paint and take them with them as they move on to high school—carrying both their learning and their culture forward. Thank you to everyone who made this special experience possible!

🎉🍼 SURPRISE SUCCESS! 🍼🎉 For weeks, Hood Canal’s 2nd–8th grade small group students had been secretly planning a surprise baby shower for Mrs. Neal—and this week they pulled it off! She was completely surprised and overwhelmed with love. Each student learned how to sew and created a handmade woodland creature for baby Thomas. They also designed and painted one-of-a-kind onesies, each as creative and unique as the student who made it! The celebration was packed with fun, including: 👶 Estimating Mrs. Neal’s belly size 🍽️ Baby food taste-testing and guessing 🧠 A baby-themed word search 📜 Sweet and silly baby advice (“Don’t drop the baby” was a standout) 😂 Baby jokes 📅 Baby predictions—due date, height, weight, hair & eye color 🎯 Diaper pong (yes, it’s a thing!) There were lots of laughs, smiles, and heartwarming moments as students celebrated Mrs. Neal and baby Thomas. The Hood Canal community is so excited to welcome a new little Orca to the pod this September! 🐋💙

For weeks, our talented Hood Canal students poured their creativity and effort into designing and carving a giant print block—and this weekend, their hard work paid off in the most incredible way at the 2025 Wayzgoose Kitsap Art Festival in Bremerton! Using a steamroller as the press, our students took part in the full printmaking process—from inking and registration to pulling prints and showcasing their work in the Artist Alley. Fellow artists and festival-goers were amazed that such detailed, beautiful prints were created by students! The day ended with a well-deserved treat—juice, snacks, and ice cream at Evergreen Park—made even more magical by a surprise visit from a breaching orca right offshore. A truly unforgettable experience for our Hood Canal artists!

☀️ W is for Water! 💦 Our kinders are soaking up the sunshine and having a splash-tastic time playing with water in this warm weather. Learning and laughter go hand in hand—especially when it’s this fun! #KindergartenJoy

We had a fantastic Reading Awards Assembly today led by our wonderful librarian, Melanie Lankford! Students were recognized for their achievements in AR and other reading milestones. A huge highlight—six brand-new bikes were given away, thanks to the generosity of Union City Lodge No. 27 F. & A.M. of Valley Junction. Special thanks to Leonard Chavez and WB David Pierik (pictured) for supporting our students and encouraging literacy. We are so grateful for community partners like the Masons who invest in the success and joy of our kids!

Something special is coming!!

🏗️ Paper Tower Challenge! 🏆 Our creative engineers put their design skills to the test in the Paper Tower Challenge—using only paper and tape to build the tallest freestanding structure. 🎉 Congrats to Hazel and Olivia for taking the win with an impressive 50-inch tower! Their teamwork and problem-solving paid off in a big way. 💪📏 Way to go, students! We love seeing your curiosity and collaboration in action.

Here are some great behind-the-scenes photos of our students creating the amazing bus wrap featured in the Mason County Forest Festival parade! Our students are so talented and creative!

We know this is a busy time of year, but we’ve only received 10 responses to our parent survey so far. Your input is so important to us that we’ve extended the deadline to June 10. This is a great way for you to help us improve and let us know how we’re doing. The survey only takes a few minutes (10–15 tops!) to complete our annual school survey. CLICK HERE TO BEGIN: https://ceeffectiveness.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8d0pPshogorRRUq Here’s what to know: (1) Choose your preferred language on the first page. (2) If you have more than one child attending, please fill out one survey per student. (3) Submit your responses and you’re done! We truly appreciate your input and support. Thank you for helping us continue to grow stronger—together.

🚍 Bus Route Update – Starting Tuesday, June 3 🚍 Great news! Routes 207 and 214 will resume running as separate routes starting tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3. In addition, N Tribal Center Road stops currently on Route 206 will return to Route 207. Please double-check your student’s usual stop times and view updated route details here: https://tinyurl.com/y92ym4uh Thanks for your patience and support as we made temporary adjustments. If you have any questions, give us a call at (360) 877-5463 x. 221.

What an amazing afternoon at the Hood Canal Spring Carnival! 🌞 It was a beautiful day, and we were thrilled to welcome hundreds of students, families, and community members who came out to enjoy the fun. A huge THANK YOU to the West Mason Fire - WA for bringing the excitement—students loved getting behind the wheel of the fire trucks and trying out the fire hoses! 🚒💦 We also appreciate the Mason County Forest Festival Royalty for joining us and making the day even more special with photo ops and smiles all around. 👑📸 We’re so grateful for everyone who helped make this event such a success. Orca Pride was out in full force! 🐋💙

A little rain didn’t dampen our Orca pride! 🌧🐋🎉 Huge thanks to students, staff, and families who came out to ride, walk, cheer, and represent Hood Canal School in the Mason County Forest Festival parade today. The crowd’s energy was incredible—your cheers and shout-outs kept us smiling the whole route! Special shoutout to our bus driver Megan, Pep Club coaches and parents, Mr. Max and our incredible student artists for the beautiful bus wrap, and the amazing Lin Spichiger for the custom Forest Festival buttons for every rider! 💚🚌