Kittitas School District

A Wonderful Few Weeks at KSS 🌟 These past couple of weeks have been truly remarkable. Our KSS community has shown immense compassion and support for our families and neighbors. From hosting one of our most successful Lunch Box Auctions to the NHS outreach event, and now with a whopping 966 pounds of food being delivered to the FISH Food Bank later today, we are truly blessed to be surrounded by such big hearts. Our Pride Point Winners: 🏆 Spirit Days: 🌟 Staff: 1 point Sophomores: 2 points Seniors: 1 point Freshmen: Embracing the spirit, they achieved 54% participation in PJ Day, earning them 1 point. Assembly Games: 🎮 Staff: 1 point (Thank you, Mr. Avery!) Juniors: 2 points Seniors: 1 point 6th Grade: 3 points 7th Grade: 2 points Food Drive Results: 🥫 966 Pounds Collected Middle School: ✨ DeKoning: 87.5 pounds Kinney: 105.1 pounds Moen: 151.1 pounds – Pizza party and 5 Pride Points for the 6th-grade class! DeKoning: Best Decorated – Pizza party and 5 additional Pride Points for the 6th grade! (Special mention to Kinney’s 8th graders for their fantastic efforts!) High School: ✨ Phillips: 149.1 pounds Hudson: 166.1 pounds Uceny: 179.1 pounds – Taking home 2 pizza parties and 10 Pride Points for the sophomore class and their amazing gingerbread house design! Thank you to everyone for your hard work, generosity, and spirit! ❤️🎄🖤 #KittitasCoyotes

Kindergarten families came in to decorate gingerbread houses and enjoy some hot cocoa, coloring, and holiday books! What a wonderful way to create festive memories together! 🎄☃️ 🏠 #KittitasCoyotes

On December 12th, Kittitas FCCLA hosted the annual Lunch Box Auction! 👏 Classes, clubs, staff, and retired teachers all contributed lunches to be auctioned off. This year, there were a total of 20 lunches available. All proceeds from the event goes toward purchasing food and gifts for families in need in the community. Students showed incredible generosity in their bidding, helping raise over $1,700! 🌟 There were even a few donations from individuals who were outbid. Kittitas is so fortunate to be surrounded by students who care. Great job, Coyotes – the community is incredibly proud of you! 👏❤️🖤 #KittitasCoyotes

A beautiful gift from the Class of 2024! ❤️🖤 Now that's rock-solid school spirit! #KittitasCoyotes

The HS Band rocked the Kittitas Christmas parade this last weekend! Great job, YOTES! 🎄🎶👏 #KittitasCoyotes

Getting into the holiday spirit in Baking and Pastry class by making Christmas cookies! 🎄🍪✨ #KittitasCoyotes

Swinging into Science! 🎡 Kinder kids had so much fun building and testing their swings! ✨ And the best part? They got to experiment with moving a ball without touching it! #KittitasCoyotes

Thankful Thanksgiving Letters! 🦃✉️ These 3rd graders are getting into the Thanksgiving spirit by writing gratitude letters for staff around the school who have made a positive impact on their lives! ✍️💌🧡 #KittitasCoyotes

🧀🔥 Battle of the Grilled Cheese Competition 🔥🧀 What an incredible, cheesy showdown! 🥪✨ Students picked their partners and got to work, selecting the best bread for the perfect crunch, deciding between mayo vs. butter, and choosing their ideal cheese for that perfect pull. Some even added meat for an extra twist! Judged by Mr. Avery, Dean of Students & Athletic Director, and Mrs. Nambo, our Secondary Counselor, the competition was grilled to perfection! And the winners are... 🏆 Shylee G. and Lila R.! 🎉 You nailed it! Let's celebrate their delicious victory! 🍽️🥳 #KittitasCoyotes

🎉 Big congratulations to these 3 amazing students and 1 dedicated staff member (not pictured) who were officially admitted to Central Washington University during the On The Spot Admission Event on November 20th! 🎓✨ Wishing you all the best as you embark on your bright futures ahead! 🌟 #KittitasCoyotes

These kindergarteners are sounding out 3-letter words like pros, and guess who’s one of the stars? Yep, 'mom' made the list! 👏🌟 Keep up the great work kids. #KittitasCoyotes

🍂 Fall Regional Baking and Pastry Competition 🍰 On Thursday, November 14, two Kittitas teams competed in the Fall Regional Baking and Pastry Competition alongside ten other teams. 🏆 Both teams earned GOLD! 👏✨ The competition involved preparing four recipes within three hours. Each team baked: 🥧 Corn muffins 🎃 Mini pumpkin scones with a cooked maple glaze 🍞 Fry bread 🍪 Chocolate chip cookies A huge congratulations to Dulce and Abigail, and Hailey and Yari! 🎉👏 Let's give them a round of applause in the comments section! 💖 #KittitasCoyotes

🎉 Kittitas Student Kayser Dempsey Shines at FCCLA National Leadership Institute! 🎉 A special shout-out to Kayser Dempsey who was invited to attend the FCCLA National Leadership Institute in California! 🌟 As the FCCLA Washington State Vice President of Region 7, Kayser represented Kittitas with pride and dedication, alongside Parker Casey, FCCLA Washington State President, and Clare Richard, FCCLA Washington State Intern. The event kicked off with a two-hour orientation, followed by 2-3 hours of exclusive behind-the-scenes training at Disneyland and California Adventure! 🎢 These sessions gave Kayser and her fellow students the chance to learn leadership strategies and explore the inner workings of two of the world’s most iconic theme parks. We're so proud of Kayser for her leadership and commitment to FCCLA, and excited to see the skills and insights she brings back to Kittitas! 🌟👏 #KittitasCoyotes

Honoring Our Heroes: A Heartfelt Veterans Day Assembly 🇺🇸 The day began with a special breakfast for veterans 🥞, followed by an assembly featuring powerful speeches from veterans 🎤, a flag-folding ceremony performed by students 🇺🇸, and a touching moment when students placed "candles" by the branch of the military in which their family members or friends have served or currently serve 🕯️. It was a meaningful event and a beautiful way to honor and remember the sacrifices made by our veterans and their families ✨. #KittitasCoyotes

Celebrating National Principals Month, 6th graders went all out to celebrate Mr. Oppliger! They created a special book highlighting all the ways he makes KSS a wonderful place to learn and grow. From his dedication to making school fun to his caring leadership, so many are grateful for all he does. Thank you! ❤️🤍 #KittitasCoyotes

🎉 Exciting Announcement: Unveiling the New State Champions Sign! 🎉 Kittitas School community is thrilled to announce the completion of the stunning new State Champions Sign, a project made possible by the generous Class of 2019. This thoughtful gift now stands as a proud symbol of the school’s achievements and spirit. 🏆✨ With guidance from Mr. Gibson and former student teacher Geoff Anderson, students designed and built the sign, transforming their creative visions into reality. The installation process was a collaborative effort, providing valuable learning experiences for all involved. 🔧 A heartfelt thank you goes to the Class of 2019 and Mrs. Emery, the former KSS educator and advisor, for bringing this incredible idea to life. Their dedication to the school is truly inspiring! 🙌❤️ #KittitasCoyotes

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Meeting 🌟 On October 9, 2024, Kittitas Secondary School proudly hosted the Region 7 FCCLA Fall Leadership Meeting, themed "Dare to Dream." 💭 Eleven school chapters gathered, bringing together nearly 125 enthusiastic chapter members and 15 dedicated advisers. Kittitas was well-represented with 17 members, including Kayser Dempsey, the Washington State Vice President for Region 7. 🙌 Kayser Dempsey and Washington FCCLA State President Parker Casey led the event, which was buzzing with networking opportunities and engaging discussions on topics ranging from fundraising to impactful community service projects. One standout initiative was Nourishing Neighbors: Explore-Act-Tell, part of the FCCLA National Outreach program. This project empowers students to combat food insecurity in their neighborhoods through four interactive lessons, guiding them to create local hunger solution projects. 🍽️💪 To kick off this initiative, Kittitas chapter members Payson Lowe and Kyson Weekes led a round table discussion and organized a raffle where each chapter contributed a basket to support Nourishing Neighbors. 🎉 Thanks to their efforts, Region 7 raised an impressive $293.50 to help children facing food insecurity. Together, we can make a difference! ❤️✨ #KittitasCoyotes

What makes popcorn pop? 🍿 Mrs. Ucenys’ Family and Consumer Sciences 7/8 Kitchen Science class recently completed a fun and tasty lab on “What Makes Popcorn Pop?” 🎉 They experimented with kernels straight out of the bag, dehydrated kernels, and hydrated kernels. After writing their hypotheses, the students set out to test and discover if their predictions were correct. 🔍🌽 #KittitasCoyotes

🎉🏃‍ Congratulations to the Kittitas Cross Country team, the first in many years, on their first meet! These dedicated athletes took the course today, showcasing their hard work and dedication! This is just the beginning—let's keep the momentum going! 👏👟 #KittitasCoyotes

A Heartfelt Gesture! ❤️✨🖤 In a truly touching display of kindness, Miss Leslee, a former KHS custodian now part of the KHS kitchen staff, has proven to be one of the sweetest and most caring individuals around. She dedicated her time to HAND KNIT each cheerleader a pair of fingerless gloves, complete with a ‘K’ patch on each one! 🤩 Miss Leslee was thrilled to present the gloves to the cheerleaders, who responded with heartfelt gratitude. She even gathered them for a group hug, telling them how amazing they are and expressing that she is their biggest cheerleader and fan. 🙌 The cheerleaders are incredibly fortunate to have such wonderful support from people like Miss Leslee! 💖 #KittitasCoyotes