Cascade Families,
Welcome to the start of the 2024-25 school year. We are ready for a great year, and ready to serve your students. Every staff member here is committed to helping our students succeed.
This is my seventeenth year as Superintendent, and I am so glad for our committed staff, growing student body, and our supportive and involved community. Cascade School District is a great place to learn, grow, and work.
Cascade is a great place because we are family. We know each other, and we know our students. We help each student find the best path for them. For some, that's a career right out of high school, and we have emphasized Career and Technical Education (CTE) for years and have some of the best opportunities in the state. For some, it’s going to college, and we have a lot of classes that earn college credit for those on that path.
Cascade is a great place because we focus on academics. Our high graduation rate doesn’t just magically appear in the senior year—it starts when each student walks through the door in Kindergarten. Our staff is committed to serve students each step of the way, all the way through to graduation.
Cascade is a great place because we are stable. We have been careful with our finances and seen growth in students over the last few years. This year our enrollment looks similar to last year, and that financial stability meant we didn’t have to go through any staff or budget cuts. We work hard to keep good staff.
Over the summer, thanks to a $2.5 million seismic retrofit grant, the auxiliary gym at the high school is much improved. You’ll see the new paint job, but what you can’t see are the structural improvements. This grant enabled us to bring our gym up to current earthquake code that will allow immediate use of the building as an emergency shelter in case of an earthquake. These kinds of improvements are so important to older buildings like ours, and grants are the only way to make it possible without passing a construction bond.
Our district mission statement says that we are committed to providing a well-rounded education where each student is supported, confident, and graduates college or career ready. As always, that mission guides what we do every day. We know that working to support the mental health and emotional needs of our students is essential to providing a quality education that helps every student become a contributing member of our community.
I know our staff will engage our students creatively, and I cannot wait to see what this unique group of students will accomplish this year. I am glad we are in this together.
Be sure to follow the district and our schools on our website and social media. And, the ParentSquare app for your Android or iPhone is the easiest way to get all our school and district information.
Best wishes to you and your family for a successful school year.
Sincerely,
Darin Drill
Superintendent
[email protected]
Phone: 503-749-8010