Jemtegaard Middle School has made significant gains in student achievement during the past few years, posting results that have been noticed and honored by several state educational organizations.
Now, Jemtegaard principal David Cooke worries the COVID-19 pandemic will take away the momentum he said the school’s teachers and students worked so hard to generate.
“I am concerned about that,” Cooke said. “We have to start getting back what we lost, and I’m not sure how long it will take. We may be doing a year and a half or two years of catch-up. But the effort will be there. We’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”
That process will begin this week, as the Washougal School District expands its hybrid learning model to include middle-schoolers.
“We are fortunate to be able to welcome the next group back in-person,” Washougal schools superintendent Mary Templeton stated in a news release. “This will be a huge support to our students and their families, and make so much more learning possible.”