Dana DeCasas
Special Education Teacher
Washington Elementary School
Dana grew up in Grants Pass, Oregon, and recently moved to Pendleton.
She attended Western Governors University to earn a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education.
What is Dana most excited about working in the Pendleton School District? “Being part of a close-knit community that supports every student, every day.”
In her free time, she enjoys barrel racing with her horse, Static, and spending time outdoors with her dog, Pepper.
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Pendleton School District is transitioning away from the REMIND communication platform and moving to a new platform called ParentSquare.
We highly recommend downloading the app and activating your account.
ParentSquare GETTING STARTED GUIDE for Parents and Guardians English | Spanish
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All first graders at Washington Elementary enjoyed a fun field trip to Pendleton Fire Station #1 in May. After walking from their school to the station on Court Avenue, the students rotated to different areas of the facility. Then, paramedics and firefighters talked to them about the fire trucks, equipment, how to put out wildland fires, what it’s like to work as a firefighter, and more.
Students got to walk through an ambulance, climb up into a fire truck, and ask lots of questions.
One firefighter showed them how he puts on all his equipment, including his boots, coat, helmet, gloves, mask, and oxygen tank. He talked to them through the microphone in his mask. He explained that, even though he sounds kind of like Darth Vader and looks different when he has all his equipment on, he is still the same person underneath. He let students walk around him, looking at his clothing and equipment. “If you saw me in your house or in a building with all this on, you can know I am there to help you.”
The paramedic showing children around the ambulance explained how paramedics may have to use oxygen to help people breathe and showed them the thermometer available to take someone’s temperature, just like their parents may do at home.
Morgan Hall, Paramedic and Firefighter with Pendleton Fire and Ambulance, said when students come on field trips, station employees want young people to learn about the tools and equipment they use, see the inside of an ambulance in case they ever have to ride in one and learn the basics of what the fire and ambulance department does and what they provide to the community.
“The fun part for us is interacting with the kids, sometimes kids of people in the community we may know. It’s great to hear the funny things kids say and the questions they ask, and we enjoy seeing their curiosity,” Hall said.
Thank you, Pendleton Fire and Ambulance, for a great field trip!
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Kindergartners at the Pendleton Early Learning Center (PELC) have an upgraded school library with new shelving to display hundreds of new books, thanks to the Wildhorse Foundation and other donors.
On Thursday, May 8, 2025, PELC staff gathered in the library to thank the donors and celebrate the new space. The Wildhorse Foundation grant was for $10,000. Other funding came from Title 1A, a TAPP (Tribal Attendance Promising Practices) Grant, and Title VI.
Angela Lattin, Principal of the PELC, thanked the Wildhorse Foundation. “This grant, braided with the other funding sources, was really game-changing for our school library. If not for the grant, we would have spent the next 10 years working on these projects.”
Ella Meyers, representing the Wildhorse Foundation, said the organization is really honored to be involved in something that directly impacts the youth in Pendleton and especially the connection to tribal culture. “It’s wonderful to be attending this event today, and it’s really lovely to see it turn into reality,” Meyers said.
The funding made these projects possible:
6 units of book shelving across stage area
4 units of book shelving on west wall
Shelving units on front wall
806 new books
Native American book section with 144 books written by Native authors or about Native American topics
Stuffed animal buddies that students can read with
Principal Lattin said the PELC’s library is well utilized by students. After doing some calculations, she said this school year, there were 6,437 student trips to the library and 3,145 opportunities for students to check out books.
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Third and fourth grade students at Washington Elementary School experienced some exciting hands-on learning with a visit from CTUIR Fisheries in mid-April.
Representatives from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation program brought young and adult lamprey and Coho salmon for the students to see and touch. Students learned that lampreys have been living on Earth for 400 million years.
Shaun Montgomery, Assistant Project Manager for Umatilla Hatchery Satellite Facilities, said it’s effective when children learn through interactive experiences. He said 500,000 Coho salmon are released each year through the program. “We want young people to learn about the salmon recovery program the tribes are doing and how important it is to the environment and to the tribe’s first foods,” Montgomery said.
Due to the COVID pandemic, third and fourth graders missed out on the annual field trip to visit the fisheries site. Shawndine Jones, Walk to Language Teacher at Washington, said the school appreciates the staff from the program visiting the school for those students who missed out a few years ago. “Thanks to the CTUIR Fisheries staff, students enjoyed this hands-on experience and learning about the importance of salmon and lamprey,” Jones said.
Washington Elementary thanks these visitors for sharing their time and knowledge:
Aaron Jackson
Kanim Moses-Conner
Jerrid Weaskus
Shaun Montgomery
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The Pendleton School District School Board will be asked at their next board meeting to approve the recommendation to hire Angie Horton to be the new principal of Sunridge Middle School, effective July 1st, 2025.
Horton is currently a principal in the Warrenton Hammond School District. Horton has held Principal, Vice Principal, Behavior Support Classroom Teacher, and a 3rd Grade teacher positions in her district. Before her time in Warrenton, she was a Child Treatment Specialist at the Grande Ronde Child Care Centre in La Grande.
Mrs. Horton attended Wallowa High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business administration in 2001 from Eastern Oregon University, a master’s degree in Special Education in 2019 from Western Governor’s University, and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Western Governor’s University in 2022.
Mrs. Horton will officially take over as principal on July 1st. She is replacing Principal, Piper Kelm, who is retiring effective June 30th.
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PSD has much to celebrate in recently released graduation rates.
On Thursday, January 30, 2025, the Oregon Department of Education released the graduation cohort and dropout data for all public school districts in Oregon. The Pendleton School District results are very strong, with a couple of very specific areas needing improvement.
The four-year cohort graduation rates are calculated by following students from the fall of their first year in high school to the end of their fourth year. This tells us the percentage of those students who graduated within four years. The Pendleton School District graduation rates represent a combination of all students who attended Pendleton High School, Hawthorne High School, and Nixyaawii Community School.
This year’s four-year cohort is made up of the students who first entered high school in the fall of 2020. This is important to note since these students started high school 100% online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been much to overcome for these students and many challenges our staff have faced head-on to ensure these students graduate. We celebrate the successes of these students and staff and thank them for their efforts.
The Pendleton School District’s four-year cohort rate is 83.2%. This is a 6.5% increase from the year before and almost 2% higher than the state average.
We have listed areas to celebrate success and a few areas of improvement. Areas of success:
5% increase in general graduation rate
2% increase in Hispanic student graduation rate
2% increase in students w/disabilities graduation rate
7% increase in 4-year completion rate
No “gap” between general population and Native American students or between white students and Native American students
Student dropout rate lowered by 1% to 3.8% as compared to previous year
Exceeded state average in every area except dropout rate and 5-year completion rate
Areas of improvement:
A graduation rate of 83.2%, although an increase from the previous year, is still much lower than our goal to help all students
Our 5 year completion rate is 3% lower than state average (83.7%). This is much lower than the goal of helping all students receive a diploma, certificate or
We also look at specific school rates as we celebrate successes and try to replicate them in all schools. The Pendleton High School rates increased in nearly every area and exceeds the state average in every area. PHS’s outstanding graduation rates are a great tribute to the many hours of hard work our staff and community invest in our students.
The Pendleton High School four-year cohort rate is 88.8%. This is a 4.9% increase from the year before and 7% higher than the state average.
Areas of success:
Dropout rate lowered from 3.16% to 9%
Virtually no gap between Native American students and the general student population (1.3% difference)
Graduation rate for students with disabilities increased by 2.3% to 2%
Exceeds state average in all areas
Areas of improvement:
Graduation “gaps” still exist between some student groups and the general student graduation rate
5-year completion rate, although higher than state average, is still an area to improve upon to ensure the success of all students
The Hawthorne High School four-year cohort rate is 55%. This is a 10.3% increase from the year before and almost 27% higher than five years ago.
Areas of success:
4-year completion rate of 72.5%, highest ever achieved for Hawthorne
5-year completion rate at 69.1%, highest ever achieved for Hawthorne Areas of improvement:
Dropout rate very high at 8%
The Nixyaawii Community School four-year cohort rate is 87%. This is a 14.3% increase from the year before and 6% higher than the state average.
Areas of success:
Dropout rate lowered by 1.57% to 1%
2% increase in 4-year completion rate
Native American student graduation rate is 87%, 17% higher than state average for Native American students Areas of improvement:
Dropout rate at 5.1% is higher than desired and above the state average of 3%
5-year completion rate is 75.8%, well below the state average of 7%
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If you were unable to attend the open forum (January 13, 2025, at 7:00 pm in the PHS Auditorium) with the consultants from McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C., Executive Recruitment, and Development, who were selected to assist the Pendleton School District in the important task of selecting superintendent candidates for the board to interview, you may provide input using the online survey link provided.
The five-question survey, available in English and Spanish, will be open for participation from Monday, January 13, through Monday, January 20, 2025.
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Marjorie Carter Special Education Teacher
Washington Elementary School
Marjorie said she experienced a lot of different communities growing up but spent most of her time between Pendleton and Bothell, Washington. She attended school in the Pendleton School District from third to eighth grade before moving to Bothell. She has lived in Pendleton for a combined total of 40 years.
She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education from Western Governors University.
About working in the Pendleton School District, Marjorie said, “What excites me most about working in the Pendleton School District is that I get to support students from my own neighborhood to become the best version of themselves.”
In her free time, she loves to cook new foods.
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