As Pendleton School District prepares for the 2026–27 school year, the district is announcing several leadership appointments and organizational updates that reflect its continued commitment to supporting students, strengthening schools, and providing stability during a period of transition.

Over the past several months, a few members of the district’s leadership team have embarked on new professional chapters. Principal Pat Dutcher has returned to the Salem School District, his alma mater; Director of Human Resources Kevin Dinning has accepted the Superintendent position with the Culver School District; and Director of Special Programs Julie Smith has retired after a distinguished career in education. The district extends its sincere appreciation to each of these leaders for their service and wishes them continued success.

While leadership changes are a natural part of any organization, they also provide an opportunity to thoughtfully examine how district resources and leadership structures can best support schools. The appointments announced today are designed to provide continuity for students and staff while strengthening instructional leadership and districtwide support.

Strengthening School Leadership

Following Pat Dutcher’s departure, Pendleton School District conducted a comprehensive recruitment process for the Pendleton High School principalship. After evaluating applicants and considering both the immediate needs of the school and the district’s long-term leadership goals, the district determined that appointing an experienced internal leader for the 2026–27 school year would provide the greatest continuity for students, families, and staff. The district anticipates revisiting the process for selecting a permanent principal during the coming school year.

TJ Presley has been appointed Acting Principal of Pendleton High School for the 2026-2027 school year.

Presley currently serves as Principal of Sherwood Heights Elementary School. Prior to joining Pendleton School District, he served the Pilot Rock School District as a teacher, Athletic Director, and Principal of Pilot Rock High School. Before entering education, he also worked in the private business sector.

A proud Buckaroo, Presley has developed a deep appreciation for the Pendleton community and is passionate about its students and traditions. He is known for building strong relationships, fostering positive school cultures, and leading collaboratively. His experience at both the elementary and secondary levels positions him well to guide Pendleton High School during the coming year.

With Presley’s appointment, Mindy Barron will serve as Acting Principal of Sherwood Heights Elementary School.

Barron joined Sherwood Heights as Assistant Principal last year and quickly became a trusted instructional leader and valued member of the school community. With more than 20 years of experience as a classroom teacher, Dean of Students, Instructional Coach, and Assistant Principal, she brings deep instructional expertise and a strong commitment to supporting students, staff, and families. The district will also post an Interim Assistant Principal position to support Sherwood Heights during the transition.

Strengthening District Leadership

To continue supporting schools and district operations, Matt Yoshioka has been appointed Assistant Superintendent. In this role, he will oversee a broad range of district responsibilities, including Human Resources, while continuing to support principals, staff, and district initiatives through his experience in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and organizational leadership.

Following Julie Smith’s retirement, Rebecca Marshall has been appointed Coordinator of Student Services.

Marshall brings extensive experience spanning classroom, school, district, and state leadership. Her work with the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, along with her experience supporting schools in special education, literacy, and integrated student supports, provides a strong foundation for leading the district’s student services programs.

Investing in Teaching and Learning

Pendleton School District has also reorganized instructional leadership by strategically braiding School Improvement Grant funding with existing district resources to transform one director-level position into two Coordinator of Teaching and Learning positions.

This restructuring is designed to increase direct support for schools rather than add administrative layers. The Coordinators of Teaching and Learning will partner closely with principals to strengthen curriculum implementation, coordinate professional learning, support school improvement planning, analyze student achievement data, and build consistent instructional practices across the district.

By sharing these districtwide responsibilities, principals will have increased capacity to spend time where it matters most—in classrooms supporting teachers, engaging with students, and working alongside families.

Tess Welk has been appointed Coordinator of Teaching and Learning – Elementary. A Pendleton High School graduate, Welk returns home after serving as K–12 Principal in Dufur,OR and previously working as both a teacher and educational leader in the Columbia Gorge region.

Aaron Cooke has been appointed Coordinator of Teaching and Learning – Secondary. Cooke joins Pendleton School District from the South Coast Education Service District, bringing extensive experience in instructional leadership, continuous improvement, and supporting educators across multiple school systems.

Together, Welk and Cooke will work alongside school leaders to strengthen teaching and learning, support educator growth, and help ensure every school has the leadership support needed to improve outcomes for students.

Looking Ahead

These leadership appointments reflect the district’s continued focus on building strong systems that support students, staff, and schools. While people and roles may change over time, Pendleton School District remains committed to thoughtful leadership, responsible stewardship of resources, and creating the conditions for every student to succeed.

The district appreciates the continued partnership of families, staff, and the broader community as it prepares for the start of another school year.

Dr. Michelle Jensen
Superintendent
Pendleton School District

From the stage, our graduates saw something powerful — a sea of family, friends, staff, and community members who have supported them every step of the way.

To everyone who encouraged, challenged, celebrated, and believed in our students along the journey… thank you. Your impact helped shape the remarkable young adults seated before you.

A special thank you to Happy Canyon for allowing us to use your facility to celebrate this important milestone with our graduates and families.

To the Pendleton High School Class of 2026: we are proud of you, grateful for you, and excited for all that lies ahead. Good luck as you begin your next chapter.

Go Bucks! 🎓💚💛

Pendleton School District organized another successful District Art Show, May 5-7, 2026 at the Pendleton Convention Center. The event began with a community opening night, followed by two days of art viewing by students, their families, and the public.

Abbey Prevot, Art Teacher at Pendleton High School, coordinates the show with John Bradt, Media/Tech Teacher at Sunridge Middle School, and Julie Murphy, new Art Teacher at Sunridge Middle School. Every student in the district creates a piece of art in their class, and it is displayed at the show. Pieces include paintings, sculptures, dioramas, masks, and more.

Prevot said while the show is a lot of work, the team is getting better at organizing and setting up. They had nine PHS students help this year. The 2026 show featured more three-dimensional artwork. SMS’s new art teacher, Murphy, had all her middle school students embrace a donut theme, with watercolors and sculptures of the tasty treat.

A new idea this year for the show was to have district elementary students and high school students partner to create art. Two classes of elementary students at McKay Creek Elementary created monsters and drew pictures of them. Then, those pictures were given to students in Art II at Pendleton High School, who made clay sculptures of the monsters. At the art show, the paintings and sculptures were displayed together. “The PHS students loved seeing the younger kids’ drawings. Having something really creative given to you and then creating something 3-D from that imagination was challenging and really fun. We are very excited to hand those sculptures back to the elementary students,” Prevot said.

Pendleton School District thanks the Education Foundation of Pendleton for funding the art show, Altrusa of Pendleton for giving out free books on opening night, and the Oregon East Symphony (OES) Youth Chamber Collective, who performed on opening night.

“The art show is one of the only community events where all PSD schools participate, so it’s a great way to celebrate creativity together,” Prevot said.

We are bursting with pride to announce the recipients of this year’s Crystal Apple Awards!

These incredible educators and staff members represent the heart of our district. They don’t just teach; they inspire, mentor, and go above and beyond every single day to ensure our students succeed.  Help us show them some love!

Do you want to know something about America’s National Parks? Just ask a fourth-grade student at Washington Elementary. They recently completed a unit about the national parks, where they researched a specific park, created a presentation, and made a diorama of their park. The unit culminated with a visit from former National Park Director Chuck Sams.

Sams is Cayuse and Walla Walla and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). He was the first Native American to lead the National Park Service, serving in the role from 2021 to 2025. On Friday, April 10^th, he shared some of his experiences in that role with fourth graders at Washington Elementary.

Sams attended second through fourth grade at the previous Washington Elementary School. He said growing up, hearing his people’s creation stories of how humans were created helped forge his connection with the natural world.

During his tenure leading the National Park Service, Sams visited 132 national parks and many more National Park historic sites. He worked with more than 20,000 employees of the agency, which he really enjoyed.

“Each of our national parks is unique and special and has its own story to tell. You represent all that’s good about America; each of you owns our national parks, but are equally responsible for protecting them,” Sams said.

Washington fourth graders recently took a field trip to Fort Walla Walla and the Whitman Mission National Historic Site, and will visit Spring Creek, the Heritage Museum in Baker City, and the Sumpter Dredge before the end of the school year. Students’ park dioramas will be on display at the District Art Show, May 5-7, 2026, at the Pendleton Convention Center.