This school year, Sunridge Middle School has a new member on its team to help improve attendance. Ray Fox is the new Family Advocate for the TAPP (Tribal Attendance Promising Practices) program. He started working at SMS in November and explained that his job has two components.

The first part focuses on attendance of Native American students, including tracking data, identifying potential barriers to attendance and creating connections with Native students and their families. The second part of Fox’s job is to be a resource every day for all students at the middle school. Fox’s office, which is located in the Counseling Office, offers a space to talk with students and a place where a student can take a quick break.

“A big part of my job is helping to build the school’s sense of community and being a connection point for students. Every day when I listen to students and work with them, they are teaching me about their needs and how to better support them,” Fox said.

Many Native students have extreme diversity in their lives, Fox said, as their home life may be much different than their school life. Although school attendance may be important for a student and their family, sometimes cultural activities like hunting with their family my cause them to miss school. Fox said the Pendleton School District now offers cultural leave for students, which is a positive step.

Sunridge Middle School had a regular attendance rate last school year of 59%, so building administrators are committed to improving it to 69% this year. Through their Attendance Matters campaign, the school established a chart where teachers can track days of 100% attendance in classes, and the school has “No Tardy Parties” where students can earn treats at lunchtime.

Piper Kelm, Principal at Sunridge, said the school is emphasizing positive behaviors they want students to exhibit and having Fox onboard is a helpful addition to the effort.

What does attendance/school success look like for Kelm and Fox? SMS students having a positive experience at school, a sense of belonging and the feeling that they are being heard, all of which contribute to students wanting to be at school.

Erin Zacharias
Special Education Teacher
Sunridge Middle School

Erin grew up in Pendleton and Pilot Rock. She attended Lincoln Elementary and graduated from Pilot Rock High School.

For college, she went to Grand Canyon University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education.

About working in the Pendleton School District, Erin said, “I am excited I get to work with all the same coworkers I have had for the last two years and collaborate with them in a different role.”

In her free time, Erin likes to cook, bake, go on walks, and watch movies.

New this year at Sunridge Middle School is an opportunity for students to try their hand at pottery using electric pottery wheels. Principal Piper Kelm said the school purchased 25 new wheels for classes this year.

In a recent art class, students in 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grades were each seated behind a pottery wheel with lumps of clay, working hard to create ceramic mugs.

Wayne Small is the new Art Teacher at SMS. He said one thing he really likes about pottery is that students who feel that they aren’t talented in drawing or painting can be given the confidence to excel with clay. “Pencils and paint are readily available materials, and the students who do well practice constantly. But with clay, everyone starts closer to the same ability level, so it gives those students a chance to feel successful in the visual arts,” Small said.

Natalie, a 7^th Grader, was working on her project to make a mug for her little cousin. She had never worked on a pottery wheel before but said, “It’s pretty fun, and I like how it’s turning out.”

Two other 7^th graders, Jacob and Miles, were working together on forming a cup. Jacob said it’s hard to shape the clay, but he took the class because he would like to do more art projects. Miles said he has liked the drawing and now the pottery. “I like the creativity of the class,” he said.

Students at Sunridge Middle School will be presenting the play “The Raven & the Rue Morgue” on March 19-21, 2024.

The play is based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe. It has 14 actors, five singers, and three crew members doing technical work. Abby Foust, a senior at Pendleton High School, is also an assistant director. The play is rated PG as it is a “whodunit” mystery with some references to violence.

The play will be performed at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, 3/19, Wednesday, 3/20, and Thursday, 3/21, at Sunridge Middle School.

Admission is FREE and open to the public.