Jemtegaard Middle School wins award

WASHOUGAL — Jemtegaard Middle School was selected to receive the Whole Child Award from the Washington State Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The award honors a school that has created a school culture with “programs that exemplify two or more of the five tenets of The Whole Child Initiative: Healthy, Safe, Engaged, Supported, and Challenged,” according to a news release. The school received its award, along with a $500 check from SHAPE Washington, in May. “Our staff can think of no bigger honor then to be recognized for striving to meet the many needs of our kids,” Principal David Cooke said in the release. Jemtegaard Middle School developed a Student Support Protocol to help foster a positive relationship between peers and teachers for students to feel safe and supported in the classroom. The method led to an 80 percent drop in disciplinary referrals in 2019, according to the release.