WASHOUGAL — Washougal School District principals Brian Amundson, of Canyon Creek Middle School, and David Cooke, from Jemtegaard Middle School, “battled” each other in a series of holiday-themed “Minute to Win It”-style competitions on Dec. 16. It was the district’s first-ever Principals’ Challenge. The event was broadcast over Zoom to students from both schools who had completed all their assignments.
“For months we have been trying to find ways to motivate the students to engage in their online learning,” Tracey Stinchfield, student support assistant at Canyon Creek, said in a news release. “Of course, that means we had to create something online that we thought kids would enjoy enough to want to work for it.” One parent donated two iPads for children to win as another incentive to complete schoolwork.
“The kids are working hard, and it is nice to be able to offer them a reward,” Cooke said. “Even if it is all about making fools of Mr. Amundson and me in a friendly competition. I am really OK with that. Especially if it helps students create some positive study habits.”
“Students are really struggling emotionally with remote learning time and this may be a bright moment in their week,” Stinchfield said.
