Vale Elementary earns national honor

CASHMERE — What was scheduled as a celebration of an award at Vale Elementary quickly became something closer to a demonstration of why the school received it in the first place.

Vale Elementary has been named one of only 63 schools nationwide to receive the 2025 National ESEA Distinguished School Award, recognized in Category 1 for exceptional student performance and academic growth. The honor is given to schools that show outstanding progress in improving student achievement, particularly through effective use of federal education funds.

But when students and staff gathered in the school gym to mark the occasion, the focus was less on formal recognition and more on the everyday culture that supports it.

Two young boys, dressed up to resemble Principal Sean McKenna and Vice Principal Rhett Morgan, took the stage early in the program and began leading the assembly through what they called the “ABCs of Vale Elementary.” The real McKenna and Morgan watched from the audience as their pint-sized counterparts played their roles, guiding the school through a performance that mixed humor, music, and lessons about how the Vale community treats one another.

Music teacher Kristin Umbarger-Keene stood at the front of the gym with a guitar, leading students through songs that were energetic, joyful, and slightly chaotic in the way only an elementary school assembly can be. Students sang, waved their arms, and bounced in place, following along as the alphabet theme unfolded.

One verse focused on empathy, with students singing:

“Let’s try to make a deal.
We’ll listen to each other and see how the other feels.
With empathy, we can understand.
We can solve our problems and make amends.”

Teachers and staff smiled and gently redirected students as needed, keeping the energy moving forward and the tone warm and inclusive.

Superintendent Glenn Johnson told the crowd that while the academic recognition matters, it is not where the story really begins.

“It doesn’t start with academic achievement,” Johnson said. “It starts with loving every kid that walks through these doors, because every kid is known, cared for, and loved.”

He said that kind of attention to students, from those who are struggling to those who are excelling, is what creates the foundation for real growth. “Your heart for kids is truly remarkable,” he told the staff. “Those relationships are the foundation of success.”

Johnson added that the award reflects not just the work of the current staff, but of years of educators who helped build the culture the school has today. “They gave their lives, their careers, many multiple years to lay a foundation that other adults now have taken to another level,” he said.

When McKenna took the microphone, he gestured toward the audience — filled with current and former staff, families, and community members — and joked, “Now you know I have real friends too, not just on Facebook.”

The line drew laughter, but it also echoed one of the day’s central themes: that the school’s success is built on real relationships that extend beyond classrooms and test scores.

McKenna thanked both current and retired staff members and told students they were fortunate to attend a school supported by a community that shows up. He also credited district leadership for keeping obstacles out of the way so teachers can focus on teaching.

Johnson also recognized Morgan and McKenna together, calling them “two of the very best in the state” and saying strong building leadership is essential to making a school like Vale what it is.

The National ESEA Distinguished Schools program recognizes schools across the country that demonstrate exceptional student performance or academic growth, particularly among student groups supported by federal programs. Vale was selected in the category that highlights schools showing outstanding improvement in achievement. The school will be formally honored at the National ESEA Conference in Denver next year.

But in the Vale gym, the meaning of the recognition did not feel abstract. It looked like a school where students are known by name, where adults pay close attention, and where lessons about kindness and responsibility are practiced out loud, together.

As Johnson told students near the end of the assembly, “Every one of you is a gift.” He urged them to remember that while everyone has both strengths and challenges, effort and attitude are always within their control.

In that sense, the celebration did more than mark an award. It showed, in real time, what the award was recognizing.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media