VFW Auxiliary Recognizes Washougal Students (Photo) - 10/22/26

Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Post 4278 presented awards to several Washougal students for artwork they submitted to the VFW Auxiliary’s Illustrating America art competition. 

Adelaide Kessinger, a 9^th grader at Washougal High School, was recognized for her drawing representing “A Soldier’s Memory”, which won first place at the Post level for 2024. Her 2025 painting representing “Heart of America” was awarded second place at the Post level.

Nora Scott, a 10^th grader at Washougal High, was recognized for her painting, which won second place at the Post level for 2024. Each winning submission was recognized with a cash prize from the local Auxiliary. 

VFW Auxiliary member Susan Bennett said, “Each year, both the VFW Post 4278 and VFW Post 4278 Camas-Washougal Auxiliary sponsor art and essay contests with the goal of inspiring patriotism in students.” 

Adelaide visited Jemtegaard Middle School’s Art Teacher Dani Allen, where the awards were presented. Adelaide created the artwork while enrolled in art classes at Jemtegaard, but completed them as independent projects.

Adelaide reflected on her art submissions saying, “Art isn’t about how it looks, it is about how it makes you feel…and this is how I feel about America.”

Bennett added, “I feel that it is very important for the students to be recognized by not only their peers, but also the district and the Post. Art is a great extension of the child, it shows their creativity, and our Post is so excited to recognize the talent and the great effort they put in to creating the art for the contest.”

Washougal students are invited to submit essays to the VFW Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen contents by October 31. Students can submit art projects to the Illustrating America contest through December 15, 2026.  The 2026-2027 Young American Creative Patriotic Contest and the 3-Dimensional Patriotic Art Contest for students in grades 9-12 are due by March 31, 2027.

The Washougal School District is beginning a 90-day public review process around elementary school consolidation. The district is studying the potential closure of Hathaway Elementary School to respond to a long-term trend of declining enrollment. This step would be part of a multi-phase project to eventually modernize the Hathaway campus. 

Closing an elementary school would reduce yearly operating costs and align the number of facilities the district operates with the number of students who are currently enrolled in the district. If the consolidation is approved, the district would save more than $1 million per year, which would be used to reduce class sizes and invest in innovative programs for students.  

The school district has published the School Consolidation study to the district website for district families and staff members to understand the proposed consolidation and the rationale for implementing this change.  https://www.washougal.k12.wa.us/facilitiescapital-projects/consolidation-faq/

Superintendent Aaron Hansen said, “Enrollment in Washougal School District has decreased significantly since 2019, and we believe it will continue to decline over the next few years. Consolidating operations to fewer elementary schools would reduce the amount of funding spent on administrative overhead and other staffing costs, and focus our limited resources in support of classroom learning, which is what our community has prioritized in our budget surveys.” 

The consolidation process was recommended by the Resource Optimization Workgroup, which toured schools last year and met several times, studying enrollment and facility use data. The group made this recommendation to consolidate to allow the district to prioritize expenditures closest to the classroom.

Executive Director of Business Services Shelese McConnell said, “The primary driver of district funding is student enrollment, as we serve fewer students, we receive less funding from the state. We have also seen inflation in our material, supplies, and operating costs, along with higher benefit and salary costs for employees.” She added that, “these factors are causing district expenditures to increase above revenue. School consolidation provides a path to stable and predictable costs without painful yearly budget reductions, while still allowing us to invest in programs our community values.”

Student families, staff and members of the community are invited to learn about the consolidation process and share public testimony with the school board at two hearings, one on October 29, 2026 at 5:30 PM at Hathaway Elementary, and November 12, 2026  at 5:30 PM at Gause Elementary.  The school board will make a final decision on consolidation at the January 26, 2027 school board meeting. 

If consolidation is approved, the district intends to retain the Hathaway property for potential future educational use. The district anticipates a need for a larger, modernized elementary school on the Hathaway campus in the future. Any major renovation or rebuilding project would require voter approval. Existing voter-approved bonds are scheduled to expire in 2030 and 2034, creating potential opportunities for future facilities planning.