Finalists announced for Wahluke School District superintendent
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 1 month AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | February 17, 2021 1:00 AM
MATTAWA — Wahluke School Board members announced the finalists for school superintendent.
The three candidates are being interviewed this week, one each day from Tuesday through Thursday.
The candidates are current interim Wahluke superintendent Andy Harlow; Ed Murray, Laurens County School District 55 in Laurens, South Carolina; and Kelly Thorson, Highland School District in Cowiche, Wash.
Murray was interviewed Tuesday, Harlow is being interviewed Wednesday and Thorson will be interviewed Thursday.
Harlow took as interim superintendent after former superintendent Robert Eckert resigned at the end of the 2019-20 school year. Prior to that, he was principal at Wahluke Junior High since 2012. Harlow also has been a teacher and coach in the district.
Murray is the Director of Personalized Learning and Public Relations for Laurens County School District 55. He has been in Laurens since 2014, working in a number of administrative jobs. Prior to that, he was a teacher and administrator in South Carolina and California.
Currently, Thorson is the principal at Tieton Intermediate School in the Highland School District, where he’s been since 2015. He also worked as an administrator in Prosser and teacher and coach in Selah.
Each candidate spends the day in town, and meets with school board members, administrators and teachers, students, parents and classified staff, as well as district patrons. Board members are scheduled to decide before the end of February, with the new superintendent announced by mid-March.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.