Greetings Meridian Students and Families,
It is difficult to convey just how exciting yesterday was when we were able to welcome our students at Meridian Middle School and Meridian High School back to in-person learning! I want to commend our teachers, office personnel, support staff, bus drivers and so many more. Thank you, parents, for your patience as we worked through the details to get to yesterday. There are several factors that must continue to come together to ensure we are able to keep this going. I was proud to visit almost every classroom yesterday. It was great to see the smiles (yes – even through their masks) and watch the interaction between our students, teachers, and staff. We also expanded our Kindergarten and first-grade students’ in-person learning to days a week at Irene Reither Elementary School. As we move forward we will continue to look for additional ways to expand the in-person programming in Meridian. Thank you, again, for everyone’s efforts to have our students engaged in in-person learning again!
Meridian Middle School Interim Principal
It is with great pleasure I am able to introduce Meridian Middle School’s new Interim Principal, Mr. Todd Torgeson. We conducted interviews last Thursday. Our hiring process is quite involved – capped with a full-day interview process involving over 20 people and multiple stations, presentations, and scenarios. We appreciate all who participated in the process and the input we received from students and staff. We also utilized the feedback we received from the survey on the valued characteristics of a new building leader. This information was shared with the interview team to help inform their recommendation. This information may be seen by clicking here.
Mr. Torgeson is a second-generation educator. He has served 27 years in education as a teacher, coach, and administrator. Mr. Torgeson received his B.A. Degree from Eastern Washington University, an M.Ed. from Heritage University while attaining his principal certification. He also recently completed coursework and received his superintendent certification from Western Washington University. Mr. Torgeson worked in the La Conner School District as a middle and high school principal and in the Sedro-Woolley School District as an assistant principal and athletic director. He also taught and coached in the Concrete School District. Over the course of his career, Mr. Torgeson served as a head football, basketball, and golf coach. He was also an assistant baseball coach. All of these activities created opportunities to develop positive relationships with students. He is very proud of his family. He and his wife, Paula, have been married for 30 years. They have three wonderful children: Terrel, Taylor, and Emma. Mr. Torgeson also has a strong connection to Whatcom County. His Dad, Tom, made ice cream at Edaleen Dairy for many years. Mr. Torgeson is honored to work in the Meridian School District and excited to begin the work of supporting the great staff and students of Meridian Middle School.
The interview team was informed Monday afternoon that Mr. Torgeson had accepted the job offer. The entire middle school staff met with Mr. Torgeson earlier this afternoon. He will be meeting with Mr. Sanderson and each staff member this week to begin building a strong foundation to work together and support students through the end of this school year. Mr. Torgeson will also be hosting a virtual meet & greet Thursday evening at 6:00 pm. He will share information about himself and answer questions. He would love to meet you! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87130400779
Quarantine Information
When students miss school for traveling out of the state or country or are ill, they must quarantine to ensure they are healthy to rejoin the school population. Families who have students in this situation will work with our school nurses to determine their path back to school. Each circumstance is unique and we must apply the guidance per their situation. We adhere to the WCDH State Health guidelines calling for a 14-day quarantine that is also in line with the recommendations of the current travel advisory. The purpose is to ensure all who are on in our buildings and on our buses are as healthy as possible – and to protect everyone so we may keep our schools open. Doing so preserves the standards we have established and may help us be able to increase our in-person learning time as we move forward. Please know if your student must quarantine, we will continue to serve your student remotely.
James