". . . high school is not a place for regrets, not a spot where life slides by us; it is a place where students are not just a part of its vitality, they are its life."
-- Timothy J. McGlothlin, Principal

Columbia High School is located just outside the White Salmon city limits, on the western edge of rural Klickitat County, Washington. The middle school campus adjoins the high school and both enjoy open views of the surrounding forested hills. The school serves grades 9-12 and enrolled 481 students in 1998-99. Approximately 85% of the students are white, 9% are Hispanic, 5% Native American and 1% Asian. The district free and reduced lunch rate averages 45%.

School Schedule
Columbia High School has been running a four-period, straight-block schedule since fall of 1993. Students enroll in four classes per semester, each of which meets for 90 minutes each day. All classes are one semester long, and successful completion of each results in a single credit. Eight credits are possible per year. At semester break, all students begin a new schedule.

Contacts:
White Salmon Valley School District
Dale Palmer, Superintendent
PO Box 175 White Salmon, WA 98672
(509) 493-1500
wsdo@gorge.net 

Columbia High School
Timothy J. McGlothlin, Principal
1455 NW Bruin Country Road White Salmon, WA 98672
(509) 493-1970

Professional Support

Approximately every other Wednesday afternoon is a 1:30 release for students. Teachers remain for the full day to take part in a number of staff inservice activities, most of which are chosen, planned, and in some cases carried out by building staff. Such staff-led inservice topics have included Six-Trait Writing Assessment, Drug and Alcohol Prevention, and integrated curriculum approaches.

"Faculty members began sharing the weekly staff meeting responsibilities, planning, hosting and running the meetings on a rotating basis throughout the year. " --- Peter Knowles

For four years, Columbia High school has had an active, faculty-driven Learning Improvement Team (LIT) funded by money from the state as part of its Student Learning Improvement Grant (SLIG). These "SLIG monies" have been earmarked for teacher inservice opportunities, and have been administered at the school level by a collection of teachers, students, and community members known as the LIT committee. In response to individual teacher requests, they have funded attendance at many curriculum-area conferences and inservice opportunities.