From the Superintendent
Our mission is to improve student outcomes with excellence, equity, and efficiency. Implement best practices for educators gleaned from investigation, innovation, and incubation of ideas and efforts from the public and private sectors.Meet HDESD board member Anthony Georger
Appointed in 2022 to represent the local business community, Anthony Georger is the controller and vice president of finance for Seran Bioscience. He brings more than 15 years of accounting and finance experience, specializing in aerospace, agricultural and media...
Success story: A Seamless Transition Success Story, with Tyler Saejow
Seeing what’s possible after graduation When Tyler Saejow was a student at the Centennial Transition Center (CTC) in East Portland, he wasn’t sure what the future would hold for him. He never imagined that five years after graduating from the CTC he would have the...
Central Oregon educators, leaders reaffirm commitment to strengthen school safety
Central Oregon school superintendents, fire and police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys, and public and mental health leaders gathered on November 16 at the High Desert Education Service District in Redmond to publicly reaffirm their commitment to the...
Success Story: Learning to push yourself, with Cyrus Belizi
When a support team clears the path, it’s time to do the work Sometimes we look at high school graduation as just a celebration that wraps up twelve years of school. But for Cyrus Belizi, graduation from high school was just the beginning of several new opportunities...
Let’s keep Disability Employment Awareness going BEYOND October
How to celebrate workers with disabilities every month Since 1945, October has been named National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The purpose of NDEAM is to celebrate the success of individuals with disabilities in the workforce. It also helps...
Three Reasons Volunteering Makes a Difference for Transition Students
Tips on finding the right volunteer opportunity What if you could find a way to help others, and it only cost you a little bit of time? What if you got to know some fun new people–and learned some new skills along the way? Would you be interested in giving this idea a...
Success story: Finding a job that helps people, with Evelyn Zaragoza
Every step brought her closer to her goal “The best part of my job is knowing that I make other people’s days better,” said Evelyn Zaragoza. Zaragoza, age 21, works in cleaning at the Asante medical office building in White City, Oregon. She enjoys her job,...
Success Story: Finding strength and focus, with Travis Flores
Meeting challenges and finding new opportunities Travis Flores didn’t have high expectations when he attended a tour of Rogue Community College (RCC). When he agreed to join the tour, he thought they’d probably spend a lot of time on things that didn’t interest him....
Transition Students Get Creative at Shark Tank Student Summit
Transition students get creative in Eastern Oregon What kind of transition students would jump into a tank full of sharks? Any creative, fun student who likes to invent things, that’s who! Last spring, 32 transition students from throughout Eastern Oregon came...
Opportunities Abound at Job Fairs in Oregon
Three reasons transition students should attend If you thought job fairs were only for students ready for full-time careers, you might be missing out on a world of opportunities. All over Oregon, job fairs and career expos help transition students gain a better...
Transforming Family Engagement
In 2019 Oregon passed the Student Success Act, which allocates $1 billion a year to early learning and K–12 education. This legislation also requires districts to create family and community engagement initiatives in their plans for spending these funds. The Southern...
“Peer 2 Peer” helps transition students gain confidence
Making new work experiences feel friendlier For Ashlee Everett and Jenna Norstadt, learning how to manage a new job happens best when you start as a team. Last spring, the pair began working at a local retirement home. Their duties started with cleaning and helping in...
How to be a good roommate
You’re ready to live independently, but are you ready for a roommate? Questions to discuss before you share a house What do Bert and Ernie, the Golden Girls, and the cast of Friends have in common? They all were roommates, at least on television. These characters...
Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation grants $13,500 to Healthy Families of the High Desert
Healthy Families of the High Desert has been awarded a $13,500 grant from Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation to support the basic needs of families in Deschutes County. The funding will help families get baby birth certificates, pay fines, purchase hygiene items, car...
HDESD Job Fair
Shell Gas – an Employment First Award Winning Employer!
Shell Gas in Bend: Committed to Employing People of Different Abilities Because everyone deserves a chance When you ask Alan Perez what he likes most about working at the Shell station on highway 20 in Bend, he’ll tell you he likes stocking shelves and making things...
The National Deaf Center Engage for Change Initiative
Closing the education and employment gap Did you know that more than 3% of Oregonians are deaf? How about the fact that 57% of Oregon’s deaf population attends some college, compared to the nationwide average of 49%? Or that only 46% of deaf Oregonians are employed,...
In May, young Deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) students of Central Oregon had the opportunity to visit a farm in Madras, Oregon. Once they arrived there were introductions and ice breakers to encourage the students to socialize. They went on a scavenger hunt around...