Something Nice

As Thumper's wise mother taught him, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

So what is there nice to say about Pasco School District?  A lot!  Pasco is leading the charge in many areas.

Let's talk about music.  In an era where music programs are disappearing around the country, Pasco's are flourishing. In the past decade Pasco music has grown by leaps and bounds. Our music teachers are some of the biggest names in the area, and our students are consistently recognized for their outstanding achievements and abilities.

We embrace bilingualism. Nearly every nation in the world expects it's children to grow up bilingual. Most colleges require applicants to have studied a foreign language as well. Yet for some reason most of America has yet to see the value of early language acquisition.  We are so fortunate in Pasco to have many opportunities for multilingual education. Studies show that the two most effective teaching methods for English language learners are Dual Immersion and Late Exit Bilingual.  Here in Pasco we do both.   Not only do these programs support our majority Hispanic population, but they also serve the large number of students whose families have come to us from Russia.  And rather than taking away resources from our traditional learners, programs like Maya Angelou's dual language program provide an amazing learning opportunity to our native English speakers as well.

Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Maybe it's our close proximity to Hanford that clued us in, but every now knows STEM jobs are in high demand. Even as jobless rates soared, STEM jobs were going unfilled.  Pasco has seized upon this opportunity and is making great efforts to prepare our students for the future.  Starting with their cooperation in Delta High School, followed by the construction of Franklin and Currie STEM elementary schools, and hopefully leading to the full implementation of STEP curriculum throughout all of our elementary and middle schools, Pasco is leading the way in STEM education in the Tri-Cities.

These are just three of the great things going on in Pasco schools. Now tell us what your favorite things about Pasco's schools are.