News & Announcements

What an awesome year working with students from across the district! The 2025-2026 Superintendent Student Advisory Team was instrumental in integrating student perspectives into important conversations and decisions throughout Cheney Public Schools. Take a look!

 

 

The Cheney Police Department boasts a brand-new mural on the southeast wall of the building, the result of a series of unlikely connections between the department, Cheney Middle School, and local artist Sierra Athos of ST Window Painting. It all started with a sixth-grade ELA unit, Passion Projects.

For nearly her entire career, Cheney Middle School sixth-grade teacher Kyndle Palmer has been integrating Passion Projects in some form into her curriculum. As a student teacher at Salnave Elementary in the early 2010s, Palmer was first introduced to Passion Projects by current Salnave Principal Celina Brennan and Highly Capable Coordinator Ann Ottmar. Since transitioning to middle school nearly six years ago, Palmer has built the concept into what it is today.

“I kind of started playing around with it, maybe three or four years ago,” Palmer recounted. “Ainslee [Lemery] came down from seventh grade two years ago, and I just found that partner that was like, yeah, let’s do it. Since then, we’ve re-created what our sixth grade scope and sequence and curriculum looks like using Passion Projects.”

The duo currently have three different Passion Project units integrated into their sixth-grade ELA curriculum. The projects provide students with quite a bit of agency in their learning. There are some parameters and guiding questions, but ultimately the projects reflect the passions of students.

“We give them a rubric, essential questions to answer, some of those things, and then let them decide the topic,” Lemery said.

“I think that’s kind of the whole point of the Passion Project; it’s what they’re passionate about,” added Palmer. “So, it was really whatever they were passionate about to show their learning.”

The spring Passion Projects posed a question to students: How do you bring joy to and uplift the community in times of hardship? In early March, local community leaders visited CMS to share how they bring joy to the community in their positions. Mayor Elsa Martin spoke about park beautification and making green spaces more accessible; Athos of ST Window Painting spoke about bringing color and art to businesses across town; players from the Eastern Washington University football team spoke about how their role as student-athletes can unite the community through sports.

“Having guest speakers allows students to connect what they are doing in the classroom with the world around them,” Lemery said back in March. “We hope this inspires students to see themselves as key members of their community who can have a positive impact, regardless of their age.”

Both Lemery and Palmer had no idea that these spring Passion Projects would lead to a real community service opportunity.

It just so happened that 24 students–12 from each class–independently chose the theme of community art as the topic of their Passion Project. Coincidentally, at the same time, Cheney Police Chief Chris Oakes wanted to add a collection of murals to the southeast exterior wall of the police station, and he wanted to have community kids involved in the process. ST Window Painting’s Sierra Athos–who spoke to sixth graders earlier in March–was slated to create the murals for Oakes, and her connection with CMS brought the entire project together.

“I loved the sixth graders,” Athos recalled. “They were awesome, and I had just presented to them [about bringing joy to the community]. Then I told the police chief, and he goes, ‘Perfect! Let’s do [the project] with the sixth graders.’”

Athos reached out to her CMS connection, student teacher Janise Cross, who was able to get her in touch with Palmer and Lemery. From there, just a few field trip logistics needed to be finalized, permission slips signed, and the opportunity for those 24 students to bring their Passion Projects to life became a reality.

“It was so funny because when we were starting, we were like, who knows what will come of this?” Lemery said. “Maybe we’ll actually get to do some of these projects these kids come up with. We don’t know! We don’t even know what they’re going to make, and then we ended up getting to.”

A smaller core group of six students met with Athos to help design the mural, working off a template that they then made uniquely their own. The group integrated a police badge, the Earth, and local wildlife into the final mural design.

“I was actually there for the [design] process,” Palmer said. “She really listened to the kids and what they had wanted. And so, that’s why I’m pretty excited that they got to have a voice in that.”

All 24 students who created Passion Projects based on community art were invited to participate in painting the mural, which took place after school on May 26, 27, and 28. Athos prepped and readied the space for painting ahead of time, leaving plenty of opportunity for students to paint.

“Since it was such a small space, we had to break it up into multiple days,” Athos said. “I wanted to make sure each student had a decent amount of work to do, rather than being bored.”

About eight students reported to the mural site each day, beginning with mapping out the design, forming shapes with chalk, and filling in background colors, followed by more detail on subsequent days. Athos taught students how to hold a palette, the importance of cleaning brushes and tools, and the basics of mural painting.

“It feels really cool to know that you were a part of something that people can look at and appreciate,” sixth grader Piper Zacher said. “And, for certain people, feel heard, just by looking at something that you helped create.”

Today, the first of about 20 planned murals is completed on the southeast wall of the Cheney Police Station. Athos and Chief Oakes hope to have sixth graders included in creating the mural every single year.

“We all worked very hard, and now it’s done,” said sixth grader Grace Ulbright. “I’ve actually heard that Sierra [Athos] every year wants more sixth graders to keep doing murals on that building, so you can just see how they evolve over time. I’m excited to see that over the years.”

 

 

The Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving learning environments across the country. Washington state is home to one of the largest A4LE chapters in the nation, and each year, the organization selects a Washington school as the beneficiary of the Day of Service, an annual project that brings together sponsors, volunteers, and the greater community for the purpose of improving learning environments for the selected school.

This year, Betz Elementary was selected as the recipient of the 2026 A4LE Day of Service. The project stemmed from concerns about the amount of mud students regularly tracked into the building after recess. 

“When [Superintendent Ferney] came for his listening session, there was a teacher who shared, we’re getting new carpets this summer, getting a refresh from the Bond, and there was concern because we have these muddy spots,” Betz Elementary Principal Mary Stoyko said. “We have a full section over there where the grass doesn’t grow, and so there was some concern about keeping that new carpet fresh.”

Following those concerns, building and district staff began discussing ways to solve the problem and better protect the school’s interior. Those conversations eventually reached Steven Clark, an architect and associate principal with Integrus Architecture. Part of the Progressive Design-Build team designing and constructing Cheney Public Schools’ newest elementary school, Skyway Elementary, Clark recognized the need and nominated Betz Elementary for the 2026 A4LE Day of Service.

When Betz Elementary was selected as the recipient earlier this spring, an initial site assessment was completed on April 20, and the scope of work was finalized to include site preparation for outdoor walking surfacing, general landscaping, playfield cleanup, and reconfiguration the outdoor play area. With support from local and regional sponsors—including Coughlin Porter Lundeen, Garco Construction, Rice Fergus Miller, Skanska, and the Washington Chapter of A4LE, which donated funding, materials, tools, and lunch—community volunteers and industry partners came together on June 6 to transform the east playground, which primarily serves preschool, kindergarten, and FAC students. 

“That is one of my favorite things about working in Cheney, especially at Betz, is just how our community does show up,” Stoyko said. “I sent out a reminder today, and people have just been showing up throughout the day, ready to work and take care of our school. It’s so fun to see kids take ownership, and also families just coming here to help out.”

The Day of Service provided a task for everyone. Some volunteers filled wheelbarrows and hauled playground wood chips nearly 30 yards from the blacktop to the play area, while others spread the wood chips in an even layer across the playground. Representatives from Integrus, Garco, and Skanska worked together to establish a border around the play area and prepare the grass space for a concrete pad, while personnel from the Maintenance and Operations department were on hand to help deliver and replenish materials throughout the service day.

“It’s really great. It makes us feel good inside; we’re giving something back,” said John Boatman, an A4LE Board Member and School Connections liaison. “A lot of architects and contractors, and people who build and design schools, as well as the school district folks themselves, like to see the fruits of our labor. That’s why I think we’re really passionate about doing this type of work, especially here where we can see a lot of the students that we’re going to directly impact. This just makes your heart grow.”

Several Betz Elementary students were in attendance, putting in some major elbow grease during the Day of Service. Elijah Pfaff, a rising third grader at Betz, wanted to make a difference at his school, particularly for younger students.

“I wanted to help out at our school because I go here, and I hope the preschoolers and the kindergarteners get to have a playground that’s not for big kids.”

Keeley McPartland brought her two sons to volunteer, and for her, it’s more about ownership and leaving things in a better way than you found them.

“Because our youngest is still here, I’m hoping he can see when he comes out to play on the playground, ‘I helped do that,’” McPartland said. “To, kind of take ownership because not every simple public place is done by one person; it’s done by a community. It just takes all of us to work together.”

 

The June Community Connections Newsletter is now available! This month's edition includes Passion Projects from Cheney Middle School, a community-service project benefitting Betz Elementary, and much more. Click here to read the full newsletter today!

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jenna Larson, 
Communications Coordinator
jlarson@cheneysd.org

 

MAILE ADEN SELECTED AS ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL FOR 
SNOWDON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 
Pending Board Approval
June 29, 2026

 

After an extensive interview process, Cheney Public Schools is pleased to announce that Maile Aden has been selected as Assistant Principal for Snowdon Elementary School, pending Board approval. Aden replaces long-time AP Katie Scott, who accepted a principal position with the Central Valley School District.

The interview was a comprehensive process that included representatives from several key stakeholder groups including district leadership, school leaders, staff, and classified directors. Following the evaluation of feedback, Aden emerged as the best candidate for the Assistant Principal position.

“We are so excited to welcome Maile to the Snowdon Elementary community,” Principal Shawna Coerver said. “She has incredible experience across K-12 levels, and I am looking forward to working together to continue fostering a culture of inclusiveness, belonging, and success at Snowdon Elementary.”

Aden arrives at Snowdon Elementary following nearly three decades of K-12 experience, both as a teacher and as an administrator. She spent the majority of her early career with the Mead School District, beginning as a teacher at Farwell Elementary. Aden segued into administration as a Principal Assistant at Midway Elementary in 2006, and she has served in various administrative roles across the region over the last 20 years. Most recently, Aden was a Principal on Special Assignment with Spokane Public Schools, serving as the lead substitute administrator supporting elementary, middle, and high schools in the district. Over the course of her career, she has collected experience in school operations, student behavior systems, staff development, community and family engagement, school improvement plans, as well as school- and district-wide collaboration. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, Theater Arts from Whitworth University, as well as a Master of Education in Educational Administration, also from Whitworth.

“I am so excited to join the Snowdon community and work collaboratively with Shawna and the entire building team,” Aden said. “I am grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to continuing to build upon the culture of inclusivity and student success already in place at Snowdon. I can’t wait to get started!”