School Board Spotlight Awards
Big Future National Recognition Program: FGHS Student Recipients

- Maintain a GPA of at least 3.5 or higher
- Identify as BIPOC, first generation and/or attending a high school in a rural area
- Score in the top 10% of PSAT takers in Oregon
- Earn 3s or better on at least two different AP exams
FGHS student Eamon Boyle

Migrant Family Engagement Specialists, Elvira Jasofat and Ruby Robles

FGSD Speech Language Pathologist, Laura Ryba

FGHS Mariachi Tradicion

It is important to acknowledge the endless support from parents and the community, which has been instrumental in providing the resources needed for this program to thrive. Their dedication has allowed this ensemble to flourish and create beautiful music together.
-
- The remarkable journey of Mariachi Tradicion's includes unforgettable performances such as:
- Opening for comedian George Lopez at the Keller Auditorium and the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland.
- Performing at the PDX Jazz Festival and the Soul'd Out Productions opening set for La Santa Cecilia at the Revolution Hall.
- A special collaboration with the Oregon Symphony and Edna Vazquez at the Arlene Schnitzer.
- Performing at the Pickathon Music Festival in 2022 on the Windmill and Lucky Barn stages.
- A captivating opening set for Mariachi Vargas at the Keller Auditorium.
- A performance at the Portland Art Museum for the Frida Kahlo + Diego Rivera Exhibit.
- Collaborating with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony at the Arlene Schnitzer.
- An opening set for Mariachi Garibaldi at the Patricia Reser Performing Arts Center in Beaverton.
- Sharing their story and performing at the Milagro Theater in Portland.
- Performing at the PDX Jazz Festival opening up for Mariachi Flor de Toloache.
- Appearing on OPB’s “Think Out Loud” with David Miller.
- And most recently opening up for Mariachi Los Camperos at the Newmark Theater in August followed by an exclusive master class under the direction of Chuy Guzman.
- And being the only high school group this year at the Mariachi Festival at the Hops Stadium.
In addition, Mariachi Tradicion has also participated in numerous prestigious out of state mariachi events, including the Tucson International Mariachi Festival in Arizona and the FESTIBA Mariachi Festival at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Mariachi education is growing quickly in the state of Oregon, and we are proud to say that Mariachi Tradicion is recognized as one of the best high school mariachi’s in our state, winning first place at the Oregon State Ensemble Competition which is led and organized by the Oregon Music Educators Association.
Please join me in celebrating Mariachi Tradicion for their dedication, talent, and the vibrant cultural impact they continue to make in our community!
Kayla Davidson
Kayla Davidson, “Ms. D” as the kids call her, is a natural teacher inside the classroom and out. She grew up volunteering in her mother’s classroom in Hawaii. When Kayla moved to Oregon to attend Pacific University she continued to go back during winter and summer breaks to support her mother’s students. Her love and pride for her own culture and her home, Hawaii, shows in her own classroom here in Oregon. Her students know that they are her ‘ohana. “Ohana is used in native Hawaiian culture for one’s social support system, including one’s nuclear family, extended family, close friends and colleagues, and other communities or groups they belong to. When you’re part of an ohana, you have an obligation to take care of those in your circles, and they have an obligation to take care of you.” (https://www.dictionary.com/e/translations/ohana/). Kayla works incredibly hard, no matter what setting, to create a family and community with the people around her.
As a multicultural, multiracial educator, Kayla actively incorporates diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging practices in her classroom with a primary focus on meeting the social-emotional needs of her students. She encourages students to embrace and celebrate their diverse backgrounds through various means such as conversations, inclusive book representations, and engaging projects. Kayla has been an active member of the Equity team in her building and at the District level. She joins the summer program each year to teach migrant summer school. She is a district and building PAX partner, ensuring that all of the educators in her building have access to these inclusive strategies. Her differentiation strategies elevate her teaching practices. Ms. D. has also been known to show up to support her students at their extra curricular events. She honors and educates the whole child.
Kayla's dedication to professional growth is evident in her successful pursuit of National Board certification 2022 and in 2023 enrolled at George Fox University to receive her Doctorate in Education and Administrative License. She was part of her district’s latest Literacy Adoption and is known for working with the district curriculum, differentiating lessons, making them engaging and relatable to her students. In her classroom, mistakes are not only accepted but encouraged as part of the learning process.
Kayla’s professional growth is not purely personal, she believes in lifting her building, district and profession. During her career she has mentored and opened up her classroom ‘ohana to 4 aspiring teachers through local University teacher training programs. Kayla is the team lead of the Washington County Early Student Success team at Fern Hill Elementary and traveled to the Ed Leader Conference in St. Louis 2023 with leaders from her Forest Grove School District. In St. Louis, she was part of the team that will be working on putting the Forest Grove School District strategic plan into action in classrooms.
Above all, Ms. D. is an educator that has created a safe and inclusive space where students feel free to make mistakes, learn, and flourish. She is respected by her fellow educators and administrators. Kayla’s classroom is a place where students can proudly and confidently be themselves, achieving identity safety that allows them to grow from where they are.
Kayla works in a diverse setting. Her school, Fern Hill Elementary, is a PK-4, Title 1 school with 100% free breakfast and lunch. The student body is 65% Hispanic, 29% White, 1% Asian, 1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 3% of students with two or more ethnicities. 79% of the children are ELLs and in her class this year she has 3 Newcomer students from Central America. Her students come to her with diverse needs and Kayla meets all of them where they are, supports and pushes them to be the best they can be.
Kayla's natural ability to create community in her classroom shows to not only to her students and their families but the staff around her. We have seen first hand through parent-teacher conferences that she supports, assumes the best and truly connects with families. Furthermore, our district has implemented an SEL survey which provides data on how students feel about their school experience. We can see from the data that her students feel welcomed, supported, and excited to come to school and learn. This is such an important piece to their education and Kayla’s students know that they always have her support, even after leaving her classroom.