Posted in Graduation, tagged Bailey Thule, CHS Wolves, Coupeville High School, graduation, Taylor Brotemarkle on June 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Pamela Morrell and Marz Halstead are award-winning members of the Coupeville High School Class of 2025. (Jackie Saia photo)
The list goes 67 names deep.
Coupeville High School will send the Class of 2025 out into the world Saturday, holding graduation at 1:00 PM at Mickey Clark Field.
Before the latest batch of Wolves get their diplomas, take a few moments to scan the list, which runs from Auen to Wyman.
Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged Alison Perera, Coupeville High School, Coupeville Middle School, Lego, robotics on June 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Build the future, today!
Well, OK, things don’t actually get going until September, but you get the point.
Coupeville schools are putting a big push on robotics, with a two-pronged approach.
They want to expand their middle school team, which is open to students in grades 6-8, while also developing their first team at the high school (9-12) level.
For more info, take a gander at the photo above and contact Alison Perera at aperera@coupeville.k12.wa.us.
Posted in letters to the editor, tagged apology, Coupeville High School, memories, tuning fork on June 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »
It’s never too late to fix the mistakes of the past.
That’s what one longtime Coupeville resident hopes to achieve with an apology for youthful shenanigans.
The CHS grad, who has gone on to have a very positive impact on the community where they grew up and still live, has asked not to be identified, as they don’t want praise for their current actions.
In their words:
Around fifty years ago I made a bad decision.
That decision was to follow some peer pressure to enter the high school late one night.
We didn’t break into the school; we just knew a way in that wouldn’t damage anything.
Once inside we just ran around for a bit and then for some reason we decided to each take something as a reminder of our collective mischief.
My item was a tuning fork.
I am ashamed of my actions so long ago and offer my deepest apologies to the school, the faculty and the community that supported me through my education.
Since very shortly after that day I occasionally have been trying to think of a way to make my bad decision right.
I hope by coming forward with this it may help another vulnerable adolescent from bowing to peer pressure and making a bad decision that you may regret.
I am going to remain anonymous because previously I came forward to admit a mistake that I had made to someone and I ended up getting praise and good thoughts for admitting my errors.
I don’t want or deserve anything good out of this.
I just hope that this admission will help someone else from making a mistake they may regret.
The tuning fork has long ago disappeared so I can’t return it, so I have made a donation to a scholarship for CHS students.
Again, I sincerely apologize for my mistake.
Posted in Administration, tagged Coupeville High School, Dan Berard, Geoff Kappes, Mount Vernon, new hire on April 27, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Dan Berard
Less than two weeks after the resignation of Coupeville High School/Middle School Principal Geoff Kappes, Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood has announced the tentative hiring of Dan Berard as his replacement.
The hire is not official until approved by the school board.
Because of a recent restructuring of job duties, the new hire is not a straight replacement for Kappes.
Instead, Berard, who has spent the last 27 years in the Mount Vernon School District, is being hired as the high school principal and Career and Technical Education Director.
A second new hire, yet to be announced, will come on as middle school principal and CHS/CMS Athletic Director.
Pending board approval, Berard is set to start July 1.
“Mr. Berard was selected through a comprehensive process that included a panel interview with 11 staff members, a student-led tour with questions developed by our students, and opportunities for staff observation and feedback,” Leatherwood said in a community newsletter sent out Sunday afternoon.
“This thorough approach helped us identify a candidate who closely aligns with the qualities our community indicated were most important in our principal search survey.”
Berard is currently the Executive Director of Operations for the Mount Vernon School District, a role he has held for the past 10 months.
He has previously worked as a teacher, middle school principal, assistant principal, dean of students, and athletic director, starting in Mount Vernon schools in 1998.
Posted in Everything changes, tagged Coupeville High School, Geoff Kappes, principal, resignation on April 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »
CHS/CMS Principal Geoff Kappes has stepped down. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Coupeville High School/Middle School Principal Geoff Kappes, who has been out since late last year, has resigned his position.
“After careful consideration I have decided to resign as principal of CMHS,” he said in a statement.
“Thank you for allowing me to serve as your principal.
“It has been such a privilege to witness our children grow and flourish,” he added. “Every day, I have been inspired by their determination and kindness.
“Watching them develop into thoughtful, capable young adults has been the most rewarding aspect of my role.”
Kappes, who has been a teacher, coach, and administrator during two tours of duty in Coupeville schools, was part of a team which helped the district make it successfully through the pandemic.
He and wife Christie, a teacher at the high school, have two sons who attend Coupeville schools, and the family has been at the forefront of community activity.
While his next job will be someplace else, Geoff Kappes said he has been greatly impacted by his time in Wolf Nation.
“The academic achievements, artistic performances, athletic successes, and acts of service I’ve witnessed have reinforced my belief in the extraordinary potential of Coupeville kids,” he said.
“I will carry the memories of my time here with me always and I wish you the best of luck.”
Geoff Kappes and CHS/CMS Assistant Principal Allyson Cundiff were placed on “non-disciplinary leave pending an investigation” Dec. 16, though district officials declined to say why.
A records request by the Whidbey News-Times surfaced documents related to the handling of two incidents.
One involved a “club” which made social media posts threatening sexual assault of ethnic minority individuals, and one involved the sharing of a video allegedly depicting an off-campus assault.
Records show three students were expelled while others received suspensions in relation to the two unrelated incidents.
Cundiff was brought back in “a new capacity” Mar. 19, with Coupeville Schools Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood saying Cundiff would “be helping with various administrative tasks that support our school buildings and student needs.”
In a statement Tuesday, Leatherwood indicated the district intends to “implement a new leadership structure” while thanking Kappes for his work.
“We sincerely appreciate his many years of dedicated service and the positive impact he has made on students and our school community during his tenure,” she wrote.
“We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
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