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Posts Tagged ‘Coupeville High School’

“She has been leading with vision and heart”

Posted in Administration, tagged , , , , on May 8, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Becky Cays

New year, new title.

Becky Cays, who was hired as Coupeville Middle School Principal and High School/Middle School Athletic Director before the start of the 2025-2026 school year, is getting an official promotion.

She will be the new High School/Middle School Principal, in a move announced Friday by Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood.

Cays new gig becomes official once approved by the school board.

She will be the third CHS Principal in as many years, as her predecessors, Geoff Kappes and Dan Berard, were both placed on administrative leave by Leatherwood, then later resigned.

Cays has been the acting principal for both schools since Berard’s departure.

“If your student attends either school, you may already know Mrs. Cays,” Leatherwood said in a community newsletter. “She has been a steady, caring, and highly capable presence in both buildings.

“Over the past several months, Mrs. Cays stepped forward to lead both campuses at the same time.

“During that period, she has built strong leadership teams, supported students through positive behavior frameworks, ensured every teacher received a formal evaluation, and kept both schools moving forward without missing a beat.

“She did not just fill a role. She has been leading with vision and heart.”

Prior to arriving in Coupeville, Cays, who is a Washington state native, most recently worked as the K-12 Assistant Principal at the International Schools Group in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Her education career has taken her to areas as diverse as Redmond and Indonesia.

With Cays officially becoming principal of two Coupeville schools, there are two other tweaks planned for the administration moving forward.

Former longtime Athletic Director Willie Smith, who has been covering the position since Cays stepped in for Berard, will work next year as a Teacher on Special Assignment and once again be the guiding hand behind Wolf athletics.

Meanwhile, counselor Lori Atlas will complete her principal internship, while adding additional leadership presence across both campuses.

“Together, this team ensures that both the middle school and the high school have visible, accessible, and caring adults who know your students by name,” Leatherwood said.

“We know stability matters to families. We know you want to see leadership that is present in the hallways, at events, and engaged with the life of the school.

“That is exactly what this team is built to deliver.”

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CHS Principal changing jobs

Posted in Administration, tagged , , , , on February 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Dan Berard

Coupeville High School will have its third principal in as many years when the 2026-2027 school year begins.

Dan Berard, who is in his first year in the district after a 27-year education career in Mount Vernon, is stepping down as CHS Principal and Career and Technical Education Director.

But he’s not leaving the prairie.

In a letter sent to students and families, Berard said “due to changing family health needs, I will be stepping away from my role as principal at the end of this school year to accept a different position within the Coupeville School District beginning next year.”

“This has been a thoughtful and personal decision,” he added.

“Serving as principal of Coupeville High School has been one of the greatest honors of my career.”

Berard’s new position has not been publicly revealed yet, with his letter saying, “in the coming weeks, the district will share more information about leadership transition plans.”

In that letter, Berard spoke glowingly of his time as Principal/CTE Director.

“I am deeply proud of our students, grateful for our dedicated staff, and appreciative of the partnership we share with families and this community,” he said.

“While my role will change, my commitment to our students and to Coupeville remains strong.

“I am thankful to continue serving within the district in a capacity that allows me to support my family while remaining part of this incredible school community.”

With four months remaining in this school year, Berard intends to keep things moving along smoothly.

“Please know that I am fully committed to finishing this school year strong,” he said.

“Our focus remains on supporting students academically, socially, and emotionally as we move toward graduation, spring activities, and all the important milestones ahead.”

Berard replaced Geoff Kappes after he resigned as Coupeville’s high school and middle school principal, while also picking up the CTE duties.

Becky Cays was hired as CMS Principal and CHS/CMS Athletic Director and remains in those positions.

Before coming to Whidbey, Berard was most recently the Executive Director of Operations for the Mount Vernon School District.

He previously worked as a teacher, middle school principal, assistant principal, dean of students, and athletic director, starting in Mount Vernon schools in 1998.

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Get yer roster here for Grad Day!

Posted in Graduation, tagged , , , , 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.

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CMS/CHS Robotics wants you!

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , , 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.

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“I offer my deepest apologies to the school”

Posted in letters to the editor, tagged , , , 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. 

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