A note from the Superintendent;

November is upon us, bringing with it the crisp air, the beauty of the Cascade foothills, and the deep tradition of Thanksgiving. As we approach this time of reflection and rest, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for the collective spirit and dedication of our entire KFCS community.

We have successfully navigated the first part of the 2025-2026 school year, and it is the strength and commitment demonstrated by every single person in our district that makes this possible. The classrooms are vibrant and our hallways are alive with learning and curiosity. This is a direct result of the hard work and partnership we share.

To our staff, our teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, maintenance team, nutrition services teams, administrators, bus drivers, and office personnel, I personally thank you. Your professionalism, resilience, and unwavering belief in our students form the bedrock of everything we achieve. You not only deliver instruction but also provide a safe, nurturing environment where every student feels seen and supported. Your commitment to excellence is truly what sets KFCS apart.

To our students, you are the reason we do what we do. Thank you for bringing your energy, your questions, and your creativity to school every day. We are so proud of the academic and personal growth you have shown this year. Continue to seek new challenges, celebrate your successes, and support one another.

And finally, to our KFCS families, we recognize the essential role you play. Your partnership, whether through volunteering, supporting homework, or simply encouraging a love of learning, is invaluable. Education is a shared journey, and we are grateful to walk alongside you as we prepare our students for bright futures.

As you gather with family and friends for the Thanksgiving break, I hope you find time to rest, relax and rewind.

We look forward to welcoming you all back, refreshed and ready for the exciting opportunities that lie ahead in the final months of 2025.

Wishing everyone a joyful Thanksgiving. May peace be with you.

Regards,

Keith A. Brown

By Joaquin Aguilar-Flores, KFCS

The smell of turkey filled the Klamath Falls City Schools transportation shop long before most people clocked in this morning. A small group had arrived early, some before sunrise, to prepare the annual Thanksgiving feed for transportation, maintenance and nutrition services staff.

The longtime organizer, who prefers not to be named, handled most of the cooking. But as the morning picked up, transportation mechanic, Mark McGahan stepped in to help.

“The girls cooked it,” McGahan said. “I cut it.”

McGahan has worked in the transportation department for 31 years, long enough to see the Thanksgiving gathering grow, change, disappear temporarily and come back.

“I’ve been here 31 years and we’ve been doing it ever since then,” McGahan said. “It’s like a yo-yo. Sometimes you’re a high family, everybody’s happy, then things happen, like COVID. The family values kind of went down then and now we’re back up where the family is working.”

“We invite all the departments who are here and it is just a chance for all of us to appreciate one another, break bread and thank each other for the hard work they do,” McGahan said.

A small team carrying big responsibility

McGahan is one of three mechanics in the transportation shop, working alongside office staff, dispatchers, drivers and maintenance crew. Their work extends far beyond routine repairs.

“Buses, maintenance rigs, snow work, snowplows, chainsaws,” McGahan said. “I clean the toilet once in a while … just do what needs to be done.”

The job also means responding at any hour when a bus breaks down, whether it’s midafternoon or in the middle of winter along Highway 58.

This year, McGahan said there has only been one major breakdown on Highway 58 while the Klamath Union girls soccer team was returning from a game early in the season.

“We gotta go get them if a bus breaks down and take care of it, get the kids out of harm’s way, and the driver,” McGahan said. “We stay where the bus is, try to fix it. Or if we have to call a tow truck, then we do.”

A job that spans generations

For McGahan, the most meaningful part is realizing how many cycles of students he has quietly supported.

“Thirty-one years ago, I started as a bus driver,” McGahan said. “So how many cycles of kids have I helped drive? Twelve grades … close to three cycles."

McGahan has watched students he first saw as kindergartners grow into high school seniors. Sometimes, students recognize him in town.

McGahan does not know the students’ names but recognizes students who have ridden on his bus.

“At stores they’ll walk up, say, ‘That was my bus driver. That’s the mechanic in the shop that works on the buses,’” McGahan said. “I know their faces … just through time.”

McGahan is a former baseball coach and military veteran who has been fortunate to see students grow into successful adults.

“You see that kid that first started kind of klutzy. Then, year after year, they get taller and stronger and smarter,” he said. “You’ve got a tie with them. It’s just cool. Then they move on. It’s a cycle.”

A belief in career pathways for students

McGahan speaks openly about how important trade programs are and is grateful programs are returning at KFCS. He’s especially excited about a partnership with Dylan Houser, a former transportation mechanic who left the shop last year to teach at Eagle Ridge New Tech High School.

The two have discussed a plan to help students understand what a career in mechanics can look like.

“I’ve got two hot rods that I built,” he said. “Dylan says he wants me to come to the school. I’ll take my hot rod, and I can go talk to them about it, what I’ve done, where I’ve come from. It might help kids out.”

Ponderosa Middle School hosted its first Bobcat Boutique today, a free clothing giveaway created to support students and families.

Ponderosa PTO member Cassandra Cuellar played a major role in preparing for the boutique early this morning, along with many Ponderosa staff. Cuellar first heard about the idea during a PTO meeting and immediately stepped forward.

Cuellar has a son in eighth grade at Ponderosa and is also the mother of Lamar and Jamar, who graduated from Klamath Union High School in 2024.

“I saw the emails come through and said, ‘I’m all in. Let me know what you need,’” Cuellar said. “With everything going on right now, food stamps changing and people having a harder time, we just wanted to help families.”

Over the past week, families, teachers and community members donated hundreds of clothing items.

As school ended, a large wave of students filled trash and paper bags with clothes they liked and took them home.

“I got here around nine and was in the art room pulling everything out, organizing it, sorting it. It was a lot of clothes, way more than I expected,” Cuellar said. “When the kids came in earlier, they were so excited. Kids love thrifting and being able to choose things for themselves … with it being free, it was huge. They didn’t have to ask their parents for money.”

Today was the first of two days where the boutique will be open for families to take clothes home. The second date will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3 at Ponderosa.

“You saw kids from every walk of life in there,” Cuellar said. “It wasn’t just kids in need. Everybody felt comfortable grabbing something. There was no judgment. And honestly, kids can be tough on each other these days, but today you saw them being kind and excited for one another.”

Students were encouraged to take items not only for themselves but for their families as well. Ponderosa plans to continue collecting donations of clothes at the school’s front office before the Dec. 3 giveaway.

“As they came in, we told them, ‘Grab something for your sibling, or your auntie, or even for Christmas gifts.’ And they loved that,” Cuellar said. “It made the whole thing even more special.”

Klamath Falls City Schools celebrated an early Thanksgiving at lunch today with a special holiday meal for all students and staff. The menu featured a classic spread, including:

• Roast Turkey
• Cornbread Dressing
• Mashed Potatoes with Turkey Gravy
• Green Beans
• Glazed Sweet Potatoes
• Dinner Roll
• Cranberry Sauce
• Apple Crisp
• Daily Fruit

Our nutrition services team went the extra mile to make the meal feel homemade. Staff prepared the turkey yesterday, with each one taking 4–5 hours to cook to perfection.

Thank you to our incredible staff for bringing the warmth of Thanksgiving to our schools! 🦃🍽️

The day before Thanksgiving break, a group of Ponderosa Middle School leadership students spent their afternoon surrounded by canned goods, fresh potatoes, donated beef and frozen turkeys. With Thanksgiving approaching, the students helped assemble Thanksgiving food boxes, packages which will go to some of the school’s highest-need families.

The project came together through a collaboration of community partners and school staff. Staunton Farms donated bags of potatoes, Hartman Cattle provided beef, and the Ponderosa Parent-Teacher Organization contributed $500 to purchase the remaining items. Vice principal Katey Limb and school counselor Brittany Clark spent Wednesday afternoon at the grocery store, buying turkeys and all the fixings needed to build full meal boxes. 

After contacting families privately and respectfully, the school prepared to distribute food boxes for 10 families, ultimately assembling 11 boxes for 12 households.

But on Thursday, the final step belonged to the students. Eighth graders Jude Johnson and Iris McCray helped organize ingredients and assemble the boxes alongside their classmates.

“It’s more of a pleasure for me to put stuff into a box and give it out for people to share as a family,” Johnson said. “It means a lot to me, and it’s actually (like) Capturing Kids’ Hearts what we are trying to do.”

For McCray, the experience carried a personal connection.

“I really like doing it because I remember during COVID, when my mom was pregnant with my littlest brother, we needed money, and we had to get food boxes from the churches,” McCray said. “So it’s really important for me to be able to give back because that’s what people did for me.”

Leadership students typically plan dances, spirit weeks, and school events. When Limb asked for student volunteers to help build the boxes, the response was immediate. 

“Mr. (Kurt) Lonner told us on Tuesday in our web meeting that we would be able to help,” McCray said. 

It was an opportunity McCray said she was grateful to take, knowing she will be moving to Virginia at the end of the school year. McCray has found joy in being involved in many activities while being a student at both Ponderosa and Eagle Ridge New Tech High School.

“I really wanted to get my last share of helping, because I want to be able to help as much as I can before I’m gone.”

For McCray, leadership extends beyond school. Through agriculture coursework, she’s learned to design products, sell them and build social skills. 

“It’s practicing being able to cope with people saying no to you, and trying to change their mind without breaking down,” McCray said

Johnson said this type of service work aligns with the kind of leader he hopes to become. 

Families picked up their food boxes at Ponderosa Friday.

“I hope to grow up to be a leader for people in the future,” Johnson said. “And I think we all grow up and hope that when we’re older. So yes, of course, I hope I’m a leader when I’m older. That is why we are here today, to help someone else who really needed it.”

Eagle Ridge New Tech High School students stepped away from their classrooms Friday afternoon and into the bustling dining hall at the Klamath Basin Senior Citizens’ Center, lending their hands and service during one of the center’s busiest lunch services of the year.

With more than a hundred seniors filling the room, students circulated between tables, refilled drinks and helped ensure meals reached everyone quickly. For many, it was more than a school requirement; it was a chance to see their community from a new perspective.

“It’s nice just seeing everybody’s faces,” Eagle Ridge sophomore Michael Driskell said. “I’m getting a bunch of compliments for my height, it’s a really nice thing. I love doing this.”

A Culture of Service

Eagle Ridge students are required to complete community service hours before graduation. Driskell said volunteering has become part of their school culture, something students encourage each other to stay involved in.

“We go around the school and encourage people to come get their community service hours and do this for the town,” Driskell said. “We want the most students to come and help.”

Driskell, who also helps lead the school’s leadership team, said opportunities like Friday’s embody what he appreciates most about Eagle Ridge.

“The teachers are really close and understanding of you,” he said. “It makes me actively want to come to school.”

Sophomore Noah Clayton agrees. Like Driskell, Clayton has volunteered at the senior center before, including St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas events. 

“When I was here last year, it was actually pretty fun,” Clayton said. “Some students need the community service hours, but I also know a couple of seniors at our school who are here just because they like it.”

Beyond volunteering, Clayton is heavily involved in leadership, agriculture mechanics and business. He presents monthly at the Klamath Falls City Schools Board of Education meetings, an opportunity he said has helped him build confidence and represent Eagle Ridge with pride.

“It’s nice to be somebody the school depends on for that,” Clayton said. “Somebody who actually talks out for it.”

Behind the Kitchen Doors

Kitchen manager at the senior center, Chauncy Linke, said the event required early preparation.

“This morning, Nate and I came in at 4 o’clock so we could start,” Linke said. “With that many people coming in, we had to make sure everybody had a meal.”

Linke said the senior center relies heavily on volunteers, always welcoming Eagle Ridge students to lend a hand whenever they can.

She added while seniors over 60 or veterans eat free at the holiday meal, the day-to-day operation of the center is made possible by donations and grant support, including a recent Meals on Wheels grant that helped fund the Thanksgiving lunch.

For Linke, watching teenagers give their time to serve seniors offered a glimpse of what community looks like at its best.

“We don’t want to turn anybody away if they were to come eat here today,” Linke said. “Events like this, we couldn’t do without volunteers. Our big volunteers today are these Eagle Ridge students.” 

The basketball season is underway at Ponderosa Middle School.

Ponderosa girls basketball (Ponderosa gold teams) in all grades played in games Monday evening against Lakeview High School.

The Bobcats continued growing in their sport, learning fundamentals in basketball, while gaining experience and having playing time on their home court.

KFCS Board of Education

Andrea Jensen, Zone 1, Roosevelt - andrea.jensen@kfcityschools.org

Andrew Biggs, Zone 2, At-Large - andrew.biggs@kfcityschools.org

Vanessa Bennett, Zone 3, Conger - vanessa.bennett@kfcityschools.org

Kathy Hewitt, Zone 4, Mills - kathy.hewitt@kfcityschools.org

Trina Perez, Zone 5, Pelican - trina.perez@kfcityschools.org

Kelsey Bitzer, Zone 6, At-Large - Kelsey.bitzer@kfcityschools.org

Nicole Trejo, Zone 7 At-Large - Nicole.trejo@kfcityschools.org

Notice of Nondiscrimination

Klamath Falls City Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status in its programs, activities, or employment practices. For more information, please visit our website at Nondiscrimination and Title IX webpage