Sheridan, Willamina back in classroom after outbreak

Sheridan High School students returned to in-person learning Monday, while all Willamina students were back in their classrooms today following COVID-19 outbreaks in the West Valley.

Three Willamina High students and one other student were diagnosed with COVID, Superintendent Carrie Zimbrick announced Friday, April 16.

The Bulldog baseball and football teams were also exposed, she said. The football team had already played its last game of the season, against Sheridan, and the baseball team had previously started its season with a game against Warrenton.

“We determined that our students were not at risk of exposure from the Willamina students,” Sheridan Superintendent Dorie Vickery said.

Zimbrick also said more than 100 Willamina students were advised to quarantine due to potential COVID exposure.

The outbreak led to the closure of the Oaken Hills Drive campus last week. Staff members did a thorough cleaning of the facilities prior to students returning to cohorts Tuesday, April 27.

Monday has been a day designated for staff planning during the pandemic, with no students on campus.

“I think kids were disappointed to be out, but families certainly appreciated the school being proactive regarding safety and efforts to minimize further spread of the virus,” Zimbrick said. “Our staff staff met with kids virtually, some even did home visits.”

During the weeklong, districtwide closure, meal distribution sites were shut down but meal deliveries were provided upon request, according to Willamina Food Service Director Lynne Brown Shore.

In Sheridan, Vickery announced Thursday, April 22, a high school student was confirmed positive for COVID, which required closing the school cohorts for the week and canceling athletic events. Classes resumed Monday, and extracurricular activities were back on schedule.