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Students, parents press board to keep boys volleyball and add sustainability to the strategic plan

North Clackamas School District Board of Directors · December 12, 2025
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Summary

Several students and parents urged the North Clackamas board to preserve and support boys volleyball programs and to embed sustainability into the strategic plan; speakers cited rapid program growth, community-building, reusable cafeteria practices and school green-team projects.

Public comment at the Dec. 11 North Clackamas board meeting focused on student-led athletics and school sustainability.

Jacob Squires, a Nelson Hawks student from Happy Valley, told the board boys volleyball has grown rapidly and provides a community for students who may not fit other sports. "Removing this program from OSAA wouldn't just cut a program. It would take away opportunities, culture, and a place to call home," Squires said, describing tryout growth from roughly 50-80 students to 80-100 in successive seasons.

Trey Emerson, also representing Nelson, described personal development and relationships forged through volleyball and asked the board to preserve the program's place in OSAA and the district.

Jennifer Heard, speaking for Nelson High School boys volleyball, recounted the team's grassroots founding two seasons ago, its advancement to the state tournament (fifth place) and said the program has been self-funded while seeking district budgeting for the future. "We really just wanna be self funded... giving the district time to figure out how we can get budget money next year," Heard said.

Speakers also urged the board to include sustainability as a core value in the district strategic plan. Kimberly Morris of EcoSchool Network and her daughter Bridal (Ardenwald) highlighted school green teams, reusable utensils, "steel cows" milk dispensers, and composting as practices they want written into the strategic plan so they persist regardless of vendor changes.

Noemi (Milwaukee El Puente) described community clothing swaps and reusable-cup initiatives and warned that when sustainability is not codified, some schools revert away from practices that students and parents have created.

The board thanked speakers and noted the student voice heard in both the public-comment period and later during the youth equity advisory committee presentation.