Cascade School District celebrates standout year in academics, arts and athletics

LEAVENWORTH — As Cascade School District enters a new school year, it’s taking a moment to reflect on the highlights of the previous year, outlining a number of academic, arts, and athletic milestones across the district.

District and School Staff Highlights

Beaver Valley teacher and Robotics Coach Eric Tiegel was a finalist for the 2024 STEM Champion of the year. Anastasia Haberberger and Luis Mendoza were selected as employees of the year by the school district.

Cascade School District was recognized by OSPI and Washington State as a Green Ribbon School District for its commitment to environmental sustainability and education. It also received a soil-friendly school district designation from Winton Manufacturing Compost Works for its ongoing composting and education surrounding it.

CSD installed a propane station for propane-fueled school buses, successfully reviewed two levies, and secured an articulation agreement with Spokane Community College, allowing high school students to receive college credit for fire sciences.

The U.S. News and World Report honored Alpine Lakes Elementary School and Icicle River Middle School and two of the best schools in Washington.

Sports Highlights

Cascade High School had a record setting year for athletes, as well as multiple district and state successes.

In track and field, Eli Webb, Will Biebesheimer, Quinten Koch, and Ezra Week set a new record in the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 43.76, surpassing the previous mark of 44.44 set in 2003. Week also broke two individual records: one for long jump distance (previously set in 1992) and another for the 100 meter sprint (last set in 2015). In basketball, Rieke hit 56 three-pointers in a single season, breaking the previous record of 49 held by Megan Franza since 1996.

The Cascade Kodiak Cross Country team earned the Caribou Trail League Champions title for both the boys’ and girls’ teams, with a 7th place 2024 State Championship title for the girls, and a 10th finish for the boys. Grace McDevitt made the third-fastest 5k time in CHS history; Ben Jerome had the the fifth-fastest mark all-time at CHS.

Both the tennis and golf teams had successful district finishes. 9th grade golfer Ryann Johnson finished 3rd overall at the district tournament. In tennis, district runner-up Lola Rieke, fourth-place finisher Grace McDevitt, and doubles champions Jonas Johnson and Caden Peterson all qualified for state. 

Cascade sent 10 wrestlers to the 1A State Tournament, with Cruz Martinez, Abraham Gonzalez, and Damian Sandoval earning multiple wins. Both Icicle River Middle School and CHS girls’ basketball teams had strong seasons, as well as CHS girls’ soccer, who went undefeated in league play.

Most significantly, the CHS seniors secured their first victory in 16 years during the Gizzled Old Men vs. Seniors basketball game.  The annual tradition brings together a team of older community members – typically alumni, staff or local figures – in a fun and spirited rivalry against the seniors.

Academic and Extracurricular Highlights

CHS seniors Caroline Menna and Cruz Martinez-Nieto were nominated for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Martinez made it to the semi-finalist round, and Menna was selected as a winner of the program.

The CHS Knowledge Bowl team was 4th in the state, earning a second in state for their division. The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) had three teams and one individual who made it to finals at the State Business Leadership Conference. The publications team attended the National High School Journalism Convention, with Paige R. earning recognition for her yearbook copy/caption.

A record number of Child Development 2 students took and passed the ETS ParaPro Assessment, a rigorous exam designed to meet requirements through the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board.

Twelve CHS students attended the 2025 Technology Student Association (TSA) State Competition; Kyrianna Ross won the Washington State Pin Design, Ross and Kate Smith were top five finalists for Fashion Design and Marit Helper took second place in Promotional design. Four students participated in the national competitions this summer, with the video game team placing fourth, and the problem solving team placing seventh.

CHS Students Kai Krejci, Kate Smith, Edith Perez, Todd Lindsay, and DW Henson performed at the 2025 Solo and Ensemble Competition, each winning 1st place in regionals. The Jazz Band hosted over 400 students in the 2025 Leavenworth Jazz Festival, the CHS Band marched in the Autumn Leaf and Maifest parades, and the Cascade Crescendo Campaign supported the choir for its second year. The drama department presented Harry Potter parody “Puffs,” and “Alice in Wonderland Jr.,” which involved over 75 students from throughout the district’s elementary, middle and high schools.

Under the direction of art teacher Teara Dillon, CHS graphic design students created a mural for Sage Mountain Food & Deli, using a combination of two designs done by students Mia Dreis and Hazel Eschen.

Alpine Lakes and Icicle River students had success in Math is Cool competitions, with both the 6th grade team and 7th and 8th grade team each placing second overall in the top divisions. The 4th grade team won first place, with seven of the top ten performers from Alpine Lakes.

Beaver Valley Elementary School was selected to participate in the 2025 Environmental and Sustainability Literacy Student Summit, based on its hands-on ecological learning experiences, such as trail camera and wildlife monitoring.

Additionally, Icicle River Middle School student Calder Fiske and his family raised money for a new mountain lion mascot, which will be left with the school when Fiske graduates to high school.

Other notable moments include the ¡La Chispa! leadership workshop, Home Link students attending the Indian Hemp Symposium, 5th grade students visiting the Wellington Avalanche site, CSD’s Migrant Health Fair, and the highly capable program’s visit to Tall Timber.

The district’s full year-in-review document can be found at cascadesd.org. Previous years can be found under “School Board” on the district webpage.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media