Riverbend Community School has a new name and a new place to call home

Students work on a documentary film for their arts and media class last year. Their school is now named Riverbend Community School and will be housed at Columbia Gorge Community College. The charter school was formerly called Wahtonka Community School. Photo by Sean O'Connor 

By Tom Peterson

The Charter School reached a deal recently to lease four classrooms from Columbia Gorge Community College and intends on offering an array of science, technology, engineering and math as well as career technical education. 
Students have picked a new name to reboot: Riverbend Community School - (Formerly Wahtonka Community school).
Riverbend Executive Director Stacey Shaw said they are in the process of moving into their new offices and classrooms. 
“It is going to be a good fresh start for this school,” said Shaw. 
The school currently has seven teachers and will provide classes in partnership with the college to give students skills in areas such culinary arts and possibly manufacturing. 
Riverbend will be housed on the third floor of CGCC’s Building 1, which also houses the cafeteria and library. 
Riverbend is a charter school operating within the North Wasco County School District and as such is focusing their educational goals to meld with student career training goals. The school is capped at just 60 students under its current charter.
Big things come in little packages. Shaw said teachers at the school are getting dual certified in order to teach college-level classes that bring dual credits - which are good toward both college and high school diplomas.
While no formal plans have been set, the new location for the community school does present additional opportunities to partner with CGCC and give high school students added chances to investigate other careers.  
For example, the multi-million dollar Treaty Oak Regional Skills Center currently under construction by CGCC will offer career-tech training in family-wage skills currently seeing high demand locally and across the Pacific Northwest.
The skills center will grow the welding program into a modern metal fabrication program. Construction trades and aviation maintenance training will also become available.
Parents and students wanting more information about opportunities at Riverbend Community School can go to: https://riverbendcommunityschool.org/