Oak Harbor schools name Susie Diamond as next student board representative

Oak Harbor Public Schools is using student voice and measurable classroom gains to show families what success looks like now. The district named Oak Harbor High School sophomore Susie Diamond as its next student board representative, and the same update put Hillcrest, Crescent Harbor and Olympic View elementary schools in the spotlight for state recognition.

Diamond was appointed at the Oak Harbor School Board of Directors’ Monday, May 11 meeting and will serve next school year as the junior student representative after senior representative Allena Locklear graduates. Diamond said, “I truly love this community and would be honored to represent Oak Harbor as a whole.” She also said the people around her helped her adapt, and she wants to help other students feel that same sense of belonging.

The student board seat has become a meaningful part of how Oak Harbor handles governance. Board materials say the role exists to make sure student voices are heard and to support student equity and accessibility. Locklear, who was sworn in as a student representative in September 2024, has used her board bio to emphasize those same goals while balancing athletics, robotics, choir and National Honor Society.

The district’s academic recognition carries the same message for families. Hillcrest Elementary School, Crescent Harbor Elementary School and Olympic View Elementary School were recognized by the Washington State Board of Education and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for the 2024-2025 school year. The Washington School Recognition Program, a joint effort with the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee, honors schools in categories that include Closing Gaps, Growth and Achievement.

Statewide, 379 schools in 150 districts were recognized for 2024-2025, down from 406 schools in 154 districts the year before. That puts Oak Harbor’s three schools in a smaller pool of campuses meeting the state’s standards for progress, a distinction that matters in a district where families often look to test scores, growth measures and gap-closing efforts as evidence that classrooms are working.

Leadership changes also point to continuity inside the district. Oak Harbor Public Schools selected Amanda Reed as the next assistant principal of North Whidbey Middle School, highlighting her 19 years there as a special education teacher and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support coach. The district said Reed stood out from a strong applicant pool, a sign that internal experience still carries weight in hiring decisions.

The district also asked families to show up for a Government Accountability Office parent input session at 12:30 p.m. on May 18 at 350 S Oak Harbor Street. The session invited families from Crescent Harbor Elementary, Hand-in-Hand Early Learning Center, HomeConnection, Oak Harbor Virtual Academy and Olympic View Elementary to weigh in on school conditions, impacts on students and military families, and ideas for improvement. Oak Harbor High School’s production of She Kills Monsters ran May 14-16, with a matinee on May 16, adding another example of student participation beyond the classroom.