Admin Minute

Greetings Ferris Families,


The word I want to emphasize in this week’s SNAP is engagement. Engagement makes a difference in everything we do. As we head into the final semester of the year, I want to encourage all our students to engage in at least one sport or activity. Research tells us that students perform better academically if they are involved in clubs, activities and sports. Beyond that, it is fun to be part of something and we all learn a lot from working with others.

I also want to encourage all our families to stay engaged with students and their grades, activities, and how their school experience is going. As a parent of teenagers myself, I know this can be difficult. They may think they don’t need us, but they need us now more than ever. As always if you need any assistance supporting your Ferris Saxon, please reach out to one of our staff members. We are always happy to help and committed to partnering with you to support your child.

I will end this week’s SNAP with just a few examples of the fruits of engagement here at Ferris High School:

  • 87% of our students are currently passing all their classes. This could go a little higher after the dust settles for 1st semester, but this is a good sign that our students and staff are connecting and moving our academic focus forward! Our students and staff are amazing!
  • The Ferris Cheer Team won a State Championship! This is a huge win, and we are so excited for our team. It will be a lot of fun to raise another state championship banner in the gym!
  • Ferris Choir solo and ensemble students won first place in the region! Ferris swept the competition and over half the students qualifying for the state competition were Ferris students!
  • Seven of our Wrestlers qualified for districts! Six boys and one girl qualified while 3 boys are alternates for the tournament. Nice job Saxon grapplers!
  • Ferris Basketball has finished the regular season strong: Our girls’ team is the 3rd seed in the district tournament and our boys have a play-in game this Thursday night. Let’s gooooo!
  • Over 34 clubs will be meeting before or after school or at lunch this week. Club Day this past Monday gave students the opportunity to check out new interests. Each club is a great opportunity to get connected!
  • Pre-Engineering program students met with McKinstry Engineers to brainstorm ideas for engineering projects and pitch specific design ideas.
  • Academic, Arts, and CTE programs keep rolling along. We have many CTE, Arts, and Academic programs preparing for future competitions as they sharpen their skills in anticipation. We know success doesn’t happen by accident! Great job preparing!


Spring sports are approaching fast. If your student is interested in participating in boys soccer, track and field, tennis, golf, softball, or baseball, make sure they get signed up through final forms. Connect with Emily Schutz or Jonn Covell if you have any questions about how to do that.


Again, there is more I could mention, but we would run out of time and space. Thank you again for trusting us with your kids. Reach out if you have any questions or need support. Have a wonderful week!


All the best,


John O’Dell

Principal Ferris High School


Upcoming Events


February 19

President's Day

No School


February 20

Learning Improvement Day

No School


February 26

First Day of Spring Sports

Click here to register in Final Forms


March 6

SAT School Day Test

All Grade 11 Students

(Regular schedule for

grades 9, 10 & 12)


March 23

Spring Fling Dance


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School Activities Calendar

Saxon Sports Schedules

Online Payments

Hometown Ticketing (Sports)

Online Peach Jar Flyers

Saxon Shoutout!

Ferris Cheer brought home some State Hardware this weekend! The team placed 2nd in Coed Traditional and are the new STATE CHAMPIONS in Coed Game Day.

Congratulations to these 22 hard working athletes and their coaches.


Cheer heads to Anaheim next week to compete in the National High School Cheerleading Championships!



Let the scarlet and silver stand out among the rest!

Music Qualifiers


We all know how amazing the Ferris Music department is! It’s a lot of fun when others think so, too. This weekend our Choir, Band, and Orchestra programs had over 80 entries compete in the regional Solo and Ensemble contest.

Our students performed wonderfully and represented Ferris so well! From those entries, 61 qualified for State either as winners or alternates.

Congratulations to our incredible music students and teachers. We are so proud of you!

Bond & Levy

On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, our community will have a chance to vote on our local school bond and levy. For more information visit: Bond & Levy Answers at spokaneschools.org.


Spokane Public Schools will host neighborhood open house events at five schools starting this week. All families and staff are welcome to join district and school leaders to see inside our schools, learn about proposed projects on the 2024 bond, and learn about the 2024 levy. There will be time to ask questions.



More information and videos about the 2024 bond and levy that will be put before voters on Tuesday, Feb. 13 can be found at spokaneschools.org/bondlevy2024.

Bell Schedules the Week of February 12-16

Monday Late Start/Advisory Bell Schedule

1st Period…………… 9:00-9:38

2nd Period………... 9:43-10:21

Advisory…………… 10:26-11:08

3rd Period……….... 11:13-11:51

1st Lunch……….…. 11:51-12:21

4th Period….…….. 12:26-1:04

4th Period………... 11:56-12:34

2nd Lunch……….… 12:34-1:04

5th Period……….. 1:09-1:47

6th Period…….... 1:52-2:30


Tue-Fri "Regular" Bell Schedule

Zero Hour….…….. 6:50 -7:50

1st Period……..….. 8:00-8:50

2nd Period……….. 9:00-10:00

3rd Period……….. 10:05-11:00

1st Lunch…………. 11:00-11:30

4th Period……….. 11:35-12:30

4th Period……….. 11:05-12:00

2nd Lunch………… 12:00-12:30

5th Period……….. 12:35-1:30

6th Period……….. 1:35-2:30

Advisory News

Advisory includes activities such as the High School and Beyond Plan, graduation requirements, financial literacy, registration, club activities, class meetings, team building, and more!  


Monday, February 12

During Advisory, the band will be marching through the halls with our Dance Team and Cheerleaders as we celebrate our State Qualifiers and groups who have gone to State this season.

Advisory Plan

Ferris Advisory Information


Questions? Reach out to your student’s advisory teacher!

Saxon Sports Headlines

Girls Basketball are on to playoffs! The team plays at Walla Walla on Saturday, February 10 at 5:00 pm. Take it to the top of the key, we want THREE! Let's go, Ferris!


Boys Basketball are playing for their life Thursday, February 8 in a playoff with Cheney and Mead at Mead High School. The games begin at 6:00 pm. Come support the boys in these must-win games!

The Saxon Gymnasts compete in Districts on Tuesday, February 13 at 4:00 pm at the Mead Gymnastics Center. We are so flipping excited for this team! Let's go, girls!


Congrats to our wrestlers for advancing to Regionals Friday and Saturday, February 9 & 10. Taylor Mauss, Willis Tomeo, Trevor Valadez, Dayson Moorhead, Julian Zuniga, Colby Lingo, Jack Neale, Lincoln Koyama, Sawyer McManus, Paul Cassel, Hayvynn Boudreaux and Ginevra Montoro. The regional tournament takes place on Friday afternoon and all-day Saturday at University High School. Go get 'em, Saxons!


Cheerleaders fly away to Anaheim to compete at the USA National Cheerleading Competition February 16 & 17! Good luck to these 22 Saxons! We're cheering for you!


Girls Golf: Any girls interested in trying out for girls' golf this spring, please plan on attending our pre-season meeting Monday, February 12 at 2:40 - 3:30 in M101 - Coach Smith's room. If you cannot attend this meeting, please stop by and see Coach Smith in M101 any day before school (7:50 - 8:00) or at the start of periods 1-3 prior to this meeting.

The Drum Line

School & Activities News

Congratulations to the 2024 Spokane Scholars. Each of these seniors were nominated by faculty as outstanding in the content area. Each of these seniors will be celebrated and have a chance to win scholarship money at the annual Spokane Scholars event in April. Good luck, Saxons! We are proud of you!


  • Math Aniketh Parlapalli
  • English Emily Schreiber
  • Fine Arts Charles Meyersberg
  • Science Nathan Haws
  • Social Studies Anvi Sehgal
  • World Language Jake Ramsey


All students should carry their student ID cards with them at all times. When leaving campus, students need to have a pass, and upon return need to check in at the office with their pass.


Interested in applying for Running Start for the 2024-2025 school year?

STEP 1: Parent and student, please access a Running Start information session.

     Options:

     1. Dual Enrollment Webinar 2023 video CLICK HERE

     2. Virtual meeting 2/12/14 6pm-7pm Click here for Zoom Meeting 

     3. Virtual meeting 2/13/24 6pm-7pm Click here for Zoom Meeting

STEP 2: Please call the Student Office at 509-354-6049 to schedule a meeting with your counselor. Both the parent and the student must attend. 


Homework Center is open to all grade levels, the center is staffed by experienced educators and tutors who are passionate about fostering student success. To access, students are free to show up after school from 3:00 – 4:00 Monday through Wednesday. While we do not have an activity bus for after school transportation, the STA can be accessed as a route home.

  • Where: Ferris Library
  • When: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 3:00 – 4:00

Check out the latest Ferris Information Network

Check out the latest FIN!

College, Career & Class of 2024


Parents, if you are wondering if whether you have any eligibility for federal or state financial aid, you can use this Federal Student Aid estimator tool.

Federal Student Aid Estimator | Federal Student Aid

Financial Aid for college, technical programs, and trade schools

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Home | Federal Student Aid

If you missed the Financial Aid and Scholarship information webinar, you can watch the recording here.


School Links

Scholarships, job shadows, internships, and more!

To access scholarships I am posting, in SchooLinks, click “finances”, “scholarship matching”, then click on “district posted” to see the scholarships for our area.


To access job postings, volunteer opportunities, internship opportunities and more, click on “career”, “opportunities”

Class of 2024

Senior All-Nighter


Meeting Dates:

February 8, 2024

March 14, 2024

April 11, 2024

May 9, 2024


All meetings will be at 7 pm in the Ferris Library 



Kalista Bernardi, Molly Higgins, Kim Nilson and Shanti Woodside

2024SAN Committee Co-Chairs

[email protected]

Want to receive notifications from Ferris College and Career? Join the Class of 2024 Remind group. Join code is @saxons24


Did you know?

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and WA State Financial Application (WASFA) will not open until late December 2023. Stay tuned for FAFSA/WASFA support and information coming as we near the open date.


Did you know?

Colleges have a financial aid priority deadline. Check the schools you are applying to, and make sure you are submitting FAFSA by that deadline to ensure you receive all of the financial aid that you are eligible for.


SchooLinks

This is the platform Spokane Public Schools uses to send official transcripts to college and universities. Seniors will learn how to manage their college applications, access their unofficial transcript, search for scholarships, and more during advisory period at Ferris.

Contact Info

Attendance Hotlines

509-354-6060 A-K

509-354-6158 L-Z


Business Office

509-354-6006


Public Office

509-354-6000


Dawn Hilsendeger, College & Career

509-354-6085

Technology Help Desk

509-354-6032


Nurse Patti Case

509-354-6157


Campus Safety

509-354-6144

More info on the Website
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"Let the Scarlet and Silver stand out among the rest!"