Griffin Reilly

The Columbian • 6th December 2022

Misinformation, hateful rhetoric plagues FVRLibraries years after drag queen story hour events

For over three years, the monthly Fort Vancouver Regional Library Board of Trustees’ meetings have spiraled out of control.
Between February and December of 2019, the Vancouver Community Library held three drag queen story hours — events where performers dressed in drag read children’s storybooks featuring tales of inclusion and acceptance.

Personal Blog • 21st October 2021

The Timelessness of “Faces”

I almost cried the other day when Earl’s voice came on. And I was just driving to work. A lot of times I feel like we process stress and anxiety by indulging in familiar activities or settings. Predictable outcomes and story arcs are almost like lightning rods — there’s tension but always the knowledge that conflict will resolve itself in a given way. Like when you watch shows you’ve seen a million times. It’s therapeutic, even if the show isn’t as funny as it used to be.

The Columbian • 4th October 2022

Support slipping for special education students in Clark County

Belle, 10, has DiGeorge syndrome — a developmental disorder that requires her to receive several special education services to help her with anything from speech pathology to remembering basic routines such as washing her hands or getting to class.

The Columbian • 3rd January 2023

Appeals court rules for Evergreen teacher who wore MAGA hat, says it falls under protected speech

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a former Evergreen Public Schools teacher, concluding that his action to wear a “Make America Great Again” hat to school was protected speech under the First Amendment.

The Astorian • 24th October 2024

'They’re public beaches, but they’re not accessible'

Born with spina bifida, a congenital defect in the spinal column, García Fullana has spent her life using a wheelchair. Many beaches lack the accessible infrastructure that would allow wheelchair users to get close to the water. “You always see it in movies when couples are walking around the beach,” she said. “It made me feel in awe. I realized I had actually never done that before. It was a great experience.”

The Columbian • 29th July 2023

Demand for early learning programs vastly outstrips supply in Clark County

A whirlwind of tiny children surrounded Jacob Myers. It was a Friday morning, and there was plenty of pent-up excitement to get out — not to mention a constant stream of bubbles in need of chasing.
Myers was one of a few dozen parents and staffers at a recent summer field day hosted by Educational Opportunities for Children and Families.

The Columbian • 26th August 2024

Eight female Ridgefield school employees speak out against former superintendent

A 2023 investigation into former Ridgefield School District Superintendent Nathan McCann found he exhibited a pattern of mistreating female employees throughout his nine-year tenure, but that such behavior did not amount to a violation of Title IX.

The Columbian • 11th November 2023

A disproportionate majority of Clark County’s homeless students are students of color

A new study released last month shows a majority of Clark County’s homeless students are students of color.
The report, by nonprofit Building Changes, is based on school-level data and fed from Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Columbian • 16th December 2021

Evergreen district pays Superintendent Mike Merlino to leave

The Evergreen Public Schools Board of Directors voted to pay Superintendent Mike Merlino a year’s salary to leave the district on Thursday. Merlino, accused of misconduct, has been on paid administrative leave since Dec. 8.
Despite the allegations against him, Merlino was fired without cause. Board vice president Ginny Gronwoldt argued Thursday that doing so would be a more fiscally responsible action for the district.

The Columbian • 27th September 2023

Closing Fircrest Elementary’s deaf and hard of hearing program violated students’ rights, says investigation

An investigation by state education officials found Evergreen Public Schools staff violated federal law by closing Fircrest Elementary School’s deaf and hard of hearing program and inadequately writing students’ individual education plans.

The Columbian • 8th September 2023

Evergreen students rally in support of striking teachers

On day 10 of the teacher strike in Evergreen Public Schools, a new voice took center stage: students.
Hundreds of Evergreen students rallied outside the district headquarters early Friday afternoon, leading chants in support of teachers and calling on district leaders to find a deal that could reopen schools.

Personal Blog • 9th March 2022

Shigeo Sekito’s Time and Space

I had just watched the sun set over patchy hills home to the rolling suburbs beyond Oakland, California. The light no longer touched my own skin, but it still bathed nearby Mount Diablo in a deep, orange. A patient silence rang out.

The Astorian • 24th October 2024

After a virus death, a disappointment

Cheryl Hartmann had a plan in place for the day when her elderly mother died.
Knowing how difficult it would be to make decisions in a state of grief, she reached out to Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary in Astoria years ago to organize the arrangements. Upon the death of her mother, Edith Dix, Caldwell’s would deal with cremation and provide everything necessary for the funeral.

The Columbian • 3rd March 2023

La Center School District updated gender policy sparks complaint with state

The debate over teachers’ ability to ask students their preferred pronouns in the La Center School District has taken a new turn, with the district updating its “gender inclusive schools” policy to involve parents in all discussions about pronoun usage and restrict such conversations in the classroom.
Asking students their preferred pronouns, according to both the policy and district Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz, is an act of “facilitating questioning gender identity or to facilitate gender t...

The Columbian • 16th November 2022

OSPI probe: Evergreen Public Schools’ special services staff violated restraint protocols

An investigation led by the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction earlier this year found that special services staff in Evergreen Public Schools had violated several state protocols regarding the use and reporting of physical restraints on students at Sunset Elementary School.

The Columbian • 3rd September 2022

Head Start in Clark County challenged by lack of federal funding

While Matt Sloan worked with a handful of children to improve their castle of wooden blocks, Yolanda Cano was needed at the door.
In the brief seconds while Cano checked in a new preschooler, the inevitable happened: over at the sand pit, two children broke into a heated scuffle over a beloved toy truck.

Government Technology • 3rd August 2023

Clark College to Develop a Center for Clean Energy

Clark College announced Monday it has received $1 million in federal funding to develop a Center for Clean Energy.
The funds will be used to purchase clean energy technology and equipment to help produce trained clean energy technicians needed across the greater Portland area and beyond, the college said in a press release Monday.

The Columbian • 24th April 2022

Do standardized school tests pass or fail in Clark County?

On par with the rest of the state, Clark County students’ test scores fell dramatically in 2021. But those numbers don’t tell the whole story.
“We can’t burn our candle at both ends. We were spread too thin,” said Nichole Johnson, eighth-grade English and literature teacher at Jefferson Middle School in Vancouver.

The Columbian • 26th July 2024

Critical education support staff often taking on second jobs

Stephanie Bradshaw never expected her job to be easy. Adding a second one to pay the bills hasn’t been easy either.

Personal Blog • 23rd February 2024

Doc Rivers' Blame Game

Doc Rivers is an all-time winning coach and a quintessential name in the history of 21st century professional basketball. He’s an iconic face and voice and has been long lauded as a favorite among players. This is a guy who led a team to the playoffs in 19 of 23 full seasons. Wow! Of those 19 playoff appearances, just 2 teams made it to the Finals. Those 2 appearances generated 1 Championship. Hm.

The Columbian • 23rd July 2024

After stabbing at Clark College, internal review finds school’s emergency response system ineffective

An internal review of the May 14 stabbing on Clark College’s campus found that many of the school’s emergency response systems were ineffective and that some staff were not adequately prepared for the situation.

The Columbian • 11th July 2024

Education exhaustion: Clark County school districts see high superintendent turnover due to fatigue, uncertainty

It’s not déjà vu: Eight of nine Clark County school districts have experienced departure of at least one superintendent since the start of the 2019-2020 school year. The rapid turnover isn’t unique to Clark County, however, according to researchers and professors studying education trends. Since the start of the 2019-2020 school year, 60.8 percent of Washington school districts have experienced at least one superintendency turnover.

The Columbian • 1st May 2024

FAFSA delays put Clark County students in a bind

As of this week, Washington colleges are anticipating being able to issue students their aid awards by mid-June at the earliest.

That deadline, which has shifted several times since January, isn’t exactly convenient, according to students and counselors alike — especially because it falls after the newly set June 1 deadline for commitment to public universities in Washington.

Personal Blog • 1st January 2022

Roommates: A Snake and a Guy

For nearly a day or so, a python was loose in my house. But there are some things I should explain first. That summer, I was renting a room in Astoria, Oregon from the coolest yet most normal person I’ve ever known, a guy named Cody. His house — an old three-bedroom, wooden, three-floor ranch house — sat on a small hill just above Astoria’s main road only two blocks from the riverfront.