News & Announcements

 

As part of the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, every Cheney Public Schools student can receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day, regardless of household income. Our district is able to participate in the CEP following the passage of RCW 28A.235.300 by the Washington State Legislature in 2022.

But free meals are only part of the picture. 

Depending on eligibility, students and families may qualify for even more benefits, like SunBucks (Summer EBT), waived extracurricular fees, community discounts, fee waivers for college applications and admissions tests. Completing the Benefits Application also helps secure important funding and resources for schools across our district. 

So, how do you know if you qualify? You should complete the Benefits Application if any of the following apply to your household: 

• Your household income is at or below the amount listed for your household size in the chart below; 
• Your household receives Basic Food, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), or benefits through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR);
• You are applying on behalf of a foster child who is under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court.

The Benefits Application must be completed annually, so even if you were approved for the 2025-2026 school year, you must submit an application for the 2026-2027 school year. 

The application takes about 10 minutes to complete. Taking a few minutes to complete the Benefit Application can help your family access additional benefits, fee waivers, and discounts while also helping Cheney Public Schools receive funding and resources that support students across our district.  

To qualify for these additional benefits, families must complete both the Benefit Application AND a Parental Consent Survey. Visit the Nutrition Services Benefits Application and Consent to Share webpage for more information. 
 

4th Annual Community Day

📆 Sept 19, 2026

🕑 11am-3pm

📍 Cheney High School

Join us for a CHS Marching Band Performance, Marketplace Vendors, 50/50 Raffle, Dunk Tank, Classic Cars, Field Games, Food & Drinks, & More!

Hosted by the CHS Blackhawk Band Parent Booster (BBPB) - Proceeds support students in CHS Bands & Color Guard

 

For more information, email chsbbpbcommunityday@gmail.com

“Have you ever thought about welding?”

This question was asked of Thomas Cunningham probably a hundred times before his 13th birthday. But, as the Cheney High School junior recounted, the idea never really stuck. By the time he reached middle school, he had experienced his fair share of hands-on activities like woodworking and blacksmithing, but welding was in a world all its own. There was some trepidation from Cunningham’s parents about him entering the world of welding as a seventh grader, given the more dangerous nature of the trade, but when Cunningham’s seventh grade shop teacher asked him about welding and encouraged him to give it a shot, he jumped in.

Cunningham was a natural, and welding just clicked for him. Even at 13 years old, he had an innate ability in the field, and he continued to hone his skills after he purchased his own personal welding machine. By his eighth grade year, Cunningham was perfecting different welding processes, like Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding and Shielded Metal Arc welding (commonly known as stick welding). His eighth-grade CTE teacher encouraged him to think about his future and consider a career in the field. When he arrived at Cheney High School, he continued learning under the tutelage of veteran CTE teacher Allen Skoog.

“Skoog taught me the intricacies of TIG welding, MIG [Metal Inert Gas] welding, and stick welding, and from then on, just carried over,” Cunningham said. “My freshman year, I just went through class and tried my best. I ended up being pretty dang good at it.”

Cunningham’s teachers again recognized his talent, and during his sophomore year he was encouraged by his advisor to join SkillsUSA. SkillsUSA is a workforce development program grounded in academics and focused on the development of personal, workplace, and technical skills. The program has competitions across the nation, including a state competition in Washington state; events offer a blend of leadership and technical skills challenges, as well as networking opportunities. Eventually convinced by the encouragement of his advisor, Cunningham joined SkillsUSA and submitted a sculpture to the state competition.

And he won.

“We started amping up my whole shop setup at home, and I got a bunch of tools at home that I never would have imagined having before the age of 18,” Cunningham said. “This year, I went to state again, won again, and now I’m a two-time champ at state.”

His state-winning sculpture was inspired by two great horned owls that nest in his family’s tree each year. Until recently, Cunningham was unable to photograph the elusive birds, but one of their hatchlings was more agreeable to the attention. Once he was able to capture the image, Cunningham used 3D technology to help bring his design to life.

“So, I took a picture of the owl, and I put it into a 3D rendering software, which then gave me a 3D file of the head,” Cunningham said. “Then, I casted it out of copper, and the entire project was built on that.”

Using nearly 100 percent of recycled materials, he designed, built, and welded together the state-winning sculpture. The owl features a solid copper head with brass inlaid eyes, a body made of horseshoes, and wings that can actually move. Cunningham designed a sort of ‘train-track’ system on the inside of the owl’s body to account for wing rotation. It is a detail that he believes secured his second state title.

“That is probably the thing that set me apart from everybody because movement is always one of those touch and go things,” Cunningham said. “When people saw the movement, they were like, that is an ingenious way to fix it in.”

“Not only are his skills top-notch, but his artistic mind and what he’s thinking about is way past what I–I’m not that artistic,” said Skoog. “But he is very creative. And then he makes it happen, and he thinks about how to make it happen. He’s proficient in all the tools, in all three or four processes of welding. But also working on computer drafting, computer machining, and he has even got into AI to design some things.”

Welding is now integrated into nearly every aspect of Cunningham’s life. He spends his mornings at NEWTech Prep, an alternative learning program that is housed under the umbrella of Spokane Public Schools and partners with area high schools to offer advanced technical and professional training. He then returns to Cheney High School for an afternoon of core classes and CTE pathways. When he’s away from school, he is cultivating his own welding business, TC Creations. Some days, he says, he logs about four or five hours of welding.

That level of dedication did not happen by accident. For Cunningham, the encouragement of his seventh grade CTE teacher had a pretty big impact on the trajectory of his education, and perhaps his future career. He knew there were a multitude of career options when it came to welding, but until he dove into the courses and competitions, metal sculpting was not on his radar.

“...When teachers were like, ‘You should get into this,’ I thought about, well yeah, I could go work in a fab shop and do all this stuff, but I had never thought about doing sculpture work,” Cunningham said. “I’d always just thought, oh, making horseshoe art is a side project. I always liked it, but I [never thought], this is my life. Then, last year, when I did my first sculpture, I was like, this is actually really fun…It showed that is actually what I want to do. The dedication and the time that I put into it showed more than just the outcome of the project.”

At the SkillsUSA Nationals competition in 2025, Cunningham was asked, “Did the artist come first or did the welder come first?”

“I think I can confidently say that the artist came to me because of the welding,” Cunningham said. “I can confidently say that I was a welder, and the artist just came along with it; the figuring things out just came along with it which just sparked everything to work out.”

Cunningham is poised for a return to the SkillsUSA Nationals competition next month, June 1-5, in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jenna Larson, 
Communications Coordinator
jlarson@cheneysd.org

CAROLINE WHITE SELECTED AS PRINCIPAL FOR
CHENEY HIGH SCHOOL
Pending Board Approval
May 29, 2026

After an extensive interview process, Cheney Public Schools is pleased to announce that Caroline White has been selected as the next principal of Cheney High School, pending Board approval. Representatives from all major stakeholder groups were part of the process including staff, parents/families, community members, and district administration.

The interview process was a comprehensive day that included student, staff, district leadership, and superintendent panel interviews, as well as a community forum. Following the evaluation of feedback from stakeholder groups, Caroline White emerged as the best candidate for the principal position. 

White will begin her tenure with Cheney High School on July 1, 2026, following current Principal Brett Hale’s transition into the role of Assistant Superintendent. 

“Caroline brings exceptional experience and a strong desire to be part of the Cheney community,” Superintendent Ben Ferney said. “She demonstrated impressive leadership throughout the interview process, and I am excited about the strengths she will bring to Cheney High School and our District.” 

White arrives at Cheney High School with 23 years of experience in public education, including more than a decade as an administrator. She has served as an assistant principal since 2015, including the last five years at Rogers High School. Prior to transitioning to administration, White spent more than a decade as a secondary math and science teacher, with seven years at the Diocese of Spokane, three years at Gary Middle School, and two years as an Honors/AP Biology teacher at Rogers from 2013-2015. She has extensive experience in strategic leadership, including professional learning and staff development, instructional leadership and curriculum expertise, equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness, student engagement and school climate, and strategic planning and school improvement. White also has comprehensive knowledge in community and family engagement, operational management and compliance, and scheduling, programming, and pathway design, all of which she has collected over the course of her career as a teacher and administrator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Eastern Washington University, a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Tarleton State University, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Washington State University.

“I am incredibly honored and excited to serve as the next principal of Cheney High School,” White said. “Cheney High School is a special place with a strong sense of pride, tradition, and commitment to students, and I am excited to become part of this outstanding school community. I look forward to getting to know the students, staff, families, and community members who make Cheney such a remarkable place and to continue building on the many strengths already in place.”