PENDLETON â Melissa Sandvenâs three-year tenure as the principal of Pendleton High School is coming to an end.
At a Monday, March 8, meeting, the Pendleton School Board is set to approve Sandvenâs resignation, which will go into effect June 30.
Sandven said she enjoyed her time in Pendleton, but with most of her family located west of the Cascades, she felt like she needed to return to the west side of Oregon.
âI couldnât go another year away from them,â she said.
Sandven was hired to lead Pendleton High School in 2018 following a lengthy career in school administration.
After getting her start in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sandven had administrative stints at schools across the Willamette Valley, including schools in Portland, Gresham and Sandy. She was the principal of Rainier Junior/Senior High School in Columbia County when she was selected to lead PHS.
Amber King was 19 years old, witty, driven, giving and pure-hearted. Her sudden death on Dec. 1, likely from undiagnosed type 1 diabetes, left the family devastated at the loss of a âbright, bright light,â her mother said.
âI could never imagine this would be the end result,â Tina King said. âItâs devastating. My heart is broken. Itâs crushed. I have to pick up all those pieces again.â
Amberâs aunt, Leslie Ramey, called Amber, who was her only niece among a bevy of boys, an easygoing person who was cheery and smart. The sudden death of the seemingly healthy teen left the family in shock, and they want to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes to prevent more tragedies.