Case Study: Marysville School District achieves community healing and student-centered rebuilding with ThoughtExchange

Marysville School District - Customer Case Study

Marysville School District, a Washington district of about 11,000 students, faced a crisis in 2013 when a shooting at Marysville Pilchuck High School turned the cafeteria into a site of trauma. Under new superintendent Dr. Becky Berg the district made community-driven healing a priority, launching a Dream Big summit and the first district-wide Thoughtexchange to engage students, staff, parents and residents in deciding whether to rebuild or reclaim the space and how to shape future strategic planning.

The Rebuilding Marysville conversation drew nearly 1,900 participants who shared 6,665 thoughts and cast 58,628 prioritizing "stars." That input made clear priorities—putting students’ emotional safety first, aligning the cafeteria decision with broader campus improvement plans, and using authentic two-way dialogue to strengthen community bonds—guiding district leaders’ decisions on the project and sparking a wider facilities conversation that supported healing and long-term planning.

Marysville School District

Becky Berg

Superintendent