(Saturday photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
The bonnets worn by Arbor Heights Elementary first-graders Lynn and Lucy on Saturday afternoon might look familiar – two days earlier, they and their classmates wore old-time farmers’ gear to greet a distinguished visitor to their school, newly hired Seattle Public Schools Superintendent José Banda:

(Thursday photo courtesy of AH parent volunteer)
We had reported before on their tomato-growing adventure in teacher Marcia Ingerslev‘s class, and the plan to give away tomato plants at Roxbury Safeway on Saturday; by the time we checked in toward the end of their four-hour stint outside the store, hundreds of plants had new homes, they told us, and as you can see in their table decoration, they had a healthy-food message to go along with it.

That’s one of the most personal moments we caught on video this morning as Arbor Heights Elementary School played host to José Banda – who starts work as Seattle Public Schools’ next superintendent July 1st, after the School Board voted unanimously last night to finalize his hiring. It might be a little hard to hear (with multiple camera shutters mixed in), but he’s speaking with a student about world geography, and mentioning that his son is currently working half a world away – as a teacher. Banda looked in on classrooms all over the school, as well as orchestra practice in the cafetorium, and gave short interviews to the panoply of media crews that showed up (this was his only official photo op as his Seattle visit continued today). But before the designated 10 am start time for the school tour, he was greeted by AH students:

Thanks to an AH parent for sharing that photo of Marcia Ingerslev‘s first-graders, who were dressed as farmers, since they presented the new superintendent with a plant – you saw their story here last week, as they are selling and giving away tomato plants, and will be at Roxbury Safeway this Saturday. (Watching the students, from left, are district communications director Lesley Rogers, executive director of West Seattle schools Aurora Lora; superintendent-to-be Banda; and AH principal Christy Collins; WS school-board director Marty McLaren was there for the visit too). We also took many photos, and more video, and are going through it all right now, to add more to this story later.

(And yes, the new superintendent said, the students did make sure he knows about the poor condition their building is in – rated worst in the district – the BEX IV levy currently proposes a new building for AH, but not to be completed until 2018, and the community is campaigning to have that timetable moved up before the levy plan is finalized this fall; its problems were amply explained during a BEX-related meeting at AH that we covered in April.)

ADDED 4:50 PM: More photos, ahead:

This is a different view of the scene in our video clip atop the story – while Banda spoke with a student, these are all the cameras (including ours) that surrounded them:

The teachers/students he visited were Ruben Gonzalez‘s 5th graders; then Sandy Kennewick‘s 5th graders, doing math at a 6th-grade level, as the principal explained to us, both students qualified for the district’s advanced-learning programs and others who are capable of the advanced work:

Also, Cate Simmers‘ 1st graders; Sue Wilson‘s 1st graders; and at the last stop, Daniel Hershman-Rossi was leading the student musicians in the cafetorium; coaches from the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra‘s innovative program were there too, and we will have a breakout story about this – and the program’s upcoming concerts around West Seattle – this evening:

The tour covered a lot of ground around the rambling main building:

A photo op with Arbor Heights and district reps as the official tour began:

From left are next year’s Arbor Heights PTA president, John Christensen, McLaren, principal Collins, Lora, and the incoming superintendent. We expect to add another video clip or two this evening.

The Seattle School Board Wednesday night voted 7-0 to approve a contract for José Banda to become the next Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. The contract is online at: http://bit.ly/SuperintendentContract2012

Banda, the current Anaheim City Schools Superintendent, will start his new job in Seattle July 1. Banda addressed the Board and public after the vote, saying that he is excited to start work in Seattle and become a part of the community.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected to come here and do this work together,” Banda said, adding that every decision will be made with an eye toward what is “best for our students.”

Banda, who has served as Anaheim City Schools Superintendent for the past four years, was chosen following a national search for a superintendent who exhibited the desired characteristics and traits defined by the community, including: a visionary, inspirational leader; an instructional leader who has a proven track record; a knowledgeable manager and an effective communicator.

School Board Director Sherry Carr noted that she and Director Betty Patu traveled to Anaheim May 5-6 to validate what board members heard during the superintendent interview process. During their visit, they discovered that Banda “is a highly respected Superintendent. This respect cut across every individual we spoke with. Senior staff members said he is terrific to work for and is the best mentor that they have ever had,” Carr said.

When the board members visited Anaheim City Schools classrooms, “Students were on task, well behaved and very engaged in their learning,” Carr added. “Teachers, staff and students all seemed very happy.”

Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield said: “I want to join the board, staff and community in welcoming José Banda as the new Superintendent for Seattle Public Schools. I care deeply about the students, families and staff here in Seattle so I am pleased Mr. Banda has accepted this leadership position. I have been firm in my commitment to the Board and to Mr. Banda to offer whatever help I can in the weeks ahead to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.”

During Banda’s time with Anaheim City Schools, the District saw increased academic achievement for all students, including English Language Learners. In addition, the District narrowed the achievement gap and 19 of 24 schools met their school-wide Academic Performance Index (API).

Banda spent 13 years as a secondary administrator, including eight years as a high school principal before becoming the Superintendent of the Planada School District from 2002-2005. Before Anaheim, he was the Deputy Superintendent at Oceanside Unified School District.

He has also served as a high school counselor, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and board member for Salida Union School District. He brings over 30 years of experience in the field of education.

At Arbor Heights Elementary, a first-grade class isn’t just talking and learning about healthy food – they’re growing it, too, and ready to share their plants with you. Parent Krista Withers shares the news of a plant sale continuing through the end of the week, and a giveaway planned for weekend after next!

All year long our teacher, Marcia Ingerslev, has been focusing on building healthy habits for lifelong nutrition and good health. In addition to cooking in the classroom each Friday, the children from room 16 have been planting, potting, repotting, watering, and caring for many tomato plants.

These plants will be for sale (by donation) after school at the Arbor Heights Playground this week.

Mrs.Ingerslev explains how this will benefit the class, the school and our community here:

“In the cold days of February, the students of room 16 at Arbor Heights planted two flats of tomatoes. With 400 or more sprouts I figured we would get a couple hundred plants.

We are currently at 400 tomato plants, which confirms what I have always known, anything planted and nurtured by a child grows better than when planted by an adult. Some of the plants have been transplanted several times, others are still waiting for a larger home. We will be selling plants until none remain. On May 19th some of my students are going to be at Safeway on Roxbury to share what they have learned about nutrition. They will have a hundred tomato plants to give away. We want families to be able to eat healthy food. This is our small contribution to that end.

If you can’t wait until then or are interested in purchasing (for a donation) more tomato plants, please contact me at mmingerslev@seattleschools.org. 100% of the proceeds go to fund a native-plant garden and our school and to run Room 16′s nutrition program. All of the seeds, pots, and soil were donated. Manpower was provided by first-grade students.”

After-school sales this week are running from about 3:10-4:05 pm. On Saturday, May 19th, Krista tells us, the students’ visit to Roxbury Safeway (Roxbury/26th) will be from 9:30 am-1:30 pm.

(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
Arbor Heights Elementary School teacher Mark Ahlness started the Earth Day Groceries Project in 1994, and it’s still going strong – with Ahlness and his students bringing this year’s delivery of specially decorated bags to Roxbury Safeway manager Sai Cho (upper left of our photo) this afternoon. The 350-plus bags – bearing art and messages about Earth Day – will be distributed to Safeway shoppers. (Though April 22nd is still more than a week away, but this is the last day of school before a week of spring break, and that’s why this was delivery day.)

With the pro-football preseason is four-plus months away, there’s plenty of time for players to set their sights on a different playing field – local schools. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Josh Portis made a surprise appearance today at Arbor Heights Elementary School (whose students are the “Junior Seahawks”). His message: Stay in school. Not that dropping out is a big problem at the elementary level, but it’s never too soon to start making sure the message sinks in – encouraging better attendance has been a big districtwide campaign this school year. (Thanks to the Arbor Heights parent volunteer who shared the photo of the quarterback and Ms. Wilson, the first-grade teacher who led today’s assembly.)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The principals of Arbor Heights and Roxhill Elementary Schools say the emergence of a proposal to merge the two into a rebuilt AH was as much a “big surprise” to them as it was to their schools’ communities.

That’s part of what they told a gathering of more than 50 people last night at a quickly organized community meeting, less than a week after the merger proposal debuted in the package of possibilities that district staff is circulating (as reported here) as the first round of community meetings begins about what should be in next February’s 4th edition of the every-six-years BEX (“Building Excellence”) levy.

The meeting, led by AH principal Christy Collins, with Roxhill principal Carmela Dellino speaking from the audience, unfolded while the first of those meetings played out across the city at Eckstein Middle School (West Seattle’s school-board director Marty McLaren had sent her regrets to AH and Roxhill, saying she had to be at that meeting instead of theirs). West Seattle’s version of the levy-input meeting is set for 6:30 pm Thursday at Denny International Middle School, and the meeting materials are now on the district website, if you’d like a preview – PowerPoint overview here and “the 3 options” here (which includes the merger proposal).

In addition to answering questions, the two principals sought to explain their side of how this idea might have sprung up, and Collins explained in a show-and-tell why it’s imperative that a new building replacing the 64-year-old AH becomes part of the levy, some way, some how.

The explanations were in the context of a sort of crash course on what the BEX (IV) levy is meant to be, and how best to shape comment about it, particularly without throwing Roxhill under the bus, so to speak – “How do we, as a community with a collective voice, speak out? … In no way, shape, or form, do we want to pit school against school; that would be counterproductive,” said Collins.

(For some, that was likely to have evoked a memory of the bruising school-closure battle in 2008-2009, when an early proposal to close Arbor Heights’ program was fought and then scrapped, but the Cooper Elementary program on Pigeon Point was discontinued instead, and Pathfinder K-8 moved into the new Cooper building after years in the rundown, reopened Genesee Hill. One attendee last night suggested reviving research done back then.)

Collins is in her first year not only as principal at AH but in the Seattle Public Schools district, and noted early on that “both of our schools have lacked some ongoing maintenance … my fear is that if we are not on the BEX levy, we have a long ways to go before the next levy comes up” in or around 2020.

Even the timing suggested for the current proposal of building a new AH to host the merged school communities did not please those on hand: “Our building cannot LAST until 2017,” one teacher declared.

“I don’t know if we can maintain just by putting band-aids on things,” acknowledged Collins, who midway through the meeting narrated a PowerPoint of photos meant to show the fact Arbor Heights is virtually falling apart – peeling paint, insect and rodent traps, and a malfunctioning boiler that had students and staff wearing hats and coats in their own classrooms, their breath visible as they did their classwork. (One photo showed a sign warning against drinking the tap water in a restroom; “Is that the sign above the rat trap?” one attendee yelled out.)

Dellino did not make a presentation about Roxhill, but spoke about its challenges. And Collins noted later that by a district grading scale, the two are in similarly bad condition, saying that AH ranks 3.4 on a district scale of 1 to 5 (5 = worst), while Roxhill scored a 3.2.

As for where the merger idea came from, if not from them, Collins said the original list of BEX IV possibilities that she saw less than two weeks ago had “Arbor Heights being rebuilt in 2016-2017, then there was a proposed completion date for 2018 … at the time, there was nothing for Roxhill,” so she spoke up at a district meeting, advocating for her “neighbor” school too. Then: “We went to the (school) board work session (last Wednesday), heard there were new proposals being presented, opened up the plans and discovered there was the closure of Roxhill and the combination of Roxhill and Arbor Heights. There wasn’t a lot of discussion about how that came about – it was a big surprise to all of us.” She mentioned making a “casual” comment to McLaren some weeks back about how she thought it would be great to work with Dellino someday, but said that wasn’t intended to suggest a merger.

“I want this school [Arbor Heights] to have a new building (and) I want Roxhill to have a new building,” Dellino affirmed – though for her purposes, she said, a Roxhill rebuild isn’t necessarily the only option she had been seeking: She said she had talked with McLaren about the idea of Roxhill moving to the E.C. Hughes building (now being leased by Westside School [WSB sponsor]), because of Roxhill’s location challenges as well as facilities woes: “I think that our school and … our children do not deserve to be on Roxbury. It is not a very wonderful place to try to hold an elementary school. There happens to be a school that is close by … slightly north of Roxhill, that is owned by the Seattle School District. What I had talked to Marty about was the possibility of Roxhill becoming an inhabitant of that building … You could still have a brand-new Arbor Heights; Roxhill could still have a building that’s respectable; and we could continue to preserve the identities of the schools … that was part of our conversation.”

All three of the draft BEX IV options call for “reopening” the EC Hughes building, but, as noted later in the meeting, they don’t specify whether it would be reopened as a new neighborhood school or perhaps as a permanent home for the K-5 STEM school launching this fall in the Boren building on Delridge, which the district has said it intends to keep long-term in the role it’s filled for years, as a temporary/emergency home to other schools (most recently, Chief Sealth International High School for two years ending in summer 2010).

The other West Seattle suggestion that’s mentioned in two of the first-draft BEX IV proposals, moving Schmitz Park Elementary to a new building on the campus of closed Genesee Hill, was mentioned only briefly at last night’s meeting – Collins said it seems clear that SP needs a new facility, as it’s all but impossible to “work with 10 to 12 portables” (she alluded to a past assignment working at a school with eight).

And there were some questions about what’s not in any of the current drafts – most notably, there’s no mention of building a new elementary on the old Denny International Middle School site on 30th, though that has been part of the district’s longterm vision for the site dating back to 2008 Design Team meetings that shaped the site’s current post-demolition state as an extension of Southwest Athletic Complex. (That site would be more central to the current Roxhill attendance area, Dellino acknowledged, than Hughes.)

Most of all, though, questions abounded about the details – what few there are, so far – of the proposed Arbor Heights/Roxhill merger, particularly the capacity suggested for a new school, about 500 students, when the two elementaries’ current populations total more than 700.

Collins pointed out that the district expects to amend its attendance boundaries by the time new schools open, “and it’s my assumption that the boundary change will be how we get to 500 students.” (One person asked if any other elementary school in the district is at that size, and while no one at the meeting pointed this out, we can note here that Lafayette Elementary in the Admiral District has more than 500 students right now.)

That, a Roxhill staffer in attendance suggested later, would likely mean dispersing some of Roxhill’s students to other “less-desirable buildings”; he suggested the district’s idea was ultimately “penny-wise and pound-foolish.” Saying the Roxhill-to-Hughes suggestion seemed “viable” to him – though Dellino had been careful to say that was her own opinion, not something she had vetted with staff or parents – and said to the Arbor Heights attendees, “I ask that you advocate for us.”

One alternative was offered late in the meeting; district watchdog Chris Jackins, who had circulated flyers pre-meeting detailing his opposition to the proposed merger, wondered aloud whether the two school communities would be OK with getting help sooner that did not involve new or relocated buildings – “what could you do for 10 million here and 10 million there? … Seems to me you could fix up a lot of stuff.”

Nobody seemed to second that motion.

Collins’ words from early in the meeting resounded: “I am concerned that … the way that it’s proposed right now, it’s all or nothing … we either accept a combined school or we don’t get anything and we’re looking at another seven years.”

Said one attendee: “The question is, if we can’t both get new schools, could we live with putting our two communities together?” Speaking toward the Roxhill reps, she continued, “I don’t think it has to be you against us.”

Another, however, wasn’t in a conciliatory mood. “A lawsuit would be something (the district) would listen to,” he opined. “Be civil, but I don’t think I’d be too nice about it – be hard-nosed and say, ‘this is what we want’ … be careful about following into their trap of solving THEIR problem.”

And yet it also was stressed repeatedly that these types of proposals usually evolve, so the final levy plan could turn out to be something different from any of the three options circulating now. “Advocate for what you want, not what you don’t want,” attendees were advised. We’ll see what they have to say during Thursday’s meeting at Denny (2601 SW Kenyon), 6:30 pm. An online survey is also part of what the district has posted online – find it on this page. Arbor Heights also is expected to be represented in public comment before tonight’s School Board meeting (6 pm, district HQ in SODO, and usually broadcast live on cable TV).

Arbor Heights Community Meeting on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012 at 7:00 pm at Arbor Heights Elementary School Cafeteria.

Purpose: To talk about the district’s proposal to combine Arbor Heights Elementary and Roxhill.

As reported here yesterday, that proposal is part of what’s being circulated for possible inclusion in the Seattle Public Schools Building Excellence (BEX) IV levy next year – but had not been brought up for community discussion prior to turning up in a district PowerPoint at a School Board work session this past Wednesday.

ADDED EARLY SATURDAY: We had sent School Board director Marty McLaren a request for comment on this and other possible BEX IV proposals for this area, and she replied regarding this one that district-headquarters staff “is supportive because it solves the problem of two deteriorated buildings at once and results in a school with significantly reduced operating costs than two schools.” She also has the caveat regarding everything proposed so far, “none of this is set in stone.”

(Sgt. Joe Bauer shows neighbors a map of burglaries reported in the past month)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

JoDean Edelheit‘s neighbors might have wondered why police cars were in her Arbor Heights driveway Monday night – if not for the fact the neighbors were all in her living room with the uniformed visitors.

The Seattle Police Department has been offering the opportunity for these “living-room conversations” for a while – explaining them as opportunities to explore community concerns in informal settings. Monday afternoon, in fact, the SPD Blotter blog-format website published a short story about two recent ones. And that was not long after we got the call from JoDean, inviting us to the one scheduled to happen at her house hours later.

She hosted a dozen neighbors and four SPD reps. The questions weren’t surprising, but some of the answers were.

(From left: Officer Mazzuca, hostess JoDean, Officer Askew, Sgt. Bauer)
As with any such gathering, it began with a round of introductions.

From SPD HQ, Community Outreach Officer “Jojo” Cambronero talked about his early work in West Seattle, though he’s no longer based here. He explained the living-room conversations’ goals – not only to reduce crime, but to also reduce the fear of crime.

From the Southwest Precinct, Sgt. Joe Bauer, with deep roots in West Seattle. He explained that he’s been in charge of the day shift (noon to 8 pm) since mid-December; Officer Willie Askew, who has long worked patrol in the area; Officer Ken Mazzuca, a Community Police Team member who works in western West Seattle.

From the neighborhood – a mix of residents old and new. They had formed a Block Watch just a few months earlier and are proud of it; JoDean is Block Watch captain. Her invitees included Bob, a 24-year resident of the neighborhood, who said it’s time to get back to “watching out for each other.” There was Mary, there almost 20 years but a New Yorker once upon a time, which gave her “a whole different feeling about crime.” There was the person who self-identified as “the neighborhood snoop, always home during the day.”

“We like the neighborhood snoops,” offered someone in the SPD contingent.

There was Chad, who installed the Block Watch sign. Matt, pastor of a nearby church. The neighbor who said he goes by “Rambo” – a takeoff on his surname, not necessarily his style – a Vietnam veteran who spends time volunteering to help other vets figure out their benefits. And yet others.

Sgt. Bauer explained how the “sectors” work – here’s the map:

JoDean’s neighborhood is in William 3, which stretches from Morgan Junction to Seola Beach Drive. “A large, large district,” said Officer Askew, who patrols it.

On a good day, the William sector – western West Seattle – might have eight officers. On a bad day, maybe 4. “That can get a little busy,” Sgt. Bauer said, in an understatement.

Then came the questions – starting with recent incidents, first, the Westwood Village gunfire that led to lockdowns at three area schools. One neighbor’s daughter attends Denny International Middle School, and the question was about the lockdown/shelter in place, not the actual incident. Sgt. Bauer explained that when something like that happens, the chief dispatcher calls nearby schools, tells them what’s going on, and it’s the principal’s choice, though “it’s pretty obvious when they need to” (go into lock down) – “any time it involves a gun, a person heading toward a school … we advised that it would be wise.” So then, he explained, the schools are kept advised of the “progress of the call, the likelihood the person is still in the area.” The actual search never involved the schools’ campuses, he said, but officers were on both sides “and roaming.”

Next question was about the unsolved Beach Drive murder. (Remember, this was Monday night, just one week after victim Greggette Guy was found.)

Sgt. Bauer said that while those on the force, even those who aren’t directly involved with an investigation, often get a hunch about a case, this one had them “stumped” … but, he sought to reassure the group, “I can tell you one thing, it’s getting a LOT of resources.”

The next question: What can you do to protect yourself if someone breaks into your home? Is it legal to fight back?

To protect yourself, said the police, yes.

There was a question about speeders in the neighborhood, a problem that neighbor Tammy said “has been going on forever.” Officer Askew didn’t think a traffic circle would work in the neighborhood because of the way the streets are configured, but a speed bump might be possible, and after mentioning that he is radar-certified, he said he could come back out “when the weather improves.” And they should talk to SDOT, he advised – “if everyone from the block gets together and contacts SDOT, it gets their attention.” (Editor’s note: here’s more on the SDOT Neighborhood Traffic Calming program.)

Then the talk went right back to burglaries. Sgt. Bauer had brought a map showing burglaries around West Seattle in the preceding 4 weeks – 37 in all – and passed it around. He explained that he is always seeking to analyze the trends – “I bother these guys when they are on burglary calls all the time, I want to see what the common factors are.” Burglary targets, he said, often have unkempt yards, little side windows “to go into,” glass back doors, “all those ’50s and ’40s style houses.”

And then there is the behavior you’ve heard about a million times. Burglars case the house, knock, “no one answers, they go around and look for a window to break into.” This may happen repeatedly in an area where they get comfortable, or where they know “how easy it is to escape from the area … it might be a couple blocks from their ‘safe haven’.”

To protect yourself, your family, your home, think about how “to harden yourself as a target.” Try to see things through a burglar’s eyes – have you had “a big-screen TV box out in your yard for a month and a half? Believe it or not, these guys walk around and look for this stuff. … It’s all the things normal citizens DON’T think about.”

You can call police and request an assessment. “We know how people break into houses.” And you might get bonus information, Sgt. Bauer joked, “We’ll share all the good coffee spots we know and do an assessment at the same time.”

More practical advice – When someone comes to the door, don’t answer it, but don’t not answer it. Sgt. Bauer recalled role-playing when his kids were just old enough to be home alone, making sure whoever was at the door heard them calling, “Dad, someone’s at the door” (regardless of whether Dad was there or not). And remember, he said, “Bad guys don’t like lights, they don’t like noise, they don’t like dogs.”

Officer Mazzuca interjected, “It’s a good point he’s making – light is good – you want people to be able to see your house.”

And if you’re gone for a while on vacation, make sure someone knows. It was a revelation to most of those in the room that you can make a “request to watch” through SPD, and when an officer “gets an extra five minutes,” they’ll roll past the house.

And, “we can all watch out for each other,” offered one neighbor.

Sgt. Bauer nodded. “This is going to blossom, once you start inviting people, get everyone involved.”

As the conversation went on, that blossoming was in evidence. One neighbor confessed she’d actually answered her door when someone rang the bell in the middle of the night, and tried to answer that person’s sounded-suspicious-in-retrospect request for help.

“You’d have had me calling 911 ten minutes ago, and I carry a gun!” laughed the sergeant, gently.

“Sometimes we feel compelled to answer the door when someone’s there,” Officer Mazzuca sympathized.

The word “don’t” rippled through the room.

Then a question that comes up again and again: When is it OK to call 911?

“If I (answer that), they might not call when they need to,” said Officer Askew.

So, the police’s message was: “Don’t second guess yourself so much, dial those three numbers.”

And yes, even if it’s “just” a suspicious person. You’ve heard that before. But we don’t usually hear why. Sgt. Bauer explained: “if it’s someone suspicious, we can come up, talk to them, have an informal conversation, find out why they are in the area … we can find out so much by talking to them. … We call it a street check.” Those street checks, he explained, can even be coded, and mapped. Perhaps they talk to a certain person once. Then “let’s say a few days go by, we get another call about the guy, incidents start happening, we can do a search, a map, overlay where this guy was contacted by us … doesn’t make him THE suspect, but it’s worth checking him out a little (more closely).”

“How can we help you guys?” asked the pastor.

Watch, and call when you see something, reiterated Officer Mazzuca. That, he pointed out, has led to numerous arrests. “When something doesn’t look right, couple guys going around the back of the house … that’s the time to call.” Don’t be surprised to see that in the daytime, since that is when most burglaries happen (contrary to persistent misconception).

And take pictures if you can, added Sgt. Bauer. He brought up an incident covered here on WSB – a crash on SW Holden in Highland Park.

“(People) got out and started grabbing what was obviously stolen merchandise out of the back of that crashed Jeep.” They left the scene, but when police arrived, “a neighbor comes out and brings the picture, now, that kind of helps us. A cell phone camera, some nice discreet photos … ‘here’s the hit-and-run driver, here’s hit plate’ … Now, don’t endanger yourself by running up and taking photos, but” – they can be useful.

Right on schedule, around 8 pm, the gathering started breaking up, so informal that there were no closing speeches – conversations broke up into one-on-one chats, while some went back to JoDean’s kitchen for a snack. We asked her how far in advance she had called to ask to host one of these living-room conversations; about a month, she said. If you’re interested in hosting one – this SPD webpage explains how to make a request.

8:09 AM: Looks like another round of wild weather moving through. And while we’re not sure yet if it’s weather-related, Martha in Arbor Heights reports a power outage. She’s at the end of 35th near Seola Park and says it went out about an hour ago. The outage is not on the City Light map and we haven’t reached them for confirmation yet, but she says that when she called it in, they told her 106 homes were affected. Meantime, the National Weather Service has a “short-term” forecast alert for heavy rain, up to half an inch an hour, this morning.

8:35 AM UPDATE: Not far from Martha’s location at the end-of-35th bend, a tree on SW Seola Lane (map) is apparently to blame for the outage, according to Tbone‘s note in comments and a 6 am “wires down” listing on the 911 log.

9:41 AM UPDATE: Added a photo of the tree trouble at Seola Lane/Seola Beach Drive. City Light’s Scott Thomsen, meantime, confirmed the outage and said it should be fixed by early afternoon. He also says the SCL outage map is fixed now.

10:05 AM UPDATE: Massive downpour for the past few minutes, in line with the Weather Service’s warning (above), though a little past their timeframe.

10:55 AM UPDATE: Sage K sends word that the Delridge onramp to the West Seattle Bridge is flooded again and should be avoided. We’re going to check that out.

11:56 AM UPDATE: Seattle Public Utilities crew was on scene at the Delridge ramp puddle, clearing the drain, when we arrived. (Besides the crew members in our photo, they had a vacuum truck there, too.) Meantime, we have an update from City Light on the Seola outage:

Crew is on site. They’ve isolated the damage to restore most customers. 23 are still out. Two spans of wire are down. Estimate for restoration of service for the remaining customers is about 2:30 pm.

Thanks to Kevin McClintic for sharing a photo and toplines from last night’s Arbor Heights crime-prevention/Block Watch-formation meeting, which he says about two dozen people attended. Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon (next to the pulpit in Kevin’s photo) was the guest speaker for the meeting coordinated by AH residents Sherry Fullerton and Kathy Ward. Mark stressed what you have heard from police over and over – if you see something suspicious happening, call 911. If you see someone who looks unfamiliar – say hi, “let them know they’ve been seen,” as Kevin summarized the message. Interested in getting involved with Arbor Heights Block Watch efforts, but couldn’t get to the meeting? You can e-mail arborheightsblockwatch@gmail.com and/or join the new Facebook group Arbor Heights Block Watch.

By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Moving toward the citywide semifinals in two weeks, Global Reading Challenge events continue at participating Seattle Public Schools, and today, it was Arbor Heights Elementary School‘s turn to gather its teams to compete, share their reading knowledge, and decide who’s moving to the next level.

This time, it took what was described as an “unprecedented” tiebreaker!

Moderated by librarian Jan Hogan of Seattle Public Library’s Southwest Branch, 4th and 5th graders gathered, along with parents and supporters holding team signs, to answer questions about the books that all students who are participating have been reading. And the competition was intense!

One parent noted that this group of students had collectively read more than 357 books, and approximately 30 percent of them had read all ten books on the reading list.

Arbor Heights principal Christy Collins is a huge supporter of the Global Reading Challenge. She told WSB, “This is so exciting, it exemplifies everything that’s right about public education. We have a diverse group of students, and there is challenge in rigor in the books they’re reading — some above their grade level — and it’s teaching them teamwork and collaboration.” She adds, “This is not something that’s just fun or fluffy, students are forced to work as a team. It’s competitive but not a sport, though we do have some jocks in there!”

These kids were clearly up to the challenge. During the third round, Jan Hogan asked, “Is everyone having fun?” to which a resounding “YEAH!” erupted. She followed up with, “Did you have fun reading the books?” again resulting in a happy shout of “YEAH!” They not only had fun, they clearly paid attention to what they were reading; an unprecedented four teams got perfect scores and tied for first place, resulting in a lightning-round tiebreaker.

After three more questions, it was down to two teams: “Da Peeps” and “Rebel Readers.”

(Da Peeps – Dylan, Ayden, Steph, Chase, Stone, Ruby; Siobhan in front)
In the end, it was “Da Peeps” — a group of 5th graders participating in their first-ever Global Reading Challenge – who answered all their questions correctly and will be going on to the semi-finals at the Downtown Library in mid-March.

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EARLIER COVERAGE: 2 weeks ago, we covered the Sanislo GRC finals, also by invitation – that story’s here.

Meet with your neighbors to:

¨ Get information on the recent area crimes
¨ Strategize on actions to reduce area crime
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¨ Learn what WE can do, working together, to reduce neighborhood crime

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