West Seattle Blog…

West Seattle schools: Sealth announces assistant principal

A West Seattle High School teacher/administrative intern is crossing town to become an assistant principal at Chief Sealth International High School. The hiring of Andra Maughan was announced by Sealth principal Chris Kinsey, who made the announcement in e-mail to the school community. He tells WSB that she will succeed Bob Hunt, who has worked this year as substitute assistant principal. Maughan’s background also includes work as a special-education consulting teacher for the district and as a special-education coordinator for a school on the Eastside. He says they’re working now on a transition plan so she can “begin to acclimate herself to our community” before officially starting work for next school year.

Seattle Public Schools releases report on Lafayette investigation

One Lafayette Elementary parent e-mailed us, puzzled about a PTA e-mail that arrived last night, addressing a situation that, as the note said, some had been following closely, and some knew nothing about. We hadn’t heard about it before the Seattle Schools Community Forum website published a report last week headlined “The Lafayette story.” As that site’s main writer Melissa Westbrook reported, it started with an accusation that a student had sexually harassed other students, and escalated into an accusation that the principal had mishandled the investigation. Now, the reason more are talking about it – including a Seattle Times [WSB partner] story published last night – is that the district has concluded its investigation, and says it found no evidence of wrongdoing. The resulting memo was provided to news organizations including WSB. It is the first independent corroboration we have had of this investigation. For those who would like to see it in its entirety, read on: Click to read the rest of Seattle Public Schools releases report on Lafayette investigation…

Weekend sunshine ahead: WSHS Grad Night car wash on Saturday

Another school fundraiser to mention tonight – a car wash to raise money for those who need scholarships to join in West Seattle High School‘s Grad Night celebration (less than a month away!) is coming up on Saturday. The announcement we received via e-mail notes, “With several graduation ceremonies occurring in the area on June 16, the Grad Night committee believes that it is extremely important to offer as many WSHS students as possible, a safe and chaperoned event to celebrate their HS accomplishments.” The car wash is planned for 10:30 am-3 pm this sun-forecast Saturday (May 26) at West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor), 7501 35th SW.

Hit the links and help the kids: Sealth golf tournament

(WSB photo from 2011 tournament)
With a week and a half to go till the second annual Chief Sealth Athletics Golf Tournament, organizers are ready to see the final spots fill up so it’s a full lineup when everybody tees up. June 1st is the day, Rainier Golf and Country Club the place. Sealth athletic director Sam Reed explains, “The goal of the Chief Sealth Athletics Golf Tournament is to become the prime method of fundraising for our student-athletes. The inaugural event in 2011 raised over $5,000 which went directly toward supporting athletic efforts including transportation, uniforms and equipment, and building quality lower level programs (JV and C-teams).” There are also some specific needs, from buying banners to celebrate past championships – previous banners were lost in the remodel – to funding a certified strength coach who can design programs to help the students best utilize Sealth’s state-of-the-art weight room. If you can swing it, it’s a great excuse to take that Friday afternoon off – and you can register online right now, with the fees including food and beverages as well as golf.

Celebrate student symphonies! West Seattle school concerts ahead

When José Banda, just hired to be Seattle Public Schools‘ next superintendent, visited Arbor Heights Elementary last Thursday (WSB coverage here), the final official stop of his tour was an orchestra rehearsal in the cafetorium, shown in our video clip above. The rehearsal also provided a view into a community partnership that is playing out at schools around this area. Since 2008, the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras have provided professional music coaches to several schools in West Seattle and South Park, in hopes that will increase the number of students who go on to play orchestral music with string instruments in middle school and high school. Two SYSO-provided coaches were there during the Thursday practice, according to Kathleen Allen, education/communication/partnerships director of SYSO, a West Seattleite who also was on hand. Earlier in the week, she had circulated a video – see it here – promoting the SYSO/SPS partnership in this area, and she provided this list of 13 school concerts over the next three weeks to which you are welcome (including next Thursday at AH):

May 22, 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm at Highland Park Elementary
May 24, 1:30 pm and 6:00 pm at Arbor Heights Elementary
May 24, 2 pm and 6 pm at Gatewood Elementary
June 1, 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm at Sanislo Elementary
June 6, 6:30 pm and June 8, 1:30 p.m. at Concord International (Elementary)
June 6, 7:00 pm, Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School Choir and Orchestra concert at the Sealth Auditorium
June 11, 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm at Roxhill Elementary

The program is supported by grants and donations, and the collaboration also includes the West Seattle Community Orchestras, Allen says.

Followup: First-graders teach shoppers about healthy food

(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.

High-school sports: West Seattle HS baseball loses state game

The West Seattle High School baseball team fought to get to the state playoffs, but were shut out this morning in Bellevue in their first-round playoff game. Timberline won at Bannerwood Park, 5-0.

Video: Arbor Heights hosts superintendent-to-be José Banda

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: Click to read the rest of Video: Arbor Heights hosts superintendent-to-be José Banda…

High-school sports: Season ends for Chief Sealth’s standout soccer team

An amazing season ended tonight for the Chief Sealth International High School boys’ soccer team – one in which they were ranked among the state’s top teams, ran up an incredible winning streak, and made it to the state playoffs. Shorewood, the state’s #1 team, edged the Seahawks 2-1 tonight at Shoreline Stadium.

At the end of the game, the team applauded and cheered those who had come to cheer for them. Toward the start, we photographed them in an on-the-road edition of the “Hawks Nest”:

The game was a draw through the first half, 0-0 at halftime – no scoring till the 49th minute, as our partners at the Seattle Times report. Led by Head Coach Ron Johnson, Sealth closes the season at 14-3-1; Shorewood is undefeated, with 20 wins.

In a comment on the WSB Facebook page, Sealth athletic director Sam Reed thanked the fans who made the trek to Shorewood, then writing, “So proud of our boys and especially the Seniors that worked so hard to build something special during their time as Seahawks.”

School Board confirms new superintendent José Banda, who visits West Seattle tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, Arbor Heights Elementary staff and students will be among the first community members to be able to congratulate José Banda on his new job as Seattle Public Schools Superintendent. The School Board voted 7-0 tonight to confirm him, and – as reported here Tuesday – his visit continues tomorrow with a 10 am stop at AH. Here’s the district’s announcement of tonight’s vote: Click to read the rest of School Board confirms new superintendent José Banda, who visits West Seattle tomorrow…

High-school baseball: West Seattle HS to state

At Steve Cox Memorial Field in White Center tonight, West Seattle High School and Liberty HS faced off for a berth in the state tournament – and WSHS came out on top, 2-1.

Here’s the box score from our partners at the Seattle Times.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Wildcats play Timberline at 10 am at Bannerwood Parkin Bellevue this Saturday.

West Seattle schools: 1st PTA meeting for K-5 STEM at Boren

Just under four months till the first day of school, and families signed up for K-5 STEM at Boren are already organizing a PTA. The first meeting is set for 6:30 pm this Thursday (May 17th) at the Southwest Library, 35th and Henderson, and the topic is whether to form an organization associated with the PTSA network or “an independent PTO,” as Kathleen Voss puts it, adding:

All parents of students currently enrolled at STEM for the 2012-13 school year, families on the wait list, and families interested in learning more about the K-5 STEM at Boren program are encouraged to attend. For those who are interested but cannot attend, questions and comments will be collected on the community forum groups.yahoo.com/group/k5stem for discussion at the meeting.

A representative from the state PTA network will be there to help facilitate discussion of what kind of organization to form. Also, tasks will be identified and assigned.

Arbor Heights Elementary to get visit from next superintendent

Just announced by Seattle Public Schools in a media advisory, José Banda – scheduled to be confirmed as the district’s next superintendent on Wednesday night – will visit Arbor Heights Elementary on Thursday. Banda has been leading a school district in Anaheim, California, but is coming back to Seattle for the board vote Wednesday night, and the AH visit has been announced as one of his two media availabilities for the visit (a photo op rather than a public event, in case you’re wondering) – the other will include interviews after the board vote.

West Seattle schools: K-5 STEM at Boren plans Singapore Math

If you weren’t at the last Design Team meeting for the new K-5 STEM at Boren school, or missed the mention in the WSB Forums, the official district notes for that meeting are now published online. The notes confirm a major curriculum decision: The Design Team supports seeking a waiver so the new science/tech/engineering/math school can use Singapore Math, which, in West Seattle, has led to major math success at Schmitz Park Elementary. The meeting notes also include an enrollment update:

Three kindergarten classes
One first-grade class
One first/second-grade class
One second/third-grade class
One third-grade class
One fourth-grade class
One fourth/fifth-grade class

Total enrollment as of last Thursday, 233. There has been some confusion over whether people are still being encouraged to apply in hopes they will add another class or two; the meeting notes say “still encourage people to get on the waitlist.” Next team meeting (public always welcome): 6:15 pm May 24th, Madison Middle School. There’s also an ongoing online-discussion group here.

Hearing in West Seattle on environmental-impact statement for school levy

Though Seattle Public Schools‘ BEX IV levy plan has not yet been finalized, as part of the process, the district has to have hearings on the potential environmental impact of the potential projects, and the date’s been set for the next hearing: 5 pm May 22nd at Roxhill Elementary (30th and Roxbury). “Environmental impact,” in this case, doesn’t just mean ecological, but also noise, traffic, and other potential effects. The district’s draft environmental-impact statement regarding BEX IV can be seen in its entirety here. If you can’t make it to the hearing, you can also comment, until May 25, via e-mail or postal mail:

Noel Treat, SEPA Responsible official
John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence
2445 3rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98134

Or: jawolf@seattleschools.org

The School Board is expected to give final approval to the levy plan in October, after another round of community meetings in September. What’s currently being discussed was covered in our report on a board “work session” last week.

Video: Pathfinder K-8 celebrates technology grant from CenturyLink

Our video shows the special surprise that kicked off Pathfinder K-8‘s Monday morning assembly today – the presentation of a ceremonial oversized $10,000 check from the CenturyLink Teachers and Technology program, to buy more tech equipment for classrooms.

It’s the only Seattle school getting one of nine such grants statewide. It didn’t really just come out of the blue, though – Pathfinder librarian Kathy Egawa, who spoke briefly at the assembly along with principal David Dockendorf and CenturyLink vp Sue Anderson, applied for the grant. She explained that while the state has tech standards students are expected to meet, Pathfinder doesn’t have the equipment needed to meet those standards – but this grant, to get 2 laptops for each classroom in the “Earth Hall” section, will help, as the second- and third-graders embark on a mapping expedition using them.

PATHFINDER P.S.: This Wednesday night is the kickoff for another project – more analog! – and the community’s invited to dinner in the cafeteria at 6 pm Wednesday to talk about how the school can transform its playground into a “creative outdoor learning space.” More info in the calendar listing.

West Seattle schools: Schmitz Park’s annual face-to-face geography lesson

(Click image for larger view)
Friday was a day that meant the world to Schmitz Park Elementary. Literally! It was Schmitz Park’s third annual Global Ambassador Day, explained by principal Gerrit Kischner as a day “during which UW students teach Schmitz Park students about their home countries and cultures.” He added:

Every year, Schmitz Park students learn global geography through the Passport Program. (Friday), students met real people who live in the countries they study. After welcoming the UW students with a fifth-grade drum circle and an all=school performance of the Schmitz Park “anthem,” a version of “Under One Sky,” Schmitz Park students learned languages, sang songs, danced, ate, played schoolyard games, and did crafts from 16 different countries, all thanks to the Foundation for International Understanding through Students (FIUTS, the international student-support organization at the University of Washington).

At the front of the Friday afternoon photo shared by Principal Kischner are Principals-for-the-Day Maxine and Cayla Hall (third graders) and the 35 visiting international students from UW.

High-school baseball tournaments: SLHS wins, WSHS loses

Two postseason high-school baseball games today involving teams from West Seattle:

LUTHERAN TO STATE: Playing in Stanwood, Seattle Lutheran High School beat Concrete this afternoon and is now headed to the state regionals, playing in Anacortes next Saturday, according to the SLHS Twitter feed.

O’DEA BEATS WSHS: This one was played at midday at Steve Cox Memorial Field in White Center.

West Seattle High School lost 4-1; O’Dea goes on to state. WSHS has one more chance at a state berth, with a game on Tuesday.

High-school sports postseason: WSHS, Sealth baseball, softball

WSHS BASEBALL: This afternoon at Steve Cox Memorial Field in White Center, the Wildcats beat top-ranked Seattle Prep, 7-4 – such a big win, our partners at the Seattle Times wrote this standalone story. WSHS plays O’Dea in a winner-to-state game at 11 tomorrow morning.

SEALTH SOFTBALL: They “settle for 4th in Metro,” as athletic director Sam Reed tweeted it, after a loss today.

(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Blanchet defeated the Seahawk girls 11-3, but Sealth still moves on to district playoffs.

SEALTH BASEBALL: Their season ended with a 4-3 loss to O’Dea.

Reed says it’s the second year their season ended “one game away from State.”

WSHS SOFTBALL: They lost to Nathan Hale, 8-5.

The softball games were played at Lower Woodland Park in North Seattle.

Video: Sen. Murray at South Seattle Community College Civics Week

A high-ranking guest helped wrap up South Seattle Community College‘s Civics Week today, a week focused on both student-government elections and participation in the larger political/civic scene. U.S. Senator Patty Murray came to the West Seattle campus this morning – her second appearance there in 7 months (here’s our report from last October) – for a rally about the fight in D.C. over raising interest on student loans. In our 14-minute video of today’s speeches, you hear from SSCC president Gary Oertli, former SSCC president and current system chancellor Jill Wakefield, United Student Association president Dante Obcena, USA VP & legislative liaison Tysen Hillquist, before a few minutes by the senator:

Sen. Murray has long been active on veterans’ issues as well, as college president Oertli noted in his introduction. After the speech, Sen. Murray talked with local activist and U.S. Army veteran Dorsol Plants:

As you heard the senator say if you viewed the video, the bill to keep student-loan rates from rising sharply is currently tied up in a Republicans vs. Democrats fight, with the former trying to keep it from coming up for a vote.

School district turnabout for transportation plan that could have meant major bell-time changes

Just in from Seattle Public Schools - the transportation-plan change that could have (among other things) meant dramatic changes to bell times – for example, high school starting before 7:30 am – is off the table, after sparking an uproar when it suddenly emerged on the last board-meeting agenda (for May 2nd). The district had said it would have something to say today, and here it is, with the declaration that “the proposed new option is responsive to the feedback and will impact the students, schools and families the least.” Read on for the full announcement: Click to read the rest of School district turnabout for transportation plan that could have meant major bell-time changes…

High-school softball & baseball: WSHS, Sealth teams all play again today

SOFTBALL: In 3:30 pm games today, Sealth is scheduled to face Blanchet and West Seattle is scheduled to play Nathan Hale. In Thursday games, according to our partners at the Seattle Times, Sealth fell to Holy Names, 19-1, while West Seattle beat Seattle Prep, 9-6.

BASEBALL: West Seattle and Chief Sealth both had games at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center. The Seahawks came away with a win:

(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
They edged Ingraham, 3-2 (here are the stats); the Wildcats shut out Nathan Hale 10-0:

Both play again today – West Seattle vs. Prep (at 4 pm – just verified that with the school), and Sealth vs. O’Dea.

High-school soccer: Sealth shutout sends Seahawks to state

The Chief Sealth International High School boys-varsity soccer team is in the state tournament, after shutting out Bishop Blanchet in conference-tournament play at Interbay on Thursday, 3-0. That’s another shutout for keeper Kristian Nilssen; here’s the rest of the game summary from our partners at the Seattle Times.

9:49 AM UPDATE: According to Sealth athletic director Sam Reed, Sealth’s first state-tournament game will be on Tuesday – details TBA.