Last year, West Seattle High School’s baseball team went to state – this year, they’re off to a good start, reports Greg Slader, sharing the photo and this report (thanks!):
West Seattle wins over Lakeside 3-1. Sam Hellinger (top photo) pitched a complete game, giving up only one run on three hits and no walks. Solid defense and timely hits helped West Seattle to a 3-0 lead as they cruised to their first win. The Wildcats are 1-1 on the season and 1-0 in league play.
(Spencer Elder makes the play)
Next game is Thursday against Lakeside, before they head to Safeco Field this Saturday @ 4 pm.
For the third year, it’s World Water Week at Chief Sealth International High School – and the students/staff are hoping to shake us out of taking clean water/sanitation for granted. So many in the U.S. have it; so many in the rest of the world don’t. It’s a life-and-death topic, and yet it can be discussed with humor and inspiration – which is what you’ll hear from the man who’s traveled from the other side of the world to give the keynote speech tomorrow night, Jack Sim, founder of the World Toilet Organization.
(From left, Sealth students Natalia, Riley, Syd, Tasha, with, center, teacher Noah Zeichner and Jack Sim)
He’s at the school today, and speaks at 7 pm Tuesday in the Sealth auditorium, right after a 6 pm resource fair at the school, and you’re welcome to attend the event for free. (Donations are welcome – here! – to support the ongoing WWW-related awareness-raising work, though.)
(Photos courtesy club volunteer coach Anne Higuera)
Robotics continue to grow in popularity at local schools – including the new LEGO Robotics Club that K-5 STEM at Boren launched just two months ago, with 50 students already participating. The photos are from a field trip this past Thursday to the UW Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering, where grad students, writes club parent volunteer Christy Monge, “showed off robotic fish and some other projects that involve flight.
“The STEM students were invited downstairs to the tank where the robotic fish are tested, and were able to pilot the fish around the pool. … They also monitored the robot’s progress on a laptop computer below and tried out some of the tools and equipment, feeling right at home.”
Another school benefit this weekend! Tomorrow night, it’s Pathfinder K-8‘s turn, with months of planning and volunteer work all coming together in one big event, as Ginny Woo explains:
“Cirque du Pathfinder Auction: An Evening of Love, Chaos, and Community” will take place Saturday evening, starting at 5:00 at the Jerry Brockey Center at SSCC. The money raised that night will go directly to supporting the students through our programs at our alternative public school, Pathfinder K-8, where children are engaged in expeditionary learning. Pathfinder educates students to become passionate, lifelong learners, respecting themselves, others and the environment.
In addition to wonderful donations from our families and West Seattle businesses and supporters, we will be auctioning off “Clan Art” made by the students at Pathfinder. Each classroom is named after an animal and referred to as a “clan.” These original works of art are a beautiful reminder of the collaboration and dedication the students, parents, and teachers at Pathfinder K-8 have to the arts, the environment, and each other. Mary Lane is our Auction Chair and a Pathfinder parent.
Ginny included photos; since we so often feature bird images on WSB, we’re sharing the one above. P.S. Auction tickets are sold out!
Six years after Seattle Public Schoolsclosed Fairmount Park Elementary (map), there’s news in what you DON’T see in that photo (shared by Deborah) – the old portables that had remained on the closed campus were demolished by district laborers following asbestos abatement by district maintenance,” district spokesperson Teresa Wippel confirms to WSB. She says they “had been vandalized and were beyond repair.” And this is also a sign that renovation and addition work on the Fairmount Park campus is getting closer. According to Wippel, the district will advertise for bids starting Monday, will open them in mid-April, and expects construction to start “sometime in mid-May. Construction activities will last until mid-July, 2014, with move-in immediately following.” The work includes a wing of new classrooms so that it would be able to handle to 500 students. The district has yet to announce whether it plans to reopen Fairmount Park as a neighborhood school or something else (such as home to K-5 STEM, which is in its first year of operation and temporarily housed at the Boren campus).
PARTIAL HIRING-SPENDING FREEZE: The district says that because of an expected $18 million budget shortfall for next year and uncertainty over how the Legislature will handle school funding, SPS is “implementing a non-critical hiring and spending freeze until further notice. This freeze is expected to save at least $2.5 million, which can be carried over to assist in building a balanced 2013-14 budget.” The district announcement stresses, “Critical positions that are needed for either safety or classroom instruction are excluded from this freeze.” (Full announcement here.)
STRATEGIC-PLAN MEETINGS: As the district updates its “strategic plan” – we recently linked to an online survey – it’s planning five community meetings. Here in West Seattle, there’s one at 6:30 pm Tuesday, April 2nd, in the auditorium at Chief Sealth International High School (interpreters will be available for Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese, Chinese, Tagalog, Amharic). Read about the strategic-plan process here; the School Board is expected to get a first look at the proposed plan for its June 19th meeting.
Since St. Patrick’s Day is on Sunday this year, it’s a weekend full of festivities, particularly on Saturday. If you’re going to the parade downtown on Saturday, look for two local schools’ marching bands – West Seattle High School and Denny International Middle School. Full parade details are here, including the entire list of participants and the route, described as:
The Parade travels north on 4th Ave, starting from Jefferson [map] to the Reviewing Stand at Westlake Park, and officially ends at the Seattle Center with Closing Ceremonies at 2 PM.
We see the list of participants also includes the Tony Comerford School of Irish Dance, which teaches at locations including West Seattle’s VFW Hall. Anyone else from West Seattle participating? Please let us know with a comment here, or e-mail, so that local paradegoers will know to look for you!
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
It was a lesson to remember. West Seattle Montessori teacher Matt Whittemore invited us to stop by as he fired up a hands-on learning experience in his backyard last Saturday. Whittemore’s class (the Horned Owls 1-3) has been studying early man; their culminating project was glazing pottery and seeing it fired in a backyard kiln and pots in the Raku pottery method. WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams captured the scenes.
“Our unit of study coincided with our study of early man and his basic needs and our yearly school auction,” Whittemore explained. “During our class conversations, we talked about basic needs such as eating, shelter, and clothes and where those items came from. The goal was to get the students thinking about what it might have been like to have to discover everything. Humans only had their natural resources to learn, utilize, and adapt from. So, I did some research on the ‘Raku’ style of pottery and took on the project.”
“The kids made the pots in the classroom in small groups. We air-dried them and then Bethany Woll bisque-fired them to remove any moisture and prepare them for glazing.”
This annual event celebrates the art programs at WSHS; culinary, visual and performing. The evening starts with the culinary art students preparing and serving delicious appetizers as attendees view the visual art (Student photography, ceramics, painting, drawing, and wood shop) on display that has been judged by 4 local artists. The musicians and cast of the spring musical, “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” are present for a short time to mingle before the attendees are escorted to the high school theater for the evening’s 8:00 pm performance. Tickets are $20 advance, $25 at the door, and include appetizers, 2 beverages, and entrance to the spring musical.
The night starts with the tasting and arts viewing, 6-7 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church Hall next to WSHS, and then moves on to the school theater for the spring musical at 8 pm. You can buy tickets right now online – just go here.
(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited)
Even before we got to the big room with the big party last night at The Hall at Fauntleroy – Gatewood Elementary‘s annual Bids for Kids auction, whose organizers invited us to stop by – the sight above brought us to a full stop: A tree hung with old-fashioned rabbit’s-foot keychains, popular trinkets in the ’60s-’70s. Worked perfectly with the sign, given that the theme was Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, which also meant it was no surprise to spot more than a few hats in the crowd:
Also in keeping with the theme – this Cheshire Cat cake from the “dessert dash,” donated by Melinda Pond:
(Photo by Doug Branch)
Student-made artworks were among the auction items – as was this teacher/student (among others) collaboration:
The card with the puppet theater explained that the Team Lake Union kindergarteners of Nancy Carney and Charlene Higuchi worked on designs and sock puppets for the theater, which was built by Carney’s husband. Congratulations to everybody at Gatewood, including auction chair Ava Barnes and the numerous volunteers it takes to put on this kind of event. (Got a fundraiser coming up at YOUR school? Please let us know!)
As part of last night’s winter-sports banquet at West Seattle High School, the history-making girls’ basketball program took time to celebrate. We caught up with head coach Sonya Elliott – Metro League Coach of the Year and Star Times Coach of the Year – and her players and coaches:
Chief Sealth International High School athletic director Sam Reed usually ends each sports season with a detailed recap of the Sealth athletes, coaches, and others’ accomplishments. This morning, we’re presenting his latest recap along with photos taken by WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams at last night’s Sealth winter-sports banquet:
How quickly time flies. As I sat down to work on this season’s recap – something that has become one of my favorite parts of this job – I looked through my files to see that this is my 11th season recap over the past 4 years. And while this season didn’t bring State rankings, divisional championships, or the local media blitz that’s been associated with so many of our recent sports seasons, these recaps remind me what is special about high school athletics. 181 Seahawk student-athletes participated in a winter sport and they did so not because they were promised their name in the paper, a State title, or event recognition by their peers. Instead, they sweated through 14 weeks of practices and games because they valued the camaraderie of their teammates and the bond that comes out in competition.
No team bond might have been stronger this season than that of the swim team.
(Swim team head coach Les Holland)
Led by the ‘12-‘13 Metro League Coach of the Year Les Holland, the CSIHS swim team spent countless early morning hours in the pool, hours which paid off in a big way.
(Sealth swim-team members)
The Seahawks were represented at the 3A State level by junior Michael Stewart, who qualified in both the 100 and 200 freestyle, placing 17th in the state in the 100M. Senior captain Kelsey Hastings capped off an impressive swim career by leading the girls’ team to multiple regular season team wins. This season could well be a stepping stone toward future success, as 23 members of the team were either 9th or 10th graders this year.
3rd year head coach Katie Jo Maris felt confident about the girls basketball team’s odds heading into this past summer.
Thanks to Gatewood Elementary parent Jennifer Dempsey for a peek inside the school, where the halls are decked in a theme that carries through to a big event Friday night:
The students, teachers, and staff of Gatewood Elementary are celebrating Alice in Wonderland week in preparation of the annual Bids for Kids auction this Friday. Under the fabulous direction of art teacher Rachel Moreau, each class not only created fun Alice-themed decor to decorate our hallways, but also produced an original piece of art to help raise money for our school. The students are dressing up as their favorite characters on the day that they have art class, and the class with the most participation will win a tea party.
P.S. Some of the art projects that will be auctioned off are shown in the photos.
(SSCC photos by Glenn Gauthier)
As previewed in our West Seattle Wednesday roundup – the annual “College Night” open house is under way till 7:30 pm at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) – a chance “for prospective students to explore the programs the school has to offer, meet with faculty, staff, and current students who are on hand to answer questions,” as communications director Kevin Maloney explains it.
Never been to SSCC? It’s at 6000 16th SW on Puget Ridge.
Actor Matt Damon says he’s on strike – and with the video you can watch above, Chief Sealth International High School students say they’re ready to join him. Haven’t heard about his strike? Watch *his* video:
With that recent “news conference,” Damon and his water.org did his best to make sure you know that 2.5 billion people don’t have access to something you likely take for granted – toilets.
Since Damon is looking ahead to World Water Day on March 22nd, and Chief Sealth is too – with their third annual World Water Week full of lessons and events March 18-22 – they’re thinking their suggestion that he come here should be an irresistible invitation, says social-studies teacher and WWW ringleader Noah Zeichner. Especially given their specific focus – sanitation and wastewater. So they’ve submitted their video to his strikewithme.org website, and sent photos like this one and this one to the #strikewithme feed he launched via Instagram. They hope he will come to Sealth to share the stage with Jack Sim, the activist nicknamed “Mr. Toilet,” who is coming all the way from Singapore to be the keynoter for WWW at Sealth (you are invited too), 7 pm March 19th at the school auditorium, admission free.
As Sim points out in this short video profile of Sim, it’s a taboo topic – and that’s killing people, as taboos too often do. So he talks about toilets, and the Sealth students are doing the same, as is Matt Damon. Will he take them up on their invitation? Stay tuned!
(P.S. A fundraiser continues, to help foot the bill for World Water Week costs and the 9th-grade WEST Project – check it out here.)
One final round of holiday giving, last night at Holy Rosary School – the Parents Club presented three local nonprofits with checks for donations from last year’s Holy Rosary Tree Lot. More than $2,000 each went to the West Seattle Food Bank (represented by Fran Yeatts) and the Salvation Army’s family shelter Hickman House (represented by Janet Sanders) as well as the West Seattle Helpline. The Tree Lot is an all-volunteer operation that traditionally gives a share of the proceeds to community charities.
Last night’s Parents Club meeting also included a discussion of LEGO Robotics:
The school’s annual auction, this year with the Kentucky Derby as its theme, is coming up April 20th.
(SSCC photos by Glenn Gauthier)
Big party at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) on Tuesday afternoon – the Fall Quarter Honor Roll Reception, with students inviting family and friends to help them celebrate their achievement. SSCC faculty and other staff joined the party too – SSCC president Gary Oertli(below, center) was part of a receiving line congratulating students at the reception’s end:
For fall quarter, 161 students were on the President’s list, 743 students on the Dean’s list.
When we first reported in November that Westside School (WSB sponsor) is seeking to buy the Hillcrest Presbyterian Church site as its permanent home, Westside leadership promised to schedule a meeting with its prospective new neighbors in Arbor Heights. They now have plans for two. From a flyer that’s just been circulated in AH:
Westside School is planning to move to the Hillcrest Church facility in the Arbor Heights neighborhood, and we would like to share our vision and plans and hear your feedback.
Open House #1: Saturday, March 9th, 10 AM-11 AM, Hillcrest Church, 10404 34th Avenue SW [map]
Open House #2: Tuesday, March 12th, 7 PM-8 PM, Hillcrest Church, 10404 34th Avenue SW
The day after “Argo” won the Oscar for Best Picture, one of the six “house guests” whose story it tells was in West Seattle, visiting Chief Sealth International High School, at the invitation of teacher Patrice De La Ossa, Ph.D., who shares photos and a report:
“Argo,” anyone? Mark Lijek, one of the real house guests from “Argo,” visited the IB World History Seniors at Chief Sealth International High School today for Q&A after viewing the film last week. Dr. De La Ossa reached out to Mark Lijek, who resides in Washington, and got lucky!
But today, so did her students. Mark met with the seniors and told his personal story, then answered questions from the curious seniors about his ordeal, his continued career in Foreign Services, and how he felt about the film, which just won Best Picture.
Mark Lijek and his wife Cora Amburn-Lijek live in the Skagit County city of Anacortes. Our partners at The Seattle Timestold their story last fall, a few weeks after they were flown to the “Argo” premiere in Hollywood. In 1979, when they were embassy employees in Tehran at the time of the hostage crisis, the two were in their mid-20s and had been married four years.
Roxhill Elementary PE teacher Chellie LaFayette and her students are getting national attention for unique teaching/learning techniques, and a round of one-handed basketball today was part of it.
It takes practice, as Adam Mendoza learned:
A recent New York Times story pointed to Roxhill as a school where PE class had integrated other forms of learning – like computers, with an iPad helping demonstrate the throwing technique today:
Dozens of young local musicians are back from a big weekend. Ethan Thomas from West Seattle High School‘s music department reports on achievements by students from 3 local schools:
The West Seattle High School, Chief Sealth International High School, and Denny Middle School Jazz Ensembles traveled together over the weekend to the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho. The bands had an opportunity to perform and receive feedback from adjudicators, attend workshops and evening concerts by such internationally acclaimed musicians as Maceo Parker, Jeff Hamilton, Regina Carter, Take 6 and the Lionel Hampton Big Band. Three students from our group (Annabel Foucault from WSHS on bass, Cameron Nakatani from CSIHS and Ben Orlin from Denny IMS on trumpet) received honorable mention recognition for their performance. All three groups (WSHS under the direction of Ethan Thomas; CSIHS and Denny under the direction of Marcus Pimpleton) performed very well.
Seattle Public Schools‘ current five-year strategic plan “Excellence for All” expires this year, and the district is working on a new one. An online survey that’s part of the process is ending in a few days, and the district is asking feedback from everyone – “families, students, staff, and members of the community” included, according to a reminder recently sent. It’s a quick survey, the district promises, and it starts here. Find more background – and links to take the survey in more languages – here. This Wednesday (February 27th) is the deadline.
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