West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
Driving northbound on Delridge this afternoon, we noticed the Boren campus, which the district is reopening this fall for a new elementary school, had been hit again by a particularly prolific wave of tagging. Then we spotted the district paint-over/cleanup crew, so we stopped for a photo. Community volunteers painted the bright mural panels that cover the school windows, which were boarded up a year and a half ago, hoping to discourage taggers, but a drive around the school suggests the vandals have hit most of the non-mural surfaces.
Last night on partner site White Center Now, we reported that Highline Public Schools had offered its superintendent job to Dr. Susan Enfield, who’s been serving as interim Seattle superintendent but didn’t want the permanent job. This morning, Dr. Enfield announced she’s taking the job in Highline – the district that includes White Center and Burien – pending contract finalization. Details from our partners at the Seattle Times.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Fauntleroy-based writer and community advocate Judy Pickens is not only a local school volunteer, she also kindly gathers information about volunteer help needed at local schools, to share here, in hopes you can pitch in too. Here’s her latest list.)
By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog
Because of the generosity of a West Seattle Blog reader, students in after-school reading and math clubs at Highland Park Elementary are receiving extra help that wasn’t available just a few weeks ago. I can guarantee that they are benefiting from the tutoring, enjoying a fresh face, and learning that how well they do at school is important to a total stranger.
Students at other area schools are having a similar experience as ordinary folks volunteer a few hours every week or once in awhile to reinforce classroom teaching. Read on for timely volunteer opportunities at three local schools – ones that would appreciate even a sliver of your time – and it’s not just for tutoring!Read More
By Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
Just before heading out for the midwinter break that concludes this weekend, Chief Sealth International High School football players were served a sizable helping of food for thought.
It came in a closed-door meeting with their new coach, Luther Carr III (right), last Friday afternoon. Immediately afterward, we got a chance to talk with the coach whose appointment was announced two days earlier, three months after athletic director Sam Reed announced the search for a new coach, following years of losing seasons.
The day of his first Sealth team meeting – Friday, February 17th — was Coach Carr’s first day on the job.
(WSB photo from February 15th meeting)
Eight days after a standing-room-only crowd attended the first informational meeting about West Seattle’s new public elementary opening this fall, K-5 STEM at Boren (WSB coverage here), the district has kept its promise to set a second meeting. Just in:
Families interested in the new K-5 STEM at Boren in West Seattle have a second opportunity to learn about this new school at an informational meeting 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1 at Denny International Middle School, 2601 SW. Kenyon St. Interpreters will be available.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These subjects are an increasingly popular focus for elementary students.
Seattle Public Schools will be opening the new elementary program for fall 2012 in response to strong enrollment growth in West Seattle. The STEM program will be housed in the Boren building (5950 Delridge Way SW.). It will be a K-5 option program and open in September 2012 offering all six grade levels.
After a strong turnout at the first Family Information & Input night on Feb. 15, Seattle Public Schools is holding this second information meeting. It will be identical to the previous meeting, featuring a short presentation and a question-and-answer session.
Because STEM at Boren is an option program, it is open to any student in Seattle entering kindergarten and Grades 1-5 in September 2012. Bus transportation will be provided for students who live within West Seattle. Families who wish to apply to K-5 STEM at Boren can do so during the District’s Open Enrollment process from Feb. 27 through March 9, 2012. Families can also apply after Open Enrollment through Sept. 30. School Choice forms will be available at www.seattleschools.org beginning Feb. 27.
To learn more about K-5 STEM at Boren, visit http://bit.ly/K5STEM or send an email to K5STEM@seattleschool.org. Want to help shape the future of STEM? Applications for the Design Team are available at http://bit.ly/K5STEMdesignteam and due by Friday, March 2.
We are checking to find out (a) where at Denny and (b) which languages they’ll offer interpretation for.
ADDED 11:20 AM: From district spokesperson Lesley Rogers – (a) TBD, (b) Spanish, Somali, and Vietnamese, and an additional question we asked on behalf of commenter “String Cheese” – seeking the status of the promised answers to questions posed by attendees last week: “We hope to have an online FAQ by February 29th.” (Open enrollment starts Feb. 27th.)
Two announcements from organizers of the third annual Chief Sealth International High School dinner/auction benefit, coming up in a week and a half – you can still get tickets, and they’re still rounding up auction items. Here’s an updated announcement:
3rd Annual Seahawk Spirit Dinner & Auction!
Co-Sponsored by Chief Sealth PTSA, Chief Sealth Performing Arts, and Chief Sealth AthleticsSaturday March 3, 2012
Doors Open at 5 pm ~ Hall at Fauntleroy
Tickets are $60 and include sit-down dinner and big fun!Entertainment includes performances by Chief Sealth High School student musicians as well as local group Choro Tocanda, performing Brazilian choro music. Taking elements ranging from European dance forms to African-rooted beats, this popular music was the first to express the many cultures that meet at the crossroads that is Brazil.
We are still gratefully accepting sponsorships from local businesses as well as item donations for both the silent and live auctions. Ticket sales, item or cash donations, and sponsorship opportunities can all be handled online:
https://csptsa.ejoinme.org/?tabid=326316
Contact chiefsealthptsa@gmail.com for more information.
We stopped by Madison Middle School on Thursday afternoon for orchestra members’ quick command performance of the Beatles classic “Eleanor Rigby,” after hearing from Madison music director Clark Bathum, who had big news about two of his musicians:
Congratulations to Lauren Estep (viola) and Caroline May (violin), who will perform with the Washington Junior All-State Orchestra at the Washington Music Educators Conference in Yakima this weekend. After a highly competitive audition in the fall, both were selected to join other top musicians from around the state. This is Caroline’s first selection to the group. Lauren was selected to the All-Northwest orchestra last year. Both girls are looking forward to the performance this weekend and are really excited about getting to travel and play together. The staff and students at Madison are really proud of Lauren and Caroline and wish them the best of luck.
In our video, Caroline is at left, Lauren at center, with Samantha Bushman , violin (2nd from left), Annabel Foucault, bass (2nd from right), and Madelyn Hollister, cello (right).
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Leapin’ Lizards — it’s the winning team from Sanislo!
This morning at Sanislo Elementary, 4th and 5th graders filed into the library and took their small chairs, grouped into teams of six. The instructions were given: A question about a book they read will be asked aloud; they’ll have 30 seconds to put their heads together and quietly discuss the answer. When they have an answer, they are to write it down and bring it to the front of the room for judging.
Of the seven teams, one emerged victorious.
This is the “Global Reading Challenge” — a partnership between Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Public Library to encourage reading among Seattle students.
That’s only about 2/3 of the overflow crowd that filled the Schmitz Park Elementary cafetorium – and the hallway outside, and even the stage and its stairs – for tonight’s first meeting about K-5 STEM at Boren, the new “option” elementary that Seattle Public Schools plans to open in West Seattle this fall. The district officials who led the meeting, executive director of West Seattle schools Aurora Lora and head of planning and enrollment Dr. Tracy Libros, repeatedly expressed surprise at the turnout. Many questions were asked, many suggestions offered, and additional details emerged. We are heading to HQ, where we will write the full story and also upload video of the entire hour-and-a-half meeting. Lora promised that there will be another meeting soon, “someplace bigger.”
ADDED 11:31 PM: Here’s our video of the entire hour and a half meeting, which began with a short PowerPoint, followed by Q/A:
ADDED 2:57 AM: Now, the key points:
First, one more mention of the crowd. Every seat was full, and more chairs were brought in. People stood against the walls, sat on the stairs to the cafetorium stage, even sat on the floor. From the reactions of Lora and Libros, you might have thought they expected to see about 50; instead, our rough estimate would surpass 300.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The newly announced principal of K-5 STEM at Boren, the new “option” elementary that Seattle Public Schools intends to open in Delridge this fall, won’t be at tonight’s informational meeting.
But we learned more about Dr. Shannon McKinney‘s background, hopes, and plans, by interviewing her hours after the district announced she had been hired.
While she hasn’t led a STEM-focused school, she feels this is the culmination of much of the work she has done in her career, including a decade as a teacher of mathematics – “Not a math teacher,” she corrects. “I taught students mathematics.”
More from our conversation, ahead:Read More
A former college football coach will take over Chief Sealth International High School‘s football program. Three months after announcing the school was looking for a new head coach, Sealth athletic director Sam Reed just sent this news release:
Chief Sealth International High School has selected Luther Carr III to be the Seahawks newest head football coach. Carr comes to Chief Sealth with over 18 years of coaching experience, the last 10 in Division I college football.
Most recently, Carr held the position of Wide Receiver Coach at the University of Idaho, and before that served on coaching staffs at both University of Montana and University of Washington. During his time in the college ranks, he has coached and recruited numerous all-league and academic all-American players.
Just shared with us by a Lafayette Elementary parent – a letter today to the school community from first-year principal Jo Lute-Ervin, saying she will not return for a second year next year. Text after this:Read More
On the day before an informational meeting for West Seattle’s new public school, opening this fall, Seattle Public Schools interim superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield has announced a principal has been chosen for K-5 STEM at Boren. She’s moving here from Tucson. Here’s the announcement:
I am delighted to announce that I have appointed Dr. Shannon McKinney as principal for the new K-5 STEM at Boren, which will be opening in September 2012 in West Seattle
Dr. McKinney comes to Seattle Public Schools from Tucson, Arizona, where she spent the last three years as Turnaround Principal for Hohokam Middle School, an ethnically diverse middle school in the Tucson Unified School District.
She will oversee our new school focused on STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Starting in September 2012, the Louisa Boren Building in West Seattle will be reopened as a STEM Option School for grades K-5. Any interested student in Seattle who will be in kindergarten through 5th grade in September 2012 can apply to attend. School bus transportation will be available for students who live in West Seattle. Open enrollment is from Feb. 27-March 9.
With more than 22 years of educational experience, Dr. McKinney has a decade of classroom teaching, service as an Assistant Principal and Principal in two Tucson-area school districts, and impeccable credentials, including a doctorate in education from the University of Arizona. She is also deeply knowledgeable about STEM subjects, as she served as her district’s Mathematics Coordinator, and was responsible for facilitating the vertical articulation and subsequent curriculum development of K-12 Mathematics for the district.
I selected Dr. McKinney not only for her STEM expertise and her demonstrated record of improved student achievement at the schools where she has been a leader, but also for her enthusiasm for our new STEM school. She describes the opportunity to work collaboratively with families and staff to build a new school from the ground up as “a dream come true.”
Dr. McKinney will be starting at Seattle Public Schools on April 2. She will spend the spring and summer working with families and colleagues to develop a mission and vision for K-5 STEM at Boren, hiring staff, and coordinating the planning and logistics needed to ensure a smooth start to the 2012-2013 school year.
Dr. McKinney stood out as an excellent candidate for this position. I am thrilled she has agreed to accept it, and I am looking forward to introducing her to you once she moves to Seattle.
A reminder: Interested families are invited to attend a K-5 STEM at Boren Family Information and Input Night, 7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 15 at Schmitz Park Elementary (5000 S.W. Spokane St).
If you have any questions about our new K-5 STEM school, please visit http://bit.ly/K5STEM
ADDED 10:45 AM: We asked district spokesperson Lesley Rogers whether Dr. McKinney would be flying in for tomorrow night’s meeting. Her reply: “She is not able to attend tomorrow, but Aurora Lora [executive director of SPS’s West Seattle schools] will run the meeting and communicate with Dr. McKinney on what transpired at the meeting and next steps.”
(Photos courtesy Jeff Clark)
It was the most star-studded slate of music in West Seattle this weekend – and it was a hit, reports Denny International Middle School principal Jeff Clark:
The Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School Soul Jambalaya Concert was a big success! The students and special guests provided an amazing evening filled with the rich sounds of Jazz, Gospel, Blues, and Reggae. Another fantastic event made possible thanks to the dedication of Mr. Marcus Pimpleton!
Above, jazz musicians from Denny; next, their counterparts from Sealth:
Next, reggae veteran Clinton Fearon (whose upcoming gigs are listed here):
And here’s Septimus:
The Total Experience Gospel Choir performed as well. While the show was free, donations were accepted for the student music programs, which have some high-profile events ahead, as you can see on their online calendar.
From WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand: Chief Sealth International High School‘s boys-varsity basketball team closed out its season Saturday night at Nathan Hale, losing 55-49. It was a quick game that saw lots of error-free ball from both sides, with only a scant few fouls called until the last minute of the game. The Seahawks came from an 11-point deficit in the third quarter to pull the game within four by the start of the fourth quarter. And things got even closer:
Then, with a little over six minutes left in the game, Sealth senior Pepe Hernandez tied the game up on a free throw. Three times during the game, he and teammate Bronte Corbray turned the game into a track meet that had both teams doing wind sprints up and down the court. During those exchanges, Sealth came out on the long end of the deal as they controlled the rebounding. That gap eventually closed to one point in the last minute of the game, but Sealth’s repeated fouling of Hale sophomore Gadisa Margarsa put the game away. He was six-for-six at the free-throw line during the last 30 seconds. Julijs Pruzinskis was Hale’s leading scorer with 14 points, Margarsa was next with 13. Sealth was led by Hernandez with 21 points and Corbray with 11.
Just received from the Gatewood Elementary PTA‘s 2011-2012 Board – that photo, and this explanation:
We are proud to show off our two new signs at Gatewood Elementary. They are located at the corners of Myrtle and Frontenac along Fauntleroy Way SW. This is the final piece of our Operation Imagination project that included a new big toy on the playground, construction of an amphitheater, and of course the goats, who helped us with our ivy problem. This has been many years in the making and many parents who started on the project have sense moved onto middle and high school. Big thank you to them and everybody still at Gatewood who have been so instrumental in this fabulous project. Welcome to Gatewood.
Many years indeed! Checking our archives, WSB coverage of those milestones stretches back to 2007 – including the goats’ visit in 2007 and the new “big toy” in 2008.
Chief Sealth International High School‘s boys-varsity basketball team has another post-season game tomorrow night, after a victory last night at home. Our summary and photos, ahead:Read More
Wednesday night, Seattle Lutheran High School celebrated its senior basketball players – and senior cheerleader Valerie Reid, above – while closing out their regular season at home against Rainier Christian‘s teams. Ahead, our summary of the games – Lutheran won both – and photos of the senior athletes:Read More
(Nikolai Siguenza as the Cat in the Hat, Ian Gesellchen as Horton, Jovanna Barron as Sour Kangaroo)
Thanks to Alki Elementary parents for sharing dress-rehearsal photos (both taken by John Hinkey) from the big show that students are about to present: “Seussical The Musical!” 7 pm tomorrow and 2 pm Saturday, at the West Seattle High School Theater – and we’re told there aren’t too many tickets left!
So if you want to cheer on all those local kids who’ve worked hard to put on a show (not to mention parents/volunteers/staff), find your ticket info on the official poster/flyer.
P.S. We know it’s play/musical season for many schools, so if yours isn’t on our Events calendar yet, please send the info! Thanks!
FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: As noted in comments, both “Seussical” shows are now sold out.
With open enrollment approaching, and an information/input meeting next week about West Seattle’s new elementary school (to be known – for now – as K-5 STEM at Boren), you won’t be surprised to hear that West Seattle’s school-board rep Marty McLaren was asked about it today during her community-conversation meeting at High Point Library. Bottom line – no specifics yet, but go to the meeting. Today’s well-attended gathering touched on a few other topics too:Read More
Last year, we called it a “talent feast” – a powerful lineup of music, by musicians of all ages, including Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School, under the banner “Soul Jambalaya.” This coming Saturday night, it’s happening again, with many performers from last year returning (including reggae veteran Clinton Fearon, seen above in one of our video clips from the 2011 event). Here’s the invitation from award-winning Denny/Sealth music master Marcus Pimpleton:
Please join music students of Chief Sealth International HS and Denny International MS for our annual Black History month celebration. The event takes place Saturday, February 11th, at 7 pm.
This concert affectionately titled Soul Jambalaya is a musical mélange of gospel, jazz, blues, funk, and reggae in celebration of the influence of black people to the musical landscape of America. The night will feature performances by the Total Experience Gospel Choir, Jamaican reggae singer Clinton Fearon, Septimus, The Chief Sealth International High School Jazz I, and the Denny International Middle School Jazz Band.
The event is free and open to the public, but donations will be accepted to offset costs associated with travel costs for the Denny and Sealth Jazz Ensembles. I assure you this will be one of your favorite school events of the year. Clinton Fearon’s voice is so rich and the Total Experience Gospel Choir is stirring.
It’s in the Sealth auditorium at 2600 SW Thistle.
As promised by Seattle Public Schools when we contacted them for the followup published here yesterday, they have shared the letter they’re sending out about the new STEM (science, tech, engineering, math) “option” elementary that will open this fall at the former Boren Junior High School in Delridge. And the letter includes news that the informational/input meeting they promised is set for 7 pm February 15th, one week from tonight, at Schmitz Park Elementary. Full text of the letter, ahead:Read More
Story and photos by Randall G. Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
Bronte Corbray scored 12 of his 26 points tonight in the fourth quarter, while Charlie Smith and Aaron Knox tallied 13 each, but they couldn’t keep Chief Sealth from taking a loss at home, as the Seahawks fell to Eastside Catholic 83-65 on the second day of the Metro League Playoffs.
You could forgive the Seahawks if they entered their home gym Tuesday night with great expectations. They were facing a team they had faced just 11 days prior, winning by 10 on the Crusaders’ home court, the result of which was ultimately a higher seed for Chief Sealth and the home court advantage in last night’s rematch.
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