West Seattle, Washington
15 Sunday
(WSB photos by Leda Costa, August 2016)
That was the view across a sea of showgoers during last August’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha finale, starring the same performer who’s closing out this year’s series too – Caspar Babypants. Showtime is 6:30 pm this Thursday (August 24th), on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center (2700 California SW, but the lawn is along Walnut SW, south of SW Lander). New here? Caspar Babypants is the yellow-T-shirted kindie-rock alter-ego of Seattle rock star Chris Ballew, and his songs not only charm the littlest music fans, they will also likely leave you with an earworm or two, too.
The Admiral Neighborhood Association brings you Summer Concerts at Hiawatha, with the support of community businesses who sponsor the series (including WSB – this is the ninth season, and we’re proud to have been a co-sponsor since the start). The show’s free … just bring your own chair/blanket, a picnic dinner if you feel like it, and come have a great time.
(Juli and Reggie Nelson, who were in charge of the fundraiser)
Thanks to Ed Schramm for sharing the photo and report:
The Chelan Cafe held its annual Alzheimer’s Fundraiser and Auction on Sunday (August 20th).
The day started off at E.C. Hughes softball field with a fundraiser game between the Chelan Café and White Center’s Taradise Café.
It was followed by a BBQ dinner and auction at the Chelan Café. Gift baskets from friends of the Chelan, various donated services, as well as more than 12 gift cards from local restaurants, were auctioned off.
When all was said and done, we raised more than $3,000.
The Chelan Cafe then matched that amount, brining the total to more than $6,000.
The evening ended with a night of fun karaoke, hosted by P.J the D.J.
The donations are supporting the Alzheimer’s Association.
After a 31-year-old man was shot and killed in the 1st/Spokane encampment early today, the city has just announced a plan for “gradual closure” of the camps that remain along the “Spokane corridor.” The announcement, in a post on the city’s blog-format website for homelessness-related information, says the timing is a coincidence:
… Prior to this morning’s shooting, we had established a four-week plan for addressing the camping along the Spokane Street corridor. The plan begins with notice to be posted tomorrow to alert all individuals on site that the Navigation Team will be conducting repeated outreach during the next several weeks prior to gradual closure beginning the week of Sept. 11. …
Beginning Monday, Aug. 28, the Navigation Team will be collaborating with additional service providers to conduct targeted outreach to individuals living along Spokane Street from Airport Way to First Avenue. During repeated engagement with individuals in this area over the last several months, the Navigation Team has identified a number of challenges within this population, including substance use disorder, mental health disorder, unemployment/under-employment, chronic medical conditions, legal issues/justice involvement and sex work. To provide a comprehensive response, the Navigation Team has reached out to numerous partners who can better meet the needs of some individuals.
The Navigation Team will be joined by the following partner agencies: DESC-HOST, REACH, LEAD, Metropolitan Improvement District (MID), University of Washington/Harborview, Pioneer Human Services, Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST), Valley Cities, Seattle Central Colleges, YouthCare, Veteran’s Affairs, UGM, Salvation Army, Millionair Club.
Beginning at 10 a.m., collaborative, “need-specific” outreach will be deployed, so individuals will receive engagement from agencies that meet their specific needs. To those interested, service offers will be immediate and will include substance use recovery options, mental health treatment, coordinated entry housing assessment, relocation to appropriate alternative living arrangements, reconnection with family or other support systems, disruption of ongoing sex trade including exploitation of vulnerable individuals.
In addition to alternative spaces available to the City’s Navigation Team, Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission (UGM) has set aside 10 men’s program beds and 10 shelter beds along with five women’s shelter beds and five program beds for Spokane Street area referrals. In addition, the Salvation Army has committed to holding all beds that become available for Spokane Street referrals.
As the city update goes on to note, it’s been four months since the RV encampment further west under the bridge was cleared after two motorhomes were gutted in a fire. Also noted: The Navigation Team is reported to have contacted “1,157 individuals” in the last six months, with “721 accept(ing) some sort of service, including 419 who relocated to alternative living arrangements.”
3:40 PM: We’ve received multiple texts that the “low bridge” is stuck in “open” mode. We haven’t received confirmation from SDOT yet, but webcams show no vehicle traffic crossing it, and the vehicle-blocking gates are down. So if you were headed that way, you might try an alternate route until we verify it’s working again.
3:53 PM: Webcams and scanner both verify the bridge is operating properly again.
Several texters asked about the police response across from the northwest corner of Roxhill Park, at 29th/Barton. We went over to check it out, and here is what we have found out from SPD: Two men were working on the vehicle in the photo; a passerby called 911 to say they thought they had seen one in possession of a gun. Police converged on the area but found no evidence of a gun. They did discover that one of the men appeared to be seriously under the influence and in need of medical attention as a result, so thats why Seattle Fire was called in.
(WSB file photo)
Just announced by South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), a change at the top. Here’s the news release we just received:
After a 45-year career in higher education and nearly a decade at South Seattle College, President Gary Oertli will retire on August 31, 2017. South’s current Vice President of Instruction Peter Lortz has been appointed interim president, starting Sept. 1.
“My nearly ten years at South Seattle College has truly been the highlight of my career,” President Oertli said. “This college has such a strong culture focused on student success and a commitment to creating an environment that honors equity, inclusion and multiculturalism. That culture exists because of our dedicated faculty and staff, and amazing students.”
Oertli became president of South Seattle College in August of 2010, and had served as interim president prior to his permanent appointment. As South’s leader, Oertli encourages staff and faculty members to ask, “What is best for our students?” as the most important factor in any challenging decision. He also advocates for great customer service and creating a family atmosphere at the college, where students know they are supported, appreciated and can ask anyone for help.
During his tenure, the college was recognized for having the largest increase in full-time diverse faculty in the state, saw students recognized nationally for their achievements, and became a U.S. community college leader in implementing a “guided pathways” model for increasing student success. He also worked closely with the South Seattle College Foundation, and through their partnership the 13th Year Promise Scholarship program (providing one year of tuition-free college to high school graduates in surrounding communities) expanded from one high school to four and gave hundreds of students the opportunity to attend college.
“One of my greatest hopes is to see the 13th Year Promise Scholarship expand to all high schools in the Seattle Public Schools system,” Oertli said. “We are striving to create a college-going culture where every first grader in our city will raise their hand with confidence when asked, ‘Who here is going to college?’ ”
A West Seattle native, Oertli is a graduate of Chief Sealth High School who went on to earn his Master of Education degree at the University of Washington, where he later served as Alumni Association president. His higher education career began at Edmonds Community College, where he worked his way up from part-time instructor to interim president. He then became president and CEO of Shoreline Community College before transitioning to the Seattle Colleges District, where he held leadership positions at Seattle Central, North Seattle and South Seattle College.
Peter Lortz, who will serve as interim president from Sept. 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018, was appointed by Seattle Colleges Chancellor Shouan Pan. Lortz has served as vice president of instruction at South since January of 2015. Prior to that, he served as interim vice president of instruction, dean of the Math and Sciences Division and as a full- and part-time faculty member at North Seattle College. He obtained a Master of Science degree in Zoology and a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Washington Executive Leadership Academy and Powers of Leadership Retreat Series.
“I am extremely honored and excited to be taking on this role,” Lortz said. “I am particularly honored to follow in the great path that Gary Oertli has laid before South Seattle College.”
A national search will be conducted in the upcoming academic year to select South Seattle College’s next president.
The fall semester at SSC starts on September 25th.
(Photo by Scott Scowcroft in Gatewood, post-eclipse)
Much-sought-after, and now … well, what do you do with a pair of eclipse glasses, post-eclipse, anyway? We’re not sure if the materials with which they were made will still be fully functional by the 2023 partial solar eclipse, much less beyond, so here’s an option: Louisa Boren STEM K-8 is collecting them for Astronomers Without Borders. Robin Graham from the STEM PTA says you can drop yours off at the school through October 1st. There’s a box in the hallway, Robin says, and the school’s open 10 am-3 pm “ish” weekdays until the Labor Day holiday, then 8 am-4 pm as of the first day of school (September 6th). The campus is at 5950 Delridge Way SW.
Today we’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor, Peter Cramer, offering private music lessons in West Seattle. New local sponsors get the opportunity to tell you about their businesses, and here’s what he would like you to know:
After 7 years of full-time private teaching for hundreds of clients in the Issaquah/Sammamish area, I have now officially moved my practice to West Seattle.
I love my work, I’m an honors grad from arguably the Pacific Northwest’s best music conservatory, and I have 11 years of full-time private teaching experience, instructing all ages on 5 different instruments.
I hear from my clients regularly how professional, versatile, and personable I am, and how I challenge my students to achieve high levels of music without losing the fun of the process.
Students’ parents see results in their child’s musical development, and often hear the students express how they would like to continue their lessons. I believe it’s changed the lives of their children by enriching their knowledge and interest in the arts, and therefore becoming better humans.
Read more here. To inquire about and book lessons, go here.
We thank music teacher Peter Cramer for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
(View from Marine View Drive during Monday’s eclipse – photographed by Mark MacDonald)
What to do, now that the eclipse is past? We have suggestions every day. Here are highlights for the rest of your Tuesday:
WADING POOL AND SPRAYPARK: The only wading pool still open for the season is Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way); it’s open 11 am-8 pm today, as is Highland Park spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), both open daily through Labor Day.
CRAFTING: 11 am-1 pm, free drop-in gathering at Highland Park Improvement Club. (1116 SW Holden)
FREE LUNCH FOR KIDS: From our standing listings for three West Seattle locations where kids can get lunch so they don’t go hungry while school’s out – noon-1 pm at Neighborhood House High Point, 12:30 pm-1:30 pm at High Point Library, 12:30 pm-1:30 pm at Delridge Library.
CHARLIE ‘THE NOISEGUY’ WILLIAMS: Join “The Noiseguy” for “Soundscapes: Whimsical Literacy” at Delridge Community Center, 2-3 pm, free, all ages, explained here. (4501 Delridge Way SW)
‘FIRST LOOK’: Free 7:30 pm event at ArtsWest, with the artists behind upcoming “The Who and the What” taking you inside the creative process. (4711 California SW)
BABY KETTEN KARAOKE: 9 pm at The Skylark. Not your standard karaoke. Really. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
PREVIEW THE REST OF THE WEEK … via our complete calendar!
(WSB photo, September 2016)
Last year, it was a stirring sight – the first-ever “Be There” rally greeting West Seattle Elementary students on the first day of school. It’s happening again this year, two weeks from tomorrow, and you are invited to be part of it – with an additional opportunity to be involved beyond the rally. The announcement is from West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) executive director Shalimar Gonzales:
The community is invited to attend the second annual Be There Rally at West Seattle Elementary on Wednesday, September 6, from 7:00 am to 8:00 am. The school, in partnership with the West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA, is rolling out the red carpet and asking community leaders, school supporters, family, and friends to line up to cheer, clap, and high-five students as they enter into the new school year.
Last year, over 100 men and women from the Seattle area volunteered at our first rally. The West Seattle Elementary Be There Rally draws inspiration from an event held in Hartford, Connecticut, where over 100 Black men in suits got together to greet and encourage children on the first day of school. They did it because they wanted to show children of color positive images of Black people in their community instead of the negative and damaging images commonly portrayed in the media.
Research shows that children whose fathers take an active role in their educational lives earn better grades, score higher on tests, enjoy school more and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. Leaders are calling for 100 men to support those who may not have a male role model by volunteering at the Be There Rally. After careful consideration and speaking with the members of the High Point community, leaders decided to adjust to fit the needs of the neighborhood by also calling for 100 women. It is imperative that girls also have the opportunity to see successful women who they can identify with.
In an effort to dispel myths, breakdown stereotypes and change the narrative that surrounds West Seattle Elementary, please come dressed for success. The purpose of the dress attire is to allow students to see mirror images of themselves and combat any internalized biases damaging to themselves.
We also seek community volunteers to engage with our “Classic Men & Ladies of West Seattle Elementary” initiative.
The “Classic Men & Ladies of West Seattle Elementary” is an empowerment program to instill hope, purpose, self-pride and a love for themselves and our community. Teaching experience is not needed, just enthusiasm and a desire to share with students something about your career, your experiences, your hobby, or yourself. We want you to carry some key messages into our program, including the importance of staying in school and the value of each individual student.
The initiative is a perfect opportunity for parents, business leaders, and community members to let our students know we care about them. The idea is simple – sign up at the rally and we will work with what your schedule permits. Our program runs Monday-Friday; 2:05- 5:30 p.m.
The West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA is sponsoring the rally in partnership with West Seattle Elementary. Although the event is aimed to represent the demographics of the school, all people regardless of ethnic identification are encouraged to come. West Seattle Elementary collaborative school motto for the 2017/2018 school year is “Whatever it takes for each and every kid!”
Your presence at the school on the first day will support efforts to build valuable partnerships with families and members of the community to support student learning and positive academic outcomes.
To confirm your attendance or for more information, please contact Jay Smith, Director of Leadership Development at 206-331-1799 or via email at Jeremysmith@seattleymca.org.
West Seattle Elementary is in High Point at 6760 34th SW.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:20 AM: If you use southbound Highway 509, be aware that SFD is on the freeway at Cloverdale – we don’t know whether it’s north or south of the entrance from the end of the Roxbury corridor – fighting a car fire.
Also, if you use 1st Avenue S. from/to the West Seattle Bridge and see/saw police, it’s a shooting investigation. (The original dispatch was at 4:39 am.)
That’s it for alerts so far.
8:16 AM SDOT reports a crash at 35th/Holden. The associated SFD call closed quickly.
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