REMINDER: Ribboncutting ceremony Tuesday for Roxhill Elementary’s newly renovated home at EC Hughes

The renovations are done and classes start Wednesday at what is now Roxhill Elementary at EC Hughes (7740 34th SW). But first – you are invited to the ribboncutting ceremony tomorrow, followed by school tours. It begins at 11 am, with Roxhill principal Tarra Patrick providing a welcome, followed by speakers including new Seattle Public Schools superintendent Denise Juneau and three West Seattleites, School Board president Leslie Harris, Seattle Council PTSA co-vice president Manuela Slye (who shared tomorrow’s program – thank you!), and Friends of Roxhill president Shawna Patterson Lystra. The school’s renovation was completed earlier this summer (here’s our report with a look inside), as was the separate community-led playground upgrade.

BACKSTORY: It’s been three years since we first reported on the possibility that Roxhill would move to Hughes. Roxhill’s original building has long been in bad shape – as discussed at this 2012 meeting – and a $73 million rebuild remains on the long list of possible projects for next February’s BEX V levy. In the meantime, as reported here in June, the district will use the Roxhill building for special-education and alternative-high-school programs. The city-landmark EC Hughes building, meantime, had long been used as a district surplus/interim building until independent Westside School (WSB sponsor) leased it for five years until building its own campus in Arbor Heights.

9 Replies to "REMINDER: Ribboncutting ceremony Tuesday for Roxhill Elementary's newly renovated home at EC Hughes"

  • Jenny Rose Ryan September 3, 2018 (5:10 pm)

    Why is the PTSA on the program? Do you have a copy? I’m getting a sense of riding coattails, since Friends of Roxhill is not a PTA member and is a standalone 501c3.

    • WSB September 3, 2018 (6:06 pm)

      Because that’s how the district usually does it? Checking coverage of past ribboncuttings/dedications, there’s always somebody from the districtwide PTSA as well as other organizations. I don’t have the program uploaded, but cutting and pasting, it begins:

      Welcome

      Tarra Patrick, Principal, Roxhill Elementary

      Remarks

      Shawna Patterson-Lystra, President, Friends of Roxhill Elementary

      Joe Fitzgibbon, State Representative, District 34
      Chandra Hampson, President, Seattle Council PTSA*
      Melissa Pailthorp, President, Schools First Seattle

      Leslie Harris, President and Director, Seattle School Board, District 6
      Denise Juneau, Superintendent, Seattle Public Schools

      Announcements
      Call to the Ribbon

      School tours will follow the ceremony

      (*Manuela explained that she will be filling in for the SCPTSA president.)

      • JRR September 3, 2018 (6:29 pm)

        Thanks for sharing the details! It’s an interesting component, that’s for sure. 

  • KM September 3, 2018 (8:12 pm)

    Anyone have any idea how we can get a flashing school zone sign on SW Holden? It’s an arterial and a hill, so there’s a lot of speeding. I know 34th and Holden will get improved crossings with the greenway. No word on the other two uncontrolled intersections that border the school (34th/Kenyon has become an issue without the school open yet) when I’ve reached out to SDOT. Thy said they would look into it, more or less, and that was more than a year ago.

  • JRR September 3, 2018 (9:29 pm)

    Seattle Council PTSA had nothing to do with any of the current projects at Roxhill and is simply riding the coattails of our grassroots organization. The nerve.

    • WSB September 3, 2018 (10:13 pm)

      As noted above, I don’t believe anyone’s riding anyone’s coattails here. This is the way the district does these events. So your beef is probably with them. They seem to have a template. Looking again into the archives, speakers at the Arbor Heights Elementary dedication two years ago, for example, included not only two state legislators, but one who wasn’t even from this legislative district.

      • JRR September 3, 2018 (10:23 pm)

        We’re definitely in outreach and asking questions mode. Thank you for your important role in our community and helping us become informed when we aren’t getting info other ways.

  • Seattle Council PTSA September 4, 2018 (7:56 am)

    To Whom it may concern: Seattle Council PTSA has been a regular presenter at groundbreaking ceremonies held by Seattle Public Schools. As a perennial advocate for school funding, groundbreaking ceremonies provide an ideal opportunity to thank taxpayers for providing healthy, safe learning environments for our schoolchildren. At the same time, these events are also a special time for local school communities to come together and celebrate the success of their hard work—the advocacy, planning, negotiation, fundraising and collaboration. SCPTSA presence at such events should only serve to amplify such good sentiment. Family and community engagement are central to our mission and objectives. We aim to support families by hearing their concerns and responding authentically. Where SCPTSA has not able to demonstrate its value in this regard effectively, it is important to defer to the desires of the community and keep the focus local. To this end, while we look forward to additional opportunity to hear and learn about the Roxhill Elementary school community we will refrain from presenting at their events until such time as an authentic relationship has been formed and leave opening celebrations to the local community. We look forward to conversations with the school community about how our advocacy in the coming year can uplift them and congratulate them on their hard fought new spaces. Great work!
    Chandra Hampson President Seattle Council PTSA
    Manuela Slyle Co-VP Seattle Council PTSA

  • JRR September 4, 2018 (5:52 pm)

    Thank you to SCPTSA for stepping back a bit while we work to address bad blood and the deep history of the marginalizing of our community. I know many of us personally reacted strongly because of the experiences of previous latinx leaders of the former Roxhill PTSA when asking for support. We are not part of the PTSA, but our goals overlap. I know we’ll find a common path forward. Thank you.

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