West Seattle, Washington
13 Saturday
Congratulations to West Seattle BMX racer Hudson White, who’s qualified – again! – for the world championships! The report, photos, and video are from his dad Gil White, who’s been updating us on Hudson’s accomplishments now and then for a long time:
Hudson White – recently back from a qualifying race in Albuquerque, NM – punched his ticket to represent Team USA at the 2019 UCI World BMX Championships in Belgium this summer. He will compete in the 12 boys Challenge Class against 100+ other 12-year-old boys representing their respective countries.
Hudson has qualified for the BMX World Championships in each of the past three years – attending
Rock Hill, SC in 2017 and passing on Baku, Azerbaijan in 2018.
If this looks fun, grab a bike and come join Hudson at the North SeaTac BMX track.
1:22 PM: Police are reporting via radio communication that Harbor Avenue SW is closed both ways in the 2100 block because of a crash. This has drawn a heavier-than-usual police response because people were reported to have fled the scene after crashing into parked cars. Officers say they have two people in custody. They’re calling SFD medics because one may be hurt. Avoid the area.
1:26 PM: Also per radio communication, the car that was being driven in the crash is reported to have been stolen, in Tukwila.
1:56 PM: Photo added atop the story. The car in the foreground, which is about to be towed, is the stolen car; the one in the background is the one it hit. This is right by the entrance to Jack Block Park. Police tell us both people in custody are “adult males”; this happened after the car already had attracting their attention and they were trying to get the driver to pull over – he instead hit the other car and he and a passenger bolted, but were quickly taken into custody. They hope to have the street cleared and reopened within a half-hour or so.
3:28 PM: SDOT says Harbor cleared around the too of the hour.
MONDAY UPDATE: We followed up with SPD. The driver, 18, remains in King County Jail for investigation of stolen-property possession and attempted eluding. The passenger, 17, was questioned and released to his family.
MONDAY NIGHT NOTE: The driver’s bail was set today at $20,000
Until 1 pm, Hate-Free Delridge and friends are in The Junction, as announced, at the south end of the block that’s closed every Sunday for the West Seattle Farmers’ Market.
The group planned the rally to show opposition to Islamophobia in the wake of the New Zealand mosque massacres.
Hate-Free Delridge is in its third year.
A reminder today from Washington State Ferries, for people who use the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route:
Starting in ONE WEEK, the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route will be operating on a brand new weekday and adjusted weekend schedule! Be sure to make your plans by picking up a green Spring 2019 sailing schedule or going online (here).
Meantime, the Triangle Route will be back to the regular three-boat schedule tomorrow.
(Saturday scene on Elliott Bay, photographed by Lynn Hall)
For your first Sunday of spring:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in the street in the heart of The Junction – first WSFM of spring! (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
RALLY AGAINST HATE: 11 am-1 pm, stand with Hate-Free Delridge and friends in The Junction to stand against hate, as announced earlier this week. (California/Alaska)
ARTISAN SUNDAY: Canna West Culture Shop invites you to its first Artisan Sunday, featuring local artists Cat McCadden and Laura Boos. 11 am-4 pm. (5435 California SW)
CLOTHING SWAP: At Nepenthe, noon-4 pm: “Bring clothes, take clothes or just come and hang out.” (9447 35th SW)
‘ON BEING GENDERED’: 1 pm at Admiral Church, you’re welcome at a free workshop that’s explained here. (4320 SW Hill)
BIKE RIDE: 1:15 pm, meet up with West Seattle Bike Connections at Starbucks in The Junction to get ready for this ride downtown and back, with an extended stop at Seapine Brewing in SODO. (California/Alaska)
INTERSECTIONS FESTIVAL FINALE: 2 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, one more show by exceptional entertainers – lineup and ticket info here. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
CAMPAIGN KICKOFF: City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s official re-election-campaign kickoff is 2-4 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club. (1116 SW Holden)
BRENDAN McGOVERN QUARTET: 3-5 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), “a genre-bending group that fuses elements of classical and jazz music.” (5612 California SW)
NORTHWEST BOYCHOIR: 7 pm at Holy Rosary, it’s the fifth season for the choir’s Choral Tradition series. Details are in our calendar listing. (42nd/Genesee)
PREVIEW THE WEEK AHEAD … by browsing our complete calendar.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Street robberies remain a top crime concern for the Southwest Precinct.
That’s what attendees heard at this past week’s monthly meeting of the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, which also featured a Q&A opportunity with a manager for the SPD 911 center.
The robbery trend has continued since the meeting – with officers dispatched to three more robbery reports this weekend, one in The Junction, one in North Delridge, one on Harbor Avenue. We have no details on the latter but we know the first was for a purse and the second for a phone, which is what police say most victims are being targeted for. Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis and operations Lt. Steve Strand told the WSCPC that more than two dozen such robberies had been reported since the start of the year, often teens robbing other teens.
One attendee then spoke up to identify herself as the mother of a victim of a phone robbery and assault.
Some of the ideas were about safety … some were about fun … and now they all go into the mix for envisioning the future of the Delridge Triangle, the public space by a bus stop at Barton/Delridge. More than 20 people showed up for a community design workshop this morning at Highland Park Improvement Club. We dropped in during the final phase, as participants finished discussing their ideas at breakout tables and then shared to the wider group. While they had lots of leeway for brainstorming, they also had to keep the site’s conditions in mind:
Ideas ranged from playful features – treehouses or ziplines to take advantages of trees on the site – to lighting and other elements of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. One expert in that happened to be on hand – Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner – and at least one other participant with firsthand experience, Brendan Kolding, the former SPD lieutenant who’s running for City Council. Attendees also were invited to “vote” on what they might want to see the space feature in the future:
Have ideas to share but couldn’t be there? This survey on the Friends of Delridge Triangle website remains open. And stay tuned for “more … much more” ways to get involved, promised one of the community leadrers who’s been working on this for more than a year, Kim Barnes.
Thanks to Larry Murante for the photo. That’s Ladder 11 – based at Seattle Fire Station 32 in The Triangle – seen at Lincoln Park earlier today. No incidents logged to the park today, so we are fairly sure it was training (we’ll check on Monday) – SFD does a lot of in-service training, so sometimes you will see firefighters practicing in parks, by bridges, or even using houses/buildings that are set for demolition.
Among the sightings at this afternoon’s High Point Play Area celebration – Deborah Vandermar and Karen Berge representing the 7th annual West Seattle Bee Festival. They were helping kids decorate bicycles for the bike parade, and brought “The Big Bee” for the parade too. Karen tells us they’ve just finalized more details for the May 18th festival – including Laura Love (performing with Terry Hunt) 12 pm-2 pm. The festival stretching from the West Seattle Bee Garden (Lanham/Graham) to Neighborhood House (6400 Sylvan Way SW) will also include “animal ambassadors” from Woodland Park Zoo, science and art activities, music/comedy for kids in the morning, bee and beekeeping demonstrations, and much more. It begins with the informal at-your-own-pace Honey Run 9 am and then the festival is in full flower 10 am-2 pm, including the 11:30 am “kids, pets, everybody!” parade. Just eight weeks from today!
As mentioned in our daily highlights, this was Scouting for Food pickup day for some local troops and packs. The photos and report are from Pack 799 parent Jason T:
Scouts from Pack 799 were out on foot this morning, with wagons and vehicles following, ‘scouting for food’ donations and collecting for the West Seattle Food Bank. They amassed 1,175 pounds of food and toiletry items from our Arbor and Arroyo Heights neighbors (pickup area). Enough to fill the floor of one parent’s Dodge Sprinter van.
Many residents greeted our Scouts, shared their own stories of past food drives or scouting adventures, and gave their support and encouragement. Weather turned wonderful. In summation, performing a valuable service in our community was fun and pleasantly, a success!
(WSB photos)
2;59 PM: Arrived at the High Point Play Area renovation dedication and found out it was even more of a party than announced! Along with the play area’s grand opening, 34th SW is closed between Myrtle and Willow for a mini-street party, with music, refreshments, and info-booth:
That’s in honor of the area being part of the in-progress West Seattle Neighborhood Greenway. And it’s why SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe was part of the dedication along with interim Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams and even Mayor Jenny Durkan.
Until 4 pm, you can stop by and enjoy the festivities – including a chance to vote on paint patterns for part of the street adjacent to the play area.
8:59 PM: As promised, more photos – including a couple more views of the new play area:
It’s larger than the one it replaced – here are the main points, from the project page:
This play area improvement project relocates the existing play area to the south open lawn area providing ADA access and increased safety by making the play area more visible from the street. The new play area size increases from 1,280 sf to 5,260 sf and upgrades it to our standard size for a community center. The new play equipment features swings, slides and many climbable features. The park features a rolling hill with net climber, and an overhead climbing structure. In addition to the play elements the project incorporates two new seating areas, one adjacent to the play area and another in the location of the old play area. … The location of the old play area will be restored to an informal open lawn as requested by the community.
Zimbabwe noted that this is one of six parks that the greenway will eventually connect to. Another number was cited by Williams: 94 percent of the city has a park within 10 minutes’ walking distance.
The mayor, meantime, declared it to be another reason “Seattle is thriving” despite its “challenges”:
The celebration featured steel-drum sounds by Jah Breeze:
The play area renovation cost $700,000.
Our video shows the “grand entrance” that was a highlight of last night’s sixth annual Niksokowaaks (“All My Children, All My Relatives”) Pow Wow at Highland Park Elementary.
As announced by organizers, the Head Man and Head Woman were nine-year-old jingle dancer Bria Calhoun (Chumash, Esselen-Rumsen) and ten-year-old chicken dancer Weston Sam (Upper Skagit, Blackfeet). The Pow Wow is for all ages, but organizers “saw a need in the community to help support the Native youth,” especially “Native foster children or ‘urban’ Native children” who are growing up “not knowing their culture or feeling the need to connect further with it. This Pow Wow allows them to dance, sing and further connect with the Native traditions.”
The celebration continued into the night. Missed it? Watch for next year’s announcement!
Family and friends will gather April 6th to celebrate the life of Edgar “Ed” Stuhlman. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing with the community:
Edgar ‘Ed’ Stuhlman passed away this past Sunday, March 17th, at the age of 57. He went into cardiac arrest and suffered a head injury, and after a three-week long battle, he passed away with family by his side. Ed was a loving and wise family man who enjoyed watching hockey and spending time with his family.
A Seattle area native, Ed grew up in Burien and graduated from Highline High School in 1980. Ed lived in West Seattle and was the Store Manager of the Advanced Auto Parts in the Alaska Junction. He greatly enjoyed helping his customers and took great pride in his work.
Anyone who interacted with him would attest to his caring, genuine, and loving nature. He deeply cared about family and friends. He loved taking friends and family out to dinner, cracking jokes over appetizers, or going to see a movie. He loved music and had an irreplaceable sense of humor. For many years he was a Seattle Thunderbirds season ticket holder and loved enjoying a beer and watching the game. From watching in person to watching on TV, or even playing hockey video games, he loved the sport in any form.
He is survived by his loving family: his mother, Carole Stuhlman, sisters Lynn Schmuck, Lori Stuhlman, and Julie Stuhlman, brother-in-law John Schmuck, and his step-daughter Chelsea Cole. Along with nieces and nephews Nikki and Jorge Contreras, Robert and Carissa Schmuck, Kevin Schmuck, Kylee Schmuck, Brittany Nelson and Brandon Carnahan, and Brianna Nelson. Also, by grand nieces and nephews Ara and Eli Contreras and August Schmuck. He also had a large group of loving family in Canada, as well as his Olsgaard family, whom he loved immensely. His father, Edgar Stuhlman, and wife Spring Stuhlman preceded him in death.
A celebration of life will be held at Seahurst Park in Burien on April 6th at Coral shelter from 1-3pm with remembrances at 2 pm. The family is raising money for medical and funeral expenses, and if you feel so inclined, you can donate to that fund here or consider a donation to the American Heart Association in his honor.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(House Finch, photographed by Robin Sinner, shared via the West Seattle Blog Flickr group)
Welcome to a busy Saturday, first one of spring! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
METRO SERVICE CHANGE: If you’re riding the bus, remember that this is the day various changes take effect. Here’s our original West Seattle preview.
SCOUTING FOR FOOD: Various local Scout troops and packs are picking up donations today in this annual door-to-door food drive, so if you got a doorhanger, be sure to leave food outside for them to collect!
FREE GROUP RUN: Meet up at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), 8 am. (2743 California SW)
WAGIN 2019, DAY 2: 8:15 am-4 pm, the second day of the Washington Global Issues Network conference is happening at Chief Sealth International High School. Here’s our coverage from the start of the first day. (2600 SW Thistle)
WEST SEATTLE LITTLE LEAGUE JAMBOREE, DAY 1: 9 am-6 pm, season starts with games at Bar-S on Alki Point. WSLL invites you to come cheer! (6425 SW Admiral Way)
YACHT RACE: If you notice the sailboats off West Seattle today – here’s what they’re doing.
DESIGN THE DELRIDGE TRIANGLE: 10 am-noon, be at Highland Park Improvement Club to help shape the future of this public space in South Delridge. From Friends of Delridge Triangle: “Doors will open at 9:45 a.m. Snacks, professional child care with guided activities, as well as interpreters, will be provided.” (1116 SW Holden)
LEARN DRYWALL REPAIR: 10 am workshop at the West Seattle Tool Library – details are in our calendar listing. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
FREE SELF-DEFENSE WORKSHOP: 11:30 am at Bikram Yoga in The Junction. (4747 California SW)
HIGH POINT PLAY AREA CELEBRATION: 2-4 pm, join the celebration at the newly renovated and expanded play area! Activities include a kids’ bicycle parade at 3 pm. Full event details here. (6920 34th SW)
GOT GREENWAY QUESTIONS? 2-4 pm, SDOT will be at the High Point Play Area event, with updates/answers about the West Seattle Neighborhood Greenway project. (6920 34th SW)
CITIZEN COPE: Live acoustic in-store at Easy Street Records, 5 pm – details in our calendar listing. (California/Alaska)
DUWAMISH ROWING CLUB PARTY: 6 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club, it’s a benefit bash for our area’s only rowing club. Chili dinner and silent auction! (1116 SW Holden)
MEET GRAMPA GUS: 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall, Steve Marx’s show celebrating his celebrated lyricist grandfather, as explained here.. (7904 35th SW)
INTERSECTIONS FESTIVAL, DAY 3: 7 and 9 pm performances at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – see the lineups, with ticket info, here. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
AT THE SKYLARK: Live music with Lady Krishna’s Cosmic Panties, Garden Chat, Ghost Power!!, and Dead Obvious, starting at 8 pm. $8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
AT THE PARLIAMENT: Buckets of Rain, Javelin, Jared Mitchell & The Wing Tips rock the Parliament Tavern starting at 9 pm. $6 cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
SEE THE REST OF THE HIGHLIGHTS … on our complete calendar!
Six reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
PHONE ROBBERY: If you noticed the police search this past hour in the 5400 block of Delridge Way SW, that was the initial dispatch – a strong-arm robbery near the library, with at least two people taking a phone and hat from the victim. This type of robbery is happening on average twice a week since the start of the year, police said at this week’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, and we’re working on that story for publication this weekend.
Reader reports from the WSB inbox:
CAR PROWLS: Blair reports, “FYI, a few car break-ins and stolen stuff off porches on Seola Beach Drive. This happened over the last week and again last night.”
ATTEMPTED CAR PROWL ON VIDEO: From Christopher:
This happened in the 3200 block of California SW early Monday: “White male in a camouflage jacket, olive trousers, and boots with red laces. Driving a silver car with yellow (possibly Alaska) plates and squeaky brakes (which one would think would be a hardship whilst prowling cars in the wee hours).”
TWO DUMPED-AND-PROBABLY-STOLEN BICYCLES: Both sighting reports were accompanied by photos:
The one above was seen in the 1500 block of Alki Avenue SW; the one below, a gray Columbia bicycle, was at the 36th SW/SW Alaska bus stop:
PACKAGE THIEF ON VIDEO: Sarah shares the video:
This happened around 5 am Monday near 36th SW/SW Charlestown: “Unfortunately we didn’t realize the package had been delivered the night before. We filed a police report and gave them the attached video but thought it might be good to warn the neighbors.”
Need a break? Next weekend, here’s a chance to help West Seattle High School students and let them help you! The announcement:
PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT 3/30/2019
Let WSHS sophomore-class students watch your kids while you enjoy an evening out!
What: This event is for child care for kids ages 3 (potty trained) to 11 years old and includes pizza, drinks, snacks, games, movies, and crafts.
When: Saturday, March 30, 2019 from 5:30-10:30 pm.
Where: West Seattle High School, 3000 California Avenue SW. Check in at the historical entrance on the left side of the building.
Cost: $35 per child or $30 with 2 cans of food donations for the West Seattle Food Bank.
For more information and to RSVP, contact email: wshsco2021@gmail.com
Thank you so much for your support!
Just as Metro gets ready for tomorrow’s service change – with West Seattle-related specifics here and here – three north West Seattle routes were hit with 12 announced cancellations these past two days. The alerts, as sent on Twitter (which replicates the texts you can sign up for):
Transit Alert – Route 55 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Admiral District at 7:05 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 21, 2019
Transit Alert – Route 55 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Admiral District at 7:30 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 21, 2019
Transit Alert – Rt 55 to the Admiral District due to leave 3rd Av & Pike St at 5:11 PM will not operate this evening.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 21, 2019
Transit Alert – Rt 55 to the Admiral District due to leave 3rd Av & Pike St at 5:19 PM will not operate this evening.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 22, 2019
Transit Alert – The last trip on Rt 55 to the Admiral District due to leave 3rd Av & Pike St at 6:37 PM will not operate this evening.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 22, 2019
Transit Alert – Route 55 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Admiral District at 7:05 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 22, 2019
Transit Alert – Route 55 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Admiral District at 7:30 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 22, 2019
Transit Alert – Route 56 to Seattle due to leave Alki at 7:16 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 21, 2019
Transit Alert – Route 56 to downtown Seattle due to leave Alki at 6:43 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 22, 2019
Transit Alert – Route 56 to downtown Seattle due to leave Alki at 8:11 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 22, 2019
Transit Alert – Route 57 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Alaska Junction at 7:20 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 21, 2019
Transit Alert – Route 57 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Alaska Junction at 7:20 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro 🚏🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) March 22, 2019
What’s going on? Here’s how Metro spokesperson Torie Rynning replied:
There were a couple things going on, but we’re hoping that we’re turning a corner and these are temporary (and regrettable) inconveniences for our customers.
We experienced several call-outs due to sickness, including some multi-day sicknesses, which we don’t expect to continue into next week (fingers crossed, as the region is grappling with cold and flu season).
We are in the process of training drivers on service change route updates, which temporarily took drivers out of the field.
We are about to graduate a new class of part-time to full-time operators, which involved removing operators from the field for training in order to increase our staffing capacity once they graduate.
On Thursday, we had 54 cancellations systemwide out of 13,000 daily trips, (4 of which were on 55/56/57 routes during the morning commute.)
On Friday morning, we had 47 cancellations systemwide out of 13,000 daily trips, (5 of which were on 55/56/57 routes in the morning.) 10 of the missed trips were due to no available bus at Bellevue base affecting a couple of Eastside routes.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and are making every effort to provide service, backfill open work with available standby operators, and keep bus service moving for riders.
The north West Seattle routes have had waves of cancellations a few times in recent years, and we’ve followed up before, including this closer look at the system’s workings in 2015.
We’ve received a few questions about why the Washington State Ferries vessel Puyallup is docked at Terminal 5 in West Seattle. No, it’s not waiting for space at nearby Vigor Industrial (where it was built). WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling explained when we inquired, “Puyallup is in for light maintenance for minor wear and tear on the car deck, as well as some work on the electrical systems.” He added that this is being done by Foss Maritime, which, you’ll recall, has had an interim lease for space at T-5 for the past few years: “We’re excited to have more options when it comes to maintenance and repair of the state fleet. Puyallup is expected to be at T-5 until the end of the month.” It’s usually on the Edmonds-Kingston run.
Thanks to Special Olympics Washington for sharing that photo of West Seattle-residing athlete Simon Van Giesen, who is returning home tomorrow with a World Games medal. You’re invited to a rally for him and other returning athletes. Here’s the announcement from SOWA:
Special Olympics Washington soccer and swimming athletes are bringing home hardware from this year’s Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi!
Simon Van Giesen, 25, of West Seattle, won the bronze medal in the 50 meter backstroke.
The US men’s Unified soccer team, which is made up of Washington athletes with and without intellectual disabilities, beat India 5-0 to take the bronze medal. The team is the first soccer team to ever represent the US in a World Games competition.
In all, more than 200 athletes from across the nation represented Special Olympics USA in Abu Dhabi, earning 72 gold, 61 silver and 70 bronze medals over the course of the seven day event.
Special Olympics supporters and media are invited to welcome the team home when they arrive back in Washington this Saturday. The Washington delegation’s flight is expected to land at approximately 1:00 p.m.: Sea-Tac International Airport, baggage claim area for United Airlines
The Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi were the largest sports and social inclusion event in the world. More than 7,500 athletes and 3,000 coaches representing 200 nations competed in 24 Olympic-style sports.
Read more about Simon here.
Story and photos by Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
“You are here to be part of the solution.”
That’s how Chief Sealth International High School student Clarissa Perez (who you met here in January) opened the two-day Washington Global Issues Network conference at CSIHS this morning. It’s truly global, with participants from multiple nations as well as multiple schools.
Willard, Justice, and Rose from the Muckleshoot Tribe delivered greetings in the Native language Lushootseed. “As you do this work, we want to raise our hands to you,” he said, before they sang.
Also during the opening gathering in the Sealth auditorium, videos previewed some of the first workshops, including environmental club members from Ingraham HS extolling the virtues of recycling, Nathan Hale HS students discussing the need for more teachers of color, The Evergreen School students talking about visiting a woman-led NGO in Peru called Awamaki, Cleveland HS students previewing their water workshop, and other students with focuses from building tiny houses to climate change to combating infectious diseases.
Keynoter Erin Jones introduced herself as a “quadra-lingual” and greeted the students in a multitude of languages. Her message was about “your power and what you are doing and why what you are doing is so important.” She talked about organizing a major event while attending high school in The Netherlands and moved on to her topic Living On Purpose – addressing the students as “world-changers.” She also spoke about her campaign for state superintendent: “Losing is an incredible gift … I’ve lost a lot in my life … Embrace the losing.”
Being a world-changer, she said, involves three key points:
*Having clear purpose and dreams (“dream a dream that’s bigger than you”)
*Investing in self and others
*Committing to act with courageous love (“are you willing to stand in the gap for people who don’t have a voice?”)
She shared a few highlights of her great life – which started at a hospital where she was left by her white mother, with no knowledge of her black father, adopted by a white family, not all of whom accepted her. She told personal stories of her life, from that point on – as an athlete, a mom, an educator – that evoked laughter and tears. “You have opportunities in your life to hate or to love,” she advised, urging the students to choose love. Another message: “You get to be world-changers right now. … Find something to believe in. … Don’t be average.”
She got a standing ovation.
On stage after her, former Sealth/now Ingraham teacher Noah Zeichner, a co-founder of the conference, which evolved from World Water Week, dating back to 2011. introducing Seattle Public Schools superintendent Denise Juneau, who said she was “mostly here to thank the organizers … of this incredible student-led event.”
Like Jones, Juneau told her story, “from Head Start to Harvard” and on to education. She said she is committed to student involvement, and to equity: “Representation matters. … We’re going to listen to your voices, because you make us better.”
The conference continues with afternoon workshops, dinner tonight keynoted by Lt. Gov Cyrus Habib, and events tomorrow; here’s the schedule.
(Image from community grant application)
One more quick reminder from the Friends of Delridge Triangle:
Tomorrow! – Help Design the Delridge Triangle
We look forward to welcoming our community members tomorrow, Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Highland Park Improvement Club (1116 SW Holden). to share ideas how to redesign the Delridge Triangle at 9200 Delridge & SW Barton.
Doors will open at 9:45 a.m. Snacks, professional child care with guided activities, as well as interpreters will be provided.
Survey Time! Please take a few moments to take a survey about the Triangle here.
(WSB photo, Tuesday night)
In discussion following our coverage of the Tuesday night Admiral Way hit-and-run that left a motorcycle rider in critical condition, community members asked how they could help. The family has just announced crowdfunding for 44-year-old Sean Lowry and his daughter Addie. Here’s the link. So far, no new information from police on the investigation; Sean’s family says on the GoFundMe page that he was hit by a driver who “flipped a U-turn.” They also say he is in a coma, with more surgeries ahead.
(Dunlin, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Happy Friday! Here are just some of the highlights on our WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE GARDEN CLUB: 10:30 am-2 pm at Daystar Retirement Village (WSB sponsor) – you’re invited to be there for all or part of this month’s meeting, which features a presentation about birds. (2615 SW Barton)
WAGIN CONFERENCE: Students at Chief Sealth International High School are again leading the Washington Global Issues Network conference, today and tomorrow with opening ceremonies at 11 this morning – more info here. (2600 SW Thistle)
POW WOW: 6th annual Niksowaaks Community Pow Wow, 6-10 pm at Highland Park Elementary, with grand entry at 7 pm. All welcome. (1012 SW Trenton)
CHIEF SEALTH IHS MOCK TRIAL: If you can get to Olympia, you’re invited to cheer on the team in state competition, starting at 6:30 pm tonight! Details here. (Thurston County Courthouse, 2000 Lakeridge Dr SW #3, Olympia)
WEST SEATTLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: 7 pm at the Chief Sealth IHS auditorium – program info is in our calendar listing, and here’s a video shared by the orchestra from a recent rehearsal:
CONCORD BENEFIT: Party at South Park Hall tonight, starting at 7 pm, on behalf of the students of Concord International Elementary! (1253 S. Cloverdale)
INTERSECTIONS FESTIVAL: Second night at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, with shows at 7 pm and 9 pm. Tickets and performer info here. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
NORTHERN BALLARD: Live music at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. No cover. All ages. (5612 California SW)
TAVERN TUNES: “Alterna-country” with Glenn Cannon; Garrett Whitney & The Outlaw Gruntry Band, and Double Cross Committee. 9 pm at Parliament Tavern. $7 cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
SEE THE FULL LINEUP … via our complete calendar!
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