West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
Just received from the Seattle Public Schools communications team, a letter that they say is being sent to all Denny Middle School families, in the aftermath of the attack that sent a 12-year-old boy to the hospital (we were first to report the incident; here’s our most recent story). Here’s the full text of the letter:
June 17, 2009
Dear Denny Students and Families,
I want to share with you information regarding an incident that has affected our school community. I am sending you this letter to update you on the facts and to assure you that we are doing everything we can to support our students and provide for their safety.
On Monday, June 15, an incident occurred during lunch time. Student A swung a backpack at Student B. The backpack hit Student B in the head causing Student B to lose consciousness. The Seattle Fire Department and Seattle Police Department were immediately contacted. The injured student was subsequently transported to the hospital. Fortunately, that student was able to return to school the next day. The Student A has been assigned the appropriate consequence in alignment with school district policy. The Seattle Police Department is currently conducting an investigation into the incident.
I do want to alert you that some media reports regarding this incident are not consistent with the facts as we currently understand them to be. As a result, I would like to assure everyone that all of us at Denny Middle School remain very committed to providing an academically challenging environment here at school—where every student is safe both emotionally and physically. As a reminder, if anyone ever has any information relating to bullying or other potential conflicts that students are experiencing, please share that information immediately with school staff. We will follow up with the appropriate next steps right away.
Sincerely,
Jeff Clark, Principal
Friday’s the last day of school – and Monday’s 
the first day of Basketball Camp at Chief Sealth High School – for students who will be in the 2nd through 9th grades this fall. Sealth’s incoming athletic director Sam Reed just e-mailed a reminder about the camp (here’s the story we published in April); you can see the brochure here, and he notes you can even sign up at the door Monday morning. That’s not the only sports camp in West Seattle this summer – we’ve also published notes on our Announced page about West Seattle High School basketball camp (details here), WSHS volleyball camp for middle- and high-schoolers (details here) and Lee’s Martial Arts summer camps (details here). Got a West Seattle summer camp with room? Let us know!
STUDENT ASSIGNMENT PLAN: Two years in the making, the new Student Assignment Plan — the Seattle Public Schools framework for deciding which students go to which school — comes up for a key School Board vote tonight. Linked from the meeting agenda, here is the entire SAP, Part One. One point of concern is its policy regarding siblings – here’s an excerpt:
• After both parts of the assignment plan, including attendance boundaries, are approved, the next step will be development of a transition plan. The transition plan will provide specific information for families prior to the next Open Enrollment period.
• The transition plan will include procedures so entry grade siblings and older siblings have the opportunity to be assigned to the same school (which may be the new attendance area school) if requested. This does not assure assignment of the entry grade sibling to the older sibling’s current school.
If the parent/guardian indicates that the priority is to have the siblings attend the same school and space is not available at the older sibling’s current school (or for both siblings at any other schools requested), the siblings will be assigned to the new attendance area school.2
The attendance boundaries for each school, if you’re wondering, have NOT been drawn yet – that’ll come later. Also on tonight’s agenda, the $500,000 sale of part of Jefferson Square, as repeatedly reported here earlier this spring (here’s the document that’s linked from tonight’s agenda). The meeting begins at 6 pm, district HQ in Sodo; if you can’t be there but want to send feedback to school-board members, contact info’s here.
DELRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm, Youngstown Arts Center. Wondering what this meeting is really about? Delridge Neighborhood Services Coordinator Ron Angeles explained it best in a recent e-mail announcement of the meeting:
In the City of Seattle, citizens are encouraged to participate in city government and one of the most effective ways of getting involved in through your District Council.
In 1987, the Seattle City Council established the District Council system as a way of soliciting input and advice from citizens on city-sponsored programs and initiatives.
This month the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council will have on its agenda a presentation by Andrea Petzel, Senior Land Use Planner, Seattle Department of Planning and Development, on the proposed legislation to establish more backyard cottages in Southwest Seattle. And a presentation by Erin Taylor, who is representing the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group (LDWG), a group of partners (City of Seattle, King County, Port of Seattle, The Boeing Company) coordinating cleanup of the Lower Duwamish Waterway.
As customary, all Neighborhood Organizations and Groups will have an opportunity to give reports and announcements of activities, programs, and events going on in Delridge.
Please feel free to bring a neighbor, friend, student, co-worker … with you.
FIRST DAY OF THE LAST WEEK FOR SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: With a few days tacked on to make up for time lost pre-winter break during Snowpocalypse (flash back six months), Friday is the last scheduled day.
AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITY – HENNA IN HIGH POINT: 3 pm today, “Hands-On Henna” at High Point Library. More here.
HOUSING LEVY, SECOND-TO-LAST COUNCIL CONSIDERATION: You’ll see it on the ballot this fall, provided nothing unexpected happens today (2 pm) or next Monday as the next seven-year housing levy finishes making its way through the Seattle City Council. All the fine print is here.
MAD CITY CHICKENS: As previewed on Sunday – Sustainable West Seattle is presenting a screening you can see for, well, chicken scratch ($3 suggested donation, Youngstown Arts Center, 7 pm).
Just days left to go in the school year for Seattle Public Schools. That means year-ending events abound – including one-of-a-kind events like the closure celebration Saturday at the Genesee Hill building that’s been the longtime “temporary” home to Pathfinder K-8, which is moving to the Cooper School building on Pigeon Point. As the photos above and below show – memory-sharing was a big part of the Genesee Hill event:
Also on Saturday, Arbor Heights Elementary drew crowds for its carnival – thanks to teacher Mark Ahlness for sharing photos:
Mark noted, “The streets were jammed with cars and the school and playground with happy families enjoying a beautiful day! The Carnival is an annual fundraiser sponsored by our PTSA (arborheights.wikispaces.com/AHPTSA).”
All three major West Seattle high schools have now sent their 2009 graduates out into the world, after Chief Sealth High School‘s commencement ceremony earlier this afternoon at Seattle Center’s Memorial Stadium. (Our video shows some of the grads acknowledging family and friends as they enter the stadium.) [photo added 8:36 pm]
This is the first of two classes finishing their high-school years at Sealth’s temporary location at Boren; the school is scheduled to be there one more year while renovation work is completed and a new Denny Middle School is constructed on the campus. (West Seattle HS and Seattle Lutheran HS graduated Thursday night; here’s our coverage.)
MORGAN JUNCTION PARK DEDICATION: 10 am today, right before the Morgan Junction Community Festival, which is happening in and around the park 11 am-6 pm. The park’s been open a couple months just north of Beveridge Place Pub, on the former Fauntleroy Auto Works site once tabbed for a monorail station. (More on the festival shortly – we’ll be there all day, reporting “live.”)
GOODBYE, GENESEE HILL: The elementary school building atop the hill had already been closed once when it was reopened to serve as “temporary” home to West Seattle’s only public alternative school, Pathfinder K-8. More than a decade later, the district is closing it again and moving Pathfinder to the Cooper building in Pigeon Point. The Pathfinder community is leading a closure ceremony/commemoration 10 am-2 pm today.
CHIEF SEALTH HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION: Members of the Chief Sealth Class of 2009 end their high-school years with a commencement ceremony at 1 pm. This year, it’s at Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center, same place West Seattle HS had its graduation two days ago.
For more of what’s happening around the peninsula today, see the West Seattle Weekend Lineup.
(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)
After both the West Seattle High School and Seattle Lutheran High School commencement ceremonies on Thursday night, we published photos here – now we’re adding video. Above, it’s the WSHS Class of 2009 — 265 grads — on the field at Memorial Stadium (here’s our earlier coverage on their Awards Night); below, members of the SLHS Class of 2009 (45 grads) doing the wave while waiting to enter the gym for their ceremony:
(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)
Since our photographer got a little closer to the SLHS grads, he noticed special detail work on some of their caps, like this:
And here they are in the gym:
The SLHS ceremony, by the way, was streamed live online! Graduations yet to come: Chief Sealth High School on Saturday, and two ceremonies at South Seattle Community College next week (schedule here).
Tonight both West Seattle High and Seattle Lutheran held their graduations. Here’s two quick pictures. The first is from Memorial Stadium, where the WSHS graduation took place. The second features the Seattle Lutheran class of 2009 waiting to make their grand entrance.
Later we’ll be adding an update that includes highlights of the West Seattle Art Walk, the grand opening of the new art studio and birthday space at Curious Kidstuff, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles Band performing at The Kenney.
That’s Mandy Greer in a shot we captured on Delridge Day May 30th, as she continued adding to the crocheted river she’s creating as part of Mater Matrix Mother and Medium, art to be installed later this month at Camp Long. And that’s where you’ll find here today, noon-4 pm, as she invites anyone and everyone interested to join her in crocheting more of the rest of her work. That’s not today’s only art event:
WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits is one of the 40-plus stops on tonight’s West Seattle Art Walk, 6-9 pm, with a “fresh” theme – read about it here. For the full list of Art Walk stops, check out the official website; here’s a direct link to the printable map. And while you’re in The Junction, remember tonight is the grand opening for Curious Art Kids and Curious Party Kids at Curious Kidstuff (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm (with cupcakes!) – read more here. Finally, for hundreds of West Seattle teenagers and their families – this will be remembered as graduation night:
That’s a photo from the 2008 West Seattle High School graduation at Memorial Stadium (Seattle Center downtown). That’s where WSHS’s Class of 2009 will graduate at 5 pm tonight; then at 7:30 at the Seattle Lutheran High School gym, the SLHS Class of ’09 has its commencement. (Here’s a full list of West Seattle-linked graduations taking place over the next week.) This is just part of what’s happening today/tonight – check out the WSB West Seattle Events calendar for more (including the Alki Idol finals!).
(2008 WSHS ceremony @ Memorial Stadium, where WSHS and CSHS both graduate this year)
Just in case you were wondering:
WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL: 5 pm tomorrow, Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center.
SEATTLE LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL: 7:30 pm tomorrow, SLHS gym.
CHIEF SEALTH HIGH SCHOOL: 1 pm Saturday, Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center.
MIDDLE COLLEGE (NON-TRADITIONAL), SOUTH CAMPUS: 7 pm next Wednesday (6/17), Brockey Center at SSCC.
SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE: 7:30 pm next Thursday (6/18), Brockey Center at SSCC
And since of course many West Seattle teens attend other schools; here’s the full list of Seattle Public Schools graduation dates/times/places.
As we’ve reported in coverage of the upcoming court hearing on the challenge to the Cooper Elementary School closure, those who’ve brought the case are asking for supporters to join them in court this Friday. Joy Anderson just sent their flyer with information on two buses that have been arranged to offer transportation downtown – see it here. The hearing on the “motion for summary judgment” is at 10:30 am Friday, King County Superior Court Judge Greg Canova‘s courtroom. (Previous stories, with links to legal documents from both sides, are here and here.)
Even with graduation coming up Thursday night (5 pm at Memorial Stadium) and summer vacation around the corner, things haven’t slowed down at West Seattle High School, where local professionals answered the call again to judge competition among Michelle Sloan‘s marketing students. This time, the competition on Monday included photography and fashion merchandising as well as marketing. Gatewood’s own New York Vinnie brought the video camera to show the scene, and Highland Park’s Dina Johnson shared a whole gallery of photos (see them here) – including these two:
Some of the volunteer judges also helped out two weeks ago (here’s our followup on that). Thanks again to those who stepped forward, and speaking of volunteers, be sure to get in your nomination for recognition of West Seattle’s unsung heroes – deadline June 17!
You can’t have a farewell party without a cake. That’s one of two we saw this afternoon while stopping by two celebrations we had previewed – first, the one for Ingrid Olsen-Young, the popular veteran preschool teacher at South Seattle Community College Co-Op Preschool who’s leaving for Walla Walla. “Teacher Ingrid” agreed to take a quick break from mingling with well-wishers to pose with friend Janet Ko (thanks again to Janet for help with our preview story):
The party was, of course, at SSCC, Brockey Center to be precise; photos were shown on the big screen, and albums were out for perusal:
Now a bit northwest to Pigeon Point, where Cooper School‘s “closure celebration” opened the school to visitors this afternoon, 4 months after the School Board vote to end the Cooper Elementary “program”:
Outside, kids got the chance to bounce:
Cooper Elementary classes continue until Seattle Public Schools‘ last day of the year on June 19; between now and then, the legal challenge brought by closure opponents (first WSB story here, followup here) gets a hearing next Friday.
By Kathy Mulady
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
On her last day teaching at the co-op preschool at South Seattle Community College, Ingrid Olsen-Young was holding her ink stamp, ready to place a happy message on the hands or tummies of the tots in her class, a ritual at the end of each day.
Suddenly she stopped and smiled. The little tummies were already stamped — each with a simple “thank you.”
Sunday, the “thank you” will be a little more elaborate as 20 years of preschool students gather to honor Ingrid with a farewell reunion at the Jerry M. Brockey Center on campus from 2 to 5 p.m.
“Losing Ingrid is kind of devastating,” said Margaret Pyfer. “She personally cares about each family. She truly cares about each child.”Read More
Now that the legal challenge to the Denny International Middle School/Chief Sealth High School site project has been settled (WSB coverage here), the project has its Master Use Permit, and project managers say that means the next phase of construction is about to begin. They’ve shared with us the doorhanger that they plan to distribute to nearby residents tomorrow, with specifics on how construction is about to ramp up. See it here. As the doorhanger notes, Sealth work is expected to be done by next summer, and construction of the new Denny is to be finished in winter 2011; here’s the project’s official website.
First: A ceremony and assembly this afternoon as Holy Rosary School celebrated its certification as Seattle’s first “Washington Green School” (first reported here earlier this week). Parent volunteer coordinator Nancy Stillger and principal Kris Brown (center) accepted the certificate. The program will be available online in time for other schools to sign on starting this fall; recycling is just part of it, and Nancy posed with HR teacher Matt Seacrest at one of the recycling stations in the hallway on the second floor. Matt will be teaching an elective course next year about recycling and being environmentally sound.
Second celebration: Tonight, Holy Rosary’s 8th graders graduate. And it’s almost “graduation time” for principal Brown, who is moving on to a new job after this school year (as first reported here two months ago). She told us about a message she is sharing tonight, which sounds like it also is personally relevant:
Holy Rosary’s kindergarteners graduate tomorrow morning; then, a week from tonight at 7 pm, a celebration is planned in honor of Kris Brown. More details on the Holy Rosary website. (Brown is leaving to become principal of St. Catherine in Maple Leaf, a smaller school; her replacement at HR has not yet been announced.)
We’ve reported before on the College-Bound scholarship program – pitched in a huge event at Denny Middle School at the start of this school year — now Richard Brown at Technology Access Foundation e-mailed to suggest we share information on a citywide event this Saturday where families can go to get information and sign up:
The Seattle Public Schools, College Success Foundation, Seattle University, and Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) will host “Seattle is College Bound”, a free event for eligible Seattle Public Schools 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students to sign up for the College Bound Scholarship, this Sat., June 6 from 9:00 a.m. – 11 a.m. at Seattle University’s Campion Ballroom, 901 12th Avenue [map]. For more information go to the following links: www.hecb.wa.gov/collegebound
and www.pugetsoundoff.org/blog/ctugwell/6697
As reported here earlier this week, there’s a key hearing next week in the legal challenge to the impending closure of Cooper Elementary School in Pigeon Point: The closure opponents have made a motion for “summary judgment” (read it here) and this week, Seattle Public Schools filed its document opposing the motion. The district provided us with a copy; you can read the entire 27-page document here. One of the main points of contention in the legal challenge is that there was not a formal “closure hearing” at and for Cooper, because the district considered it a “program” instead of a school; the district’s rebuttal to that includes:
Appellants claim that not treating a programmatic change as a school closure resulted in impacted persons not getting notice or the opportunity to be heard. What Appellants fail to acknowledge to the Court is that they all actually provided testimony at public hearings and School Board meetings related to the decisions they are challenging.
Appellants had not only ample notice and opportunity to be heard, they were actually heard. However, the elected School Board, after consideration of thousands of pages of documents and the input of hundred of citizens, made a choice that the Appellants dislike. That is not the proper basis for a legal challenge, particularly when considering the substantial deference that must be afforded to the School Board in making administrative and policy decisions.
…With respect to the recommendation to close the Genesee Hill building for instructional purposes, a site-specific hearing was held at the Genesee Hill building on December 16, 2008. … Numerous speakers at this hearing identified themselves as being affiliated with Cooper. … In fact, all three of the Appellants in this case, Shelly Williams, Charity Dumas, and Joy Anderson actually provided testimony at the December 16, 2008 hearing.
Their challenge also takes on board votes to change policies enabling both the relatively rapid adoption of the school-closure proposal last January and enabling Cooper to be considered for closure; the district’s document contends “legislative bodies like the School Board are always free to amend their own polic(i)es and procedures …” The hearing is scheduled for 10:30 am Friday, June 12, before Judge Greg Canova in King County Superior Court. Meantime, Cooper is having a “closing celebration” at the school at 2 pm this Sunday.
From left, Paulson Kimani, Nat Livingston, Ned Sander and Raphael Jimenez are members of the sixth-grade Denny Middle School team that helped their school get the 1st-place overall school score today at Seattle Public Schools‘ middle-school Math Olympiad, according to Ned’s proud dad Jim Sander. He adds that it took place at the UW Hub ballroom, and the sixth graders took 2nd place in their division. He says the Denny teams were coached by math/science teacher Gary Lai.
Lots of school news tonight, including the School Board meeting from which we’re still reporting “live,” but maybe it’s just a final-weeks frenzy. At any rate, we got that fun photo from Tom Myers, who explained:
Sanislo Elementary School had its annual unicycling performance (last night) at 7 PM. Miss T retired a few years ago, but can’t stay away, so still teaches in the unicycling P.E. program after school. Great fun for the students and parents too!
(video of pre-meeting protest in the board room, added at 6:28 pm)
We’re now at the John Stanford Center in Sodo, headquarters of Seattle Public Schools. Tonight’s school board meeting was preceded by a raucous protest against teacher layoffs, with more than a hundred people chanting in the parking lot on the building’s north side.
The protesters then proceeded inside and chanted for several minutes just before the meeting started; we’ll add video of that shortly. Many are holding up signs, such as “Cut from the top, NOT from teachers and students.” Public comment is under way now – you can watch live on cable TV – and the first to speak was Chief Sealth High School junior Duron Jones, talking about a student-run program, as part of a new initiative to have the first speaker at every board meeting be a local high-school student:
We’re expecting to hear more tonight – probably not until after 7 pm – about enrollment levels at local schools, looking ahead to fall.
6:25 PM: This is the rowdiest meeting we’ve been to since the school-closure process; chanting is breaking out between speakers: THEY SAY CUT BACK, WE SAY FIGHT BACK (as you can hear in the video just added atop this story) and THEY SAY LAYOFFS, WE SAY NO, GOODLOE-JOHNSON’S GOT TO GO. The president of the Seattle teachers’ union is speaking now (6:26 pm).
6:40 PM UPDATE: Jesse Hagopian, one of the Madison Middle School teachers who’s being laid off, has just addressed the board, with Madison students at his side holding protest signs. He said they’re asking nicely now that the decision be reversed – but hinted that more drastic action could follow if their concerns are not heard and acted on:
7:50 PM UPDATE: A district staffer is now updating the enrollment figures.
CLICK AHEAD TO SEE THE REST OF OUR AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE:Read More
We reported earlier this week on Denny Middle School‘s success at a music festival in Idaho last weekend – now, we have word from Madison Middle School music teacher Clark Bathum that Madison students’ trip to the same event was successful too:
Madison Middle School Music Department had a successful and fun-filled trip to the Music in the Parks Festival in Coeur D’Alene last weekend.
In the Middle School AA Division Madison Ensembles won:
String Orchestra: 1st place (Excellent Rating)
Jazz Band: 1st place (Superior Rating)
Concert Band: 2nd place (Excellent Rating)
Middle School/Jr High outstanding Jazz soloist Award: Patrick Gordon, Baritone Sax (this was the 7th straight year that the award went to a student from Madison)Madison was also very proud to receive the Esprit De Corps award, which is given to one school at the Festival that best demonstrates “personal integrity, quality character values, and a desire for excellence.”
Click ahead for three more photos shared from the trip:Read More
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