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Centennial celebration announced for Alki Elementary School
February 11, 2013 9:16 am
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 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(From Southwest Seattle Historical Society collection: Alki Elementary School 5th graders line up for a group photo in May 1928)
Big birthday ahead for Alki Elementary – and all of its alums (along with the rest of the community) are invited to the party. Here’s the official announcement:

Calling everyone who has ever attended Alki Elementary School: Mark your calendars to come celebrate the school’s 100th birthday on March 28.

The Alki PTA and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, co-sponsors of the celebration, are planning a slate of activities to engage students and community members of all ages.

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Third annual ‘Soul Jambalaya’ concert ‘truly incredible’
February 10, 2013 6:15 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

From the Total Experience Gospel Choir (above) to the Chief Sealth International High School Choir (below) …

… to student/pro collaborations like Septimus with the Denny International Middle School Jazz Band:

… last night’s third annual “Soul Jambalaya” (free, with donations benefiting the Denny and Sealth music programs) “was truly incredible,” reports Denny principal Jeff Clark (who also shared the photos):

Congratulations to the Denny and Sealth Jazz Band and Choir students! A huge thank you to our guests from Septimus and the Total Experience Gospel Choir!

This musical celebration is the creation of our inspirational band director, Mr. Marcus Pimpleton. He described the thinking behind this amazing event this way:

“Three years ago, I had the opportunity to take a group of Denny students to the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival’s ‘Jazz is Blues and Sacred Roots Concert.’ That concert, through the language of music, provided students with a musical history lesson connecting the jazz music our students study in their school ensembles to its musical roots in the blues and to the spiritual songs of hardship and struggle that grew initially out of the experience of negro slaves … My primary hope in organizing Soul Jambalaya is to recreate that synergy that I felt that night at Hampton, to expose my students to the music they may have limited experience with, and in the tradition of Black History Month, to celebrate the influence of African-American music styles to the musical landscape of America.”

Thank you, Mr. Pimpleton, for bringing that synergy and celebration to our scholars and our community!

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World Water Week on tap at Chief Sealth IHS again this year
February 8, 2013 5:54 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

We take it for granted, turning or pulling a handle and getting it instantly … but water is no sure bet for so many other parts of the world. That’s why Chief Sealth International High School is about to embark on its third annual World Water Week. The mid-March start is more than a month away, but Sealth staff and students are already getting ready.

In that photo are student leaders who spoke during a staff workshop yesterday afternoon focused on issues related to the lessons and events that will be part of WWW – including global sanitation and wastewater.

Social studies teacher Noah Zeichner, who is in his third year as faculty leader for WWW at Sealth, says this year’s keynoter – with a presentation open to the community, preceded by a Water and Health Resource Fair – will be Jack Sim, founder of the World Toilet Organization, on March 19th. 2.6 billion people in the world have no access to toilets, so it’s a big deal – here’s a preview:

Meet Mr. Toilet | Jessica Yu from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

Town Hall Seattle is co-sponsoring Sim’s appearance, as announced here.

Admission will be free – thanks in part to a fundraiser in which they’re partnering with Seavuria, connecting local students with counterparts in Kenya. Zeichner says you’ll be hearing from student “champions” as they “reach out to family, friends, and community to help support these important global programs at Chief Sealth International.” You can chip in by going to their fundraising page.

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West Seattle schools: K-5 STEM tour tomorrow morning
February 7, 2013 10:38 pm
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 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Last week’s open house was a full house at West Seattle’s STEM elementary school, in its first tour/open house season, as shown in that photo by Robin Graham from the K-5 STEM PTA. So in case we don’t get tomorrow’s daily preview out in time, just a reminder that the school is having a school tour at 10 am tomorrow (Friday), then 1 pm tours on February 11th and 19th – parents/guardians only. You’ll find them at 5950 Delridge Way SW.

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High-school basketball: West Seattle High School girls win
February 7, 2013 8:39 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

8:39 PM: Just in from tonight’s second playoff game for West Seattle High School‘s girls-basketball team – they beat Holy Names, 33-28.

11:11 PM: Adding photos and toplines, both from WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand, who covered the game at Holy Names (which is on Capitol Hill). He reports that despite the final
score, West Seattle had as much as a 12-point lead at times in the second half; Holy Names got off to a slow start while the Wildcats had a tougher second half when trying to get the ball in the basket. Overall, West Seattle controlled the boards/rebounds better; Holy Names tried a tight press early on, but never turned the turnovers into points. The WSHS cheerleaders, by the way, came along tonight:

Your next chance to cheer for WSHS is Tuesday, and you won’t have to go far – the tournament will be at Chief Sealth International High School that night, and WSHS will play a TBD Kingco team, according to head coach Sonya Elliott.

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Going against the grain: West Seattle HS students’ bread project
February 7, 2013 11:31 am
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 |   Health | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

From left, meet Tin Vo, Annalisa Ursino, Renee McMinn, and Megan Duong. They are four West Seattle High School students with one goal: As Megan explains, “We want more families to choose WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT BREAD as their main bread choice,” as a small step toward eating healthier food: “After doing a lot of research, I learned that whole grain wheat bread has so many health benefits that you can’t get through eating other foods.”

They also want to get more restaurant owners to offer whole-grain bread in menu items for kids, instead of defaulting to “enriched white bread,” which doesn’t compare nutritionally. So far – not much luck, Megan explains: “It can be a bit frustrating because we feel as though they aren’t taking us seriously since we are just a small group of teenagers.”

She has hope that getting the information out can make a difference in people’s choices – even kids and teens:

I recently took a survey, asking 10 teens around my age (15-18 years old) and 10 younger kids (6-11 years old) if they would rather eat white bread or whole grain wheat bread. Most of them said white bread, except for four of the ten teens that were surveyed. The four that said they would rather eat wheat bread already knew the health benefits. However, the rest of them who said they would rather eat white bread, claimed that it either tastes better, they were raised to eat white bread, or they didn’t know the difference. After I told them just one fact that simply switching from white to whole wheat bread can lower heart disease risk by 20 percent, according to research from the University of Washington … most were shocked.

After giving them this statistic, I asked them again if they would rather eat white bread or whole grain wheat bread, five of the six teens that first said they would rather white bread chose to eat whole grain wheat bread after finding out it was healthier. Seven of the ten kids who originally said they would rather eat white bread agreed to eat or at least try whole grain wheat bread. After doing this survey, I noticed that many teens and kids don’t know the difference between whole grain wheat and white bread. I think if we spread the fact that it is healthier to eat whole grain wheat bread, many kids would make the switch. If we get enough kids to eat more wheat bread, it could really open the doorway to making healthier choices at the dinner table.

Their project is part of competition for the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America “Star Events” and they’re making a presentation on Saturday, for the chance to move on to statewide competition.

They did get some support, from the Whole Grains Council: “They thought our idea was great and they agreed to send us 100 pins to give out at school and help promote choosing whole grains.”

And they have created this flyer for you to see – even, to share! (It includes contact info if you would like to reach the teens and offer support for their campaign.)

Concludes Megan: “Throughout this project, our ideas have been rejected by many restaurants; however, we are very determined and aren’t willing to give up! We are going to keep fighting to encourage families, children, and teens to live a healthier lifestyle. … we really want to make a difference, but we can’t do it alone.”

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Video: Chief Sealth teachers rally against MAP testing
February 6, 2013 6:55 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The ongoing demonstrations of opposition to the Seattle Public Schools-utilized testing known as MAP (Measures of Acamdemic Progress) surged into a day of protest today, including this rally outside Chief Sealth International High School with about 20 MAP opponents. Roberta Lindeman spoke to us and the two TV stations who also showed up to cover the rally, explaining the teachers’ position:

The anti-MAP revolt began when Garfield High School teachers declared they would boycott it altogether; this week, Garfield administrators are reported to have been trying to get around that by administering the computer-dependent tests without teacher participation. District superintendent José Banda sent that school this message explaining why he told them to do that. Garfield and Ballard High Schools also were reported to be planning rallies today.

ADDED 11:04 PM: Another group of local teachers is expressing support for MAP boycotters – we received this letter sent to the superintendent on behalf of Pathfinder K-8 teachers:

Dear Superintendent Banda,

By unanimous agreement, Pathfinder K-8 teachers would like to express our full and unequivocal support for our colleagues across the district who have boycotted the MAP test. While it is true that there are certain uses for the MAP, and that some teachers find ways to make it useful, its costs far outweigh its benefits. We share the criticisms our colleagues have so thoughtfully conveyed to you. To provide one specific example, at Pathfinder students lose access to our computer lab for nearly 4 months of the school year. For many students, this is the only opportunity they have to use technology to support their learning. As educators, we must prioritize learning over testing and we sincerely hope that you share this philosophy.

We appreciate your decision to convene a taskforce on assessment. In the meantime, we ask that you respect the decision your teachers have made to waste no more precious instructional time on a test that does not serve the needs of our students. Your teachers want the very best for students and that includes meaningful assessment tools. You have the opportunity to demonstrate inspired leadership and to send a message that, as the AAUP-UW contended, teachers in your district are regarded as educated professionals fully qualified to advise the school district with regards to assessment of student learning. As Superintendent, you have the chance to restore integrity and compassion to our district. Perhaps most importantly, you have the ability to show you are listening, really listening, to the voices of teachers in Seattle and across the entire country.

Sincerely,
Pathfinder K-8 teachers

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High-school basketball: WSHS girls lose game but gain Metro League honors including Coach of the Year Sonya Elliott
February 6, 2013 2:14 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

(WSB photo: Wildcats shown are Lydia Giomi, Gabby Sarver with the ball, and Lexi Ioane)
Though the West Seattle High School girls lost big in their first game of the basketball playoffs – at Cleveland, the home team beat WSHS 76 to 36 – they won big in another arena: The Metro League all-league honors. As published by our partners at The Seattle Times, the Wildcats had five all-League reps: Lexi Ioane was voted to all-league Second Team, and honorable mentions went to Charli Elliott, Lydia Giomi, and Gabby Sarver – then, biggest of all, the Metro League Coach of the Year is WSHS head coach Sonya Elliott!

(WSHS #10, Charli Elliott)
WSHS will play Thursday night at Holy Names, which lost its first game of the postseason to Seattle Prep.

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2 more participants for 100 Days of School Food-Drive Challenge!
February 5, 2013 10:12 pm
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 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Last night, we got word that classes at Schmitz Park Elementary would join the 100 Days of School Food-Drive Challenge launched by Arbor Heights Elementary‘s Room 16, with Alki Elementary and Cometa Playschool on board too. The goal is to collect at least 100 nonperishable food items for the West Seattle Food Bank by the 100th day of school – February 20th.

Tonight, two more schools: First we heard from Gatewood Elementary parent Jennifer Dempsey, sharing this news:

Donna Schwendeman’s first grade class at Gatewood Elementary would like to join Ms. Ingerslev’s class in their 100th day food-drive challenge. Ms. Schwendeman, the students, and parents are looking forward to making a great contribution to our local food bank.

And then via the West Seattle STEM Elementary Facebook page, we learned that their school is accepting the challenge and joining too – which means at least six schools so far. Details on the STEM collection plans are here. (And as they point out, even if you’re not involved with a school, you can help the WS Food Bank any time – see how at westseattlefoodbank.org.)

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‘Soul Jambalaya’: Gospel, blues, jazz, more, at Sealth on Saturday
February 5, 2013 9:29 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

(Septimus at Soul Jambalaya 2012; photo courtesy Jeff Clark)
Saturday night, you’re invited to enjoy what’s become an annual tradition – a soul-stirring night of music in a wide variety of styles, performed by pros as well as students – all free! – on behalf of the Denny/Sealth music programs. Here’s the announcement:

“SOUL JAMBALAYA” will raise the roof at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 Thistle SW) on Saturday, February 9, 2013 @ 7:00 pm. Gospel, blues, jazz, funk, and reggae will be performed by The Total Experience Gospel Choir, Septimus, Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School jazz ensembles, and the Chief Sealth Honor Choir.

Admission is free – donations will be accepted to benefit the schools’ music scholarship program.

Many of those same performers were part of the first “Soul Jambalaya,” which we covered with multiple video clips, in 2011 (here’s our story), and returned for last year’s edition.

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High-school basketball: Post-season play, night 1, 3 losses
February 5, 2013 1:44 am
|    Comments Off on High-school basketball: Post-season play, night 1, 3 losses
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

As the high-school-basketball postseason begins, the Chief Sealth International High School boys-varsity basketball team was the only local team playing at home last night, and their game was a heartbreaker, as the Seahawks were defeated by a last-second layup from visiting Bainbridge, for a final score of 53-51.

The other two games involving local teams weren’t as close: The Sealth girls were at Bainbridge, where they lost 46-23; the West Seattle High School boys were at Nathan Hale, which topped them 54-40.

Tonight (Tuesday), the West Seattle HS girls – who won their division in regular-season play – are at Cleveland, 7 pm.

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100th Day of School Food-Drive Challenge: Schmitz Park joins
February 4, 2013 9:20 pm
|    Comments Off on 100th Day of School Food-Drive Challenge: Schmitz Park joins
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

It’s been one week since Marcia Ingerslev‘s class at Arbor Heights Elementary announced its 100th Day of School Food Drive, hoping to collect 100 nonperishable food items by that day (2/20/13), and challenging other West Seattle classrooms/schools to join in. Tonight, we have word of more participants, this time from Schmitz Park Elementary! Mandy Cook, SP kindergarten teacher, e-mailed tonight to announce:

Schmitz Park Elementary is excited to take on the 100th Day of School Food Drive Challenge. Kindergarten, 3rd grade and 5th grade will be collecting non-perishables for the West Seattle Food Bank. Thanks for the great idea, Arbor Heights!!

Other participants we’ve heard from: Alki Elementary (here’s the Thursday story) and Cometa Playschool (also reported on Thursday). Anyone else? Let us know – thanks!

P.S. You’re also welcome to support Ms. Ingerslev’s class in their collection – here’s how.

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High-school basketball: Regular season ends; 1st postseason games set
February 2, 2013 5:59 pm
|    Comments Off on High-school basketball: Regular season ends; 1st postseason games set
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Tonight we know where and when all four varsity basketball teams from Chief Sealth International High School and West Seattle High School will start postseason play:

GIRLS
Monday – Chief Sealth @ Bainbridge, 6 pm
Tuesday – West Seattle @ Cleveland, 7 pm

BOYS
Monday – Bainbridge @ Chief Sealth, 6 pm
Monday – West Seattle @ Nathan Hale, 7 pm

Thanks to CSIHS’s Sam Reed (who’s also Metro League president) as well as WSHS boys’ head coach Keffrey Fazio and girls’ head coach Sonya Elliott for sharing updates this afternoon.

Meantime, the regular season wrapped up last night – details ahead:

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West Seattle High School’s 1st annual Big Band Dance
February 2, 2013 2:41 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Another highlight in West Seattle High School‘s year of musical milestones: The first-ever Big Band Dance, last night in the WSHS Commons. Thanks to Anne Weglin for sharing photos; above, that’s the WSHS Jazz Ensemble, directed by Ethan Thomas; below, the West Seattle Big Band, directed by Donn Weaver:

Before the bands played, the night began with a round of swing-dancing lessons!

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Ticket time for Alki Elementary’s ‘Annie Jr.’ – one week away
February 1, 2013 10:01 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Next weekend, you have two chances to support young performers and their school – parents from Alki Elementary want you to know that second- through fifth-graders have been working hard on their production of “Annie Jr.,” which will take the stage in the West Seattle High School Theater at 7 pm Friday, February 8th, and 2 pm Saturday, February 9th. It’s the third year that Alki students have worked with a director from Youth Theatre Northwest in an intensive six-week after-school program – and the results of their work (along with all the parent volunteers who are helping) will be all the more sweet if they’re performing to a packed house of West Seattle supporters. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids, and you can order them via e-mail – contact Nikki Eisenhut at nicolelee916@yahoo.com or Davina Dilley at thedgreen@yahoo.com.

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Cometa Playschool joins classroom-food-drive challenge!
January 31, 2013 11:52 pm
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 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

And we have word of another school joining the Arbor Heights Elementary Room 16 100th Day of School food-drive challenge. Room 16’s announcement came on Monday; then this afternoon, Alki Elementary announced it’s joining; and late tonight, we heard from Cometa Playschool‘s Manuela Slye:

Cometa Playschool students and teachers are excited to take the challenge and participate in the 100th day of school food donation for the West Seattle Food Bank. In the past we have organized food drives during the holiday season for Northwest Harvest, and we are thrilled this time we will be supporting our local food bank.

The 100th day of school is February 20th. Anybody else joined/joining? Let us know!

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Alki Elementary joins Arbor Heights in food-drive challenge
January 31, 2013 1:54 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Back on Monday, Arbor Heights Elementary teacher Marcia Ingerslev shared the news that her class was collecting 100 items for the West Seattle Food Bank in honor of the upcoming 100th day of the school year – and challenged any and all other elementary classrooms in WS to join them. Today, we have word that Alki Elementary has accepted the challenge – fourth-grade teacher Anna Coghill sends word that notes will go home with students on Monday (there are no classes in the district tomorrow) to tell families that EVERY Alki classroom is hoping to collect 100 cans (or other non-perishable food items) by February 20th! (Anybody else? Let us know!)

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High-school basketball: WSHS girls clinch division
January 31, 2013 3:48 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Congratulations to the West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team and coach Sonya Elliott for clinching the regular-season division title by beating Eastside Catholic at home Wednesday night, 50-39. They’re playoff-bound after wrapping up the regular season Friday night at Bishop Blanchet.

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More school news: Projected enrollments for next year
January 31, 2013 3:34 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The Seattle School Board will vote tonight on next year’s “capacity management” changes, delayed a week to await new enrollment projections for next school year. As first pointed out Wednesday on the Seattle Schools Community Forum website, those numbers are available now, in advance of the meeting. You can see the full citywide list here. Looking at projections for West Seattle schools, the only significant changes are projected for K-5 STEM at Boren (up to 327 from the current 268), West Seattle Elementary (up to 452 from 399), Gatewood Elementary (up to 506 from 461), and Schmitz Park Elementary (projected to become West Seattle’s most populous public elementary, to 596 from 536 in the 2013-14 school year).

Tonight’s meeting, by the way, is at 5 pm at district HQ in SODO; here’s the agenda.

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Tomorrow: Open-house night at West Seattle’s STEM elementary
January 30, 2013 8:12 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Last year right about now, K-5 STEM at Boren – aka West Seattle STEM Elementary – was in the formative stages, and people who decided to enroll for this school year did so on a leap of faith. This year, it’s reality, and you can visit before deciding whether to enroll your child(ren). Tomorrow night’s the biggest event of enrollment season, an open house 6:30-7:30 pm at the school, 5950 Delridge Way. Four tours for parents/guardians are also set next month, as listed on this flyer.

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High-school basketball: Sealth boys beat Bainbridge
January 30, 2013 9:27 am
|    Comments Off on High-school basketball: Sealth boys beat Bainbridge
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

One high-school varsity game on the peninsula last night – Chief Sealth International High School‘s boys beat the visitors from Bainbridge, 63-55. Here are the stats as published by our partners at The Seattle Times. Tonight, the Bainbridge girls visit their Sealth counterparts, JV at 5:15 pm and varsity game at 7; the Seahawks boys and girls wrap up their regular season by hosting Seattle Prep this Friday night.

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High-school basketball: Division leaders clash at WSHS
January 29, 2013 5:44 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

A potential playoff preview Monday night at West Seattle High School, as the girls-varsity basketball team faced Seattle Prep, with both teams leading their divisions in Metro League play. The Wildcats controlled the board for most of the first half, but Prep’s aggressive full-court press kicked in just before halftime, and eventually brought that team a 55-31 win, WSHS’s first loss in almost two weeks. Here are the stats, as published by our partners at The Seattle Times. Their regular season ends with a home game against Eastside Catholic on Wednesday and a road game against Bishop Blanchet Friday.

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Good deed of the day: Classroom food-drive challenge!
January 28, 2013 2:12 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Here’s a challenge for you – a good one – and we’d dare say that you don’t have to be part of an elementary classroom to help out with this:

The Students of Room 16 at Arbor Heights Elementary are celebrating the 100th day of school by collecting 100 food items for the West Seattle Food Bank. We challenge all elementary classrooms in West Seattle elementary schools to collect 100 cans as well.

While we have the food in our classroom we will learn to read the labels. We will count the food and track our progress using tally marks and links on a paper chain. We will also sort the cans by size, weight, and food group.

We will be learning important reading and math skills while helping our community.

Last year our class donated more than 200 items of food for the food bank.

Please help us reach or exceed our goal.

Marcia Ingerslev
Proud teacher in Room 16

The West Seattle Food Bank and White Center Food Bank (whose service area includes part of West Seattle) both appreciate your donations any time – food or cash – click on their names in this line to get to their info-laden websites.

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