West Seattle, Washington
23 Tuesday
Just before the 4 1/2-day midwinter break that ends today, Sanislo Elementary celebrated books and reading in a big way. Above, school librarian Craig Seasholes shows us books that were part of a donation from Westwood Village Barnes and Noble – given last Thursday by Sanislo students to their classmates as part of “International Book Giving Day.” It was also Global Reading Challenge day for teams of Sanislo 4th-5th graders:
Beatriz Pascual-Wallace from the South Park branch of the Seattle Public Library, which presents the “quiz bowl”-style GRC, presided as judge as teams answered questions about this year’s 10 books. Team names are among the fun aspects of the Global Reading Challenge – here are the Enchanted Flaming Shadow Pigs:
We’ll be checking today to see who won. Sanislo is one of seven West Seattle elementary schools participating in the Global Reading Challenge again this year, according to the list on the SPL website. The citywide semifinals are the week of March 11th, and the citywide final – always an exciting event in a packed auditorium at the Central Library downtown – is set for 7 pm March 26th.
That just-published video shows a winning performance – the Chief Sealth International High School Percussion Ensemble, led by student leaders Farhan Vohra and Francisco Leon, under the direction of CSIHS band director Marcus Pimpleton – as they won the Elliott Bay Music Educators‘ Solo and Ensemble competition last weekend at Seattle Pacific University. In April, they will represent the Seattle area in the large percussion category at the WIAA/WMEA State Solo and Ensemble competition in Ellensburg. Congratulations!
The new Genesee Hill elementary school to be funded by the voter-approved BEX IV levy is advancing through the design process. The Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council has published new design graphics, both for the building and its landscaping – with a caveat that the district has told GSNC the building schematics need to be updated again, because the school will definitely be built for a 650-student capacity. (As noted by GSNC, and reported here earlier this month, the current Schmitz Park Elementary – whose community is planning the new Genesee Hill school – is expected to teach almost 600 students next year.) You can see the new graphics in multiple posts on the GSNC website at genesee-schmitz.org, where there’s also a list of upcoming “community conversation” meetings about the project: February 26, March 14, April 30, all at SP Elementary, all at 6:30 pm.
Two close games in a row for the Seattle Lutheran High School boys’ basketball team. Two nights after their one-point last-seconds win over Auburn Adventist (WSB coveage here), the Saints went into double overtime in La Conner tonight – losing to LC 56-53. Here are the game stats as published by our partners at The Seattle Times.
(WSHS’s Lexi Ioane)
It’s a season to remember for the West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team, and tonight it ended at Bellevue College with the Wildcats losing to Juanita High School, 63-36. With head coach Sonya Elliott chosen as Metro League Coach of the Year as her team won their division and moved into the playoffs, the memories are many. As for tonight’s game ….
(WSHS’s #10 Charli Elliott, #24 Lydia Giomi, #21 Gabby Sarver)
The game was the second tough one this week for the Wildcats, who led at the end of the first quarter and stayed close through the second, despite having trouble hanging onto the ball.
(WSHS’s Shelby Walker)
In the second half Juanita became more assertive, grabbing the ball and maintaining a full-court press till the end.
(2011 WSB photo of Fairmount Park Elementary School, 38th and Findlay)
As Seattle Public Schools gets ready for construction on three West Seattle sites (and others around the city), now that the BEX IV levy has passed, the schools are going through the city landmark-nomination process – generally routine if major changes or demolition is planned for buildings of this type and age (almost half a century, in this case). The review of Fairmount Park Elementary‘s nomination is on the agenda for the next Landmarks Board meeting, 3 pm next Wednesday on the 40th floor of the Muni Tower downtown. While FP is not slated for demolition, it is scheduled for major work, including an added classroom wing, so it can reopen in fall 2014, seven years after the district closed it.
The only local boys team still in the postseason-basketball picture had a big win last night: Seattle Lutheran High School senior Bryce Morgan (#3, above) put up a three-point shot with 32 seconds to go in the game, which gave the Saints the one-point lead that netted a win over visiting Auburn Adventist Academy, 48-47 – with a round of photos following:
Ahead, more photos and game notes:
8:29 PM: Tonight’s first and only vote count is in for the two Seattle Public Schools levies on today’s special-election ballot, and both are passing handily. 
– #1 is for operations funding, and #2 is the BEX levy for projects including building large all-new elementary schools on the current Genesee Hill and Arbor Heights sites, as well as reopening Fairmount Park, and other projects citywide. From the King County Elections website, here are the percentages and totals (each needs only a simple majority to pass):
OPERATIONS LEVY:
Yes 74 percent (80,112)
No 26 percent (27,990)
BUILDING EXCELLENCE LEVY
Yes 72 percent (77,222)
No 28 percent (30,659)
The next vote count is expected tomorrow afternoon.
ADDED 11:52 PM: “Wonderful results” is how Superintendent José Banda described the vote, according to Seattle Times (WSB partner) coverage.
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
As the postseason play continues for West Seattle High School‘s girls-varsity basketball team, they lost to Mercer Island HS this afternoon in Metro League play at Chief Sealth IHS‘s gym, 38-32.
As we tweeted live during the game at @wsblive, the Wildcats were ahead at halftime, but fell behind in the third quarter. They have at least one more game – Friday in Bellevue (details TBA).
ADDED 11:03 PM: Toplines and more of Nick Adams‘ photos, ahead:Read More
(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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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
(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.
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.)
(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.
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.
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.
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:
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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