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[DP]

Dateline: “West Seattle” (South of Alaska)

Saturday, September 25, 2010

 

As one would expect, there’s a ton of high-tech audiovisual stuff in the classrooms at the new Chief Sealth.

Forget flying school buses (that’s so 20th Century!) — now every teacher has a veritable computer magic show at his disposal, in the form of the “SmartBoard.” Using this mother-of-all-gizmos, a teacher can electronically “capture” documents, parts of documents, or even notes that he scribbles on documents, all by tapping his finger on a projection screen. Think of the SmartBoard as an 8 x 5-foot iPad that actually makes your kid smarter, not dumber.

Note: The phrase you’re most likely to hear from your Sealth student of the future: “No school today, Mom. The Internet’s down.”

 

Sealth’s new auditorium is now the best in the district.

With superb acoustics and seating for 1200 grown-ups, it’s like having our own performance hall right here in the ‘hood. Naturally, I’ll be looking for opportunities to see a show there. My preferred seating section? “Free” of course.

 

Old Chief Sealth H.S. is now Chief Sealth International H.S.

What’s that mean, exactly? Probably not as much as you think — you won’t be suddenly hearing lots of Swedish spoken at the Target in Westwood Village, for example — but still more than nothing. There will be a strong focus on culture and language programs (with a special resource center devoted to languages) as well as international exchange programs and an “international baccalaureate” degree, whatever that is.

According to Principal John Boyd, the “international high school” feature was something that Sealth staff really wanted, and is also in keeping with the character of the student body at Sealth, which is now the most ethnically diverse high school in Seattle.

New district-wide enrollment policies also ensure that a much higher percentage of Chief Sealth’s student body will hail from local neighborhoods than was formerly the case.

The trade-off for getting an international school (and having what Principal Boyd refers to as a “full-service” school) was that Sealth class sizes will be larger than those of some other Seattle high schools.

 

The building feels open and airy.

Many spaces are lit at least partly with “ambient” light (i.e., daylight) so that, in some spots, it feels like being on an open-air campus. Let us hope that all this light and air will have a salutary effect upon those of our young people afflicted with the tragic disorder of hyperkinesia.

[Hyperkinesia: (n.) A tendency to run around a lot.]

 

The new plan uses the available space more efficiently.

For example, the enclosed multipurpose “Galleria” connecting the high school with Denny Middle School is a much smarter use of space than what was there before, which was just a ho-hum breezeway from the main building to some portables. It’s impressive to think that a space that was originally designed for well under a thousand students will now be serving > 1000 high schoolers, PLUS all the Denny Students. And the designers didn’t even have to go high-rise to do it.

 

The project is efficient in other ways as well.

Some material from the old building was recycled or preserved during the upgrade. For example, benches from the old auditorium were resurfaced and reused throughout the building, and the original (beautiful) gym floor was simply sanded down and resurfaced, instead of being replaced. Energy efficient materials (like double-paned windows) were used throughout, and I believe the HVAC system is also superefficient.

 

Although the campus will ultimately serve both high school and middle school students, there will be little mixing between the two species.

— Or that’s the theory anyway. (We’ll see if it pans out.)

Sealth students will get where they’re going by one route, Denny students will use another. In cases where an area is shared, each group has its own designated space. Some areas have partitions that can be removed for all-campus activities — another example of efficient design.

 

“My goat ate my yardwork.”

Sixty specially trained high-tech goats were contracted to eat the blackberry thickets that formerly infested the slope on the west side of the building. I’m happy to report that the goats finished their meal on time, within budget, and without a single case of indigestion.

Now if we can just get them to eat a tunnel under the Seattle waterfront.

 

The Sealth renovation was originally budgeted at $50 million. Due to a precipitous decline in the price of steel, however, all of the extra wishes from the staff “wish list” (things like a deluxe weight training set for the gym) were granted.

Pretty cool, huh? Sure, fifty mils is a lot. But hey! Deluxe weight training set! — Right? Come on . . . you know you want one.

 

Was there anything about the new Chief Sealth I didn’t like?

Yeah. I don’t like the parking lot. But I guess cars gotta hang out somewhere. And if they stay at school, at least they won’t be getting into trouble.

 

 

So next time you pass by Chief Sealth, take a moment to reflect and feel good about what Seattle schools are doing to safeguard the future.

And as you think of the sacrifices that were made to clear that west slope of blackberries, always remember:

. . . No goats, no glory.

 

—Mad props to Principal John Boyd, and to Nels Enquist, Assistant Coach and tour guide par excellence.

[transplantella]

Hunter G, you rock! Many thanks.

Melody at Thriftway also rocks!

And a big whoo-hoo! to west seattle blog.

I talked to Melody today and she was brilliant. Totally knows her stuff, will work within any kind of budget, and miraculously will purchase all the flowers I need at a pricepoint lower than any other dealer/vendor/wholesaler I’ve talked to in Seattle.

Melody has saved this mother-of-the bride and has guaranteed to make the wedding gorgeous.

I.am.so.happy. :-))

Many thanks.

[charlabob]

To jack this thread just slightly, I looked up the derivation of ain’t and found out it comes from am not — which explains why I invented the word “amn’t” when I was a little kid and was relentless teased.

Even better, I found out there’s a whole book on “The Derivation of Ain’t.” http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080701020716AAyEcN4

So, all you frustrated authors out there, don’t despair. It must have sold at least 20 copies. What would YOU like to Bing?

[WSB]

I always appreciate evangelism on behalf of good spelling/grammar, but I’m wondering … amid all this, has anyone (the original post’er, perhaps) bothered to let the Junction Association know about the problem? We don’t get newsletters from them – we speak with WSJA administration fairly often in person – so have not seen the originally reported problem, but I am sure they’d like to know. Lots of contact info at wsjunction.org. When we make errors, we tend to get comments, e-mail, etc., and I appreciate that, so the mistake can be fixed. The newsletter might be replicated in online form somewhere and therefore fixable in at least some incarnation.

[elikapeka]

Who should I vote 4? Well, it won’t be any Republican candidate. Not that I’m enamored of the Democrats, but they’re slightly better. In the past, I’ve always voted for the candidate, not the party, and I usually vote for something or somebody, not against it, but the Republicans have demonstrated that they act in lockstep – individuality is not welcome in the party. They’ve become so extreme that I won’t vote for any of them.

We have had 30 years of privatization, deregulation, free markets, free trade, lower taxes. And both parties have supported this agenda. In any other era, Bill Clinton would be considered a moderate Republican. It didn’t work. It didn’t trickle down. A few people got richer, corporations made out like bandits, and the middle class and poor have lost ground. The class warfare and wealth redistribution the conservatives love to rail about has been going on for years, just the other direction.

We have lost jobs, pensions, any kind of security for retirement. Health care is a disaster. Our infrastructure is failing. Our educational system is a mess. We no longer lead the world in any meaningful category.

In the last election, the Democrats won with a different message, one that offers some hope to the middle class. Elections are supposed to mean something. Yet the Republicans in the Senate have abused the rules of the Senate to block almost everything. This isn’t a matter of being the loyal opposition. This is an abuse of the rules, where power and the institution becomes more important than the job they’re supposed to do. I sometimes see the same thing with unions, where the union itself becomes more important than the workers they’re supposed to represent.

Look, if you’re wealthy and living a nice life off of your investments, I get why you’d want to continue the status quo. It’s worked for a very small group. But why anyone else at this point would vote for people who want to continue down this path is beyond me.

Actually, the late George Carlin said it better than anyone else. You can watch at

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/1044358/

[datamuse]

I agree that it’s a good idea to try to spell things correctly. Mistakes can be embarrassing, sometimes.

[christopherboffoli]

When Winston Churchill was once chided by a journalist, for ending a sentence with a preposition, he quipped: “That is nonsense up with I shall not put!”

[charlabob]

Antecedent — that to which something refers. In the original post, I thought “that” and “this” were a bit unclear.

And no I don’t avoid ending sentences with prepositions in real life. IRL, I tend toward “ain’t” (which is a contraction, though I don’t know what the “ai” stands for.) :-)

[christopherboffoli]

Yardvark: First, that’s grammar with an ‘a’

I’m sure it is not about snickering at mistakes. To me it is more about upholding a standard and protecting the necessary rules of our language. Everyone makes mistakes. I have degrees in English and Literature, have been writing from the time I knew what words were and yet I still make mistakes, typos, errors in grammar judgment and punctuation. English is a tough language, even for native speakers/writers.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the greatest American novelists, famously couldn’t spell. His editors at Scribeners used to joke that every time he’d submit a manuscript he’d find a new way to spell the word yacht. It didn’t make him any less of a genius. He was just lucky to have good editors who had his back.

I agree with the sentiment expressed by the original poster. I think publications/news organizations/advertisers, etc. do make themselves look bad when they put something out that is carelessly edited, especially in Seattle where we have such a high level of literacy.

Typos are monsters who hide amidst good, upstanding letters and do their level best to blend in with the scenery. You can read something a dozen times and not see them until they emerge from dark corners only after something is published. Typos are bound to happen to the best of us. But serious grammar mistakes are emblematic of a larger issue.

Having your grammar corrected can be somewhat humiliating. But I’d rather be embarrassed and learn the right way than to keep perpetuating a mistake.

[HMC Rich]

Since there are more liberals in Seattle, should we tax them too at a different rate?

The towns and cities I have previously lived in had a bike tax. I was seven and paid for my first bicycle license. I just lost a few lanes last year on Fauntleroy to make way for a bike path. Fine. You want to use it for a specific use, then help pitch in.

If you are going to tax people for sin taxes you might as well be fair and charge them with health taxes. Just saying. I thought the Sun Tan tax was bit over the top but we have it.

So Dawsonct, I take it people who ride bikes are smarter than the person who drives a vehicle. Should we tax IQ’s too? If you are calling people idiotic, then you will get hit with a much higher IQ tax. Now that is what I call redistribution of wealth.

My dog is licensed. Why can’t my dog run free in any Seattle Park? Now that isn’t fair.

[add]

If you are especially interested in the legislative side of education & schools, the Seattle Council PTSA has a very active committee on advocacy & legislative issues: http://www.seattlecouncilptsa.org/cat_index_42.shtml

If your interests are more local, by all means contact your neighborhood school PTSA and find out how you can be involved!

[Yardvark]

jego_misia: I totally agree with you. People who snicker at grammer mistakes never look smart. Thanks for clarifying.

[luckymom30]

Obviously not in, West Seattle but we know of several other people that are members of The Seattle Mountaineers Club that also live in West Seattle. They have tone of outdoor activities from biking, canoeing, skiing, riverrafting, hiking and alot more! And I know they have Singles Nights.

http://www.mountaineers.org/ScriptContent/default.cfm

[m3bodyworks]

We have moved our office and selling computer desks, washer/dryer, electronics like dsl modems and vonage phone systems, computer books, shelving, glassware and much more. listing and pricing are available at http://www.m3bodyworks.com/garagesale.

No PHONE CALLS

Saturday

September 25

10 – 4 PM

5410 California Ave SW #203

Cash only – Credit cards can be accepted for larger ticket items with valid ID

Any questions please email

garagesale@m3bodyworks.com

[redblack]

datamuse: thank you for making me aware of the existence of muphry’s law. pure gold.

[jego_misia]

WSJA= West Seattle Junction Association…

and to correct myself, what I meant is: sending out a newsletter in a condition that would make other people snicker while reading it doesn’t make them look too smart.

[BigPhil]

Holy frijole! This Forum moves quick.. 38 responses and a whole boatload of good suggestions…

I’m going to try and hit the highlights ;)  

— I took the suggestions to join some Meetup groups – hiking, non-religious groups (and wow, there are a lot.. Refreshingly differently from the crazies in Colorado Springs), “experience Seattle” and s few others. I don’t have any particular hobbies those aside except watching crap TV and playing video games. I would like to add water activities to my list since I have never been around so much – kayaking or something! 

— I will check out the Underdog Sports mentioned above, but despite my height (6’6″, hence BigPhil) I’m not terribly coordinated – I might get slaughtered out there :)

— I’m not sure “Seattle Freeze” is apt, if this forum is any indication. And I’m surprised there are so many non-natives

— Making friends at work is difficult (and what I’m used to) because I work for people in Colorado from here so no one in Bellevue works directly with me.

— Very cool of you all to volunteer to hang out with me… Maybe I can arrange a west Seattle blog people meet up sometime soon as a good (albeit scary) first step .. And sorry I missed the social media group you mentioned.

Thanks for all the tips!!

[johnnyblegs]

West Seattle Judo Association?

[JustSarah]

Hm, and I interpreted “WSJA” as Washington State Journalists’ (or Journalism) Association. I’ve no idea if such an organization exists. Clearly this is one of those situations in which using an abbreviation does not help matters. :-)

[datamuse]

Ah, Muphry’s Law in action!

:D

[redblack]

charlabob: what’s an “antecdent?”

just sayin’. (this from the guy who never uses proper caps in email or posts.)

also, too.

[Admiral935]

After reading today’s post I had to go ahead and walk down there from Calif. I figured the walk would get me over the calorie barrier. 20 minutes after heading out I sat down to Calimari, Coleslaw, and Chowder! I think the Coleslaw was a first for me in 15years. That’s the kind of ‘slaw I like! Cool, crisp, and wee bit of mayo but verrrry light. I usually get the Cod Combo (remember when it was $6.45, heh). But went Calimari, another first. Still gotta try the Kabob too. But my standby is Cod Combo, Chowder, and Lemonade. Oh, their tarter’s good too!

Great fishing photo’s in there. Sat there at Sunfish looking from behind The Alki Statue of Liberty and over the water. Yeah

[ellenater]

Queenie,

I totally agree!

There is something seriously wrong (and pompous) about the rational that we could force people to use mass transit through a policy. It reminds me of a South Park episode featuring Prius owners who enjoy the smell of their own gas. lol!

[redblack]

queenie: i hear this a lot, and i’ve never been sure why some people who are married to their cars (like i am) feel that promoting mass transit is punishment for drivers.

as a matter of fact, this whole debate is about building new roads into and through downtown.

yes, i would like to see any discussion of building more roadway or altering the route of hwy 99 include mass transit – and paid for with an MVET, no less. i am, indeed, willing to pay for the greater good, even though it’s against my own selfish needs. in this regard, dawsonct is spot on.

as far as your commute goes, queenie, the cars we want off of the road aren’t necessarily yours, or even mine. we are going to drive no matter how well the local transit system evolves. but wouldn’t it be better if people who drive solo downtown and back every day had more and faster transit options than those that already exist? more options can and should be made available.

regarding your hubby’s commute (which i find suspiciously miserable; my wife works at 4th and university and has rarely had a bus ride longer than 10-15 minutes): if we build more transit and get more local SOV cars off of the road, everyone’s commute gets easier.

your post is long on platitude, but short on ideas. so what do you think is the best solution to replace the hwy 99 corridor through downtown? any ideas on how and who should fund it? in short, how do we improve the downtown-and-beyond commute for the red-headed stepchild that is west seattle?

[JustSarah]

@dd: and I by her! Mr. Scoot (yep, that’s what we’ll call him) and I are still very much interested in a game night. :)

The futon works fabulously in its new home, BTW, and I even bought it some throw pillows.