Superintendent John Welch welcomed staff for the 2010-2011 school year using the first in a series of video communication programs.  In an effort to share the work of the district directly with school staff, the superintendent will be using monthly videos.  These will be posted online for teachers, parents, students, and community members to learn more about Highline Public Schools.  Tune into the first video here.

A Mount Rainier High School (MRHS) student was singled out for top honors in a week-long Accounting Career Awareness Program (ACAP) summer residency at the University of Washington. 

Adera Gandy was among the 60 students from around the region selected to participate out of a field of more than 185 applicants. 

Out of 52 entries in the program's essay and interview competitions,  Adera was the only one to receive awards in both categories. Adera earned first place for her essay, which will be featured in the upcoming ACAP newsletter. 

Adera was also recognized for her especially outstanding interview, held at Price Waterhouse Cooper, one of the nation's "big four" accounting firms.

Through this event, Adera was accepted into the Black Achievers Porfolio Project (BAPP), a highly structured college preparatory program that matches each student with a mentor.  At the end of the program, students will have produced a portfolio of their college admissions process, learned how to write powerful personal statements, pursue letters of recommendation, research and select their top college preferences, and make oral presentations. 

"Adera's teachers and principal deserve a pat on the back," said Debrena Jackson Gandy, Adera's mother.  "Keep up the good work you do!"

ACAP targets students of color, primarily juniors and seniors, and seeks to connect them with mentors from the business sector.

Sylvester Middle is one of several schools across the nation participating in a pilot of a professional development program for teachers called Success at the Core.  The program focuses on helping teachers lead powerful instructional changes that impact student learning.

Learn more about the program and watch a video introduction to the learning modules by logging on to their website athttp://www.successatthecore.com/. The video introduction is available on the homepage of their site and can be reviewed without registration.  More modules, including What we learn from videotaping instructional practice?" and Deepening the impact of middle school leadership teams, are available - at no cost - by registering on the Success at the Core website.

World Vision Summer Fellowship team: Jesse Stricklnad/New Start, Tevin Gladney/Highline High School, Kegan Chim/TEC High School, Shaneen Kovac/New Start

Every student at Mount View Elementary will receive a backpack full of school supplies thanks to a growing partnership with Qwest, World Vision, and Community Schools Collaboration.  A group of students participating in the Summer Fellowship program at World Vision recently stuffed over 600 backpacks with pencils, notebook paper, and other supplies for students at Mount View Elementary.

The back-to-school edition of Highline Highlights is now available on the website.  Check here for important information for students and families.

Highline Highlights will be mailed to homes in the district the last week of August.

AHS Student Kelli Katzer

Aviation High School (AHS) junior Kelli Katzer has been named a semi-finalist in the Ayn Rand essay contest for her writing on the novel Anthem.  Kelli won a cash prize and a set of books for her essay on individualism and accountability.  Her work was selected from over 16,000 submissions nationwide. 

In the three years Aviation High has participated in this essay contest, Kelli is the second AHS student to be selected as a prize winner.

Interesting note:  It was Kelli's sister, Jaime, a 2010 AHS graduate who was also a semi-finalist in this essay contest two years ago.

Volunteers prepare backpacks for White Center Heights students.

Every child at White Center Heights Elementary School will receive a backpack filled with school supplies thanks to a generous partnership with Qwest, World Vision, and Community Schools Collaboration (CSC).

Volunteers gathered recently to stuff 624 high-quality backpacks with all the necessary school supplies. The backpacks will be distributed by Qwest and World Vision volunteers during a back-to-school barbeque on September 1.  The event will include information and resources for families. 

What a great way to kick-off the new school year!

Students from the Waskowitz High School summer session program recently participated in a Burien environmental project.  See photos and details in the Highline Times story.

Research shows that children who experience high-quality preschool and other early learning opportunities are more successful throughout school. Highline Public Schools works closely with the White Center Early Learning Initiative (WCELI) to extend early learning options to families in our community. For information on preschool enrollment and other opportunities, see the latest WCELI Update.

Students show US Education Secretary Arne Duncan how to operate Aviation High School's competitive robot as US Sen. Patty Murray and Superintendent John Welch look on.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Senator Patty Murray joined students, teachers, and business and education leaders at Aviation High School (AHS) to discuss educational innovation and the unique science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program offered at AHS. Following a student presentation, Senator Murray and Secretary Duncan participated in a panel discussion highlighting the success of Aviation High School.

"We need more schools like Aviation High School," said Duncan.

On the panel was Peter Morton, a former Boeing executive and a member of the boards of Aviation High School and The Museum of Flight. "We are doing something special to create a replicable example of STEM education in a public/private partnership," said Morton. "Every community can organize a similar partnership around their local industries, museums, or other institutions. It is a worthy investment for government agencies at the national, state, and local level to support our example as a contribution to a technologically savvy workforce."

Seventy-seven percent of AHS graduates intend to pursue STEM careers, compared with 48% statewide.

Superintendent Welch greets Secretary Duncan.

"We want to prepare our students to fill critical jobs in STEM fields throughout the nation," said Aviation High School Principal and CEO Reba Gilman. "We believe that the students who attend Aviation High will help our nation remain competitive in an increasingly technology-driven world where the US is not producing technically-trained workers at the same rate as other nations."

Aviation High School is the only college-prep aviation-themed high school in the Northwest. AHS is open to students from across the state, and many commute from outside King County. All subjects are taught in the context of aviation and aerospace.

In 2009, AHS was third among 415 state public high schools on the math and science WASL, though the number of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch was almost 20 times the rate of the number one and two schools.

Highline Public Schools announces the sponsorship of the Simplified Summer Food Program for Children in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under USDA guidelines, meals will be made available at no charge to all children age 18 and under. The child does not need to be a Highline Public Schools student. There are no forms to fill out and no names are taken. Food cannot be taken off the premises.

For a complete list of locations and times where meals will be available, click here.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc. should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a discrimination complaint, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue SW, Washington DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). Highline Public Schools is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Students at White Center Heights and Mount View elementary schools were sent off to summer vacation with gifts from the YES Foundation of White Center. The YES Foundation gave out hundreds of footballs, basketballs, and soccer balls -- one for every student -- and even raffled off bicycles to eight lucky winners.

The YES Foundation has been holding "Christmas in June" for several years to encourage students to stay active and spend time in healthy activities during the summer months.

TEC High School was recognized at the June 23 school board meeting for increasing the numbers of students who graduate with transcripts that make them eligible for public four-year universities in Washington. TEC has increased its percentage of graduates meeting four-year college entrance requirements from 15% in 2005 to nearly 46% in 2008.

Washington’s university entrance requirements include:
o 4 years of English
o 3 years of Math
o 3 years of Social Studies
o 2 years of Science, including a year in each of two college-prep sciences, such as chemistry, physics, or earth science
o 2 years of Foreign Language
o 1 year of Fine Arts

The percentage of graduates meeting university entrance requirements is one of Highline’s System Wide Measures of Success by which the district monitors its progress toward the vision of every student graduating prepared for college, career, and citizenship.