March 30, 2007   

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State DECA Competition

District has a strong showing     l-r Gagandeep Kaur, Instructor Alana Vinther, Rabdip Kaur, Idil Ahmed     Hundreds of high school students from around the state converged on Bellevue this past week to demonstrate their business skills in the state DECA competition. Global Connections High School had 13 DECA students qualify and participate in the competition. Students Gagandeep Kaur, Rabdip Kaur, and Idil Ahmed won 1st place for their Public Relations Project. Their project goals were to raise money and awareness of the conditions of orphans in India. They were successful in raising over $1,600, enough to provide daily needs for 15 orphans for one year. Read on..>>

National Merit Scholar Finalists Named

Highline and Mount Rainier High School Students Recognized Three students from Mount Rainier High School and one from Highline High School have been named finalists in the National Merit Scholar program. They are: Anna Cunningham, Maxwell Ferguson, and Jacob Schual-Berke from Mount Rainier, and Kari Olson from Highline. In addition, Eva Ghirmai from Mount Rainier and Alexander Binz from Highline were named Commended Scholars.

New National Board Cert Recruits

l-r: Standing: Superintendent John Welch; Claire Waistell, Sylvester; Hillary Britt, formerly Madrona; Christie Brown, Parkside; Diana Hass, Madrona; Nancy Weeks, Valley View  Seated: Megan Olson, Valley View; Vicky Holeman, Gregory Heights; Ron Adams, Madrona (Kyong Yim, a teacher at Midway Elementary, is also pursuing her National Board Certification this year. Kyong is working through Pacific Lutheran University.)     Another cohort of Highline teachers is wrapping up their work and submitting portfolios for the National Board Certification process. One last step remains – and that’s the timed testing event. Each individual’s test will occur sometime between now and the end of June. And, then the waiting begins…notification of the outcome takes place in November or December. For more..>>

Seahurst Awarded Grant to Promote Healthy Eating

Representatives from Hidden Valley Ranch and the Produce for Better Health Foundation present Seahurst with its new veggie station. The cafeteria at Seahurst Elementary was abuzz with excitement Tuesday as students gathered to get a look at their lunchroom’s new veggie station. Seahurst received the veggie station and a $15,000 grant through the Love Your Veggies™ program sponsored by Hidden Valley Ranch and the Produce for Better Health Foundation. The grant is intended to get students and staff eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. Read on...>>

Building Agency Partnerships

Highline Public Schools recently awarded grants to seven community-based organizations to provide culture-specific services to and increase family and community engagement in selected district schools, their families, and students. Home to an ethnically diverse student population that includes Native Americans, Chicano/a-Latino/as, African Americans, Pacific Islanders, East Africans, and South East Asians, the Highline district has had service contracts with a number of these organizations before, according to Jackie Martinez-Vasquez, manager of Family and Community Partnerships. Get the whole story...>>

ACE Teacher Selected for Award

Bethany Plett, a teacher at the Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment (ACE), has been selected to receive the winter 2007 Sizer Dissertation Scholars Award presented by the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES). Named for the founder of CES, the award encourages a new generation of scholars to conduct research on CES schools and further an understanding of the effectiveness of innovative school practices. Award recipients receive a grant to conduct research or complete their dissertation, as well as a stipend to present their research at the CES Fall Forum. Bethany is finishing her Ph.D. at Texas A&M University, with a research emphasis on English language learners in conversion high schools.

United Way Campaign Coordinator Honored

l-r United Way's Sheila Austria, Dan Davis, and Superintendent John Welch     Dan Davis stepped up to be coordinator for Highline Public Schools United Way Campaign for the second year in a row – and this time was named United Way King County’s Campaign Coordinator of the Year! Get the scoop...>>

Congratulations to Doris Burdin!

Evergreen Coach Recognized Evergreen High School tennis coach Doris Burdin has been named Northwest Sectional Coach of the Year for Girls’ Tennis by the National Federation of State High School Associations. The Northwest section is made up of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. This is the second step in the National Coach of the Year process. Earlier, Doris was named State Coach of the Year. Being named to represent the area qualifies Doris for consideration as the National Coach of the Year Doris was also recently named Athletic Director of the Year for the Seamount League!

John Kellett Named Principal of the Year

Former principal at Evergreen High School, John Kellett, has been named Washington State High School Principal of the Year by his peers in the Washington Association of Secondary School Principals. John, who is now the principal at Stadium High School in Tacoma, helped oversee the school’s $108 million reconstruction project.

WEB Takes on New Meaning at Pacific

Pacific WEB Leadership Team at Camp Waskowitz. 8th Graders Mentor Others The name says it all…Where Everybody Belongs. And, that’s what a team of 8th graders at Pacific Middle School work toward throughout the year. Starting in the summer, mentors are identified and take leadership training to prepare for the start of school. Each mentor is assigned a small group, six to seven students, of 7th graders to work with. The mentors coordinate the seventh-grade orientation program and then stay connected with their small groups through bi-monthly meetings. Read on...>>

Big Picture Student Featured in Northwest Gold Coast

Northwest Gold Coast, a community e-newsletter, recently featured a story on Big Picture freshman, Colby Klein, and his work as an intern with Cascade e-Commerce Solutions, Inc. Read the whole story at Northwest Gold Coast...>>

Board Minutes

Click the date to read the minutes from the March 14, 2007 board meetings.