Three Highline students received Washington State PTSA awards for their entries in the annual Reflections program; Ellen Van Wyk, Benjamin Niu, and Nicole Mays. The students were honored by the School Board during the April 8 meeting.

Photo caption: (l-r) At School Board meeting, HCPTSA Reflections Chairperson Debbie Thoma, Helen Van Wyk, Nicole Mays, and Superintendent Welch. Benjamin Niu was unable to attend.

A junior from the Arts and Academics Academy, Etevise (Vise) Le'iato, was selected by LeadAmerica to participate in the Congressional Student Leadership Conference (CSLC) at the National Leadership Summit 2009 in Washington, D.C. LeadAmerica is a non-partisan educational organization that sponsors academic-based leadership programs for outstanding high school and middle school students. Vise spent six days in our nation's capitol over spring break and was among 40 other student leaders selected from around the country.

Beverly Park Elementary readers, the "ICWs" (I 'C' Winners), represented the Central Region in King County's Global Reading Challenge held on March 27 in Issaquah. Two teams of seven dedicated readers gave up numerous lunches and recesses this year to study, read, and discuss ten children's books, both fiction and nonfiction. The two teams competed against each other to become a school lead team. This team of seven competed against a strong team from Parkside Elementary, winning by one question in the tie-ending, "sudden death" round.

Cedarhurst Elementary is one of five elementary schools in the greater Puget Sound area to win a free greenhouse, $1,500 in grants, and other benefits from an alliance supporting education, nutrition, and Washington agriculture.

Global Connections' student-run espresso stand and Marketing program, supervised by teacher Alana Vinther, have been named a 2009 Earth Hero at School by the office of Ron Sims, King County Executive. Principal Rick Harwood and several students will meet with Sims on April 30 for the formal recognition event.

Sherman Alexie visited Highline High School on Tuesday, April 7, as part of Seattle Arts & Lectures' Writers in the Schools (WITS) program. Alexie spoke to two groups of 100 Highline students in the library.

Sherman Alexie is an internationally-renowned fiction writer, poet, and filmmaker. Alexie's young adult novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, was winner of the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and received a host of other honors including a 2008 Washington Book Award and a 2008 Pacific Northwest Book Award. In a March 2009 interview with Gary Sundt, Alexie offered the following advice to aspiring writers: "Read, read, read. Read 1,000 pages for every one you try to write. Everybody wants to come up and ask 'What advice do you have?' and I say 'What's your favorite book' or 'What book did you last read?' If you don't have that information... If you aren't carrying a book around with you, then you're doomed."

World Vision of Seattle Tacoma will open a Teacher Resource Center at Highline Public Schools' Salmon Creek campus this month. Designed like a store, qualifying teachers can visit the center and "shop" for items needed in their classrooms including books, backpacks, and other school-related items. Area businesses and large corporations donate school supplies to World Vision to stock the center, and the items are given to the teachers at no charge.

The YMCA of Greater Seattle invites families to attend a free community event.

• Free t-shirts for the first 100 kids
• Games for all ages
• Fun Snacks
• Make and Take Art
• Information on Nutrition and Healthy Snacks
• Facility tours
• Teen and Youth Summer Program information

Saturday, April 18, from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

At all YMCA of Greater Seattle branches

http://www.seattleymca.org/page.cfm?id=healthyKids


Get the flyer in English or Spanish.

As educators, we often encounter students that just amaze us. Ty Ivy, head girl's track coach/throw coach at Evergreen and building computer support technician, has one such student to share with us - Devante Botello.

Tips for Getting the Best College Financial Aid Package...

Check out this article from the Seattle Times on how to tackle the financial aid process.

Excerpt from The Learning Network, a newsletter from the Small Schools Project.

Highline Big Picture sophomore Laura Smith LOVES architecture. In fact, it's the reason why she chose to attend Big Picture. "I love buildings, especially really big, new ones. I've been building things ever since I was two, and I would build houses with my blocks," she says. "I came to Big Picture because I really, really want to be an architect, and this school will help me reach my goals."

Read the rest of the story plus several others about Highline Public Schools' work in innovative student learning in the latest issue of The Learning Network, a publication of the Small Schools Project.

Meet Rebecca Bartinetti, a senior at Puget Sound Skills Center. Ever since she was little, Rebecca has been captivated by the glamour of the movies. She loved to dress up and pretend. The whole idea of making characters come to life thrilled her. It was this excitement that sparked her desire to be a costume designer.

Established by HMS Host & Port of Seattle, the STIA scholarship is awarded to three students who will be pursuing a higher education in 2009. Two $12,000 scholarships will be awarded toward a university/college education, and one $6,000 scholarship will be awarded toward a vocational/community college education. All scholarships are distributed over a two-year period. The STIA scholarship is a needs-based scholarship. Deadline for applications is April 15, 2009.

Click here for an application form.

Mount Rainier High School now has an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED), thanks to South King County Fire and Rescue. The fire department donated the $1,500 piece of equipment to the school to be used in the event that a staff member or student goes into cardiac arrest.

Highline is fortunate to have community partners like South King Fire and Rescue that support our schools in many ways!

Understanding the lasting impacts of slavery is important for educators of African American children.

The Seattle Public Library will present, "Facing the Future: Families Explore Slavery's Legacy," a three-part film and discussion series exploring the efforts of three families to reach an understanding of slavery's legacy. Each film explores efforts to reach an understanding of the legacy of slavery and to take personal actions to reconcile the past. The program is free; no registration is required. For more information, go to click here.

On Friday, March 20, nearly 200 fifth and sixth graders (along with their parents) and PE teachers from nine different elementary schools, gathered at Bow Lake Elementary for the annual FIT Day competitions. Students had an opportunity to compete at 16 fitness stations, ranging from rope climbing to juggling to the shuttle run. Elementary PE teachers, together with Highline High School student volunteers, oversaw the stations.

Caption for top photo: (l-r) Highline High School students Samantha Erben, Kathy Nguyen, Alyssa Monti, and Latu Tuipolutu.

King County Zone Three Fire Explorers, including a group of students from Puget Sound Skills Center, will participate in a "fire muster" on Saturday, April 25, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence is a non-profit organization that exists to generate community resources to help Highline Public Schools succeed. Click here for the Foundation's website.