Increasing Numbers of Highline Students Going to College

The number of Highline Public Schools students heading to college is up significantly over the past four years. And more Highline graduates are going to four-year universities.

In 2004, 52.5 percent of grads went directly to college. That number was up nearly five percentage points to 57.4 percent in 2008.

The increase in university enrollment was even more dramatic. The number of Highline seniors enrolling in four-year institutions in 2004 was just over 20 percent. By 2008, that number had increased to 28.6 percent.

Highline's upward trend was tracked in research conducted by Baker Educational Research Consulting in cooperation with the National Clearinghouse, which has a 92% success rate in locating students who attend two- or four-year institutions anywhere in the United States.

Highline chief accountability officer, Dr. Alan Spicciati, praises schools' "intense efforts" at creating a college-going culture. "These results are a reflection of a lot of good, coordinated work in supporting students on their way to a better future," says Spicciati.

Highline saw a decrease in the number of students staying in college beyond freshman year over the four-year period, from 82.6 to 75.5 percent. Spicciati says that is likely due to economic challenges facing families in the current recession.

Spicciati points out positive trends among Latino and African American students, in particular. Black and Latino students increased college-enrollment at higher rates than other racial groups, enough to eliminate what has been a significant college enrollment gap between White, Asian, and African American students.

"We now have the same percentage of African American students entering college as that of White and Asian students," says Superintendent John Welch.

Welch, the first in his family to attend college, acknowledges that Highline has much work to do to realize its vision of college readiness for every student. But he is encouraged by the new numbers. "This four-year upward trend represents several hundred Highline kids who are now going to college," notes Welch. "We're heading in the right direction."

TEC High School

Students huddle around a computer in a classroom, their advisors-professional engineers from Microsoft-look over their shoulders. The students are diagramming plans for a robot. In the coming weeks, they will build the robot from scratch and run it through the paces of the exercise it will perform in regional and national competition.

"I like building robots. It's really fun," says junior Anthony Lilleburg, "You don't know anything about it when you start. We learn as we go. The mentors are just there to guide us. We're learning and creating."

Welcome to TEC High School, one of three small independent high schools on the Evergreen campus in White Center.

TEC is designed broadly around the concepts of technology, engineering, and communications. Though "tec" is in the name, it is definitely not a "technical school." TEC is a college-preparatory high school-and not one just for "computer nerds."

If you visit TEC classrooms, you will find students reading classic poetry aloud to their classmates, designing and constructing model buildings to demonstrate math skills, and working on learning projects in teams.

The students at TEC are a diverse bunch-not only in terms of culture and ethnicity, but in terms of career interests. There are students here that are interested in pursuing film-making, architecture, aerospace, marketing, and myriad other career fields. "Technology, engineering, and communications encompass more than most people know," says Principal Michael Sita. He reels off a long list of fields, from civil engineering to gaming, journalism and web design to environmental research. "I think an engineering or communications degree is the most useful, flexible, and lucrative degree a young person in the 21st Century can obtain," says Sita.

Junior Laurie Gonzales is considering a career in criminal justice or culinary arts. "I take Electronics and Principals of Engineering. I think actually that will help me in my career choice," she says.

Shelly Macer is a teacher for English Language Learner students at TEC. Most of her friends and family are in engineering or information technology fields so TEC seemed like a perfect fit for her. "I was very interested in working at a high school aimed at promoting engineering," she says. "Our students are stepping up to the challenge of being at a college-prep technology and engineering school. And our teachers are working overtime to create a positive, meaningful experience for students."

"Our teachers and our principal are VERY passionate about our kids learning and being prepared for college," echoes reading teacher Cynthia Traynor. Traynor tells about one of her students who started the year reading far below grade level. He hated reading, and at first resisted the class work. But by December, he began making progress. Recently, Traynor was assisting in another classroom when this young man raised his hand, volunteering to read aloud. "I about cried I was so proud!" she says. "He comes in every day now and gets right to work and is excited about reading."

Personalization and relationships are key characteristics of TEC. The school has only about 300 students, so teachers know their students as individuals. "I am lucky in that I have the daily opportunity to work with small groups of students, and really feel like I get to know and make connections with them," says instructional assistant Elaine Sauro.

"Our teachers hold students to high expectations and coach them to realize their aspirations," says Principal Sita. "We want each student to feel pride and self-confidence and to be fully prepared to imagine and pursue the most fantastic goals and dreams of their personal and professional lives."

Senior Mohamed Sambou is a prime example of what Sita is talking about. Sambou was just awarded a full-ride scholarship to Gonzaga University, where he will study mechanical engineering. "I found out about the scholarship from my counselor, and she told me to apply for it," says Sambou. "I'm very happy!" Sambou says his interest in technology drew him to TEC, and he likes that technology is emphasized in core academic classes.

The rallying cry at TEC is design, create, innovate. The idea behind the career theme is not to push teenagers to choose a career, but to allow them to explore interests and imagine possibilities that are very relevant to the new global economy. "We believe in the creative genius inside of every child," says Sita. "We want to help kids tap into their own imagination."

Left: Carey Gannaw Office Manager and Registrar, Right: Viki DiOrio Office Assistant		L to R: Student Lochelle Cox explains the modeling work being done in Introduction to Engineering with teacher Lindsey Duerre and Principal Michael Sita.

New Parkside Elementary Welcomes Students

Buses arrived and students streamed into Parkside Elementary for the first day of classes in their new building on February 17. Parents enjoyed a welcome reception and a quick chance to look around at the new facility. A grand opening event will be held on Tuesday, March 16 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Families and the community are invited to attend the celebration and tour the new school.

Students and staff of Parkside have been temporarily housed at the Manhattan site during the last year and a half during which time the old Parkside building was demolished and construction of the new facility took place. View photos of the project at: http://www.hsd401.org/ourdistrict/construction/parkside.htm

Principal Robin Lamoureux points the way.		Students on a tour of their new school.

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Midway Students Showcase College-going Skills for Visiting Educators

Administrators and teachers from school districts in Vancouver, Everett, Federal Way, and Bellingham visited Midway to see how AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) works in the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grades. AVID is a class that helps prepare students to be successful in college by teaching study habits, organizational skills, time management, and college awareness. It is typically used in secondary schools. This is Midway's second year of using AVID Elementary.

The guests visited the classrooms and talked to students about their note-taking skills, organizational skills, and their planners. Students spoke with confidence and were eager to share their work. Their classroom teachers watched proudly as students enthusiastically shared about their work.

A panel of sixth-grade students answered questions about their AVID experience and what it means to them. The students told the guests about their career aspirations: Andy Castillo wants to be an engineer; Briana Baker, an oceanographer; AJ Asoau, a teacher; Karl Keyes, an author; and Oscar Hernandez-Buenrostro, an architect. Each student shared why they selected their desired profession and explained how AVID has helped them with their work. They told about their goal setting as it pertains to their school work and testing scores. Each student plans to continue with AVID in middle school and high school.

Karin Kovach has been coordinating the AVID program since Midway started it in 2008. She had coordinated the program for four years at the middle school level before coming to Midway. "AVID is teaching our students to love school, live school, and to be able to have the skills to go to college and realize their career dreams," says Kovach.

The AVID team at Midway is enthusiastic about their work and the success they see in their students. Midway's AVID Elementary team consists of Shannon Martin (6^th gr.), Keitha Bryson (6^th gr.), Tia Nguyen (4-6^th gr. ELL), Andi Bernardoni (5^th-6^th gr. split), Elizabeth Silling (5^th gr.), Yi Lee (4^th-5^th gr. split), Christa Weddle (4^th gr.), Janet McCann (4^th gr.), and Aaron Boisjolie (4^th gr.) "This team is committed to improving their practice to better the achievement of their students," says Kovach.

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Boeing Engineers Share Their Expertise at Two Highline Schools

Boeing staff recognized National Engineers' Week (February 8 - 12) with visits to Global Connections High School and Pacific Middle School.

Students at both schools had the opportunity to connect their classroom learning to real-world careers. Students in Kelly Egaas' Integrated
Science 1 at Global Connections and Sandy Gady's Science, Design and Engineering classes at Pacific, learned about what engineering is and how they can prepare for a career in engineering. Then the Boeing volunteers led students through an activity that let students experience key principals of engineering.

The goal of the activity: to engineer a structure designed to protect an egg from a four-foot drop. Students had to keep track of the three criteria that all engineers track in any project: cost, schedule, and performance. The design judged to be the best was done on time, used the least materials to keep costs down, and successfully protected the egg when it was dropped.

This activity connects to a project the class will be working on for the next few weeks, in which students will design, build and test wind- or water-powered generators. After constructing their initial design, students will be expected to evaluate and improve on their designs using the scientific method.

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Mount Rainier Staff Learns New Ways to Communicate

A team of Mount Rainier High School staff members are becoming "web masters" as a means to increase the communication capabilities with students, parents, and the community. "The intent is to begin shifting to web-based communication," said Principal Julie Hunter. "Not only is that the expectation of our students and community, it's also a smart way to provide more timely information and save money on printed material."

Staff members who participated in the training included Pat Thomasson, bookkeeper; Pattie Zimmerman, office manager; Carol Diefanbach, office assistant; Chris Wilder, International Baccalaureate coordinator (not pictured); Melissa James, academic dean; Darren Rawie, athletic director; Debbie DeLadd, counseling secretary, and Julie Hunter, principal.

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CHOICE Student Honored as Washington's Top Youth Volunteer

Megan Johnson, a Running Start student from CHOICE Academy, has been selected as Washington's top high school youth volunteer in the 2010 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. She will travel to Washington, D.C., on May 1-4 to receive her award.

Megan spent a good deal of her childhood in hospitals undergoing 24 surgeries. Her experiences set her on a path to help make the lives of other children better. Megan founded her own charity, Megan's Mission, to raise money to help homeless people, children in hospital and babies born with drug addiction. She began by distributing blankets to the homeless and obtained donations and conducted fundraisers to provide them with personal items. She raised money so successfully that she made a large donation to the Shriner's Hospitals who have now appointed her a national patient ambassador. In this capacity, Megan and her Mom now travel throughout the United States speaking on behalf of children and the homeless.

CHOICE Principal Bruce Dearborn said, "We are extremely proud of Megan and congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition. She is an inspiration to all of us - students and staff alike!"

Megan is one of America's 102 most outstanding youth volunteers – two from each state and the District of Columbia – were named State Honorees by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for exemplary acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 15th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial, Inc., in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Each of the 102 State Honorees will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., May 1-4 for several days of national recognition events. Ten of them will be named America's top youth volunteers for 2010 at that time.

"People as caring and committed as these young students are critical to the future of our neighborhoods, our nation, and our world," said John R. Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. "By recognizing these honorees, we hope to encourage other young people – our future leaders – and all Americans to think more about the value and importance of volunteering."

"The young people recognized by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards demonstrate an enormous capacity for giving and reaching out to those in need," said Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "NASSP is proud to honor these student leaders because they are wonderful examples of the high caliber of young people in our nation's schools today."

For more information about this award, visit: http://spirit.prudential.com/view/page/soc/16159/

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TEC High School Student Awarded Act Six Scholarship to Gonzaga

Mohamed Sambou, a senior at TEC High School, has been awarded the Act Six scholarship to attend Gonzaga University. Mohamed was one of just 19 students from the Puget Sound area chosen to participate in an on-campus experience. From that group, ten were awarded scholarships.

Two other Highline students have made it to the "Decision" phase with Act Six: Hodo Hussein of Highline High School who has received a scholarship to Pacific Lutheran University, and Devanta Black of Highline High School who received a scholarship to Gonzaga.

These scholarship awards are full-need scholarships with a minimum award of full tuition cost.

Over the next nine months these three students will be attending leadership training sessions every week and attending special leadership retreats and conferences throughout the summer. When they attend college, they will be engaged in leadership activities on campus. Act Six invests heavily in students and the students who accept this scholarship program are making a great commitment of their time and energy over the next four years.

Act Six is a leadership and scholarship program that connects students from urban high schools to faith-based colleges. For more information on Act Six, visit their website at: http://washington.actsix.org/

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Global Connections High School Student Named Student of the Month

Cathy Jimenez, a senior at Global Connections High School, has been named Student of the Month by the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce. "Being a part of Global Connections DECA has been one of the biggest life- changing experiences I have had," said Cathy. "It has helped me to become a more confident person who believes in myself and in the power of youth." DECA is an international association of high school and college students studying marketing, management, and entrepreneurship in business.

Cathy's journey began her junior year when she took her first marketing class. Introduction to Marketing helped her reflect on the way she saw herself and others. "I was amazed to see myself and my peers becoming confident young adults as we had opportunities to exercise our leadership abilities."

Cathy was elected as an officer for her DECA chapter. This year she has taken Advanced Marketing and Retail Management. She hopes to provide the same experience that was given to her through DECA to other Intro to Marketing students.

In addition to her work with DECA, Cathy is also captain of the gymnastics team and co-president of her school's National Honor Society chapter. She is currently working on gathering a group of students to coordinate an electronic conference to connect students from Highline with students from around the country - to share ideas and learn from one another - eliminating the need to travel to attend expensive national conferences.

As her senior year is coming to a close, Cathy is excited to head off to college to continue her education and to be the second person in her family to go to a university. While in college, she plans to study creative writing and film. In the future, Cathy would like to run her own coffee shop.

For more information on DECA, visit their website at: http://www.deca.org/

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Mount Rainier Student Serves as Legislative Page

Mount Rainier High School ninth grader Samuel Oppong, Jr. was chosen to serve as a legislative page in Olympia where, for one week he had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the democratic process, working on the floor of the Washington State House of Representatives.

Students aged 14-17 are eligible to serve as pages in the state House or Senate. Interested students should contact their local lawmakers to apply.

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Highline Students Show Their Hearts and Empty Their Pockets

Many students around Highline have been touched by the recent events in Haiti and responded generously to help those in need.

Mount View Elementary students held a penny drive - raising $930 for relief efforts.

Students from Odyssey, the Essential School's H and H Service Club are collecting funds in advisory classes to help victims in Haiti. A ninth-grade student shared a family story with teacher Amy Vattuone. The student's father had purchased a lottery ticket and won $50, and the family discussed how they should spend the money. While many necessities and special treats came to mind, they ultimately decided to donate the winnings to the American Red Cross (through Odyssey's campaign) to benefit people in Haiti. Vattuone commented, "I think this demonstrates an incredible act of compassion - one of the habits we encourage at Odyssey. It's great when we have the opportunity to celebrate generous acts of service within our midst!"

Gregory Heights Elementary rallied their students, staff, and community in a coin drive. "We are so proud of our students, staff and community for raising $2,297.50 in donations to support Haiti," said Cheryl Smith, office manager. Gregory Heights is supporting Doctors Without Borders with their fundraising efforts.



Marvista Elementary works to nurture a culture of philanthropy and their efforts were recently featured by the Seattle Times. Students of teacher Keith Matthews even pursue charitable interests outside of school: Blake Thompson gives half his recycling proceeds to a temporary-housing agency, while Kacie McLaughlin, who recently celebrated her 9th birthday, asked party guests to bring cans of dog or cat food to contribute to a local animal shelter.

Learn more about the Marvista Team in the Seattle Times...>

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Latino Parents Learn How to Support Their Students' Education

School Board member Angelica Alvarez (in photo background) is helping to organize Latino parents at Highline High School.










Parents gathered on February 8 for a second session on how to support their students' education.

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Submit Your Nomination for Gold Star Awards and Teacher of the Year

Now's your opportunity to tell the world about that outstanding coworker you admire - or the teacher who brings about amazing results with students. Nominations are now being accepted for this year's Gold Star Awards, sponsored annually by the Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence and Highline Public Schools.

The Gold Star Awards honor an outstanding teacher, staff, administrator, and volunteer in Highline Public Schools, and all members of the school community are invited to nominate their peers. Winners receive a cash award and will be honored at the Foundation's Gold Star Luncheon on May 21.

The Gold Star Teacher of the Year will represent the district in the state Teacher of the Year award program.

Nomination forms available here...>

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Work of Two Highline Teachers Published

Two teachers with Highline Public Schools have recently had articles published in professional publications.

Derek Byne, elementary P.E. specialist at Madrona Elementary, has had a second article published in the Washington Alliance for Heath, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Wendy Sayan of teacher development commented, "Two in one year - this is an awesome accomplishment!" She went on to say, "Derek is a very earnest young practitioner who sets a high bar for himself and strives to continually improve his work as a professional." Click to read Derek's articles...>

Jessica Towbin of Health Sciences and Human Services High School (HS3) was published in the February issue of Educational Leadership. Read the article online...>.

Rick Maloney, coordinator of teacher advancement, observed, "These are just two examples of the professional writing and scholarship our teachers are practicing every day."

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Mount Rainier Swim Team Receives Awards

Omar Crowder, head swim coach for Mount Rainier High School swim and dive team, was awarded Coach of the Year at the Seamount League Championships on February 6, 2010. This award was voted on by his peers.

Congratulations, Coach Crowder!





Mount Rainier High School Seamount League Boys Swim and Dive Champions.

Congratulations to the Rams for an undefeated swim/dive season!

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Cedarhurst Celebrates Hispanic Night

On February 5, Cedarhurst celebrated their 4^th Annual Hispanic Night. Families came dressed in their traditional dress for their culture and prepared dances to share with the community. Their cafeteria was filled with color from costumes, the stage was filled with dancers, and there was food brought by parents from all cultures to share. Everyone enjoyed the full two-hour program.

The crowd loved the dances and costumes.		Filipino Drill Team
Student performers with parents.

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Highline Schools Foundation Honors Major Donors

The Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence held a "Gifts of the Heart" luncheon on February 10 to recognize and thank major donors. The honorees were:

• Eric and Susan Aasness
• Sandra and Denny Eliason
• Tom and LeeAnn Russell
• Nanci Tangeman and Chris Blumenthal
• David and Sharon Wilson

The Highline Schools Foundation supports Highline Public Schools in a number of ways, including grants to teachers for special projects and college scholarships for students.

The event was featured in the Highline Times and the B-Town Blog.

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Puget Sound Skills Center to Participate in SeaTac Anniversary

The City of SeaTac has invited Construction Technology students from Puget Sound Skills Center (PSSC) to participate in the city's 20-year anniversary celebration. As part of SeaTac's anniversary, PSSC students will cut out materials needed to assemble bird houses, which will allow the youngest members of the community, along with their parents or guardians, to go through a simulated process of building a home in SeaTac.

Participating children will make an application for a building permit and use GIS survey information to locate their homes. They will then designate a site plan for their bird house by selecting a tree or other feature in their yard as a location for it. After building their bird houses, they will call for an inspection and finally, get a certificate of occupancy.

According to Gary Schenk, SeaTac building official, and Joyce Mullin, permit technician, the event will be a fun way to teach environmental stewardship and civic involvement.

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Family Dictionary of Education Terms is Now Available

In response to parent requests for tools to better understand the terms used in schools, the Office of the Education Ombudsman (OEO) has created a dictionary of K-12 education terminology.

Education vocabulary can be complex and confusing to families. This dictionary helps parents better understand school mailings, participate in school meetings, talk with their children's teachers, and make more informed decisions about their children's education.

The first edition of this publication provides brief definitions to common general education terms and special education vocabulary. You can get your copy of this publication by clicking on the following link - OEO's Family Dictionary of Education Terms. We thank the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Christie Perkins, parent educator/WEA, for their partnership in the development of this publication.