March 30, 2007   

State DECA Competition

District has a strong showing   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 DECA team   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. Jennifer Hulings and Jacob Lee developed and presented the Global Connections’ Chapter Awards Project. This project documents all of the activities a DECA chapter does in a year. Global Connections DECA Chapter was awarded as one of the top 10 in the state in the Chapter Awards Program. These five students and two students (yet to be identified through an application process) will travel to the DECA International Career Development Conference and Competition in Orlando, Florida, April 26 - May 1. At the conference students will compete again, this time against the best students and projects internationally, for the chance at earning international recognition. Students will also take part in workshops, seminars, and explore Orlando. Global Connections DECA will be holding an Italian Dinner and Auction on April 4, from 5:00 to 7:30 in the Tyee Complex cafeteria. All proceeds will benefit Global Connections DECA’s trip to International Competition. Tickets are $3 for children, $5 for students, and $8 for adults available at the door and in advance. Highline High School DECA had 15 students compete at the competitions. The students competed in career-related events. The following students placed at the State Competitions: Bryce Henley in Food Marketing 11th place Tien Doan in International Business Plan 11th place Qualifying for the National DECA conference from HHS are: Megan Sewell, Nicole Sowers, and Heather O’Brien in the Chapter Awards Project. Mount Rainier High School had two students qualify for state: Carolann Wiwel - in Food Marketing Associate Level where she placed 25th and Business and Financial Services marketing research in which she placed 9th. Kevin Colbern - in Food Marketing Associate Level – placing 55th.     Back to eHighlights

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.   Back to eHighlights

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. Sending off their portfolios marks the culmination of over a year’s work – attending classes, practicing strategies, evaluating effectiveness, documenting evidence, and self-examination. The support gained from working as a team toward this goal has been invaluable according to the participants. And, this group has enjoyed the added benefit of having Claire Waistell, a Sylvester teacher who is National Board Certified, on contract through the University of Washington to serve as facilitator. "Claire has been so supportive, patient, and non-judgmental through this process," comments Diana Hass of Madrona. "She’s been an invaluable addition to our experience." Superintendent Welch stopped by during this work session, held at ERAC March 21, to thank the participants for their efforts and encourage them, and their colleagues, to continue to pursue this standard of excellence. "Being certified through this process is a significant accomplishment and one of which you can all be very proud," commented Welch. "Not only do you personally gain from the experience, our students are the real winners when their teachers are so intentional about outcomes."     Back to eHighlights

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. Seahurst Elementary is one of the five recipients of the grant, out of hundreds of schools that applied nationally. A portion of the grant will be used to stock the veggie station. The grant will also fund nutrition education, including a cooking activity where students will learn how to prepare nutritious snacks, classroom instruction on nutrition, and evening programs geared toward families. Last year, the Highline School Board adopted new nutrition standards for school lunches and foods sold on campus with the aim of improving students’ health. The Love Your Veggies grant will help Seahurst provide healthy options for students during lunch.     Back to eHighlights

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. Now, however, as the community-based organizations provide services—such as setting up tutoring programs or training parents in leadership skills—to their populations, the district is providing support and technical assistance to them. "For example, we meet with these six agencies once a month," Jackie says, "giving them appropriate resources and training as needed." Jackie believes that providing technical assistance and opportunities for group discussions to these community-based organizations will give them a "holistic view of partnering with the district." It will also help to align their community engagement work with the district’s overall goals of academic achievement and success for all students.     Back to eHighlights

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.     Back to eHighlights

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! The job, which is 100% volunteer, entails organizing the district’s campaign from communications to employees, to organizing the timeline and providing training for site coordinators. He was the liaison with United Way of King County and coordinated community speakers. Dan was also responsible for managing the pledge form process, distributing them to individual sites, and offering support and assistance to the site coordinators as they gathered donations and collected completed documents. Sheila Austria, United Way’s area coordinator said, "Parts of this job are not glamourous and are quite time consuming. And, as with most volunteer positions, it’s usually a thankless job. Dan did a fabulous job representing Highline Public Schools, and we appreciate his support and efforts in helping us make an impact in the community!" He was recognized by the Highline School Board at the March 28 meeting. Highline employees contributed $70,000 for United Way plus $8,000 designated for the Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence. "Highline continues to run an effective and successful campaign and has a huge impact in the community," commented Sheila Austria of UWKC.     Back to eHighlights

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!     Back to eHighlights

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.      Back to eHighlights

WEB Takes on New Meaning at Pacific

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. Joe Cail, the activities coordinator at Pacific, provides the adult leadership for the program.  "The greatest compliment that the seventh-grade students have given our mentors is that they can’t wait to be considered for this program," Joe comments. "A high percentage of mentored students want to mentor others next year." To get a sense of the commitment of the mentors, check out the fish bowl in the Pacific office. It’s filled with "Beads for Deeds" - each one representing a "meaningful" contact between a mentor and a member of their small group.     Pacific WEB Leadership Team at Camp Waskowitz.   The program’s Executive Team works hard to learn and grow from the mentoring experience. Recently, this team, plus a group of 7th graders who are preparing to be mentors next year, spent a day at Camp Waskowitz in leadership development training. Through a variety of exercises, the teams learned new skills that will help them not only in the mentoring program, but in life as well. "I know that my group and I learned a lot about patience, sharing ideas, and perseverance, and I know the other groups did too, commented Clarissa Strayer one of the eighth-grade mentors. "We also got to know some other people we didn't know before and to learn a little more about them as well." Another way the mentors connect with their "mentees" is through a program they call College Class. Almost every Wednesday, Pacific hosts college class where the principal, counselors, and sometimes special guest speakers talk with the students about important topics such as grades, goals, life plans etc. According to Clarissa, "Mentors sit with their groups and lead activities and make sure everyone is participating in discussions and listening." "The mentor program has been a wonderful opportunity for 8th graders to practice their leadership skills and to help 7th graders make the transition to middle school," commented Pacific Principal Cecelia Beaman.     Back to eHighlights

Big Picture Student Featured in Northwest Gold Coast

Northwest Gold Coast, a community e-zine, 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...>>   Back to eHighlights

Board Minutes

Click the date to read the minutes from the March 14, 2007 board meeting.       Back to eHighlights

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