ReFocus by Issaquah School District

ISSAQUAH SCHOOL DISTRICT

REFOCUS APRIL & MAY

ISSAQUAH HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM EARNS

CHAIRMAN’S AWARD & DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATION

The Issaquah High School Robotics Society (IRS) recently competed at the First Robotics Competition (FRC) Pacific Northwest Shorewood District Event, where they received much praise.

Chairman’s Award is “the most prestigious award at FIRST, and honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST.”

“Our IRS robot and team performed extremely well,” reports Brett Wortzman, Issaquah High School Robotics Team Advisor and Computer Science Teacher. “IRS compiled an 11-1 record in qualification matches at this event to earn the number one seed before being eliminated in the District Semi-finals. Our cumulative qualification record for the year is 31-5.”

“This award is the culmination of a multiyear effort to expand our outreach and community involvement and is the result of countless hours of commitment from students, mentors, and parents. We are extremely proud of the students’ efforts and achievements,” explained an excited Brett Wortzman.

Although IRS was eliminated in the District Semi-finals, the team still earned an opportunity to compete in the District Championship as the winners of the FIRST Robotics Competition Chairman’s Award!

According to FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science Technology), the

As a result of this award, the Issaquah High School Robotics Society was granted automatic qualification to the District Championship in Portland which will take place April 10-12. They will compete with their robot and also for one of three Pacific Northwest Chairman’s Awards. Winning the Pacific Northwest Chairman’s Award or performing well with the robot would automatically qualify the Issaquah High School Robotics Society for the FIRST World Championships to be held April 23-26 in St. Louis.

SUNNY HILLS

5TH GRADERS SEARCH FOR

TREASURE IN A MUSICAL ADVENTURE Fifth grade thespians at Sunny Hills Elementary School recently ventured into an adaption of Robert Louis Stevensonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Treasure Island. This musical performance featured lively songs and dance numbers, corny jokes, sibling rivalry, pop-culture references, and plenty of pirates. The fifth grade musical is a long standing tradition at Sunny Hills and fifth graders, teachers, and parents worked hard since the fall to put together an amazing performance.

EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH

SELF DEFENSE Motivated by the Fight the Fear Campaign funded by Seattle Musician, Brandi Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation, two Issaquah School District teachers have been offering free self-defense classes to our female students for the past four years at Liberty High School and Issaquah High School. Recently, Meggan Atkins and Karin Walen taught self-defense to 35 female Issaquah High School students. They are now looking to other teachers to be trained in self-defense around the state. Brandi Carlile is offering a free “Teach the Teachers Seminar” on May 3rd in Seattle to any women who mentor, counsel, teach, or coach high school girls. Meggan and Karin are hoping others are willing to pick up the torch and join them on their journey. “Our class is incredibly rewarding,” says Whalen. “It is so important to teach women and girls to trust their intuition and understand that being assertive is okay. Women have lost their lives because of the belief that they need to be polite or nice. They have the right to be safe,

the right to decide what happens to their bodies, and the right to say no. We are trying to help girls understand what it takes to keep themselves safe. Along with the self-defense strike moves, the girls learn how to walk with confidence, have a buddy system with their girlfriends, and most importantly, learn to listen to their intuition when it is speaking to them.” Those that took the class were impressed that also in attendance were Brandi Carlile and Jen Hopper. Jen is the surviving victim of a South Park home invasion and attack that took place in July 2009 and claimed the life of Teresa Butz. These women are the inspiration for Brandi’s Fight the Fear Campaign. The goal of the FfFC is to make self-defense available to as many women as possible. Karin and Meggan’s commitment to the cause is commendable. For more information on the campaign and the Teach the Teacher’s Seminar visit: http://lookingoutfoundation.org/campaigns/ fight-the-fear/

SKYLINE AND THE

SCIENCE OF

SOCHI

Energetic Skyline International Baccalaureate (IB) program students presented the results of their independent research projects at the “G4 Project Exhibition” during Spartan Welcome Night. G4 stands for Group 4, the IB category for science, and these projects are a requirement of the program. This year’s exhibition theme was “Sochi: The Winter Olympics.” The students worked in interdisciplinary groups, integrating sciences like biology, chemistry, physics, computer science and physical education to investigate topics such as the optimal attire or type of ski for a downhill skier and how to master the luge event.

“TROUBLE IN FAIRYTALEZANIA” ASKS STUDENTS TO TAKE A CLOSER

LOOK AT BULLYING Before the presentation even began, laughter and excitement from students at Clark Elementary School filled the multipurpose room as the Taproot Theatre Road Company presenters joked with students before their upcoming presentation of “Trouble in Fairytalezania.” The Taproot Theatre is a local theatre company from Seattle. Their Road Company travels around the Pacific Northwest offering dynamic and educational plays for students. These plays cover relevant social issues and provide students with safe steps to approach those issues. 6

During the play, students met Cara, a student who witnessed bullying at school, and then ventured into her dreams as she

Fairytalezania.

was transported by the Fairy Godmother to Fairytalezania to help stop bullying. With the help of allies Cara met along the way, she was able to stop the Big Bad Wolf from bullying other fairy tale characters and restore “happily ever afters” to

After the comedic production, Taproot Theatre thespians reviewed the main topics of the play to bring home its serious points. Students were asked to explain bullying, the three r’s (recognize, refuse, report), and what a

Even though there was much laughter from the audience, “Trouble in Fairytalezania” touched on the serious topic of bullying. Through the combination of fairy tales, students learned how to define bullying, what to do if they are being bullied or see someone bullied, and that it is ok to be different.

trusted adult was, along with share what these definitions would look like it the real world. Principal Tod Wood closed out the presentation by explaining how he hoped everyone took this message to heart and how he wanted to see a continued atmosphere of positive caring students at Clark Elementary School. 7

SUNSET ELEMENTARY

WELCOMES NEW PRINCIPAL AMANDA DOREY

Issaquah School District Superintendent Ron Thiele (left) and Executive Director of Elementary Schools Jodi Bongard recently introduced Amanda Dorey (right) to the Sunset Elementary School staff. Amanda will become the new principal at Sunset in the fall, taking over for Wayne Hamasaki, who is retiring at the end of this school year.

STUDENTS EXPLORE

CAREERS AT CREEKSIDE ELEMENTARY

Local business professionals spent a day with students at Creekside Elementary at the school’s recent Career Day. Visiting presenters included dentists, textile producers, fitness instructors, musicians, real estate agents, local law enforcement officers, and many other career professionals. April Stevens, Guidance Counselor, organized the Career Day event as part of the school’s efforts to teach and instill the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” from the “Leader in Me” Lighthouse Schools program. Presenters were excited to share their industry knowledge and experience. They spoke about their careers and how the various facets of their day to day work ties into the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Eager students learned about potential career paths and had lots of questions for the presenters. To continue their interest in exploring careers, students were encouraged to dress up as their future careers on the following day.

CREATIVE SCENARIOS SPRING TO LIFE WHEN

AUTHOR

ERIC BROOKS VISITS CLARK

“What makes a good story?” asked author and illustrator Eric Brooks. “What makes a character unique? How do illustrations affect a story?” These are just some of the many questions students pondered during Eric’s presentation on the writing and illustrating process. With these questions in mind, students worked to think like authors. They described emotions they perceived through Eric’s illustrations, discovered the unique attributes 10

of his characters, and began to understand the creative process behind writing and illustrating books. Students laughed and cheered when Eric shared some of his very early literary endeavors. He explained how the stories he wrote in grade school were influenced by his parents, growing up in Alaska, and childhood love of race cars, space ships and dragons. He also explained how he had to practice and persevere throughout his career and emphasized to the students that they should do the same. After the assembly, students continued to use their imaginations in classroom writing workshops hosted by Eric. Students quickly came up with imaginative scenarios once they delved into the creative process of inventing situations for “Sleep Dog,” one of Eric’s many illustrated characters. In some situations “Sleep Dog” was happy, in others he’d died; in one he was a super

hero and in another story he learned to skateboard. Eric encouraged students to explore and develop their characters, to find what makes them unique, and to create problems for them to overcome. Eric’s presentation and writing workshop were just the beginning of Literacy Month activities at Clark Elementary. Throughout the month, students will also have the opportunity to write fractured fairytales, attend Issaquah High School’s production of Hansel and Gretel, create “Found Poetry,” and to participate in various open-ended creative writing opportunities. Librarian Annie Fagundes, the driving force behind literacy month, also explained that “students will complete a published piece of writing to be shared during the community literacy evening event” at the end of the month.

ENDEAVOUR

MATH CLUB PLACES

ND IN MATH

IS COOL

COMPETITION A CALENDAR OF

MUSIC

WITH MAPLE HILLS SECOND GRADE Students at Maple Hills Elementary School sat in eager anticipation as second grades prepared to perform their “Around the Calendar” spring concert. Before each song, music teacher Ms. Wilkinson explained how the song related to that month and what musical concepts and techniques students had learned and were performing. Month themes included: January-Martin Luther King, February- Make New Friends, MarchDrums, April- Easter, May- Gardening, June/ July/August- Summer, September- Seasons, October- Halloween, November- Thanksgiving, and December- Hanukah and Christmas. Students closed out the concert with a song describing all of the calendar months.

Endeavour Elementary School’s Math Club students recently participated in the very challenging Math Is Cool competition in Blaine, WA. Teams tested their math skills with individual exams, mental math, probability and statistics, algebra, geometry, and a potpourri category. After hours of crunching numbers, analyzing statistics, and measuring angles, the Endeavour teams placed second among more than 100 teams in the state!

SCIENCE EXPLORATION AT GRAND RIDGE ELEMENTARY

Grand Ridge Elementary School recently hosted their PTSA-sponsored Science Fair and Expo. More than 650 guests attended the event, that showcased 120 student science fair projects created by 149 students. “Our students demonstrated so much talent and creativity” praised principal Christy Otley.“We would like to give a big thank you to the Science Fair Committee members, who brought this great event to life: Alisa George, Alicia Spinner, Carrie Mount, Carolyn Kennedy, Cheryl Gilbert, Danielle Graham, Jen Rapkin, Lynn Erskine, Nathalie Isensee, and Theora Dalupan.” Both teachers and parents played a large role in getting students excited about science with their own exhibitions on a variety of topics. Mrs. DeTolla stretched the minds of students back to prehistoric times, Mrs. Rappin lead students through a world of fossils, Ms. Christenson showed students the mammals of Washington; and Ms. Jones taught students about whales. Parents also exhibited exciting experiments including: Antibody 2D Models by Janhavi Bhandari and Anh Leith; DNA and Me, by Bryce Lakely; Balloon Blast by Doren and Alicia Spinner; Dry Bubbles by Steve Santi; and Imagination Circle by Alex Games.

AWARD-WINNING

CLEAN ENERGY DOCUMENTARY PRODUCED BY IHS STUDENTS

What is the most important issue the U.S. Congress should consider in 2014? Nearly 5,000 students voiced their opinions through a national video project sponsored by C-SPAN, called StudentCam. For Olivia Marcus and Paige Montague, two seniors at Issaquah High School, the answer is Clean Energy Legislation. Their video documentary won third prize in the western region, earning them $750.00 and an opportunity to have the C-SPAN bus visit their school. As the two students were honored at a special school assembly, the big red C-SPAN bus pulled up outside the school auditorium. Their award winning video Clean Energy Legislation: A Message to the U.S. Congress was shown to a receptive audience who applauded and cheered at the video’s conclusion. You can watch the video on the C-SPAN website. Special guest, State Representative Chad Magendanz (5th District, Issaquah), congratulated Olivia and Paige, and encouraged all students to get involved in the government process. His message to students, “Nothing is going to change unless you do something about it...you get involved and invest a little of yourself in the system to see that it works, and that’s the only way it works for your generation and future generations.” This is the first win for Issaquah High. Social Studies teacher, Jeremy Ritzer has made the project a requirement for several years in his AP Government classes, noting that it gives students “a chance to tackle an issue and to present their ideas in a different way.” As students took tours of the bus, C-SPAN representatives said the StudentCam competition, which is open to middle and high school students, generates interest in journalism and politics while raising awareness about C-SPAN. C-SPAN is a public affairs television network that is non-partisan and not funded by the government. It was created as a public service by the American Cable Industry, with about six to seven cents of every cable bill designated to support C-SPAN.

Pictured left to right: C-Span Marketing Representative, Vanessa Torres; Issaquah High School Government Teacher, Jeremy Ritzer; Issaquah High School Senior, Olivia Marcus, and State Representative, Chad Magendanz.

Bravo to Liberty High junior, Ashton Herrild for his excellent video that recently won the Drug Free Community Coalition’s “Influence the Choice” student video contest. In two short minutes, Ashton makes his point in a poignant, yet positive way. Take a moment to watch his inspiring film here: http://bit.ly/1hM2T2q

LIBERTY STUDENT WINS

DRUG

FREE COALITION’S STUDENT

VIDEO CONTEST

ENDEAVOUR’S DESTINATION IMAGINATION TEAM

LAUGHS

IT’S WAY

INTO

THIRD PLACE

The “Thinking Jaguars” sure know how to make a crowd laugh. This second grade Destination Imagination team recently won third place in the “Laugh Out Loud” challenge at the Destination Imagination Regional Competition. Endeavour had four teams take part in the regional competition.

BUY, SELL, BUY SELL! FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS AT SUNSET SWARM THE

MARKETPLACE

Fourth grade entrepreneurs bustled around Sunset Elementary School’s multi-purpose room as they eagerly set up their marketplace shops. Each student or pairs of students designed, created, and sold their own products. They also devised pricing structures, advertising, and their store set up. According to Marianne Eshom, fourth grade teacher, the fourth grade marketplace, “Touches on social studies standards covered in our Biz Town economy unit, including supply and demand, fair pricing, and thinking like a business owner.” Each student earned money from classroom jobs to spend at the marketplace and the ultimate goal was to be profitable. Students created a variety of shops from food to fortune tellers, birdhouses to housewares, and office supplies to accessories. Audrey Anderson, fourth grade student explained, “If you want to sell food, you need to apply for a food license – a written paper to your teacher and twenty class dollars.” Based on their previous marketplace, Audrey had noticed that food was a popular selling item, so she baked a variety of brownies. Her attention to the market and her customer base paid off, because she sold out quickly.

Another student, Claire Hein, was unsure about her new endeavor into the marketplace. She explained, “I wanted to create something I hadn’t seen here before and I like painting, so I made decorative rocks.” Although unsure about how they would sell, Claire was optimistic.

Business partners Daryush Ghadiali and Ryan Bendt also created something new for their business model. Their “Cray Cray Catapults” were something they had seen online and wanted to recreate in their own design. Using clothes pins, rubber bands, and bottle caps, the pair fashioned a popular invention for the marketplace that sold quickly thanks to their fast-talking and friendly advertising tactics. Jordyn Hirsh, seller of “Color Me Crayon Shapes” was less worried about her advertising than about her competition. She was nervous that her product wouldn’t sell because another seller had a similar product. She explained that the pricing for her colorful crayons was based off of size, and thought she might have a better chance at selling her product because her competition’s crayons were larger and more expensive. Both students and faculty members took turns perusing the marketplace and making purchases. Michael Herzberg, Dean of Students, describes it as, “…one of those memorable activities that students will think back on in the future.” “The second marketplace is always better than our first, which is in December,” adds Marianne Eshom. “This is because after each entrepreneurial endeavor, students reflect on the process, look at what sold well and what didn’t, determine what they could have done better, and make note of what to keep in mind for next time.

ENTREPENEURS

WIN BIG WITH BIG IDEAS

Congratulations to Skyline High School students Aishu Mandyam and Karishma Mandyam whose team won the TiE Young Entrepreneurs Championship and to Gary Shao, Mike Seeley, and Thiemo Loos who took third place.

feels that their safety is compromised, they would squeeze the case three times and the on board system would grab the latitude and longitude readings from the phone and proceed to contact the appropriate authority.

TiE Young Entrepreneurs is a rigorous program that fosters entrepreneurship in teenagers. Students participate in informational workshops led by local business leaders in the fall before forming pseudo companies and creating interesting product ideas. This program culminates with the Seattle Business Plan Competition.

Third place team Gary Shao, Mike Seeley, and Thiemo Loos’s product was a stunningly clever application to teach programming to youngsters. “The teams showed enthusiasm and knowledge about their chosen product set, and demonstrated their excellent presentation skills, said Su Hughes, TYE Chair Seattle. “We are very proud of all of our students, hailing from high schools all over the Eastside.”

The Seattle Championship was recently held at the Sammamish City Hall and showcased the talents of five exceptional teams. The winning product, created by the team of Aishu Mandyam and Karishma Mandyam, was a unique safety device. This safety product, Sicuro, is a highly accessible device in the form of a safety phone case. The team explained that when the user

The first place team earned $1200 and a trip to TYE Global Competition in Vancouver BC in June, where they will compete with 22 teams from around the world. Pictured: first place team Atticus Liu of Redmond High, Aishu Mandyam and Karishma Mandyam of Skyline High, and Lucy Zhu of Inglemoor High.

SHOUT OUT TO THE

MAYWOOD

MATH CLUB After taking first place in the MathCounts Mt. Rainier Division competition, the team placed 15th in the recent state competition. The MathCounts Competition is a national middle school coaching and competitive program promoting mathematics achievement. A special thank you to parent volunteer, Doug Chappelle, Math Club Advisor at Maywood for your time and dedication on behalf of these students! Pictured from left to right: Mai Linh Tran, Spencer Slaton, Patrick Jarvis, Felicia Yan, and Doug Chappelle, Math Club Advisor.

LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL

HISTORY DAY TEAM

MOVES

ON TO

STATE

Congratulations the Liberty High School History Day Team for their great work at the regional contest at Green River Community College. Many History Day Team students qualified for the state competition in May.

Students qualified in the following topics: Individual Website: 1st Place Dhamanpreet Kaur – The Caste System of India, 2nd Place Brittany Toombs – Women’s Rights Movement, and 3rd Place Madison Nendick – The Cuban Revolution. Group Website: 2nd Place Clara Bardot, Paige Hopkins, and Tyra Christopherson – Misguided Responsibilities and Disregarded Rights: The Cultural Assimilation of American Indians, and 3rd Place Lauryn Hepp, Sally Rim, and Carlyn Schmidgall – Vietnam Draft. Historical Paper: 3rd Place Sabrina Suen – The Tiananmen Massacre. Individual Exhibit: 3rd Place Jyotsna Kuramkote – The Struggle for Aboriginal Rights In Australia. Group Exhibit: 3rd Place Vincy Fok and Lorrin Johnson – Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

LYNX LIFE

CHARACTER BUILDING AT PACIFIC CASCADE MIDDLE SCHOOL

“How many of you are looking forward to driving?”

With that question, the hands of about 400 middle school boys went up during a special assembly in the school gym at Pacific Cascade Middle School. The question was posed by ISD’s Director of Labor Relations, Chris Burton, who was invited to present at the school’s Lynx Life assembly. Chris spoke to the boys about growing up and being ready to be responsible and act appropriately. Using Seahawks Defensive Back, Richard Sherman as an example, Chris illustrated how there is a time when different kinds of behavior are appropriate.

“On the playing field, Sherman is competitive, aggressive, and ferocious, said Chris. “That’s not the case during an interview and off the field. In those

to someone.”

situations, Sherman is respectful, restrained, patient, and articulate.”

Over in the commons, ISD Intervention and Truancy Specialist, Melissa Evans, connected with the middle school girls, eliciting laughter as she shared some of the things she wrote in her 8th grade diary. Melissa’s message to the girls centered on how to be true to themselves and their values. Girls in middle school are often feeling ready to be independent of their parents, but still want to “belong” at school.

Chris also talked about the difference between responding and over responding. “Ask yourself when are you being funny versus when are you hurting people? When are you teasing and when are you being mean

“Each one of you is the only one of you,” said Melissa. “I want you to accept and appreciate that there is something just a little bit magic about you. Stick to your values – what you believe to be right, good, and true.”

Lynx Life is held after lunch every Wednesday at PCMS. According to co-advisor Sonia Petersen, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a time for the school to cover things that are important for students to learn, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fit into the academic day. For example in January they did a unit on careers and held a career fair. Other assemblies have focused on study skills. In fall and spring, there is a bullying prevention and character building focus. While most of the assemblies are co-ed, for this character building assembly, the boys and girls met separately so that the presentations could specifically address issues that impact boys and girls differently as they learn, grown, and mature.

CONGRATULATIONS TO

SKYLINE STUDENTS ACCEPTED INTO THE

MICROSOFT

STATE

SKYLINE SCIENCE CLUB QUALIFIES FOR

AT FIRST SCIENCE OLYMPIAD In their first ever trip to the Regional Science Olympiad, Skyline High School’s Science Club qualified for the state competition and received an award for the highest scoring new team! The club sent a team of 15 students who participated in the competition’s 23 rigorous events ranging from anatomy to magnetic levitation.

Skyline’s Science Club includes: Akkshay Khoslaa, Rohan Perisitla, Annette Guo, Helen Song, Lisa Tang, Brian Shih, Kedar Yadav, Manoj Panchalavarapu, Claire Guo, Gokul Kumarresen, Jeffrey Cheng, Joe Zhang, Sudharsan Prabu, Neal Moorthy, and Arghya Kanadugali. The team brought home medals in five events. Arghya and Lisa placed first in Water Quality; Brian, Sudharsan, and Jeffrey placed first in Experimental Design; Lisa and Jeffrey placed second in Boomilever; Akkshay and Kedar placed third in Circuit Lab; and Lisa and Claire placed second in Entomology. Great job Skyline Science Club and good luck at state!

SUMMER

INTERN PROGRAM Congratulations to the Skyline High School International Baccalaureate Program Computer Science Students Conner Gillette, Arjun Narayan, and Parker Ciambrone! After a rigorous application and interview process, each has landed one of 20 coveted summer internships for high school students at Microsoft.

HARD LIFE OF AN

OREGON TRAIL

PIONEER The life of pioneers on the Oregon Trail was hard work. Third grade students at Apollo Elementary recently journeyed back in time, immersing themselves into this hard life. Through historical displays and hands-on activities provided by the traveling Pioneer Living Museum, students learned about “manifest destiny” and pioneer life on the trail. Eager students delved into the activities. Some rolled dough and some played with pioneer toys, while others brushed shaving cream on their faces or panned for gold. The various learning stations offered students a wide variety of options and included washing and wringing clothes, shaving, grinding corn, panning for gold, playing with pioneer toys, creating earthen bracelets, and carding wool. A popular activity was learning how to shave. One student summed up the experience with “This is how they shaved? Cream and knives? It’s so hard!” Another popular activity was panning for gold. Students gathered around a wash tub filled with water and rocks. They used sifting pans to find the small pieces of fool’s gold hidden within the rocks. Many students found this activity challenging and hard work but were ultimately excited about their finds in the end.

STUDENT GEOLOGISTS STUDY

MYSTERY MINERALS

“This one sparkles.” “I can draw with this one!” “Look at all the colors in this rock.” exclaimed student geologists as they observed minerals in their hands-on Mineral Madness science unit presented by the Pacific Science Center’s Science on Wheels group. During the lesson, third grade students at Sunset Elementary School were introduced to geology and asked to use the scientific method as they discovered the properties of eight mystery minerals. Each classroom of scientists used flashscopes to take a closer look at their minerals. Students also made observations as they completed a streak test to check the conductivity, magnetism, and fluorescence of each mineral. These tests helped students determine the properties and uses of each mineral before they learned the names of the minerals. Beyond the classroom, students explored the hands-on Rock & Roll exhibits that featured minerals, crystals, fossils, and much more.

ROCKETING SUCCESS AT SKYLINE

The Skyline Physics Club Rocketry Team has qualified to compete in the National “Team America Rocketry Challenge” National Fly-Offs.

design. These scores were submitted to the National Team America Rocketry Challenge Board and the team ranked in the top 100 nationwide!

The team designed, constructed and launched a rocket weighing less than 650g equipped with two identical parachutes. Per the challenge requirements, the rocket successfully launched a raw egg to an altitude of exactly 825 feet while keeping it unbroken for 48-50 seconds of the launch.

Becky Fowler, club coordinator adds, “This is the third time in four years that we’ve qualified for the national fly-offs. In the past 10 years we’ve participated in the competition, this is the fifth time we’ve qualified!”

A member of the National Association of Rocketry scored the team and ranked them based on the sum of their best two flights and points received for precision and consistency in their rocket

The Team America Rocketry Challenge National Fly-Offs takes place in Virginia on May 10. Along with the rocketry competition, students will enjoy breakfast on Capitol Hill and visit the Air and Space Museums.

PLAY 60 WITH THE

SEAHAWKS AT CREEKSIDE ELEMENTARY

Dressed in Seahawks gear, students and staff filled the Creekside gymnasium in eager anticipation of the Seahawks Play 60 assembly. Audience members clapped and cheered during a short video recounting the Seahawks Super Bowl victory leading up to the appearance of Seahawks Cornerback Chandler Fenner and Mascot Blitz. Throughout the assembly Fenner discussed nutrition, active lifestyle habits, school, and bullying. He shared the story of how he and his father used to play all kinds of sports in their front yard when he was a boy to show students how having an active lifestyle can help them bond with their family and friends. Fenner also dispelled the common myth that football players donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t study. He explained that studying in not only vital to football, but also to life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Football players spend more

time studying than playing football. Staying in school and learning to study is practice for life.” Principal Robin Earl was also excited to see how well the Seahawks and the Creekside philosophies aligned and told students to “always do your best and always compete with yourself.” After the assembly, a group of students had an opportunity to run football drills with Fenner and Blitz. Students were excited to catch passes from Fenner and run obstacle drills with Blitz. The Seahawks Play 60 Tuesdays program is an NFL movement for an active lifestyle. This program is sponsored by the Seattle Seahawks and Moda Health. Students in King County can hear firsthand how Seattle Seahawks players are active on and off the field, learn about good nutrition, and participate in activities alongside them.

BIKE, SCOOT AND WALK TO SCHOOL

Discovery Elementary recently celebrated National Bike Month by encouraging students to ride to school in style for their “Bike, Scoot, and Walk” event. Many students celebrated by pumping their pedals or feet to help preserve their health and the environment. Parents were encouraged to accompany their students and helped make this a fun and safe event.

PIONEER BREAD BAKERS

Ms. Nocente’s third grade class at Challenger Elementary had the opportunity to make bread during their recent unit on pioneers. An official baker from Starbucks visited their class and taught them about the differences of making bread as a pioneer versus how bread is made today. Many students enjoyed the hands on activity and were pleased with their baked bread.

AN EXCITING SEASON FOR LIBERTY’S

ROBOTICS TEAM Kudos to the Liberty High Robotics Team for an exciting season! The team, in only its third year of existence, started its season in its first district competition by winning the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Team Spirit Award. The team’s performance in its 2nd district competition earned them a second place overall finish and impressed the judges enough to earn the FIRST Judges Award. These two performances qualified the team for the Pacific Northwest FIRST Robotics Regional competition in Portland. They battled well against the best in Oregon and Washington, ultimately finishing in the top third in the region. Again Liberty’s Team Sprit, perseverance and professionalism impressed the FIRST Judges and awarded them FIRST Gracious Professionalism Award. To cap off this fantastic season, team president Christine Chappelle, was selected as a “Dean’s List” finalist. The Dean’s List honors team students around the world for their example of leadership, professionalism and promoting the ideals of FIRST.

RADICAL REACTIONS AT BRIARWOOD ELEMENTARY

Excited students at Briarwood Elementary School clapped and cheered when they learned that the Pacific Science Center was presenting their â&#x20AC;&#x153;Science on Wheels: Radical Reactionsâ&#x20AC;? assembly.

The first reaction to excite students was a combustion reaction. Fourth grade student Jeremy volunteered to help create a fire combustion for his fellow classmates. After fire shot up into the air, Brian, the Pacific Science Center presenter, asked students

to help him explain what had happened during the combustion reaction. By engaging students in the explanation process, Brian helped them to better understand the combustion reaction. Before moving on to another reaction, Brian made teachers and students eyes bulge when he “threw” fire at the first row of kindergartners and lit plates on fire in three different colors (yellow, blue, and green). After experimenting with combustion reactions, Brian briefly explained molecular bonding and the properties of a chemical reaction, before moving on to indicator (color changing) reactions. Although not as explosive, students were excited to see colors change throughout multiple indicator experiments.

To close out the presentation, Brian showed off the “Dangerous Experiment.” Before starting this experiment, he had all students state a safety oath and promise not to start any combustion reactions at home. He did, however, encourage students interested in science and reactions to try indicator reactions with adult supervision. The “Dangerous Experiment” was a combination of hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and a catalyst that caused foamy soap to sprout from its container and expand on the surrounding tray. Before he added the catalyst to the reaction, Brian explained to students that without it, the reaction would take much longer and would be slower.

CHORUS EARNS

SUPERIOR

RATINGS KIWANIS BUILDERS CLUB

CHARTERED AT MAYWOOD Maywood Middle School has a new club! Builders Club is a student-driven service organization at the middle school level that is part of the Kiwanis International family. The newly chartered club was recognized by its Issaquah Kiwanis Club sponsors in an official chartering ceremony. During the ceremony the benefits of service and the many projects recently completed by the group were highlighted. “Maywood students who are interested in service projects in the community and at school are welcome to participate in our bi-weekly meetings,” says Samantha Neff, Builders Club advisor. “So far the group has done an amazing job and I am thrilled with their progress.”

After the ceremony, the club participated in their first service-driven field trip, visiting Spiritwood at Pine Lake, an assisted living and senior home community, to deliver tissue paper flowers and origami cranes students had made for the residents.

The Issaquah Middle School’s Seventh and Eighth Grade Choruses recently earned superior ratings at the Eastshore Choral Festival. The group performed three challenging pieces and had the opportunity to listen to performances by other area middle schools. Students gained valuable experience through adjudicator feedback and participated in constructive discussions regarding other competing choirs. The seventh and eighth grade choruses will perform their festival pieces at their final concert on June 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Issaquah Middle Commons

LIBERTY HIGH CULINARY STUDENTS

CREATE DELECTABLY

WINNING DISHES

Liberty High culinary students Dylan Sherman, Gabby Smith, Issabelle Hayden, and Megan Eu recently competed in a fast paced rigorous cooking competition hosted by Renton Technical College where they placed second. The team started the “Chopped” style competition by demonstrating their knife skills with precision cuts such as dice, julienne, and mince. After the knife skills challenge, the team then worked with a basket of mystery ingredients to create a three course menu which included six plates of each an appetizer, an entrée, and dessert. Using the mystery ingredients of pork loin, ahi tuna, shrimp, puff pastry dough, rainbow carrots, broccoli rabe, celery root, grapefruit, rhubarb, and frisee lettuce, the team created a seafood salad with grapefruit vinaigrette as an appetizer, a spice rubbed pork loin with mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables for an entrée, and a vanilla ice cream with strawberry rhubarb compote and puff pastry sticks for dessert. In the middle of the cooking competition, the team also had to expertly set a table for four to showcase their hospitality skills. Zarah Matsuda, Culinary Instructor at Liberty explained, “We practiced creating menus from ‘mystery ingredients’ and had four practice runs with different ingredients using various cooking techniques. These practice runs helped the team to work on menu development, planning, and time management. Since recipes weren’t allowed the team also memorized some basic dessert and sauce recipes, which was a key element to executing a menu with unknown ingredients.”

GREAT

CAREERS

INSIGHT FROM INDUSTRY PROS Choosing a career or area of study in college can be a daunting task for any student. To help make that choice easier, students are encouraged to explore their options and learn from industry professionals. Sophomore and junior students from Issaquah, Liberty, Skyline, and Tiger Mountain recently attended the Great Careers Conference to take the next step in learning about their future career options. During the conference students had the opportunity to explore various careers and gain first-hand knowledge from local industry professionals. The daylong event offered a wide variety of career options, from fashion and apparel to electrical engineering, healthcare to culinary arts, and aerospace to interactive media. Keynote speaker Elliott Neff of Chess for Life explained to students how choosing a career was challenging for him. Neff took students through his many careers and described that success in life comes from learning, understanding your talents and passions, and combining those interests to pursue a career. He asked students to keep in mind their passions as they explored career opportunities throughout the conference. Before the conference, students selected three careers that they are interested in pursuing. Throughout the day, students then attended presentations about those

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO careers. Students learned about industry specifics, the challenges faced by some professionals, schooling needed in various career paths, and much more. A prevalent theme discussed by many presenters throughout the conference was â&#x20AC;&#x153;you never stop learning.â&#x20AC;? Jessica Arthur, the executive chef at the Hilton Garden Inn culinary arts presenter explained that to grow and advance in her career she had to continuously learn mainly through hands on experience. Karin Weihe of the Issaquah Police Department and Jack Greaves of the Ballard Fire Department explained that continual learning is required not only for advancement in their fields, but also for their safety and the safety of others. Students were encouraged to ask questions and many were interested in the

growth market and salary potentials within their fields of interest. Shawn Roberts master trainer at Obadaya Salon explained that salary and growth within his field was based on the potential of what each person wanted to achieve. He noted that knowing how to build personal relationships with clients was one of the key success factors in the cosmetology industry. Students left the conference feeling excited and invigorated about their career options. Many were excited about the insight they had garnered on their future careers and discussed setting goals to achieve them. The Great Careers event was presented by the Issaquah School District Career and Technical Program, the Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce, the Issaquah Schools Foundation, and the Workforce Development Committee.

BUILDING FOR THE

FUTURE

Site Managers from Issaquah School Districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Before and After School Care Program spent several hours this week building props and carnival games getting ready for the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual summer kickoff at Beaver Lake Middle School that takes place June 26. Pictured are: James LaFranchi (Grand Ridge), Eli Breckel (Beaver Lake), Amy Anderson (Endeavour), and Katie Lange (Specialist).

MUSIC TO OUR EARS

Congratulations to the Skyline Vocal Jazz ensemble that recently placed 3rd at the State Solo and Ensemble Competition in the large mixed ensemble division and to Emily Licholai who placed 2nd for her flute solo. The Jazz Vocal group competed against 22 regions from around the state.

LHS HISTORY

DAY TEAM

TO SEND COMPETITORS TO

NATIONALS

EARTH HEROS AT CREEKSIDE Fifth grade “Waste Watcher” Captains Maxim Chu, Eli Rubenstein, Lily Scott, Justin Tran, and Jocelyn Xie were recently recognized at the King County 2014 Earth Heroes at School Awards presentation for taking leadership roles in the Creekside Elementary food-scrap collection program. “Maxim, Eli, Lily, Justin, and Jocelyn go above and beyond their responsibilities of helping their peers sort their lunch waste into compostable food scraps, recyclables, and garbage by being proactive in seeing ways to improve and sustain our Waste Watcher program,” explained Judy Bowlby, Dean of Students at Creekside.

Liberty High History Day Team recently competed at the State Championship at Green River Community College. More than 38 schools competed with the top nine entries moving on to Nationals. Liberty took an impressive four out of nine spots on the Nationals roster with Andrew Cooper placing first and Dhamanpreet Kaur placing second in the individual website competition. Lauren Hepp, Carlyn Schmidgall and Sally Rim placed second in the group website competition and Vincy Fok and Lorrin Johnson placed second in the group exhibit competition. Sabrina Suen finished sixth in the historical paper competition and Clara Bardot, Paige Hopkins, and Tyra Christopherson placed sixth in the group website competition.

ISSAQUAH, LIBERTY & SKYLINE

PRODUCE EXCEPTIONAL SHOWING AT

DECA INTERNATIONAL

COMPETITION

Issaquah, Liberty, and Skyline students recently travelled to Atlanta, Georgia where they competed against 17,000 students from the United States, China, Canada, Spain, and Germany in the 2014 International DECA Conference (IDC). Chris Gapiniski, Liberty High DECA advisor was impressed how the students supported each other throughout the week of competition. “It was incredible to see their hard work from the year culminate all at once.” Eight Issaquah High students competed at IDC. Advisor Andrew Shanafelt noted that although their group didn’t have any finalists or winners, his students had an amazing experience and enjoyed many of the educational outings, such as the visit to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthplace and tomb and viewing the Atlanta Aquarium’s whale shark, beluga whales, and penguins.

Liberty High had nineteen students compete in seven different categories. They had an exceptional finish with ten top twenty finalists including: Katherine Kerstetter, Jessie Bisset, Rachel Phillips, Katie McGuire, Tyler Wray, Spencer Greenwald, Alex Wilsey, Conner Small, Lilia Haberman, and Aditya Seshadri, and four top ten finalists including: Alex Wilsey, Conner Small, Lilia Haberman, and Aditya Seshadri. Lilia Haberman won

first place in the Nation and was named Champion of the 2014 IDC. BJ Sherman, Skyline High DECA advisor said that IDC was a great trip for his students and that they produced a strong showing. Skyline finished the competition with two second places: Michelle Szeto and the team of Courtney Kay and Mike Seeley; two top ten finalists: Oliver Marczynski, the team of Larissa Liu and Helen Wang; six top twenty finalists Hari Rajan, the team of Sydney Smith and Shaina Ma, the team of Theimo Loos and Shawn B, Chloe Epker, and the team of Adithti Addepali and Peri Cyr; and four sub category top ten finalists: Ali Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Daffer, Cayden Boll, Prahba Dublish, and Katy Mounsey. Skyline student Mike Seeley was also elected Washington State DECA President and will lead over 11,000 students next year and Skyline student Lulu Nkinsi was elected Area 4 DECA President (there are 11 area presidents in the State) and she will lead over 1,000 students. Congratulations to all our International DECA Competition competitors!

WALKING THROUGH

ART

Thousands of pieces of student artwork were recently on display at Sunset Elementary during their annual PTA Art Walk. This event not only showcased student artists but also the great work that art docents and teachers do with their students. 40

LIBERTY STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE

DIPLOMACY AND FOREIGN POLICY AT MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Liberty High students were recently awarded the Most Outstanding Delegation at their first Model United Nations conference at Western Washington University’s Viking Model United Nations (VIKMON) Summit in Bellingham. During the two day conference students served as delegates of the international community in a simulation of the United Nations. Liberty students were selected to represent Morocco and the United States on five different committees. Peter Kurtz, social studies teacher, explained, “During the conference, our students showed great character, diplomacy, and knowledge of foreign policy and the international community.” Out of the 253 students that participated on the seven committees, three Liberty students also won the top award of most outstanding delegate at the conference. These students are Signe Stroming (Most Outstanding Delegate for the Commission on the Status of Women), Megan Villablanca (Most Outstanding Delegate for the International Court of Justice), and Allegra Messina (Most Outstanding Delegate for the Group of the G20 Summit). At the end of the summit, Liberty was awarded the Most Outstanding Delegation of VIKMUN 2014. This significant award had never before been awarded to a first time participant. Winning delegates included: Megan Bui, Signe Stroming, Megan Eu, Garrett Waters, Megan Villablanca, Brendan Weibel, Akielly Hu, Wyatt Waters, and Allegra Messina.

HISTORY, MATH & SCIENCE BEHIND

SEAFAIR HYDROPLANES Fourth grade students at Sunset Elementary watched the replay with rapt attention as hydroplanes sped along the water, racing against other drivers and exclaimed out loud when the hydroplanes flipped. Allie, a Seafair representative explained that hydroplane races are just one of the many aspects of Seafair. Briefly covering the history of Seafair, Allie explained that it was originally created to celebrate Seattle as the boating capitol of the world. “Since its inception, Seafair has turned into a cultural and community event that now lasts eight weeks and have over 75 events,” noted Allie. After sharing some Seafair history, David Williams, of the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum, covered some of the math and science that goes into hydroplanes. Williams asked students to help him explain different aspects that make up hydroplanes, such as the meaning of the word hydroplane, air flow during a boat race, and Bernoulli’s Theorem. Many students had interesting answers. Some were correct, while others were more inventive. Through simple experiments and demonstrations with a model hydroplane, students learned how hydroplanes work and are raced. Williams who has driven hydroplanes since he was a teenager, went on to explain the anatomy and history of racing hydroplanes. Students were eager to ask questions, and many focused on safety and speed of hydroplanes. Marianne Eshom, fourth grade teacher explained, “Seafair has great tie-ins to the Washington state economy, math, and science that we cover in the classroom. It’s an exciting way for students to learn the history of a community event.”

THE BENEFITS OF

STEM

& CTE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Maywood Middle School student, Will Russell, demonstrates a Soma Cube solution to the school board at the May 28 meeting. Several Maywood students and their teacher, Steve Wessel, gave a presentation about the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) elective classes covering Automation and Robotics, Design and Modeling and Robotics. This middle school curriculum engages students and is a great preparation for taking STEM classes in high school.

ISSAQUAH HIGH

ROBOTICS TEAM SEASON ENDS IN

STRONG FINISH The Issaquah High School Robotics Society (IRS) completed its competition season at the 2014 FIRST Robotics World Championship Event. IRS was among 400 teams that represented 43 states and 8 countries at the 2014 FIRST Robotics Championship. During the competition, IRS reached the divisional finals before being eliminated. The team ended the competition with a 7-3 record and was ranked 18th. IRS is only the second Washington team to ever reach the division finals at the World Championship, and the first Washington team to win a division finals match. Congratulations on a great season!

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM ENTICES VISIT FROM

CONGRESSMAN 44

On April 24, two fourth grade students and their principal, Leslie Lederman, greeted Washington Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 8th District Congressman David Reichert at the entrance to Sunny Hills elementary and eagerly led him to Mrs. Ulrichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fourth grade classroom to meet their classmates before embarking on an outdoor classroom tour. After shaking the hand of every student, the tour began and the congressman listened as

students introduced the school’s Forest Classroom and Millennium Garden. Student speakers shared the history behind both projects and how they are used as educational resources thanks to a partnership with the Pacific Education Institute and their Project Learning Tree Program. The outdoor classrooms offer handson experience and real world knowledge that enhance indoor classroom learning. Mrs. Ulrich’s class was joined by their first grade Pony Pals, who then walked with Congressman Reichert to the Forest Classroom. Here, Congressman Reichert observed pairs of students applying their indoor classroom learning in an outdoor setting. The fourth grade students helped their first grade partners identify producers, scavengers, consumers, decomposers, and other aspects of the forest ecosystem.

Next, Congressman Reichert was introduced to the Millennium Garden, where students observed their adopted plants and described the changes they had noticed throughout the year. The Millennium Garden is maintained by fourth grade stewards who weed, water, and nourish the plants during their recess. After exploring two of the outdoor classroom spaces, Congressman Reichert learned how Mrs. Ulrich’s fourth graders are helping to track global warming through Project Budburst, an online observation record of plant life within the U.S. Before saying their goodbyes, Congressman Reichert briefly explained why it is so important to learn from our environment and conserve it. He also shared how impressed he was with the student’s presentation and observation skills.

CONGRATULATIONS

MARIANNA

VAIL

ORCHESTRA TEACHER AT BLMS

HOLD THE

PRESS Proactive fourth graders interested in journalism recently started the Creekside Elementary Newspaper Club. Before finding an advisor they created and published the very first edition entirely on their own. Seeing their keen interest in writing April Stevens, Guidance Counselor, offered to be the formal advisor for the Newspaper Club and opened it up to all other students who were interested in joining. The club now meets every other Wednesday morning at 8:30am. In between meetings, students are encouraged to work on their own articles.

“The students really run the club. They decide what they want to write about,” explained April. “I just help them pull it all together into a newsletter format.”

Marianna has just been named President-Elect of the Washington American String Teachers Association. W-ASTA works with college students, private teachers, and school orchestra educators to enrich lives through the joy of teaching and playing stringed instruments. Marianna will serve two years as President Elect and then two as President.

ENGINEERED TO AMAZE “Mine just sunk!” exclaimed an astonished Issaquah Valley Elementary student as she pulled her aluminum “boat” filled with pennies out of a container of water. “Should we make the sides taller?” another student asked his mom. At the Learning from Failure engineering station, students learned by trial and error. Each student and parent team designed aluminum “boats” that they filled with pennies. Different designs held more pennies than others. Learning from Failure was one of the many engineering stations offered at the Issaquah Valley Elementary Engineering Night. Other activity stations included building arches that could support weights, understanding packaging by boxing beans, and listening to sound waves through a variety of materials, and more. Many students were surprised by the outcomes of their endeavors at the engineering activity stations. Both parents and students had a good time while trying their hand at the engineering skills. Lisa Milkowski, IVE PTA coordinator explained, “Family Engineering Night creates opportunities outside of the formal classroom for children and their families to explore new and different types of learning. We hope that students discover new interests and skills.”

GREEN TEAM

BEAUTIFIES

CAMPUS

Students, staff, and volunteers recently got their hands dirty as they helped with the Campus Beautification Project at Maple Hills Elementary. This green initiative was put together by the third grade green team and Dean of Students Tracy MaGee. Groups of volunteers helped weed the garden beds along the back of the school and helped spread bark in the garden beds at the front of the school.

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK & NATIONAL SCHOOL

NURSE DAY 47

REFLECTIONS

SHORT

FILM

WINNER FROM SKYLINE Congratulations to Skyline sophomore Jenne Bellavia! Jenne won first place in the 2014 Washington School Parent Teacher Association’s Reflections Contest in the Outstanding Interpretation in Film category for her short film The Dreamer in Each of Us. Her short film was one of more than 600 high school entries competing from all across the state. Jenna will now move onto the national competition in June representing Washington State.

A WORLD MUSIC

EXPERIENCE WITH THE BEAT OF A

DRUM

The music room at Issaquah Valley Elementary comes alive with the tribal sounds of African drums, known as djembes as young students methodically drum various patterns and rhythms becoming one synergized group. Welcome to IVE’s after school World Music Drumming Club.

The school’s music teacher, Ann Marie Petry, who once trained with renowned African drummer Sowah Mensah in a World Drumming Master Class, became very passionate about drumming and now shares that passion with students, starting World Music Drumming Clubs at multiple schools.

Students take turns leading drum patterns that are followed by the rest of the group. Students intently

focus; their eyes constantly following the hands of each pattern leader so they could accurately repeat the current pattern. “In African drumming, participants must learn to think about the good of the group,” explains Ann Marie. “The leader may change the patterns at any time and the performers need to be tuned in to wherever the leader takes the music.” “This type of drumming develops focus and a sense of community in the players,” continues Ann Marie. “Research has shown that the focus and concentration used to drum stick with the players beyond their time in the drum circle. This is because the leader directs the piece without words. Gestures and body language cues tell the players when to play or when to switch to a new section of the piece.” The use of gestures and body language cues is evident as Ann Marie tells her students “listen and I will add you in” as they practice for their upcoming performance at the end of May with the third, fourth, and fifth grade chorus. The World Music Drumming Club is in its second year at Issaquah Valley Elementary and Ann Marie has already seen it more than double in size. She notes that the club was possible thanks to Liberty High allowing them to borrow their djembes. Beyond drumming, the World Music Drumming Club also offers the diverse population of students at Issaquah Valley Elementary yet another opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of differences in culture

ISSAQUAH SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

AWARDS TEACHERS WITH EDUCATIONAL GRANTS

The Issaquah Schools Foundation recently awarded teachers with the Kateri Brow Big Idea/Biggest Need Grants. According to the Issaquah Schools Foundation website, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the awarding of grant monies in the Kateri Brow category is intended to encourage continuous improvement in education within the Issaquah School District.â&#x20AC;? The Kateri Brow Big Idea Grant is named for a past superintendent of the Issaquah School District and grants are awarded in amounts from $1,000 up to $10,000. Grants are awarded to programs that reflect an effective approach to meeting a compelling need within the classroom. The educational grants will go a long way to help empower teachers and educate students within the Issaquah School District. Thanks to the Kateri Brow grants, teachers plan to purchase laptops, marimbas, theatrical lighting and much more. The Kateri Brow Big Idea/Biggest Need grant recipients were celebrated at a recent Issaquah School Board meeting. Intervention Systems for Success: Ruth Cerna - Briarwood This grant will provide Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI), comprehension strategies, and word work that is easily differentiated by reading level. This curriculum will support students who need intensive support to achieve gradelevel competencies. It will also be used as enrichment for primary grade students performing well above grade level who are in need of developmentally appropriate materials within a research-based curriculum that encompasses all reading domains. 50

Thriving Through Technology: Katie Carey - Clark This grant will purchase laptops to help LRC-1 students close the gap between their current performance and that of their same age peers through the use of the program Co-writer. Empowering Docents to Inspire Creativity through Art: Juliette RipleyDunkelberger - District PTSA A robust and high quality art program is made up of skilled, confident, wellsupported docents who enthusiastically volunteer in the classroom, are readily welcomed by teachers, and provide quality art experiences for students. The Issaquah School District has over 350 art docents each year providing over 4,500 hours of volunteer instruction at the elementary school level. This program

will support, empower, and inspire those art docents through training and support. Comprehensive, Adaptive Math for All Levels: Margaret Braun-McBride Echo Glen This grant will purchase a package of programs giving teachers the best tools available to help students of all abilities improve academic, occupational, and practical mathematic skills, as well as prepare students for standardized tests, occupational exams, independent living, and college and career goals. Marimbas for World Music: Alice Badgley - Grand Ridge This grant will help develop a world music curriculum that integrates marimba ensemble playing into the existing music curriculum. All students K-5 will have the

opportunity to learn the basic principles of marimba performance, while exploring the characteristics of world music from a broad range of countries. Theatrical Lighting Instruments for Black Box Theatre: Holly Whiting Issaquah HS The primary purpose of this grant is to provide theatrical lighting instruments for the black box theatre in order to train technical theatre students in all areas of lighting design. This includes understanding the function and capabilities of various lighting instruments, care and maintenance of instruments, color mixing, design, writing cues, programming of light board, and creating and maintaining all theatrical lighting needs for performances and events that take place in the black box theatre. Lab Quest2 Interfaces for Science Labratories: Tricia Vannoy Cecil Issaquah HS This grant will purchase a class set of Lab Quest2 interfaces for our current probes. This interface does all the same data gathering functions of our older technology but adds the ability to collect outside, inside, share group data, and analyze right on the interface itself. It will expand our ability to share experimental data so students can analyze the results individually.

Investigating Motion with Vernier Go!Motion Sensors: Bree Chang Maywood MS Understanding energy, force, motion and the relationship between them is our main focus within the physical science

classroom. Go!Motion sensors will bring this understanding to a new level. Digital WAVES of CompassionMacbooks in the Classroom: Eric Ensey - Pine Lake MS My WAVE elective combines 21stcentury multimedia with leadership/ community service learning, meeting the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end goals of Citizenship and Technology. The goal is to engage students in the learning process and level the playing field. With technology, I have seen my lowest, most withdrawn student become the technology expert, empowering him or her in the classroom for the first time. This grant will fund Macbooks for use not only in this elective, but all my classes. After School Support for Teen Programs: Michael Schiehser - Tiger Mt. HS This grant supports the Tiger Mountain Teen Center Afterschool Program which was created for the following reasons: 1) To provide fun and healthy options for students to participate in after school hours, 2) Provide a safe, comfortable and welcoming place for atâ&#x20AC;?risk students, and 3) Provide more credit granting options for students who are credit-deficient relative to their age.

CAREER & TECHNICAL

EDUCATION

SPRING SHOWCASE Issaquah School District Career and Technical Education Department recently honored their top students at the 2014 Spring CTE Showcase. Students presented displays and were honored with achievement awards.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO

STUDENT

LEADERSHIP DAY Students demonstrated leadership skills during the student led Leadership Day at Creekside Elementary.

STUDENTS PRACTICE

EARTH ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS ON

DAY

Each year Earth Day - April 22 - is marked with demonstrations of support for environmental protection and awareness. See how our students got involved and took action. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO