Sentinels enter new league page 4
PCL’s new schools page 2-3
New staff join Spanaway Lake page 1
Spanaway Lake On Guard VOLUME 35, ISSUE 1
AN OPEN FORUM FOR STUDENT EXPRESSION SINCE 1982
SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
WELCOME BACK SENTINELS BY TODD KEISTER
tkeister@bethelsd.org Spanaway Lake welcomes the class of 2020 through their door as school begins on September 1st, however the school has been abuzz with activity for the past two weeks. The first movement was the support staff and administration who arrived early in the month preparing the building for the upcoming year. The second movement were the teachers who arrived, not ready to let go of their summer but excitedly set up classrooms, took professional development classes, and started planning lessons for students to be successful. The last set of movement were the students who arrived toward the end of August. Members of ASB and Link Crew arrived at Spanaway Lake to create posters, learn about ice breaker games to teach their freshmen and to start building their relationships for the upcoming school year. On August 25th, the freshman class arrived at Spanaway Lake around 9:30 in the morning looking wide-eyed and a little nervous. Passing through the gym doors, they were greeted wildly and loudly by the Link Crew leaders who were excited to welcome them to The Lake. The students picked up their name tags and joined the Link Crew in the stands dancing to music and preparing to start their day. Once the students settled down, they were introduced to the administration and the Link Crew Advisers to welcome them and explain some of the rules of Spanaway Lake. Freshmen students then joined the Link Crew in several ice-breaker activities designed to get them to loosen up and have fun. Students got out of the bleachers and formed lines on the floor where they learned how to communicate without talking, they learned about making friends and learned a bit about their Link Crew Leaders. Once they finished in the gym, they broke up according to their advisory classes and
CLASS OF 2020: Members of the class of 2020 are introduced to Spanaway Lake on the school’s annual Link Crew Day. Returning students welcome the new freshmen by playing icebreaker games and “getting to know you” activities. The Link Leaders will be with their group of students for the entire school year.
were taken to a classroom where they got to know students who they would interact with throughout the school year. Once they finish up in the classroom, the students have lunch and reflect on the day they spent in the building. Students consistently enjoy this day’s activity year in and year out for the past few years. They learn how to become Sentinels and begin bonds that last them the next four years.
GO SENTINELS: Senior Nathan Scanlan and members of the class of 2020 show their excitement for the upcoming school year. Scanlan, one of the football players, was looked up to by the freshmen.
Changes abroad as Spanaway Lake starts the new year BY TODD KEISTER
tkeister@bethelsd.org As every new school year begins, change seems to always be one of the most talked about subjects. Everything from new clothes or new supplies to new students wandering the halls trying to find their classrooms without being late. Some of the larger changes involve two new classrooms popping up within the building and a large number of new teachers starting their first year at Spanaway Lake. The new rooms were created over the summer to alleviate crowding in an already crowded building. One of the rooms is located on the second floor near the teachers lounge and the back staircase. The second classroom is located on the first floor next to the student store. Hopefully these classrooms will help students learn better in a better environment.
The other big new changes are all the new staff that have been brought into Spanaway Lake. Over the summer, staff changes were made for teachers who retired or left to pursue other things. A few of the new staff members will be familiar faces. Cameron Robak has taken over for Stan Adkins in the Social Studies Department. Robak, son of head football coach John Robak, is also a member of the Sentinel football staff and was a substitute in the building last year. Another familiar face is Heidi Ricardo, who has returned to Spanaway Lake to teach several courses in the CTE Department. Ricardo taught at Spanaway Lake for several years, left to pursue another opportunity and has returned this year. Please help welcome these new staff members and show them what it means to be a Sentinel.
New staff members at Spanaway Lake Career and Technical Ed Department Thomas Garner Heidi Ricardo Christian Williams Holly Kiesel-Juma Jason Kaudos Brooke Huddlestone Caroline Goree Marilyn Allbritton Science Department Tiffany Degenstein Math Department Jessica Harder Charles Monfort English Language Arts Department Jill Ann Denham Phillip Anderson Social Studies Department Cameron Robak Ben Graver Mariah Holland
Foreign Language Department Haruka Fujiwara - Japanese Jane Toulson – French Special Education Cory Anderson James Brewer Gerard Cline Andrew Larive Heidi Miller Band John Depalatis Office Kristina Ferrira Christina Hakansson Kirsten Winter Para-Professionals Anthony Meray Nilda Piland Kieli Blenheim Justin Horton