The Northwest School 40th Anniversary Timeline by The Northwest School

The Northwest School Story 1980-2021

Celebrating 40 Years of Learning, Laughter, and Joy

he halls and classrooms of The Northwest School have been alive with excitement, laughter, struggle, and triumph ever since the doors opened in 1980. This year, we celebrate the school’s 40th birthday with the rich story of its history, drawing from oral interviews of our cofounders and veteran faculty, meticulously saved and processed paper documents, and the skills of two dedicated archivists.

These pages present a historic timeline that goes beyond dates and markers; it narrates the story of the school’s deeply held values— the joy of learning, the power of the arts, the imperatives of environmental sustainability, global perspective, social justice, health and wellness, and the vital importance of caring community—and how they have endured through four decades of growth and change. Like all histories, this one is not complete. It comes with all of the flaws of institutional memory and the limitations of space and time. It is merely an attempt to narrate the evolution of an upstart school born from the passion and commitment of teachers to nurture the courage, heart, and humanity of all students. This is not a story that will ever stand still— it is a living breathing document, and will grow and expand along with the voices of our students, the wisdom of our faculty, and the inspiring lives of our alumni as they affect positive change in an ever-changing world.

While teaching at The Midland School, Paul Raymond spends many summers in the southern United States with the Summer Community Organization and Political Education Project (SCOPE), advocating for civil rights, community organizing, and helping to register voters. SCOPE was an initiative of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the civil rights organization founded by Bayard Rustin, Martin Luther King, Jr., C.K. Steele, Fred Shuttlesworth, and other southern Black ministers and leaders.

1957 Paul Raymond begins teaching at The Midland School in Southern California, where he eventually becomes chair of the history department. Paul Raymond at The Midland School, undated - photo provided by Ellen Taussig

Timeline Key:

As you move along the timeline, you’ll see threads of deeply-held values which have shaped The Northwest School from it’s inception: ● academic vitality ● global perspective ● environmental sustainability

SCOPE Project brochure, 1965 - Midland School Collection, SP1, NWS Archives

early

1960s

19651969 Also during his tenure at The Midland School, Paul Raymond develops a summer program that aims to help middle school boys, and subsequently girls, from Watts, Compton, and East Los Angeles in their progress through high school, and to counsel them in their college applications. This program begins in summer of 1965, and two years later, the program is widely expanded to become Project Open Future, which includes many other independent schools in California. In 1967, Paul recruits Mark Terry as a teaching assistant for Project Open Future. Mark returns in 1968 and 1969 to teach evolutionary anthropology and human ecology.

● social justice ● transformative power of the arts

These have been highlighted with colors and iconography.

Project Open Future brochure, 1968 – Midland School Collection, SP1, NWS Archives

Mark Terry and Paul Raymond work together for Project Open Future for three summers and develop a collegial friendship. While still at The Midland School, Paul also works to establish a year-round boarding school based on the principles of Project Open Future, to be located on La Scherpa Ranch outside of Santa Barbara, California. In a letter to Paul, Mark expresses that he is interested in being involved in La Scherpa School “on whatever level.” Unfortunately, establishing the school is ultimately unsuccessful. Letter from Mark Terry to Paul Raymond, January 25, 1968 – Midland School Collection, SP1, NWS Archives

late

1960s

1970 In 1970, Ellen Taussig (then Ellen Vogel) has just started teaching English at Oakwood School in North Hollywood, California, when Paul Raymond joins the school as the social studies department chair and a faculty member. Ellen in the Oakwood School yearbook, 1972 – Oakwood School Collection, SP2, NWS Archives

1971 During a first-ever environmental conference on the University of Washington campus, Mark Terry speaks up as an audience member, saying that nothing about these issues is being taught in high schools and calls for revolutionizing high school biology textbooks. This public statement leads to a number of opportunities for Mark, including speaking engagements on environmental education, and working for Friends of the Earth. He publishes his book, Teaching for Survival, in 1971. Teaching for Survival – from The Northwest School Founder’s Library

Ellen Taussig and Paul Raymond collaborate to develop a humanities program that completely integrates history and English. The program is based upon a framework that Paul coins “The Five Elements of Society,” and is set up to examine the political, economic, social, religious, and artistic/intellectual elements for every period studied. Paul Raymond recruits Mark Terry to Oakwood School in February 1972. Mark contributes to Ellen and Paul’s integrated humanities program’s segment on evolution. Notes by Paul Raymond on the humanities curriculum, undated – Overlake School Collection, SP2, NWS Archives

1972

By 1976, Paul, Ellen, and Mark have relocated to Seattle, Washington, to serve as faculty at The Overlake School (Redmond, Washington). Paul also serves as the upper school director until 1978. Image 1: Draft letter of interest by Paul Raymond, circa 1976

1976 Mark Terry is commissioned to write the first guidelines for environmental education for Washington State secondary schools.

Image 2: Paul Raymond photo in Overlake School yearbook, 1977 – Overlake School Collection, SP2, NWS Archives

1976

Mark Terry in the Overlake School yearbook, 1977 – Overlake School Collection, SP2, NWS Archives

The Northwest School of the Arts, Humanities, and Environment incorporates in the state of Washington with a three-person board: Paul Raymond, Ellen Taussig, and Mark Terry.

1976-1978 Catherine Terry is often referred to as the “fourth founder.” Like Mark, Catherine grew up on Mercer Island. They met in high school and were married in 1971. Catherine holds a B.A. in Biology and an M.A. in Marine Biology, both from Occidental College. Paul, Mark, and Ellen sometimes meet after work to vent about the quality of teaching and administration they have encountered over the years. Catherine hears many of these so-called gripe sessions. One day she simply asks, “Well, what would it take for you to open your own school?” Catherine Terry wall photo, circa 1990s – NWS Archive

Northwest School amended articles of incorporation, 1979 – NWS Archive

1978

1978 In 1978, Kemp Hiatt purchases the Summit School building with the intent to convert it into office space. In the same year, he places the building on the National Register of Historic Places. Image 1: Flier for office space in the Summit School building, 1978 – NWS Archive Image 2: Plaque mounted on exterior wall of the Summit School building

The Northwest School’s founding board shows the intentional recruitment of representatives from a diverse range of communities and disciplines. Members include: Ernestine Anderson, a renowned jazz singer; Gordon Orians from the University of Washington’s Institute for Environmental Studies; M. Burke Walker, artistic director of the Empty Space Theater; artist Jacob Lawrence; and Rev. Samuel B. McKinney of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Image 1: Ernestine Anderson at 1981 graduation Image 2: Northwest School board roster, circa 1980 – NWS Archive

19781979

1979 The Northwest School needs a home. The Cofounders want the school to be a location that is accessible by public transportation to support access by families of all socioeconomic levels and to lessen carbon footprint. The site search takes the Cofounders first to Guy Phinney’s mansion by Woodland Park, then to the Martha Washington Park site on the south end of Lake Washington. However, the City of Seattle is unwilling to give permission to establish an independent school in a public park. Image 1: Sketch of the Martha Washington building by Founding Arts Faculty Mark Gilstrap, circa 1979 – NWS Archive Image 2: Brochure promoting the Northwest School opening in the Martha Washington Park, 1979

The Cofounders begin to develop language to describe the school they will create. Paul, in particular, leaves a substantial volume of drafts of this process. In this example, he writes: “The aim of the Northwest School is to provide an excellent arts and academic education which is balanced with fundamental concern for the environment and the community. All of its programs have been developed with this aim in mind.” The draft also illustrates the intentions of the Financial Aid Program, in place from the beginning of the school.

Board member M. Burke Walker alerts the Cofounders to the boarded-up Summit School building on Summit Street, in the heart of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. By October 31, 1979, the Cofounders have reached an agreement to purchase the Summit School building, which remains The Northwest School’s main building today. Aerial photo of the Summit School building, undated, circa 1970s – NWS Archive

1979

1979 The founding faculty win their first grant from the Northwest Area Foundation for $10,000. This money is awarded to Ellen Taussig and founding faculty members Floyd Standifer and Mark Gilstrap to integrate the arts and sciences into The Northwest School’s planned humanities curriculum. Report on grant applications, 1979 – NWS Archive

Paul Raymond’s notes on the school, undated – NWS Archive

1980

The Northwest School Opens! September 4, 1980, the doors of The Northwest School open in the Summit School building, with 230 students enrolled in grades 6 through 12. Paul Raymond serves as the first Head of School (at that time the title was Director). The building itself comes to be known in later years as “The House,” which is depicted in the school logo and is the school’s mascot.

Image 1: Summit School building, copyright 1960 Rowland Photo – NWS Archive Image 2: Founding faculty in unidentified publication, circa early 1980s. (left to right) Paul Witt, Associate Director, Environment; Floyd Standifer, Associate Director, Arts; Ellen Taussig, Associate Director, Admissions; Paul Raymond, Associate Director Humanities; Mark Terry, Director 09

Contrary to some tales, sports and athletics have always been present at Northwest, though they have ebbed and flowed over the years. Present in photos from the early days are boys’ and girls’ basketball and volleyball teams.

1980 From the beginning, English and History are combined into one curriculum, Humanities. Students learn history through the lenses of literature and art, an interdisciplinary approach that distinguishes The Northwest School from peer schools.

1980 The Environment Program exists at The Northwest School on day one. Borrowed from the Midland School, the program’s intention is to have the students preserve and maintain the building, teaching them to be responsible for their space. Initially, Environment students and faculty fit cleaning the building into whatever free period a group shares; a formalized time in the schedule comes later when students and faculty clean house at the same time. “Clean your bubble!” is a phrase often heard in the hallways by students and faculty alike. Student taking materials to a recycling bin, undated, circa 1980s – NWS Archive

1980 The school adopts a “five-quint” schedule, which divides the school year into five sections (rather than the traditional 2-3 semesters). Arts faculty are freed from teaching classes on Fridays so they can pursue their own art work. Weekly class schedule sample from Quint system, 2015 View Book

Girls’ Volleyball Team, circa 1980s – NWS Archive

1980

From day one, having lunch together is considered essential for building community. The first year, lunch is served off of tables lined up in the Main Hall, and students and faculty sit on the floor in the Upper Hall to eat. At some point, fairly early, a bagel and cream cheese day becomes a regular once-a-week affair. Students eating lunch, circa 1980s

1980

circa

1980s An Upper Hall classroom is named “MLK” and students paint a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the Upper Hall wall. Other classrooms are named after social justice and environmental justice activists, including Rachel Carson, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Fanny Brice, and Maya Lin. MLK mural in the Upper Hall, 2018

January 15,

1981

Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, celebrating Dr. King’s birthday, is observed at The Northwest School the first academic year. The bill that makes MLK Day a national holiday is signed in 1983, but it takes until 1986 for the holiday to be observed at the federal level. The Northwest School continues to observe the holiday every year with human rights activists as keynote speakers and relevant workshops on equity issues.

ArtsFest is first celebrated in April 1981. Highlights include student and faculty performances, dance shows, music concerts, workshops in improvisation and juggling, and a fencing challenge. Program for the first ArtsFest, produced by Roger Klark, the school’s founding librarian, 1981 – NWS Archive

1981

1981 The first graduation in 1981 is held in the Upper Hall, with 10 seniors graduating. Northwest School Board President Elizabeth McEachern presents the diplomas. Board member and renowned jazz singer Ernestine Anderson performs “Summertime” and “My Shining Hour,” and jazz musician Floyd Standifer plays the recessional. First graduation, 1981 – NWS Archive

The Northwest School is first accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWASC) in 1981.

An all-school Community Meeting is held weekly, bringing students of all grades and faculty together to share announcements, present theatre and music performances, and to hear guest speakers on the issues of the day.

NWASC accreditation certificate, 1982-1983 – NWS Archive

Community Meeting, undated, circa 1990s – NWS Archive

1981

The Humanities 12 Constitution Unit begins. Students engage in a thorough study of the U.S. Constitution, culminating in a written exam plus the Elections Project Portfolio, whereby students select a political campaign candidate or initiative and initially volunteer 40 hours of work on the campaign. This project continues to present day and is now called the Civic Engagement Project.

1981 The first Winterfest, a celebration of science and math, occurs in the school’s second year, in December 1981. A favorite and long-standing part of the fest is the Bridge Building Contest in which 8th graders vie for the bridge design that can hold the highest number of bricks. Other favorites are the outdoor Rocket Launch, and indoor Catapult Contest and Chemistry Lab demonstrations. Winterfest Bridge Building Contest, undated, circa 1980s – NWS Archive

Leah Jarvik ’15, phone banking for an election campaign, 2014

19811982

19821983 In 1983, the Class of 1982 gifts The Northwest School with a sign to replace the Summit School sign over the front doors. Carved from a large plank of cedar wood, the sign is created by sculptor and artist Richard Beyer, perhaps best known in Seattle for the “Waiting for the Interurban” sculpture in the Fremont neighborhood. When making the sign, Beyer carves a small bird in a depression in the left side of the sign to disguise a flaw in the wood. Later, to prevent water accumulation and damage, the depression is filled in and the little green bird is moved to its current perch on the “L.” Northwest School sign at the front entrance to the main school building, 2021

1983 In 1983, concerns about leadership and finances cause a split between the board and the faculty. Northwest School Cofounder Mark Terry is briefly appointed acting Head of School, then Jean Orvis, a former Overlake School teacher, is given the role. The faculty unionize in order to collectively bargain based on their concerns, creating the Federated Employees of the Northwest School (FENS). A large portion of the board and a number of faculty, including Orvis, leave The Northwest School and found a new school, the Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences (SAAS), taking roughly 90 students with them. Mark Terry is once again made Head of School, taking over in October. FENS authorization card, circa 1983 – NWS Archive 14

1983 Spanish teacher Lisa Blodgett takes students to Mexico on the school’s first trip abroad. This destination is not repeated until Lisa again takes students to Mexico in 1994.

Board President Rex Stratton and Head of School Mark Terry launch a series of events to make clear to Seattle that The Northwest School continues to exist after the difficulties of 1983. In the spring of 1984, Northwest School brings the Paul Winter Consort to Seattle to offer their Missa Gaia/Earth Mass, A Mass in Celebration of Mother Earth, that they had developed for New York’s Cathedral of St John the Divine, at Seattle’s St Mark’s Cathedral on Mother’s Day. The Mass attracts so many to the cathedral that hundreds attend outside the open doors. The Consort also offers a benefit concert for The Northwest School at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre, and Northwest holds a dinner and lecture with legendary environmentalist David Brower in the school’s Main Hall. Concert program, 1984 – NWS Archive

1984

1984 The Northwest School is accepted as a member of the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS). Acceptance letter from PNAIS president, 1984 – NWS Archive

The Outdoor Experience/ Wilderness Education course, run by Humanities teacher Glen Sterr, is debuted with a campout at Paradise, Mt. Rainier, and a cycling trip through the Skagit Valley on the first year’s schedule. Image 1: (from left) Humanities teacher Glen Sterr, Chemistry teacher Renee Fredrickson, Science teachers Erica and Herb Bergamini on an early ’90s Outdoor Program camping trip to the North Cascades Image 2: Student trip, circa 1980s – NWS Archive

19841985

Integration as a mindset runs strong in the school and teachers from different disciplines often collaborate. A joint unit between 11th grade Chemistry and 11th grade Humanities examines nuclear issues, including the development of nuclear weapons and power, Hiroshima, and Three Mile Island. Called the “Power Trip,” the weeklong experience takes students to six major power installations around Washington State. Students solve math/science problems based on the volume of contaminated water involved in the Three Mile Island disaster and half-lives of the radioactive contaminants. Music teacher Floyd Standifer, who studied physics in college and loves basic atomic theory, gives the foundational lecture on atomic structure.

mid-

1980s

The Cofounders and a group of board members draft the school’s original and enduring Mission Statement. The Northwest School Mission Statement

mid- to late1980s

Mission Statement The Northwest School offers a faculty who engage each student in sequential, cross-disciplinary study in the Humanities, Sciences, and the Arts. We are a diverse community of people who challenge each other to learn in a healthy, creative, and collaborative atmosphere of respect for ourselves, others, and the environment. We graduate students with historical, scientific, artistic, and global perspective, enabling them to think and act with integrity, believing they have a positive impact on the world.

1985 The Northwest School follows up with a return visit by the Paul Winter Consort and Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. As a direct result of this collaboration, Seattle Mayor Charles Royer declares June 9, 1985, Soviet-American Common Ground Day. In the late 1980s, The Northwest School is one of the first in the nation to establish exchange programs and visits with the USSR and offer a Russian language program. A group of Northwest School students and faculty first travels to School #17 in Tashkent, USSR (now Uzbekistan), in early 1986. Later trips included further visits to Tashkent and St. Petersburg. Concert program, 1985 – NWS Archive

The Outdoor Experience/ Wilderness Education course adds Emergency Search and Rescue (ESAR) training to the curriculum. The training is required for the course until 1987, when the requirement was removed to allow the course to be more inclusive to students of different abilities and interest levels.

The Environment Program in which students and faculty clean the school building and grounds is formalized. Ellen Taussig observes the random cleaning at different times by scattered teams is not effective and the school assigns the MWF Environment work to mid-morning break time.

Memo to parents about Search and Rescue Training Course, 1985

Photo by Larry Bullis, undated, circa 1980s – NWS Archive

1985

circa mid1980s

As part of major efforts to keep the Summit School building and establish an ambitious international program, The Northwest School builds a relationship with Japanese educational consultant Masaru Kurahashi, who joins the board and significantly helps to stabilize the school’s finances and begin the International Program.

Students spearhead the school’s Recycling Program. Recycling brochure, undated, circa 1980s – NWS Archive

mid-

1980s

1986 Spanish faculty Lisa Blodgett takes students on the first trip to France and Spain, starting in Paris and on to Madrid and Sevilla. In Spain, students have their first homestay experiences.

Letter to faculty, November 24, 1987 – NWS Archive

1987

1988 The Northwest School begins in earnest to build an International Program, working with Masaru Kurahashi to recruit Japanese students, and with the sister school in Tashkent to recruit students from the USSR. The program begins with an ESL summer school. The Northwest School hosts 15 students from Katoh Gakuen and 5-6 students from Tashkent in March. Ellen Taussig travels to Japan in the spring, and Mark Terry in the fall, to recruit students. Northwest School Newsletter, December 1988 – NWS Archive 17

In late 1988, Masaru Kurahashi purchases the Summit School building for the Northwest School, as well as 1411 Bellevue to serve as a new residential dormitory for the International Program. After significant renovations, the dormitory opens in September 1988.

The Elliott Bay Book Company hosts a fundraiser for The Northwest School library. This event is the first of an annual community event that continues to this day. Elliott Bay Book Company event, 1992 – NWS Archive

1988

1988 The Northwest School obtains Seattle Landmark status for the school building in 1988. Plaque mounted on exterior wall of Northwest School’s main building.

1988-1989

1988-1990 As part of changes to support the International Program, English as a Second Language (ESL) is added to The Northwest School in 1988-1989. Japanese language study is added in 1989-1990 and Russian is added the following school year in 1990-1991. New students from around the Pacific Rim enroll, beginning in 1989. Notes by Paul Raymond on the International Program, circa late 1980s – NWS Archive

Ninth grade physical science teacher Judith Haemmerle, a faculty Environment Program leader, recommends seniors take on the responsibility of leading Environment groups. This student leadership practice continues to the present day.

Karla Lieberman’s ceramic and glass piece, “Pagoda Boat Float,” is part of an international art exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. Bilingual memo to international parents announcing the selection of Karla Leiberman’s piece for the exhibition, 1989 – NWS Archive

1989

1989 Jeff Blair revives the school’s interscholastic soccer program. The program advances to the state quarterfinals in ’98, ’99, ’00, ’02, and ’03. The boys also win league championships in ’91, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’03, and ’06.

Student vacuuming the Main Hall, circa 1990s – NWS Archive

late

1980s

Image 1: Boys playing soccer, circa 1990s Image 2: The Northwest School Boys’ Soccer Team, circa 1990s – NWS Archive

Britt Atack is hired to start an Upper School basketball program. The first team is all boys and one girl. Both the boys’ and girls’ programs expand rapidly and are district contenders by the mid-’90s.

Librarian Nancy Highiet initiates the Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) program, which continues today at regular intervals through the school year. She also starts several book clubs for both faculty and students.

1990s Lunchtime relocates to a cafeteria in the basement of Tuscany building down the street from the school. Students in Tuscany cafeteria, circa 1990s – NWS Archive

Students reading in Main Hall, circa 1990s – NWS Archive

early

1990s

Image 1: Britt with students, circa 1990s – NWS Archives

1990 Wishing to return to teaching, Mark Terry announces his resignation from his role as Head of School. Alexandra Scott is hired to replace him in 1990. Catherine Terry becomes Registrar and serves in that position until retirement in 2015. Mark Terry, circa 1990s – NWS Archive

Image 2: First Northwest School Basketball Team, 1991 – photo from Britt Atack

1990

1991 Students write, edit, and produce The Bagel, a student newspaper chock full of op-eds about political issues and copyright reform. At one point the paper runs 16 pages long. The Bagel, Volume V, Issue III

1991-2015 “Teaching beyond the walls” is a foundational practice by many NWS teachers. Mark Terry’s Primate Biology students begin visiting the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon in 1991, and ultimately add the Oregon Zoo, Oregon Regional Primate Center, Chimpanzee and Hunan Communication Institute in Ellensburg, and Chimp Sanctuary Northwest in Cle Elum. These trips continue until Mark’s retirement in 2015. Mark Terry teaching Primate Biology, circa 2015

The first true student exchange program begins with Sevilla, Spain. Spanish students come to Seattle in August and September with two weeks at The Northwest School. These exchanges continue until 2001. Jessica Scott ’99 (left) and Ani Raymond ’99 in traditional dress for the Sevilla Feria 1997 – photo provided by Lisa Blodgett

1992

1992 In 1992, both Alexandra Scott and Masaru Kurahashi resign, and Northwest School Cofounder Ellen Taussig is named the new Head of School. photo of Ellen Taussig, circa 1990s – NWS Archive

The Northwest School holds an exclusive premiere for the film A River Runs Through It, starring Robert Redford and Tom Skerritt (board member and parent of Collin Skerritt ’95). The Egyptian Theater is filled with notable members of the Seattle community, including the mayor, and the screening is followed by a banquet in the Main Hall.

1992

1993 The Cofounders of The Northwest School are awarded Entrepreneur of the Year awards, sponsored by Merrill Lynch, Inc. Awards event brochure, 1993 – NWS Archive

The Northwest School’s String Orchestra, under the baton of Dr. Paul-Elliott Cobbs, travels to Kyushu, Japan, in 1995, where they perform at a concert hall in Kagoshima along with the orchestra from sister school Kamimura Gakuen. The orchestra also is in residence for a few days at the school in the small town of Kushikino.

Seattle rock band Pearl Jam—featuring Northwest School alumnus Stone Gossard ’84 on guitar—begins funding a Northwest School scholarship. Stone Gossard, NWS Yearbook, 1984

1993

1994 The West Court opens to students and features a basketball play area flanked by two portico gate entrances. Each gate is adorned with a ceramic tile frieze, created by former Northwest School ceramics faculty Karla Leiberman and three classes of Upper School students. The tiles are themed “Unity in Diversity,” reflecting the school’s global student body. Professional tiler Don Fife donates his time to help seal the friezes to protect them from the elements.

Nick Jones ’01 (left) and Colin Sterr ’97, circa 1990s – NWS Archive

1995

Architect and founding alum parent Carolyn Geise works with Karla to help create an aesthetically pleasing space, and the resulting West Court satisfies Geise’s overall vision: to give students a playground that was truly theirs but also fit into the landscape of the immediate neighborhood. According to an article published by the Daily Journal of Commerce in April 1994, the school’s Capitol Hill neighbors agree, saying “the open space has turned into a living part of the local street scape.”

Athletic Director Mike Mullen launches the Ultimate Program.

1996 The Northwest School wins the U.S. Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence. The Cofounders are greeted on the White House lawn by President Bill Clinton. (from left) Mark Terry, Ellen Taussig, and Paul Raymond at award ceremony in Washington, D.C., 1996 – NWS Archive

1996 The Dining Hall Program introduces vegetarian and vegan options in September 1996.

Photo from the 2001-2002 Northwest School yearbook

1996

1997 The Northwest School String Orchestra tours Italy and Austria in the spring of 1997. The Northwest School Orchestra, circa 1996-1997 – NWS Archive

Middle School teachers Erica Bergamini and Mike Derzon expand the 6th grade math/science research project about “lesser-known scientists” to include scripted tea parties in which costumed students share their research with the 6th grade. Middle School Advanced Theatre students help with costuming. In the early 2000s, the unit adds a Humanities component to teach students about reading biographies and other non-fiction books as research sources, coining the term “Sci-manities.” The focus on women and people of color scientists evolves to include LGBTQ and non-binary scientists.

The Northwest School buys the Summit School building from Masaru Kurahashi. The Northwest School entrance, circa 1990s – NWS Archive

1997

1998 The student-driven Migrant Farmworkers Project begins with 11th graders traveling to Skagit Valley to renovate and improve housing for farmworkers. The project ends in 2016, when a labor dispute breaks out between farmworkers and owners of Sakuma Brothers Farms.

Images 1 & 2: 6th graders acting out the lives of scientists from various historical eras, 2017

1998

Images 1 & 2: Students at Sakuma Brother’s Farm, Skagit Valley, 2011

The Northwest School receives the State Historic Preservation Award in 1998, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Award in 1999.

19981999 Paul Raymond’s involvement with the local chapter of the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) leads to the first Northwest School trip to El Salvador. Northwest students travel to El Salvador with Paul and Lisa Blodgett as part of an international delegation of election observers for the country’s first elections after the end of the civil war. Image 1: Paul Raymond (left) and Lisa Blodgett in El Salvador Image 2: El Salvador voting site, 1999 – NWS Archive

In 1998 and 1999, two classrooms are converted into a computer lab and library, the biology lab and main office are upgraded, and two classrooms are added. Unidentified renovation photo, undated – NWS Archive

19981999

19981999 The trip to France resumes with Humanities teacher Jeff Blair and French teacher Francoise (Canter) Besnard travelling with students to Chatellerault. Beginning in 2003, the France trip is offered every other year.

Led by Assistant Head of School Alan Braun, the school’s Professional Development Committee launches the faculty Sabbatical Program, allowing teachers who have taught for seven or more years to apply for quintlong sabbaticals to pursue study, travel, and rejuvenation.

1999

In the 1999-2000 school year, the Wilderness/Outing class becomes the Wilderness/ Outing Program, with trips remaining comparable to previous years.

Founding Board of Directors member and noted artist Jacob Lawrence generously selects the painting “Curtain Time” from his Games series for The Northwest School’s 20th Anniversary celebration poster. Lawrence also serves on the school’s Advisory Board alongside his wife, artist Gwendolyn Knight, and he is a guest lecturer on the Harlem Renaissance in Humanities classes in the early 1980s.

Wilderness/Outing class schedule, 1999 – NWS Archive

20th Anniversary poster featuring Jacob Lawrence painting, “Curtain Time,” from his Games series, 2000 – NWS Archive

1999

2000

Improvements are made to the dorm, theatre, and 9th grade science room.

20002003

Humanities teacher Daniel Sparler and Spanish teacher Lisa Blodgett take students on the first trip to Cuba. Cuba trip group in Cuba, 2001

2001

NWS ultimate teams take to the national stage for the first time, placing 2nd in the inaugural high school national championships. They go on to amass 9 Western National Championship titles, 15 State titles, 15 League titles, 5 Seattle Invite titles, along with two Nationals runner-up trophies, six Westerns runner-up trophies, and nine States runner-up trophies.

2001-2018 Defining new ways of practicing the mission, creative teachers collaborate with students to come up with new ways to teach relevant courses. Chemistry teacher Renee Fredrickson and Photography teacher Lyn McCracken team up for the Advanced Chemistry/Cyanotype week-long field study trip. Students make their own cameras and create a dark room initially using the school bus, and subsequently, a makeshift exterior darkroom out of PVC pipe. Students study photographic history, discuss field study, navigate chemistry problems, brainstorm, and invent. Image 1: Improvised dark room on bus, 2001 Image 2: Student hanging cyanotypes, undated

Sonya Morris ’18 (far left), passes the disc in an ultimate game, 2018

20042019

A formal agreement with SHARE, the partner organization supporting the El Salvador trip, is signed. That same year, students travel to El Salvador to participate in the 25th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Romero.

2005 The Concert for The Northwest School, a sold-out benefit for Northwest’s scholarship fund, at the Paramount Theater, features Stone Gossard ’84 in Pearl Jam, Jason Finn ’85 in The Presidents of the United States of America, and jazz musician Bill Frisell (parent of Monica Jane Frisell ’09).

2013 El Salvador photo from Suzanne Bottelli – NWS Archive

2005

20052007 Northwest School Varsity Boys win the inaugural Western National Championship in ultimate in 2005. The boys continue to win the championship in 2006 and 2007, with the 2007 team including four future Team USA and club ultimate world and national champions, the first of many to follow.

Image 1: Concert program, featuring student-winning design, 2005 Image 2: Students painting banner for concert, 2005 – NWS Archive

A new wing attached to the main school building completed in 2006 houses a new library, computer lab, photography studio, music studio, dance studio, and two classrooms. The new library is given the name “The Founders Library.”

20052018

When The Founders Library opens in 2006, a committee is created to develop a commemorative piece of art celebrating Cofounders Paul Raymond, Ellen Taussig, and Mark Terry. Several students submit drawings and a committee selects the artwork of Mika Little ’09. Mika collaborates with local artist and sculptor Steven Hirt to bring the design to life. Image 1: Founders Library commemorative artwork Image 2: Architect rendering of new library

The Cross Country program (begun in the late 1990s by Tuney Kannapell) expands to Middle School and Upper School levels under the guidance of Joe Bisignano. In 2008, Maddie Meyers ’12 wins the distance Triple Crown— State 5k Cross Country; 1600 meter; and 3200 meter—and the 800 meter. By the time she graduates, she holds 15 state titles. Image 1: Maddie Meyers ’12, 2011 Image 2: Joe Bisignano with Cross Country Team runners, 2014

2006

Paul Raymond retires in spring 2007 and dies later that year. Image 1: Paul Raymond school wall photo, 2002 Image 2: Memorial program, 2007 – NWS Archive

2007

The school’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Program, which segregates international students until 12th grade, is phased out and replaced with a graduated program of integration beginning in the 9th grade. Ninth grade international students spend one-third of their class time fully integrated with domestic students. In 10th and 11th grades integration increases in arts and science classes.

2007 The Paul Raymond Endowed Financial Aid Fund is established in honor of Cofounder Paul Raymond shortly after his death. Over the years as the remaining Cofounders retire, the fund is renamed the Raymond Taussig Terry (RTT) Financial Aid Endowment Fund. The RTT Endowment Fund’s purpose is to increase access to the Northwest School education through tuition assistance, and to expand the economic diversity of the school’s community.

11th grade international students in Chemistry class, 2012

2007

20072008 The school launches the Exceptional Professional Development and Dynamic Curriculum Grant programs, providing teachers paid hours to further their teaching expertise and develop new curriculum.

2008 Chinese teacher Tina Chang accompanies students to China for the first time. Thereafter, the trip occurs every other year. China trip group, 2008

Brochure for the RTT Endowment fundraising campaign

Northwest School ceramics students sculpt animals from the endangered species list, a project that becomes a staple in the ceramics curriculum. Pangolin sculpture by Felix Doll ’17, selected for an award at the K-12 Ceramic Art Exhibition in the 2014 National Council on Education of the Ceramic Arts Conference

The Girls’ Ultimate Team wins the Western National Championship in 2008, 2010, and 2011.

The Dining Hall Program eliminates all non-compostable packaging and composts 100% of all food waste. Its annual “Locavore Lunch” honors and celebrates local food sources.

Andrea Loh ’08 (rear), at Western National Championship, 2007

Localvore Lunch menu, 2009

2008

2008-2011

2009

2009 Ceramics teacher Randy Silver is one of twenty artists in “The Best of American Ceramics Exhibition” by the Chinese Ceramic Art Council, in Beijing. Three years later, three of his 2012 teapots are purchased by the Kamm Teapot Foundation for the Fuller Museum of Craft in Boston. Sculpture by Randy Silver, titled “Texas Tea”

Faculty attend the People of Color Conference, and students attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, for the first time.

early

2010s

Director of Food Services Renee O’Harran appears with Michelle Obama at the White House as part of the First Lady’s campaign for healthier school meals. Image: Logo of Michelle Obama’s healthier school meals campaign

The school signs formal agreements with partner schools in Taiwan and Shanghai.

2010

20102015 Northwest School photography teacher Lyn McCracken works with activist Theodora Simon to make the documentary film Mujeres de la Guerra, Historias de El Salvador, which tells the story of El Salvador’s civil war through the testimony of six women. In 2014, the film screens at film festivals in Habana, Cuba; Malmö, Sweden; San Salvador, El Salvador; and both the film and accompanying photo exhibit are hosted by the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Master’s Degree Program at NYU. In 2015 the film is made available for viewing online through the Culture Unplugged Film Festival. The project is partly supported by an NWS Professional Development Grant.

The school appoints Amy BernerHays as Dean of Residential Life. She works to expand opportunities for international and domestic students, as well as faculty and parents, to meet and socialize. The Buddy Family program pairs international students with domestic families; Bistro Night allows local families to host international students for dinner and game-playing; and International Night Market brings the community together to share traditional foods prepared by international students from their home countries. International and domestic students engage in an orientation activity, 2012

2011

Lyn McCracken at exhibit of Mujeres de la Guerra, Historias de El Salvador, Kinsey Gallery, Seattle University, 2012 33

Cofounder Ellen Taussig retires after 20 years as Head of School.

The Dining Hall Program incorporates Meatless Mondays into the weekly lunch schedule.

2011 Northwest School students travel to Taiwan for the first time. NWS and Taiwanese students, 2011

(from left) Patrick Shay, Renee O’Harran, and Tony Muller, serve lunch in 401, 2015

2011

Image 1: Farewell poster by NWS students

2011 In 2011, the school purchases the dorm building from Masaru Kurahashi. Northwest School dormitory, 2001 – NWS Archive

Image 2: The Northwest School Magazine, Summer 2011

2011

The Boys’ Ultimate Team goes undefeated for 117 games, spanning 4½ years.

2011 Mike McGill is hired as Head of School.

Boys’ Ultimate Team, undated – photo provided by Britt Atack

20112015

2011-2019 The Girls’ Ultimate Team wins the Emerald City League Championship every year from 2011 to 2019. The boys are League champions 7 of those 9 years.

The school’s strategic plan specifically calls for every effort to align the school’s environmental practices with its values.

circa

2012

Girls’ Ultimate Team, 2017

2012 Trips to Spain are revived, including brief homestays in 2012, 2014, and 2016. A seven-week sophomore exchange with Docente María begins and runs in tandem with the trips abroad until 2019. Mixed group of NWS and Docente María students, 2015 – photo provided by Lisa Blodgett

Humanities teacher Adina Meyer introduces the “Quint of Love,” during which students and faculty express love and admiration for each other throughout the quint. Five years later, Adina teaches a Philosophy of Love course for seniors.

2012

20122018 A water well is turned on in Tute Kunche, Ethiopia, for the first time in the town’s history. The well is built by funds raised by Northwest School students in the Water1st Carry5 event held in Seattle in February 2011. In 2013, a plaque with the school’s name is mounted at the site of the well. NWS students go on to raise $45,000 for Water1st Carry5 in 2018, the largest sum raised by any of the schools participating in the event.

The school hires Dmitry Sherbakov as fulltime Director of Global Recruitment and Programs to diversify the international student body and work with global programs.

2013

2013 The International Leadership Academy of Ethiopia (ILAE, now Lebawi Academy) launches in 2013. Having worked with ILAE Founder Haddis Tadesse since 2007 to establish the school, Northwest School Cofounder Ellen Taussig travels to Ethiopia in 2011 to help get the school running.

The Northwest School becomes the first independent school in the Pacific Northwest to request an environmental evaluation by the Northwest Association of Independent Schools as part of the re-accreditation process.

2013

2013 The Mind at Hand, by University of Vermont Chemistry professor Michael Strauss, features a unit of Northwest School’s 10th grade biology and Humanities courses as a best practice example of integrated learning. The course (known as the “Darwin unit”) integrates history of Darwin with the work of 17th century nature artist Maria Merian. Students combine their historical study with their weekly comparative anatomy drawing labs. Writes Strauss, “The Northwest School was one of the best connections and uses of drawing-to-learn that emerged from my international search. The program is stunning, the drawings are amazing. I’ve taught at UVM for 45 years and these drawings are at the level of college students.” Cover image of The Mind at Hand

Graham Peet ’15 wins the Washington State Track and Field Championship title in the 5k. Maya Jackson ’16 wins the 400m. Graham Peet ’15 in first place at the Tri-Districts Meet, 2014

2014

2014 On November 5, the Environment Program is featured in The Seattle Times in both print and on the web. The “High Dusters” team is the focus of photographer and writer Alan Berner’s “Northwest Wanderings” column. “High Dusters” senior leader Owen Borges ’14, 2014

Northwest School’s dance teacher and working artist Ellie Sandstrom is featured on “Pie,” an arts and culture program on local PBS affiliate KCTS 9. The segment focuses on Ellie’s creative partnership with local dancer Amy O’Neal.

2014

2014 Fan Night (begun in 2005) is celebrated for the first time in the school’s home gymnasium. Fans pack the bleachers to cheer on boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. The House mascot at Fan Night, 2014

Formal agreements with the partner schools in France, Spain, and Ethiopia are signed.

2014

The Board of Trustees amends the school’s five-year strategic plan to include diversity as an integral element.

Three ceramics students are selected from thousands of applicants in a juried national competition to appear in the National K-12 Ceramics Exhibition in Milwaukee, WI. In the following years, Northwest School students continue to be featured in this exhibition, with several students winning awards in 2019.

The Board Diversity Plan, 2014

Upper School Director Ben Lee (left) and Docente María Director Juan Arenas sign a memo of understanding between the two schools, April 30, 2014.

2014

Camilo T ’23 (giraffe), Lia Christianson ’19 (spiny orb), 2019

In Summer 2014, Northwest School students travel to England to perform the first iteration of Crates of Thunder, an original play by Theatre faculty Laura Ferri. The play tells the story of the American Eighth Army Air Force in England, who flew the Boeing built B-17. Scenes in the play are derived from real-life experiences of local WWII veterans interviewed by Tamara Bunnell’s 7th grade Humanities students and are adapted to reflect the local histories of each performance location. In 2016, the group is invited back to headline the grand re-opening of the American Air Museum in Duxford, Cambridge, UK.

The new 401 E Pike building opens in January 2014, which features a Gym, Dining Hall, Black Box Theater, and Rooftop Sports Field. Later that spring, an Environmental Sustainability Wall is installed. Image 1: Performing Dance Ensemble in The 401 Black Box Theatre at the 2014-2015 Dance Showcase Image 2: Aerial shot of 401 building showing Rooftop Sports Field, 2015

2014

2014 In February, students inaugurate the new Black Box Theater in 401 E. Pike with an adaptation by Theatre teacher Laura Ferri of Isabel Allende’s La Casa de los Espiritus/ The House of Spirits.

Crates of Thunder cast during dress rehearsal, 2014 40

2014

The school adds gender identity to its non-discrimination policy.

2015

To support and expand environmental education, the school hires its first Director of Sustainable Education and Programs, Jenny Cooper.

2015 The beloved House logo (orginally drawn by a student) is refined, and a house-shaped, iconographic “master illustration” is developed to highlight the many facets of Northwest.

Jenny Cooper with students in NWS’s Urban Farm and Garden, 2018

2015

2015 In May, The Northwest School unveils its official Environmental Preferable Purchasing Policy (EPPP). The policy guides faculty and administrators in the purchase of products and services whose environmental and social impacts are less damaging to the environment and human health when compared to competing products and services.

Humanities faculty member Suzanne Bottelli publishes her book of poems, The Feltville Formation.

2015 Mark Terry and Catherine Terry retire

Suzanne Bottelli reads her poems in The Founders Library Reading Room, 2015

2015

2015 Artwork by local artist Ben Chickadel is installed in lobby of 401 in March. Composed of hanging sculptures and an interactive wallmounted element, the artwork ties together the historic main building with 401 in part by using reclaimed slate chalkboards saved from the original Summit School. The artwork is commissioned to honor the generosity of the community for funding the 401 building.

The Northwest Experience Fund (Xfund) is established to complement the Raymond Taussig Terry Financial Aid Endowment. The Xfund provides support for the additional costs beyond tuition that contribute to a full and successful experience at the school, serving as an important resource for families who need support beyond tuition-specific financial aid. Invitation to Pizzaz fundraiser to support Xfund, 2016

2016

For the first time since its founding, the school adopts a new daily and yearly class schedule in fall 2016, shifting from five quints to three trimesters.

2016 Maya Jackson ’16 wins her third consecutive Washington State Track and Field Championship title in the 400m. Tibs Proctor ’17 wins both the 1600m and the 3200m. Maya Jackson ’16 (far left), Isa Meyers ’18, Tibs Proctor ’17 (center), Macenna Hansen ’19, and Laila Kent’18

Sample daily schedule from the new trimester, NWS View Book, 2016

2016

2016 The new class schedule provides students consistent time for both Interest and Affinity Groups. Interest Groups include Environmental Interest Group and Model U.N.; Affinity Groups include Black Student Union (BSU), Q Club, Asian Pacific Islander Affinity Group, Latin American Student Union, Jewish Student Union, and International Student Union. Image 1: NWS Q Club students join GLSEN members at the annual Gay Pride March Image 2: BSU photo from BSU Instagram, 2019

In June, The Northwest School Board of Trustees establishes official definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of its Board Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Plan.

2016 The Northwest School hosts the first Global Symposium of Partner Schools, June 26-July 1. NWS faculty share curriculum ideas, visualize collaborative projects, and deepen connections with faculty from partner schools. Global Symposium participants from NWS and partner schools, Lycée Emmanuel Mounier, Angers, France; Centro Docente María, Seville, Spain; The Affiliated High School of National ChengChi University, Taipei; and Lebawi, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2016

Page from Board Diversity Plan stating DEI definitions

2016

2016 Two hundred Northwest School students enter national political discourse by joining fellow students throughout Seattle in an organized and peaceful walkout to protest the election of Donald Trump. NWS students march in downtown Seattle, 2016

The school strengthens its commitment to diversity by hiring Anshu Wahi as fulltime Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Anshu Wahi in her office with advisees, 2017

2017

2017 In October, the school purchases three properties neighboring the school’s campus buildings on Capitol Hill, securing land and building structures on 1422 and 1418 Bellevue (the former becomes Haus West). Front entrance of Haus West at 1422 Bellevue, 2018

Under the direction of Director of Dining Services Bethany Fong, The Northwest School partners with the Puget Sound Food Hub to support local farmers and provide students and faculty more fresh and local produce during school lunches. Chalkboard displays in the Dining Hall are updated with facts and food source information about the day’s lunch ingredients.

2017

2017 The Girls’ Cross Country Team wins the Washington State Championship, leading all schools with the top average race time and claiming the top D-II position in the nation from the National High School Coaches Association. They go on to win States in 2018 and 2019. Tibs Proctor ’17 wins the 3200m and his second-straight Washington State Track and Field Championship title and is named best D-II boy’s runner in the nation. Isa Meyers ’18 wins the 800m at the Washington State Track and Field Championships and goes on to win again in 2018. (from left) Nelika Anderson ’19, Molly McCammom ’17, Julia Hess ’18, Lucia Rathbun ’17 (with trophy) 45

2017 Over 300 students actively help to design and build the Farm and Garden, which opens in 2017. The harvest helps supply the Dining Hall Program as well as Seattle food banks with delicious, fresh produce. In 2019, students help build a chicken coop and welcome eight chickens to campus. Center photo: Luka M. ’23 (front) and Camilo T-R., 2017

The Northwest School is awarded Green School Certification. Students in the Environmental Interest Group (EIG), with help from faculty members in the Sustainability Committee, applied for certification in the three following areas: transportation, waste and recycling, and school grounds and gardens.

2017

2017 French teacher Francoise (Canter) Besnard publishes her book of poems, Les Voix Luminales. Francoise (Canter) Besnard reads from her book at Elliott Bay Book Company, 2017

Orchestra Director Jo Nardolillo launches the Virtual Orchestra Project (VOP). Northwest music students collaborate with students from six different schools on five continents: Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C.; Colegio Jorge Washington in Cartagena, Columbia; John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, Germany; International School Bangkok in Bangkok, Thailand; Givatayim Conservatory in Tel Aviv, Israel; and the Lelt Foundation Orchestra in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Northwest students, performing live, synch with videos of students from around the world playing a tango by Argentinian Composer Astor Piazzolla.

2017

The Board of Trustees revises the investment policy to focus on investing in companies that are “consistent in their operations with the school’s mission, philosophy, and values. These values include environmental stewardship, adherence to human rights, and sound corporate governance.” One hundred percent of the school’s investments are divested from fossil fuels and other heavily polluting industries, as well as alcohol, tobacco, gaming, adult entertainment, weapons, and nuclear energy. In addition, the school’s portfolio eschews companies with patterns of egregious behavior around equity and human rights and those with fewer than one woman on their boards.

2017 The World Affairs Council selects Northwest School Humanities teacher Jeff Blair for the 2017-18 World Educator Award. Jeff is honored for his contributions to broadening the global horizons of both his students and his colleagues. As a World Educator, Jeff is an honorary member of the Global Fellows Program.

Article published in Net Assets magazine, National Business Officers Association, 2018

2018

Jeff Blair teaching students while on a Fulbright, 2013

Through an inclusive process, the Board develops a Strategic Framework that defines the school’s strengths and values and maps out a direction for the school’s programmatic and physical future. The Strategic Framework graphic is designed in the shape of a lens, symbolizing the school’s ability to focus on the present and envision the future.

Our Mission

Distinctions

Directions

Principles

e tic

Te ac h

So cia l

Student-centered learning leads to a sense of wonder, purpose, and agency.

gE in

2018

Ju s

Graphic from the Strategic Framework booklet, 2018

e enc ell xc

Exceptional faculty – Our diverse our greatest community Liberal arts and resource – works sciences animated continue to relentlessly by intellectual vitality, choose The to advance joy, and humor A vibrant Northwest equity and international School. inclusion school so that all community Education We graduate can thrive. and global as a students with network historical, scientific, commitment artistic, and global to humanity Our perspective, enabling urban them to think and act campus with integrity, believing reﬂects The they have a positive our ecological impact on the educational imperative world. philosophy of an urban Our —bold, environmental technology imaginative, education The integration and transformative model consistent power of the arts empowers with our all students, environmental fostering values. creativity and capacity for complex We work at the forefront of social justice, problemenvironmental stewardship, and solving. global perspective, passionately engaged at their critical intersection.

tif ul

i le

2018

Thirteen Track and Field students qualify for the Washington State Championships, setting a new record.

Music teacher Jo Nardolillo publishes her fourth book, Cello Secrets, explaining over 100 techniques cellists use to master the instrument.

Gabriel Roldan Barrios ’18 sets a state record for basketball, shooting 73 percent from the three-point range over four tournament games. Gabriel Barrios ’18, 2018

Jo Nardolillo conducting orchestra class, 2018

A group of Northwest School students and faculty travel to Ethiopia in March and spend time with Lebawi, the Northwest School partner school in Addis Ababa. They travel to the Hudad to see the school being built by former Northwest School Facilities Manager Bob Martin (who retired in 2017). NWS and Lebawi students in Addis Ababa, 2018

2018

Ceramics students raise pesticide awareness by sculpting fruits and vegetables from the FDA’s annual “Dirty Dozen” list of pesticidecontaminated fruits and vegetables. The sculptures are displayed permanently in the Dining Hall.

March

2018

The school launches Summits, a twoweek program of immersive courses rooted in the values of the school. Students examine issues and topics through the lenses of environmental sustainability, social justice, and global perspective.

Fruit and vegetable sculptures by NWS students, 2018

2018

Science teacher Jeremy Dewitt and Sonya Morris ’18 on the Wilderness Summit, 2018

Through the lens of theatre, students continue to learn about issues of social justice. The Upper School Play Production presents Radium Girls, directed by theatre teacher Ellen Graham, the true story of young women who contracted fatal illnesses from radium dust as they painted watch dials that soldiers could see in the dark during WWII.

2018 Public Art Class students install art pieces supporting social justice and equity on Upper Hall windows and main building stairwells. Image 1: Art installation quoting writer and civil rights activist Audre Lorde Image 2: James Baldwin quote on steps of north stairwell

MacKenzie White ’19 performs in Radium Girls, December 2018

Year-long series of anti-racism workshops for faculty begin and continue every year thereafter.

2018

2019 Students form the International Student Union to address issues of equity and other concerns of international students.

In May, members of the Change Coalition, a group of more than 25 Northwest students representing different races, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, and nationalities, organize and co-facilitate a “Teach In,” centered around race, class, sexuality, gender, and privilege at The Northwest School. Sy’Neah Shell ’20 (with microphone) and Amalia Heron ’20 (holding folder), members of the Change Coalition, lead MLK Day event, 2019

2019

Amelia Hewson ’19 wins the Washington State Championship for the 100m hurdles. Amelia’s title headlines an historic NWS showing at the State meet with NWS athletes qualifying in preliminary heats for the finals in nine events, setting five personal records, and three school records and the girls bringing home the 4th place team trophy.

2019 Twenty-eight Northwest School faculty members of color attend the National Association of Independent School’s 2019 People of Color Conference (PoCC), held at the Washington State Convention Center in December. Six Northwest School students (the maximum allowed) attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, also held in the Washington State Convention Center.

Amelia Hewson ’19 (center) runs the 100m hurtles, 2019

2019

2019 The U.S. Department of Education names The Northwest School a Green Ribbon School, honoring the school for its innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and costs, promote better health, and ensure effective environmental education. On October 31, Northwest is included in the U.S. Department of Education’s 2019 Green Strides Tour.

NWS faculty (from left) Azucena Ledezma, Monica VanLoon, Vero Leyva, Meg Goldner Rabinowtiz, Kris Arreola, Reena Marston

On September 20, over 400 students and faculty join the youth-led national movement to march in the Global Climate Strike. Image 1: Faculty members (from left) Françoise (Canter) Besnard, David Montero, and Elvin Jones. Image 2: NWS students march for climate justice in Seattle, 2019

2019

March

2020 In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Northwest School closes campus in March and all students transition to remote, online instruction. The campus closure extends through the 2020-21 school year. Image 1: Oliver C. ’22 joins his Advisory Group on Zoom, 2020. Image 2: Middle School science teacher Erica Bergamini teaches a remote science lab from her kitchen.

Mike McGill resigns as Head of School.

June

2020

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dining Hall Team creates a take-out meal service for families called The House Specialty Program. Once a week, pre-made meals for five, featuring Northwest School favorites such as yakisoba and curry, are prepared for pick-up at the Dining Hall back door or at one of six locations around the Seattle area. Ingredients are locally sourced as much as possible and all kits come in compostable packaging. Image 1: Week 15 meal: pasta puttanesca, cannellini beans with herb oil, beet salad, focaccia, and locally-grown apples

June 9,

2020

The Class of 2020 seniors celebrate graduation entirely online with video recordings of performances and faculty and student speakers. Screen shot of senior Jaedyn Loupe-Fedd ’20, speaking at Northwest School’s virtual 2020 Graduation

Image 2: Director of Dining Services Bethany Fong, handing out a House Specialty meal at the door of 401 Image 2: Dining Services Faculty Patrick Shay, prepping take-out salads for families, 2020

September

2020

November

2020

Over 100 students are directly involved in political and voter turnout campaigns for the 2020 presidential election. In addition to the 12th grade Humanities Civic Engagement Project (formerly the Elections Project) whereby students volunteer at least 10 hours for either a current campaign in the 2020 election, a voter registration/turnout organization, or a local/statewide political and social justice-oriented organization, several students also participate in the new online Civics and Swing States course, developed by Jenny Cooper, open to students, faculty, parents, and alumni. Image from Civics and Swing States webpage, 2020

As part of a longstanding core Humanities unit on WWII, 11th graders study the horrors of the Holocaust through research, reading, and creative response. Students design memorials for Seattle, providing details of the scale, materials, location, a mock-up design, and an artist statement explaining the message, audience, and overall rationale behind he vision.

October

2020

Dennis Bisgaard becomes Interim Head of School.

Holocaust Memorial Design by Graycie V. ’22, featuring a garden in the center of a gazebo, with the roof shaped like a concave Star of David to remember the Jews who perished. On the inside of the roof is the word “remember,” written in all the languages of the victims of the Holocaust.

December

2020

February

2021

The visual and performing arts classes continue to thrive even under the limitations of online learning. US Play Production and Stagecraft class members present Spirochete, an animated radio drama and original adaptation of the Federal Theatre Living Newspaper play. Digital promo poster of the play, 2021

Twelfth grade students return to campus for the first time in 11 months (since the pandemic began) to participate in oneday “Mask On Join Others” (MOJO) social activities on the Rooftop Sports Field and in the Farm and Garden under a newly installed tent. Eleventh, 10th, and 9th grades students come on consecutive days throughout the week. Image 1: Students gather in Farm and Garden for MOJO activity, 2021 Image 2: Instructional assistant Sarah Chae screens arriving student.

February 8,

Students and faculty prepare to return to on-campus learning for Trimester 3.

Please a mask wear .

March 3,

2021

Maint of 6 feain a distan possib et whenev ce er le. 6 ft

2021

Stay sa fe

in the

House !

Eighth grade students return to campus for the first time since the pandemic began to participate in MOJO gatherings on the Rooftop Sports Field and in the Urban Farm and Garden under an installed tent. Seventh and 6th graders come on consecutive days throughout the week.

Image of proposed Trimester 3 Schedule, 2021

April

2021

July

2021 Ray Wilson takes the helm as The Northwest School’s new Head of School.

Campus directional signs designed by parent and graphic designer Barbara Chin, displayed in all buildings for safe distancing, 2021.

1415 Summit • Seattle, WA 98122

northwestschool.org

Margie Combs, Editor Barbara Chin, Graphic Design Alice Shahan, Archivist Amanda Demeter, Archivist Peter Woodburn, Photo Assistance