Since Gibson Ek High School opened in the fall of 2016, Mark Boberg has been a regular volunteer - often times spending four to five days a week supporting in the woodshop. Mark (red shirt in picture) is a retired Boeing employee, where he spent 30 years as an engineer and finished his time as an Associate Technical Fellow.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Mark runs an on-campus internship with students interested in hands-on experience. Part of the day is spent learning a new technique through group projects, while the other part is dedicated to independent student projects with Mark acting as their primary consultant. Inspired by the book Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford, Mark explains that there are a variety of benefits in making things because it supports a student’s ability to learn and do. At the end of the day, Mark hopes to instill a value and appreciation in all students to make anything their mind creates!
If you are interested in volunteering at Gibson Ek High School in an effort to help carry out the vision to transform education, please reach out to Tim Hemker, Learning Through Interest Coordinator, via email at hemkert@issaquah.wednet.edu.
Congratulations to IVE ballroom dancing students for bringing home the gold medal at the Colors of the Rainbow Team Match Fall Semi-Finals on December 8! The competition, held between local elementary schools, was the conclusion to the fall term of the Dancing Classrooms program.
Dancing Classrooms, a 10-week social and emotional learning program that utilizes ballroom dance to cultivate positive feelings inherent in every child, is one of the three primary programs offered by Pacific Ballroom Dance. The Fall, Winter, and Spring terms are each culminated in a Colors of the Rainbow Team Match, Six couples from each school meet in friendly competition to dance before a panel of judges.
For more information on Pacific Ballroom Dance and the Dancing Classrooms program, please visit their website: http://pacificballroom.org/dancing-classrooms/
Just before winter break, the Special Olympics Washington honored Liberty High School and Patriots United as a National Banner School for the 2017-2018 school year! Patriots United is a club at Liberty that supports the inclusion of people with disabilities and people without disabilities. The club raises awareness, promotes advocacy, and builds RESPECT. Unified Champion Schools much demonstrate three necessary components: Whole School Awareness and Involvement, Inclusive Youth Leadership, and Inclusive Sports.
Morgan Larche, Unified Programs Director, explains the award with more detail, “Schools that receive this recognition are ones that have demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community. The National Banner Recognition is recognized by the State Department of Education and is modeled after the National Blue Ribbon School program.”
Liberty High School in one of only 220 schools (elementary through collegiate level) in the nation to receive this honor! Liberty received a banner at the winter sports assembly, presented by Special Olympics Washington and Hasbro. The banner will hang in Liberty High School’s gym with the rest of the state banners.
Congratulations Liberty on this awesome achievement!
For more information on Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools, please visit their website: https://www.specialolympics.org/our-work/unified-champion-schools
December 13 marked the 7th annual Great Careers Conference – an event that highlights career options for students that are interested in pursuing limited training, a certificate, or two year degree after high school. Students from Issaquah High, Liberty, Skyline, and Gibson Ek High School started their day at Bellevue College, with opening statements from ISD Superintendent Ron Thiele and Issaquah Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy McCorry, before breaking off to sessions to explore job options.
Students attended four informational sessions of their choosing (chosen during registration), and then reconvened as a large group for the College and Career Connections Expo. Bellevue College, Lake Washington Technical College, Renton Technical College, and more were on hand to discuss programs at their campuses that aligned with the careers students had just explored.
Industries covered at this year’s conference:
Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a success!
If you are interested in learning more about the Great Careers Conference and the Issaquah School District Career and Technical Education department, please visit the CTE and STEM website: http://www.isdstemandcte.com/.
If you are interested in sharing your career with Issaquah School District students at the next conference, please contact STEM and CTE TOSA Janel LeMieux: lemieuxj@issaquah.wednet.edu.
On December 14 Ms. Warner’s 2nd grade class at Maple Hills Elementary hosted a lemonade stand to raise funds for the Red Cross. The students chose the Red Cross as their community project for social studies because of the recent disasters they have been hearing about in the news, as well as the connection to science and how disasters change ecosystems – something they have been studying in class. The lemonade stand was a huge success and raised $244 for the Red Cross! Way to go Eagles!