Seattle Times (RVP news partner):
Ed Hill doesn’t like to think of the kids he’s mentored at Rainier Beach High School as “at risk.”
He sees their potential, instead. But after four intense years of mentoring, it’s hard to watch graduates head to college and struggle to afford books and computers.
That’s why Hill and other volunteer mentors involved with Community for Youth at Rainier Beach High School held a fundraiser this weekend to raise money to help kids who already have succeeded. Read more.
Jonathan Amosa and others watch a documentary during the Rainier Beach High School Alumni Association’s fundraiser Sunday at the Southside Commons in Columbia City. Photo used with permission from The Seattle Times/Erika Schultz
Tagged as:
columbia city,
rainier beach
This weekend, the Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition (RBCEC) will help 600 local students prepare for the new school year with backpacks full of basic school supplies.
The 8th annual Rainier Beach Back2School Bash – to be held this Sat., Aug. 21, from noon to 4 pm at Beer Sheva Park – will include fun activities for kids, a resource fair with more than 30 neighborhood social service providers and more.
Photo/RBCEC
Tagged as:
rainier beach
Rainier Valley teens now have access to a free professional-level art program every Saturday night at the 2100 Building Art Studio on 24th Avenue South at Rainier Avenue South near Mt. Baker.
Teen Art Studios-Rainier Valley (TAS) was launched earlier this year by Gage Academy of Art as a three-month pilot program modeled after the popular Capitol Hill program that’s been a fixture at Gage, attracting thousands of teens from across the region since its inception in 2001.
Thanks to generous funding from the Lucky Seven Foundation and the Mark & Susan Torrance Foundation, Gage has taken steps to ensure that the three-month pilot program continues as a key, and permanent, part of the Youth Programs at Gage.
“The goal of TAS has always been to create a safe, accessible and approachable place for teens to engage in and create art,” said Sharon Arnold, Youth Programs Manager at Gage. “Teen Art Studios provides an opportunity to hang out with friends, create works of art, play with new ideas, think creatively and abstractly, and even build a portfolio for college.”
Each month a different professional artist leads teen artists in exploring a new art form. Students receive focused instruction and a chance to try different mediums and subject matter from traditional art school fare like figure drawing and abstract painting to installation and recycled art.
This month, teaching artist Noah Grusgott will lead Figurative Casting and Installation. Next month, Susanna Bluhm will teach Painting from Memory & Imagery, and October will see Lauren Holloway leading Urban Arts & Graffiti Jewelry.
The TAS-Rainier Valley pilot program averaged 18 students each week and offered a free way for teens to explore silk-screen printmaking, self portraits in pastel, and wood-block printmaking. One teen said, “After coming to this art class, I see the world around me in a whole new way — everything is art.”
Teen Art Studios-Rainier Valley – open to youth ages 13-18 – runs Saturday nights from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. All art materials and free refreshments are provided.
Tagged as:
mt. baker
Considering the many challenges facing schools in southeast Seattle, some have suggested that educating girls and boys separately may help fix our public schools, others say the concept simply reinforces outmoded gender stereotypes.What do you think?
From Newsweek:
If you thought charter schools and ending teacher tenure were controversial fixes for the American school system, see what happens you bring up the idea of educating boys and girls separately. With male academic achievement declining by almost every measure, and their scores possibly dragging down national averages, administrators are taking a fresh look at same-sex classrooms and the concept that boys and girls might do better when they’re apart. Why is it such a hot-button topic? Well, because it goes against 30 years of thinking, and smacks of “separate but equal” education.
The advocates of the single-sex approach are surprising, as are the foes. Among many liberal thinkers, gender segregation sounds like regressing to a time when girls were educated in finishing schools and had access to neither the number, nor caliber of schools available to boys. Plus, the notion that boys and girls learn differently—touted by some as the primary rational for gender separation—goes against one of feminism’s (at least the 1970s version) main messages. To say that there is something inherently different between boys and girls is, for many, tantamount to saying that women are the weaker sex.
For these reasons, Democratic politicians spent decades fighting vehemently against loosening legislation to allow public schools to offer same-sex classes. But in 2001, Sen. Hillary Clinton linked the issue to class—citing an unfairness in the fact that single-sex education is available as a choice only to those who can afford private-school tuition. Clinton, a graduate of all-women’s Wellesley College, joined forces with Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to successfully bring about legislative change. Since then, the number of public schools offering same-sex classes has grown from 11 to 540—still a relatively small figure in the big picture, but a jump of more than 4,000 percent nonetheless. Read more.
Rainier Beach High School has faced numerous challenges over the years. Photo/do communications
Related:
Tagged as:
Cleveland High School,
Franklin High School,
mt. baker,
rainier beach,
Rainier Beach High School
The 2010 graduation season isn’t over yet! Seattle Goodwill will hold a festive Graduation Ceremony on Thur., July 15, at 3 p.m. for more than 300 students who completed programs at its Job Training and Education Center.
These are not your typical graduates; each has a unique story of triumph over hardship and adversity. They have battled problems like drug abuse, homelessness, language barriers, poverty and chronic unemployment. By completing Goodwill’s free training programs, they have put themselves in better positions to find jobs and support themselves.
One such student is Asha Yakuti. After escaping her native Tanzania, located in East Africa, Asha entered the United States under political asylum and now lives in Seattle. Goodwill’s free job training classes have helped her learn English, retail skills, and American customs; she now has a job that enables her to support herself and her children. Asha plans to enroll in community college to eventually become a Pharmacist.
“When I first got here in America, I didn’t think I could get a job. Goodwill helped me and now I can dream big and become a Pharmacist,” Yakuti says.
Goodwill operates nine job training centers in the central and northern Puget Sound region. The graduation takes place at the Job Training and Education Center in Seattle, located at 1400 S. Lane St. (corner of S. Dearborn St. and Rainier Ave. S.).
Register for upcoming classes: Graduation also means that a new session of classes will be starting at Goodwill soon; the next session runs from Aug. 9 through Sept. 30. Registration for the upcoming session will take place from July 19-23. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to come early to guarantee a spot. Classes will include:
- English for Speakers of Other Languages – pre-literacy, literacy, basic, and intermediate levels
- Computers – classes include keyboarding, basic computers, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel
- Basic math
- Cashiering
- Writing for school and work
Goodwill graduates celebrating Dec. 2009 graduation. Photo/Goodwill
Tagged as:
Rainier Valley
Seattle Public Schools (SPS):
A report from public health and scientific experts has concluded that there are no long-term health effects from indoor air quality at South Shore K-8 School.
A registered toxicologist’s investigative report of the school building’s indoor air quality, supported by the work of a materials scientist, states that there is no evidence of sufficient concentrations of airborne organic compounds or particulates that would cause acute or chronic toxicity.
The work was developed by a toxicologist in concert with a materials sciences expert and has been reviewed by the State Department of Health and Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at the University of Washington. Both the Department of Health and Pediatric Environment Health Specialty Unit concur with the analysis.
The South Shore K-8 building was closed on April 16 as a precautionary measure while the District continued to investigate the source of the odors. South Shore students in grades prekindergarten-5 are being housed temporarily at the Columbia Elementary School building while grades 6-8 students are at Rainier Beach High School, in a separate building for middle school classes.
The toxicology investigation, conducted by Bruce Kelman, Principal Toxicologist for Veritox, Inc., in conjunction with GT Engineering, a materials science firm, found that the odor was caused by a high pH and moisture content in the concrete flooring, which reacted with the carpet adhesive and carpet backing to produce off gassing of the chemical methyl hexanol, a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC).
The Toxicologist’s Final Report can be found on Seattle Public School’s website: www.seattleschools.org. Click on “South Shore Update” in the right column of the home page.
Seattle Public Schools is taking the following steps in the upcoming weeks: ordering new carpet, removing all of the old carpet and adhesive, preparing the concrete surface and installing a sealant, installing new adhesive and carpet and conducting further testing. The goal is to have the South Shore building ready for the first day of school, Sept. 8, 2010.
Photo/Will Austin Photography
Related:
Tagged as:
rainier beach,
South Shore School
The Skanner:
Part of the Urban League’s mission is to partnership with community and businesses striving to help people, particularly to help African Americans become self-sufficient.
Thanks to a new partnership between the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle and the Rainier Beach High School football team, student athletes are provided with nutritious meals, as well as tutorial academic help — for those needing it.
It all started with a little gossip. Last year, James Kelly, president of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, heard stories about high school football coaches giving money out of their own pockets to student players who were hungry. Some of these students are living at or below poverty level. Read more.
Photo/do communications
Related:
Tagged as:
rainier beach,
Rainier Beach High School
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and your RVP encourages you to use the comment section below to tell local teachers what you appreciate most about their hard and valuable work in our community.
Parent volunteers at Graham Hill Elementary School in Seward Park spent Tuesday morning collecting flowers from students and families, then arranging more than 30 vases to brighten up classrooms and offices. Today, the school will host its annual staff appreciation luncheon hosted by the PTA and community. Photos/do communications
Tagged as:
Graham Hill,
Seward Park
Loading ...
