Kitsap Education

I had the nicest conversation last night with Danique Gigger, the valedictorian for South Kitsap High School’s class of 2010. She has never missed a day of school. That’s 180 days a year for 13 years, or 2340 days.

“I get sick very conveniently, like I got chicken pox over Thanksgiving break in kindergarten,” she said. I personally don’t think it’s a coincidence that Danique has perfect attendance AND she’s the valedictorian. Being in class must have something to do with academic achievement. So I hunted around a bit online for a study that might shed some light on this. What I found isn’t a perfect correlation to Danique’s situation, but it’s an interesting read anyway. Check it out here.

Gigger has plans to attend the University of Puget Sound and then hopes after a few years to transfer to NYU. She wants to work in journalism or book publishing. Look for a story and photo about Danique in tomorrow’s Sun.

Washington state’s application for the Department of Education’s Race to the Top grants is in process, carrying with it endorsements from almost all Washington public schools. Check out the story I wrote about it last week. But not everyone is on board.

Lots of branches of the statewide teachers union have not signed on, including those in Central and North Kitsap.

Bremerton’s Education Association did sign on, though President Tina Mahaney said it was philosophically hard to do. “Philosophically we are against competing because we don’t feel we should have to compete for money for basic education,” she said. However, BEA members agreed that it would be wrong to pass by a chance to gain funds for the schools when budget cuts come every year. “We can’t afford to let any money pass us by if it’s out there,” Mahaney added.  Bremerton schools stand to gain more (over $1.1 million) from RTTT than any other local district. The level of poverty among students in the Bremerton schools entitles them to more federal funds each year than any other local district. Under RTTT, that Title I status also could garner Bremerton schools more money. (In comparison, CK schools have almost twice the enrollment as Bremerton, but without the district-wide Title I status CK only gets a little more than $900,000.)

South Kitsap Education Association signed on too to “be collaborative” with the school district, said Judy Arbogast, SKEA president. There is concern among SKEA members about the extra workload created by the potential of new federal money. Arbogast said there are many unknowns, including the “cost-benefit analysis.” Arbogast also said that there is a mixed message. On the one hand, schools are charged with meeting the needs of every child under the federal No Child Left Behind law, but now they are competing for the money to do it. “We shouldn’t be fighting for the money that is needed,” she said. 

Catherine Ahl, a former NK school board member and active participant these days in the League of Women Voters, has been against RTTT for several months. She wrote an email to me late last week.

“I recommended voting against it although I don’t think WA has a chance in Hell of winning anyway. I believe if money comes from the federal government there will be strings attached and reporting requirements that might cost many of the dollars received. If the state doesn’t receive the money, schools might still be mandated to do what they signed up for. This seems to be a diversion from the (NEWS) lawsuit ruling. It will do nothing about funding transportation, utility, curriculum replacement etc. that local levies are paying for. The state continues to ignore its Constitutional duty.” 

Some estimate that Washington has only a 20 percent chance of winning any RTTT money. Remember in the last go-around of RTTT awards only two states, Delaware and Tennessee, won grants.

A new book published by a Harvard senior lecturer looks at the numerous studies done on AP classes over the years. The book’s conclusion finds that the classes, which allow high school students to take college-level courses and in some cases get credits, aren’ t the educational magic bullet. This is probably something to consider as more and more local high schools add AP classes at the insistence of students and parents.

Read more about it here.

Thanks to Kitsap Education reader Karen Lee for sending me a link to a story in the Western Washington University publication about Port Orchard native North Campbell. North will be traveling to Croatia and Montenegro to study fishing and its relationship to communities in those two countries. North is a student of the Fairhaven College of the Interdisciplinary Studies at WWU. Read all about it here.

Terri Messing, a teacher at Cedar Heights Junior High in Port Orchard, has been named the Washington state Civic Educator of the Year.

Read more here about Messing’s award and two other area teachers who will be honored.

South Kitsap High School student Ethan Kalkwarf will sign copies of his book, Teen Entrepreneur, tomorrow (Saturday) from 3 to 5 p.m. at Cosmo’s Deli, 1821 SE Lund, in Port Orchard.

Ethan has been in the business world for 10 years with two businesses, Ethan’s Paper Products and Phase 5 Design. His book delves into his experiences with his businesses, but also is meant to inspire teens to take on leadership roles.

In his column published today, Tacoma News-Tribune columnist Patrick O’Callahan takes state Rep. Rosa Franklin to task for her proposed Senate Bill 6249, which would require officials to use the term “kids at hope” rather than “kids at risk.” Basically, he thinks the proposed change is silly. Euphemism is not good public policy. I would agree with him to a point. But only to a point.

Schools in South Kitsap and Bremerton have adopted some of the tenets of the “kids at hope” model, which goes far beyond just the phrse. Started in Phoenix in 1993, Kids At Hope is a model for youth development. From the organization’s website:

Kids at Hope traces its history to 1993 when a group of youth development practitioners expressed concern and distress about the use and abuse of the term youth at risk. It appeared to these professionals that our society might have unwittingly stereotyped an entire generation with an expression or label that unfortunately, devalues them. The coining of the term Kids at Hope generated great interest not only in the community based youth development field but also in education, recreation and law enforcement as well. It appeared that our community was ready to discard a label which may have at one time or another had merit, but which over the past two decades may have been so maligned that it was too easy a way to try to sum up the many threats our children were experiencing or could experience.

A group of education, youth development, law enforcement and recreation leaders were invited to a meeting to further explore the Kids at Hope concept and determine if it was possible to reverse the current youth at risk paradigm to that of at hope. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix was the organizing body but it realized that Kids at Hope was not about another well meaning youth program; it was about an entire belief system and strategy which needed to be part of the overall culture and not housed in the four walls of any one institution.

Through significant research and evaluation Kids at Hope has created a youth development strategy that begins with a belief system that states and demonstrates, all children are capable of success, No Exceptions; supported by a culture of individuals and organizations willing to suspend self interest to accomplish a common good on behalf of all children; and finally enhanced by programs which permit and demonstrate how all children can succeed on their terms as well as our terms.

Examples of Kids at Hope programs can be found here.

So Callahan has a point, but I think Franklin’s bill could result in something more than just the changing of a phrase. I have a feeling that’s what she thinks too.

Folks in South Kitsap are invited to a “Call to Action” open house tonight hosted by SK School Board members at five different sites across the district.
The open houses will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Western Washington Center for the Performing Arts on Bay Street with Patty Henderson; First Lutheran Church’s Ministry Center on Mitchell Ave. with Kathryn Simpson; First Christian Church on Hovde with Jay Rosapepe; Harper Evangelical Church on Sedgwick Rd. with Keith Garton; and Mullenix Ridge Elementary School with Chris Lemke.
At the open houses, SK’s “Call to Action” team hopes to begin the process of creating a Community Compact that will define what is desired for every child who attends school in South Kitsap. Call to Action team members include school staff, parents, business leaders, higher education, SKSD retirees and board members. Six specific, vision-related questions have been created and will serve as the basis for the discussion and the ultimate creation of the Community Compact.
For more information call Aimee Warthen, SKSD Community Relations director at (360) 874-7005.

As some of you may know, I previously worked at the Sun as a full-time reporter from 2001 to 2003. I had the privilege several times during those years to write stories that changed me as a person. Etta’s Story was one of those. When I first learned of Etta Turner’s death, I was struck by the tragic end of her young life. As I began to talk with her family, friends, even slight acquaintances, it was clear to me that Etta was a special teen-ager. Our shared moniker spoke to me too.

Etta’s mom, Pennye Nixon-West welcomed me into her memories of Etta and her dreams to keep her daughter’s spirit alive. Many folks probably recognize her name from a park in Port Orchard named in her honor. And through the efforts of Etta’s family, her legacy also has grown in the past seven years into a non-profit foundation that helps the people of Bolivia. It’s the time of year for an auction to benefit Etta Projects. The details, which were sent in email from Pennye, are below.  (more…)

I wrote a story last week about the cancellation of the 9th grade WASL for this spring. Unfortunately, due to deadline, I could not include the South Kitsap information. So here it is now:

Fifth-nine students (out of 789 ninth graders) were registered to take the assessment: 58 in reading , 57 in writing, and 54 in math (most students take 2 or more of the assessments.)

Last school year 27 students took the tests. Of those who actually tested, the pass rates were as follows: reading 96.3 percent, writing 81.5 percent and math 57 percent.