In today’s Kitsap Sun, we ran a roundup of top stories on the education beat for 2016.
Teachers’ walkouts, McCleary madness, the Kennedy flap over school prayer, the end of No Child Left Behind … It was a whirlwind year.
Not all the education news coming out of Kitsap County was serious, however. Here are a few of the stories that still make me smile.
In late January, a fourth-grade class at Mullenix Ridge
Elementary in South Kitsap decided to do
their own scientific investigation of De-flategate, the uproar
over allegations the New England Patriots weaseled their way into
the Super Bowl using underinflated balls in the AFC championship
game.
Ashton Smith, the lone Patriots fan in the class, defended
quarterback Tom Brady, but quickly became a bitter old man, when
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld a four-game suspension
imposed on Brady for his part in the scandal. A federal court later
tossed the suspension, for lack of due process in the
investigation.
In February, acting students at South Kitsap High School made a
regional ripple on social media with the hashtag #SKvsFallon. The
students and their coach Scott Yingling issued
a video challenge to late night host Jimmy Fallon for an
“Improv-off.” The video racked up 30,000 views shortly after it
posted and SKvsFallon was briefly a trending topic on Facebook in
Western states.
In March, Brownsville Elementary School Principal Toby Tebo
kissed a goat for a school fundraiser. “Kissing goats, it’s a
good idea. It’s going to be fun, and I can’t wait to pucker up,”
Tebo said, before giving Peanut the pygmy goat 21 kisses, one for
each goat the students sponsored for an African village.
In December, we asked students at Pearson and Vinland Elementary
schools what advice they’d give Santa. Here’s Rachel Seymour’s
video with their response.
