Beacon Bits: Fight library cuts, walk to school, do yoga

The other day we mentioned the potential reduction of hours at the Beacon Hill library. The reduction in hours would have the library closing entirely on Fridays and Sundays, and closing early on other days. The Friends of the Seattle Public Library blog has a post that clearly explains what you can do to help fight these changes, including attending public hearings (starting tonight), and contacting city councilmembers. Some Friends of the Library were at the Beacon Hill Library on Sunday handing out information about the closures and talking to patrons.

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October is International Walk to School Month, and local non-profit organization Feet First is observing the event by forming “walking school buses” at Muir Elementary School on “Walking Wednesdays.” Families, students and teachers will meet at designated locations and walk together to school. Walking groups leave at 8:40 a.m. from Safeway’s parking lot (behind Silver Fork), 33rd Avenue and Bayview (north of McClellan), Hunter Boulevard and South Hanford, and the Mt. Baker light rail station.

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We hear that Yoga On Beacon, at 3013 Beacon Ave South, is two years old as of October 1st. Happy birthday!

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People came to last weeks County Council Town Hall Meeting to protest recent bus route changes. Photo by Wendi.
People came to last week's County Council Town Hall Meeting to protest recent bus route changes. Photo by Wendi.
The King County Council Town Hall YouTube channel has posted video from last week’s public transit town hall meeting at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club — unfortunately, the video’s just a one-minute collage with music and not very much context, and doesn’t give more than a hint of what the event was really like, or of the anger expressed by many Southeast Seattle residents who spoke that evening about the way recent bus route changes have affected their lives. Update: Al Sanders and Frank Abe from the Council pointed us to the full video of the meeting now available on their website as of this morning. Thanks guys!

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Seattle Public Schools have posted the proposed new Student Assignment Plan. In the plan, students attending Beacon Hill International School would continue to Mercer Middle School, which would probably become an international School itself. Cleveland High School would become a math and science option school, open to students from the entire district — Seattle Times

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The city has released its updated snow plan, mapping which streets will be plowed in the event of snowfall. If you want to express your opinions on the plan, a neighborhood meeting to discuss it will be on October 20, 7:00 pm, at Jefferson Community Center. — Beacon Hill KOMO, West Seattle Blog

7 thoughts on “Beacon Bits: Fight library cuts, walk to school, do yoga”

  1. Wondering what folks think about Beacon Hill’s only high school not being a neighborhood school anymore, becoming a math and science magnet school, and having all our kids sent way over to Franklin.

  2. I’m not that familiar with how Cleveland compares academically to Franklin. Both schools are pretty close to BH, with Franklin being on the light rail line. And, I like the idea of making it a math and science magnet school because I believe Seattle needs a greater emphasis on these subjects. However, I’m not really sure why they wouldn’t make the most popular high school in the district the option school. I can’t imagine that Cleveland is the most popular. I believe in integration of socio-economic status, race, religions/ideas and right now I think there is a lot of segregation in Seattle schools. Unless the math/science option is attractive enough to north-end students, I don’t think there will be much for integrating these populations.

    Hope this doesn’t sound to uninformed. I don’t really know the school district politics that well.

  3. I think that when Cleveland becomes a magnet school, it will be a blank slate. Does that make sense? The student list will be empty, and students will be chosen (theoretically) without regard to neighborhood. You could live across the street from Cleveland and not get in. So it’s not like North kids would be integrated into a school full of South kids. Students from all over the city would all be starting there all at once.

  4. Thanks for informing neighbors about potential library service cutbacks in 2010. Friends of The Seattle Public Library urge interested library supporters to come out next Wed and enjoy the beautiful NW African American Museum while also supporting your branch library. The museum is host to the second of three very important public hearings on the budget. The events start at 5:30 p.m. Your neighborhood voice is needed at these hearings and in emails of library support to Councilmembers. Without your help we will very likely look at partial closures and reduced hours at Beacon Hill in 2010.

  5. I understand the blank slate idea and I like the idea. Although, my concern is that the north end kids won’t apply to go to Cleveland due to location. The issue that concerns me is one of logistics and transportation. The bus transportation to Cleveland from the rest of the city is quite poor so how are they going to get students from around the city over the Cleveland. Sure would make more sense to have the magnet at Franklin, Garfield (maybe) or Roosevelt logistically speaking. I still don’t think the north end students will make the trek down south but maybe this isn’t really going to be a problem.

  6. Good points, Laura.

    I’m sorry I don’t have my password handy to post in the forum, but does anyone know what’s up at the new RockIt (former Buggy) space — they have a “JOIN US” sign out front. Are they holding a Grand Opening event?

    Also, is there a new Kung Fu school at the old Grown Folks space? I think they were having a grand opening even on Saturday…

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