Beacon Hill International School needs volunteers to tutor kids who need additional academic help. Tutors must commit to one hour a week while school is in session. Each tutor is paired with a 3rd-5th grade student, and will work with that student for the entire year. Sessions at BHIS will be on Tuesdays, from 3:15-4:15 p.m.
Orientation sessions start this week, and tutoring will begin in October.
Neighbor Sara told us:
“My husband Dan and I have tutored with Invest in Youth at various elementary schools since 2004, and then joined the program at Beacon Hill International School four years ago when we moved to the Hill. We’ve had a fantastic time, each working with a student for one hour, once per week each school year and have really enjoyed getting to know some of the students and parents in our neighborhood. Over the years, a number of neighbors have volunteered with the program as well and I’d love to get additional community members involved with the program, providing great help and additional great role models for these kids right in their own backyards.”
A brightly-painted walkway at Mercer Middle School. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.Asa Mercer Middle School on Beacon Hill has been honored as a “high progress Reward School,” one of the highest-performing and most-improved Title I schools in Washington state. (Title I schools serve populations with a high percentage of low income families. Schools with the Title I designation receive special funding and assistance.) Mercer is one of 58 schools in Washington to be named as Reward Schools.
High progress Reward Schools such as Mercer scored in the top 10 percent of Title I schools in combined reading and math on state assessments during a three year period (2008-2011). Mercer was also noted as a “School of Excellence” in 2009, 2010, and 2011, an honor given to schools placing in the state’s top 5 percent for improvement in scores.
The side of the Little Free Library says, “Take a Book / Share a Book.” Photo by Wendi Dunlap,.
A new library — a very tiny one — sprouted this weekend on 16th Avenue South, near Jefferson Park. It is, as far as we know, Beacon Hill’s first Little Free Library, part of a movement to build small library structures in communities around the nation. Little Free Libraries are usually small boxes or cupboards mounted at streetside like mailboxes, and typically built and maintained by neighbors to promote literacy, community, and the enjoyment of reading.
Neighbor Levecke Mas told us, “I saw one of these Little Free Libraries last summer while walking around with my sister in Victoria. I have been wishing to do this ever since. My husband and I put this together this weekend using all materials found in our basement treasure trove!”
The Mas family library is charmingly built from what looks like a former kitchen cabinet, roofed with plexiglass, covered with a collection of foreign stamps, and opened with a vintage doorknob. Inside are two shelves of books, some bookmarks to borrow, a request list, and a guestbook for visitors to sign. Books are free to borrow.
Two Beacon Hill schools will benefit from investment grants recently-awarded by Washington STEM, a non-profit group dedicated to improving education in the “STEM” fields: science, technology, engineering, and math. The grants are of two types: Entrepreneur Award grants, one-year investments to support “breakthrough ideas and promising approaches in STEM education”; and Portfolio Awards for multi-year projects. The Beacon Hill grants are both Entrepreneur Awards.
The Cleveland High School grant of $10,000 is for a project, “Who Has the Right to Clean Water?”:
“Through the lens of social justice, science, and social studies, teachers will design an engaging unit of study in which students will investigate the essential question ‘who has the right to clean water?’ Bolstering the global nature of this question, Cleveland students will use internet technology to partner with students in Taita, a poor, rural area of Kenya. Students on both continents will conduct similar investigations and share data for comparison and analysis. In science, students will test water chemistry, explore their personal water footprint, and investigate engineering designs for water purification. Concurrently, in social studies students will explore social, geographical, and historical causes of unequal access to clean water and the impact that our daily decisions have on our environment. Students will ultimately create a call to action, sharing their findings in a daylong water symposium.”
The second Beacon Hill grant of $20,000 went to the local non-profit group Powerful Schools, for their project, “Building a STEM Community” at Beacon Hill International School:
“Seattle-based nonprofit Powerful Schools is empowering traditionally underserved students to start a community-wide conversation around the power of STEM at Beacon Hill International School, a diverse public elementary school located in south Seattle. In this ‘Curiosity Club,’ fourth and fifth grade student leaders will launch a STEM campaign including development of a mobile ‘lab’ to share hands-on STEM experiments school-wide. Powerful Schools will also commission a local artist to work with students to create materials that summarize their findings and encourage non-English speaking families to discover STEM at home.”
A full list of Washington STEM investments may be found at their website.
Summer is moving rapidly toward its end, but it’s not too late to learn to grow your own food. This Saturday, August 11, from 10-11:30 a.m., is another in a series of free “Grow Your Own Groceries” classes at El Centro de la Raza.
This month’s topics include:
What to plant Now?
Figs and Kiwi
Seed Saving
The class is led by Master Gardener Mick Duggan. The location is El Centro de la Raza room 310, 2524 16th Ave. S. Mark your calendar: next month’s class, the last of the year, is scheduled for September 8.
Photo by Carissa Rogers via Creative Commons/Flickr.
Interested in canning and preserving your garden produce? The Beacon Hill Garden Club and Rainier Valley Eats are hosting a “Canning Connections” class on Wednesday, July 18 from 7-9 p.m. at the Garden House (2336 Beacon Ave. S.).
The event organizers say “We’ll be using the best organic fruit available and provide everything you’ll need (except the apron)… We’ll share resources, recipes, stories and go home with jars of goodness.” The session is hands-on and those with all levels of experience are welcome to attend, from beginners to veteran canners.
The class is limited to 10, and the class fee is $15, payable the night of the session. To register, email ankataa@yahoo.com.
These cute pottery critters were made by students in a previous class at Jefferson Community Center. Photo courtesy of Molly Hueffed.It’s summer, which means that Jefferson Community Center is again offering pottery classes to teach the skills of potter’s wheel throwing and handbuilding. Classes will include basic understanding and techniques of centering and throwing, as well as advanced 1-on-1 instruction.
Enrollment is open now for classes that start next week. Call 206-684-7481 for more information and to register, or register online by going to this website, clicking “Arts: Visual/Crafts,” and then “Pottery – Adult/Teen.” Classes are listed there for all community centers, not just Jefferson.
Thanks to Molly Hueffed for the info, and I apologize for the delay.
Painting by Franklin student Aren Roberson, courtesy of Franklin PTSA.
Just down the hill, the annual Franklin Arts Festival returns this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Franklin High School, 3013 Mount Baker Blvd. The festival will feature student performances including the steel drum band, kung fu team, jazz band, Quaker band, and lion dancers, along with displays of visual art, ceramics, and wood arts. Franklin High School is celebrating its centennial this year; it opened in September 1912 as the second purpose-built high school in Seattle.
Student clubs will sell a variety of items including heirloom tomato and vegetable plants, woodcrafts, notecards featuring student art, and original ceramic “Quaker cups” hand-thrown and fired by Franklin alum and artist Francis Roque and glazed by Franklin students. Refreshments will also be for sale.
The festival raises funds to benefit Franklin’s art, drama, and music programs and student clubs.
Pork carnitas, pozole, and halibut ceviche are on the menu May 20 for a cooking demo at El Centro de la Raza with local chef Vincent Rivera of Jazz Alley. Cost to attend is $40, and for that fee, you’ll observe and learn how to cook a three-course meal along with side dishes. Recipes will be provided.
The demo will include hands-on cooking opportunities, so wear an apron if possible. Be prepared to observe, learn, and take notes.
Tickets are available here. The event is Sunday, May 20, from 1-2:30 p.m. at El Centro’s kitchen, 2524 16th Ave. S. Proceeds from the demo will benefit the El Centro de la Raza Senior Nutrition and Wellness program.
Pork carnitas. Photo by Mike McCune via Creative Commons/Flickr.
Everyone is invited to Beacon Hill International School this Friday, April 27 for the unveiling of the new community tile mosaic mural. The unveiling celebration will take place from 1-2 p.m., starting with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the fifth graders, followed by a school-wide assembly.
The mural was designed by artist-in-residence Julie Maher from concepts created by students, parents, and community members, with the theme “We All Belong, A World of Learners.” (See previous local mural work by Maher here in this slide show.) A full year of work by the community went in to the creation of the mural, supported by a grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.
Beacon Hill International School is located at 2025 14th Ave. S. For more information about the project, see the website.
This was the basic design outline for the mural. This week, we'll get to see the finished work in full living color.
