Seattle Schools Community Forum

From SPS: Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced that two Seattle Public Schools students – Tara N. Conley , The Center School; and Derek B. Gasaway , Garfield High School – are among the winners for college-sponsored scholarships.  South Lake High School teacher Web Hutchins received the state’s top honor for civic education - the Civic Educator of the Year award. Hutchins was nominated for the award by State Representative Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle). Hutchins’ Civics for All Initiative  is under consideration by the School District and has been introduced in Olympia, as well as to teachers and civic leaders in Seattle. Cuauhtemoc (Moc) Escobedo , band director at Eckstein Middle School , has been announced as a quarterfinalist for the first-ever Music Educator Award presented jointly by the Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation .   Escobedo is an award-winning band director for Eckstein – leading students in nu...

This comes from a reader whose child is at Washington.  I am appalled at the poor judgment on the part of these teachers.   Why, in 2013, does anyone have to tell teachers and administrators that awards should ONLY be positive?  That they think - after the fact - that some "humorous" awards might even be the cause of bullying is deeply troubling. Dear Senior Music Families, We are sending this letter home to address what has become a concern to many. As a “fun activity” that was planned for the upcoming Senior Trip this weekend (May 17, 18, and 19), an “awards ceremony” was devised with varying types of awards that were to be created for serious effect, and for humorous effect. It is our observation that some of the awards that were created are coming off as offensive to many. Please understand that the intention in the awards ceremony was not to be offensive. In hindsight, it is easy to understand why many are feeling this way right now. We now clearl...

The Times is reporting that Eckstein won two division places and four soloist awards at the Reno Jazz Festival yesterday. Garfield's combo, won first place in the AAA division (probably some salve to the wound of not going to the Essentially Ellington contest in May in NYC). Roosevelt's Jazz Band III won second place in the Apprentice II division.  From the story : The legacy and influence of Seattle's nationally-renowned school jazz band programs was manifest at the festival. Garfield high school alum Tatum Greenblatt played trumpet in one of the festival's featured professional ensembles, The Mingus Big Band. The middle school jazz band competition winner, from Lindero Canyon, Calif., is directed by Matt McKagan, brother of former Guns N'Roses bassist Duff McKagan, both graduates of Roosevelt High School. Congratulations to all these fine young musicians and the great teachers who guide them (and the parents who back them).

First up are two pieces of good news from the northwest corner of the district. My Ballard reports that a Salmon Bay student, Leo Pfeifer, won recognition by C-SPAN for his documentary, "Homelessness: An American Crisis."  He is one of 30 students to be recognized out of 1,100 entries and won 1 of 4 second prizes ($1500, not shabby).   On Friday, he and his cameraman, Ian Derby,  will be honored at an assembly at Salmon Bay and presented with a check.  From the district's website, Ballard High band director, Michael James, was selected as one of five directors from around the country to receive a full scholarship to the Lincoln Center's Band Director Academy.  He was chosen based on the quality of recordings submitted to the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival.  More jazz band honors for SPS. Also, Bryant and Thurgood Marshall won the City Finals in the 2011 Global Reading Challenge .  They advance to the Video Conference final with Canada...