Public Schools

Press release:

As Highline was shopping for global positioning systems (GPS) for school buses, ZONAR Systems Incorporated offered to supply GPS equipment for all 104 Highline buses, with no charge for the hardware.

That contribution saves the school district nearly $20,000. ZONAR also dramatically cut the service fees, for an additional annual savings of $8,700 per year.


ZONAR President and CEO Brett Brinton lives in Highline School District, and says this is his way of supporting his local community and schools.


GPS allows the district’s transportation department to track the location of every bus at any time. The ZONAR equipment also shows the buses’ mechanical systems on a desktop computer at the transportation office.

“If a dashboard light flashes on and the driver doesn’t know why, we can look at the desktop and tell them, ‘all your mechanical systems are okay, stay on the route’ or ‘your engine is overheating, stay put and we’ll send another bus,’” says Transportation Director Scott Logan. “The GPS supports student safety and it supports efficient stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

Press release:

For many high school girls, going to the prom is an event anticipated for years, but not going to the prom because the family can't afford a formal dress can be devastating.

This year, thanks to the Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence, a number of high school students will be going to the prom in beautiful dresses donated by local organizations and members of the community. They will also have opportunity to select shoes, bags and other accessories contributed by the local community.

In its 4th Annual Project PROMise™, the Highline Schools Foundation collects beautiful new and gently worn formal dresses and gowns, shoes and accessories from throughout our community and invites high school students in need to "go shopping" for the perfect dress for their prom. The dresses are offered to the girls to keep, or they may return them to the Foundation to be used the following year.

Please bring your clean, new or gently used prom dresses, prom jewelry and prom shoes to the following schools by March 1.
Aviation High School
Evergreen High School
Mount Rainier High School
Highline High School

Press release:

Five Highline Schools earned the Washington Achievement Award for 2011. The statewide award celebrates schools for overall excellence and special recognition in language arts, math, science, graduation rate, improvement and closing achievement gaps.
The Highline schools and the categories for which they are being recognized are:
Southern Heights Elementary (Improvement)
Chinook Middle School (Improvement)
Global Connections H.S. (Achievement Gap)
Health Sciences and Human Services High School (Extended Graduation Rate)
Aviation High School (Overall Excellence, Math, Science)

This highly selective award is based on school’s performance according to the Washington Achievement Index, a comprehensive measurement of how schools in Washington are performing over time. It is awarded jointly by the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Interim Superintendent Alan Spicciati notes that Highline has more schools earning the award than all but one other South King County school district.

Press release:

Josh Sandell, a senior from Highline High School, was chosen as the January Business Student of the Month. Josh has taken a number of business courses, including business law, accounting, international business, retail management, marketing, and business management.

Josh earned a 3.5-3.9 GPA in 2008-2009, and also had perfect attendance for the first semester of that year. He was DECA Student of the Month in September 2011, and won 3rd place in Hospitality Management and Network Design at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Regional Conferences.

Josh was elected executive vice president of Highline's Future Business Leaders of America chapter, and selected by his peers as student store general manager. After graduating high school, Josh plans to attend a four-year university to earn his bachelor's degree in business, and then obtain his master's in business administration.

Federal USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon and USDA Regional Administrator Allen Ng will visit SeaTac’s Madrona Elementary on Monday to recognize four Highline elementary schools that received Silver honors in the Healthy US Schools Challenge.
Concannon and Ng will eat a school lunch with students in the cafeteria.
Four Highline elementary schools have received recognition in the Healthier US School Challenge (HUSSC). Beverly Park, Madrona, Southern Heights and White Center Heights Elementary schools are all being recognized for creating healthier school environments through promotion of good nutrition and physical activities.

To qualify for recognition, schools must meet stringent criteria for the school meal program, nutrition education, physical activity and school policies which support a wellness environment, with efforts to:
improve the nutritional quality of the foods served,
provide students with nutrition education, and
provide students with physical education and opportunities for physical activity.

After successful pilot programs in two elementaries, Highline Public Schools officials are considering expanding the district’s dual language program.

In the program, students are taught in both English and Spanish.
In April, administrators hope to identify more schools that could begin the program in Fall 2013.

Language and Cultural Arts coordinator Bernard Koontz briefed the school board Jan. 25 on the program.

Highline’s first dual language program is operating at Hilltop Elementary in Burien with eight teachers and about 200 kindergarten through third-grade students. The other program at North Highline’s Mount View Elementary has six teachers and approximately 150 kindergarten through second-graders.

Half the students began kindergarten as Spanish speakers with the other half as English speakers. They all become “bi-literate,” Koontz said.
Bi-lingual students can listen and speak on a social or conversational basis in two languages, according to Koontz. Bi-literate students can read and write academically in two languages.

Press release:

Each year, Gold Star is a much anticipated awards celebration and fundraiser to benefit the Foundation, which is the only non-profit organization supporting all schools in the Highline School District.

The Foundation directly supports students in our district in areas where state funding cannot, through grants for classroom innovation, funding for arts programming, help for students in need with sports participation fees, a substantial college scholarship program, and more. In eleven years since the Foundation began, it has given over $1,000,000 in funds to programs and students in Highline Public Schools.

Below is a list of important Gold Star Related Events and Programs

GOLD STAR AWARD NOMINATIONS
Nominations are NOW OPEN for the 2012 Gold Star Awards in the following categories:
• Outstanding Teacher
• Outstanding Administrator
• Outstanding Alumnus
• Outstanding Volunteer
• Outstanding Classified Employee (non-certified staff)

Press release:

Highline Public Schools refinanced another portion of its school construction bonds this week, saving local property owners $1.7 million in taxes. This is the second time this school year the district has refinanced bonds to take advantage of lower interest rates.

The first set of bonds refinanced in November saved taxpayers $3.7 million. This week’s transaction brings the total savings to $5.4 million. That means the district will not need to collect the entire amount approved by voters in 2002.

Refinancing bonds is similar to refinancing a home mortgage. Locking in a lower interest rate reduces the overall cost of paying back the bonds, and the savings stays in the pockets of property owners.

“We have been watching interest rates over the past several months, looking for opportunities to save the public some money,” says Highline Assistant Superintendent Susan Smith Leland.
“We were fortunate to seize two windows when interest rates were very favorable.”

“This is just good stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” says Interim Superintendent Alan Spicciati.

Thirty-three Highline teachers who are newly national board certified were honored Jan. 11 at the Highline Public Schools board meeting.
With a total of 117, ten percent of Highline teachers are now nationally board certified. In 2010, 29 Highline teachers were added to the nationally certified ranks.
Board vice president Bernie Dorsey noted the total beat the goal set by the board.
Of the 33 new members, 14 are elementary teachers; 2, middle school; 16, high school and one works at district headquarters.
The certification process includes creating a professional portfolio and a vigorous peer-review assessment.
The teachers are expected to take leadership roles and attain advanced degrees.
Fifteen Highline teachers have completed national board certified facilitator training and six are currently helping candidates going through the process.

Following a long-standing tradition, Highline Community College will host a series of events to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Tuesday, Jan. 10 to Friday, Jan. 20.
Here’s a list of vents from Highline College. For more information, visit http://studentprograms.highline.edu/mlkweek.php

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Week
"50 years of Resistance: Racism, Materialism, and Militarism Then and Now"

Tuesday, January 17
Aaron Dixon
9-9:50am Lecture and Q&A
Highline Student Union, Bldg. 8-Mt. Constance Room
As an adolescent, Aaron Dixon marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to end housing discrimination in Seattle, was one of the first volunteers to participate in the busing program to integrate schools and was Captain of the Seattle Chapter Black Panther Party. Dixon also ran for Senate in the November 2006 Washington State elections and has been an activist in the Seattle Area for many years.
http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/aaron_dixon.htm

Got My Mind Made Up: Women of the Black Freedom Movement, 1940-1975
Lecture by Dr. Derrick Brooms, Prairie State College
10-10:50am
Building 7