Highline is blazing a trail to “grow our own” bilingual teachers from today’s high school students through a new Bilingual Teacher Mentoring Program (BTMP).

Vincent Perry, a senior at Puget Sound Skills Center, has been chosen as the Southwest King County Chamber Student of the Month for December.

Vincent maintains a 3.1 GPA while taking college-level courses as a Running Start student at Highline Community College. He has previously been recognized as a Student of the Quarter at PSSC.

Save the date - College Goal Sunday is coming January 25, 2009!

Four of Highline's high schools will be joining schools around the country in hosting College Goal Sunday - an open house forum for students and families to learn about options to pay for college. There will be financial experts and counselors on-hand to assist students and families in preparing the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA).

Sixteen Highline teachers are among the 2008 National Board Certified Teachers announced by The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Jessica Apitz – Global Connections
Christie Brown – Parkside
Jacque Decker – Highline
Amy Flanigan-Zadra – Mount Rainier
Marisa Gaalema – Hilltop
Ramona Grove – Cascade
Maureen Kiely – Bow Lake
Emily Lauer – White Center Heights
Jolly Meloottu – Mount Rainier
Lauren Monroe – Mount View
Megan Olson(Funes) – Bow Lake

Congratulations to the Mount Rainier Girls’ Swim Team!

The Rams took the state title in the 200 Freestyle Relay. Molly Larson, Mackenzie Marrs, Haley Gansneder and Leona Jennings posted an All-American time and shattered a 14-year-old team record.

The same relay team took second place in the 400 Freestyle Relay, posting another All-American time and breaking a 12-year-old team record.

Highline Public Schools is continuing its efforts to develop means to support the Mount Rainier pool. Currently, operation of the pool is funded by Highline in partnership the cities of Des Moines, Normandy Park, and SeaTac. SeaTac will stop funding the pool when the new Highline YMCA pool opens in SeaTac. The city of Des Moines has agreed to continue funding the pool until the end of 2009. The pool partnership has commissioned a study to evaluate the cost of capital improvements the 40-year-old pool will need in the future.

Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler presents dictionaries to third graders at North Hill Elementary.

The Rotary Club of Des Moines made its annual visit to North Hill and Parkside elementary schools this week to give a dictionary to every third grader.

Seahurst Elementary ASB hosted a food drive for ten days in November. During that time, nearly 4,000 items were collected for the Highline Food Bank.

Nate and Alex Ferry stood outside of Albertson’s one evening to ask community members for donations to help the cause. Together, they collected nearly 900 items.

Aviation High School students joined together to collect school supplies and funds for their sister school in Uganda. The money raised, over $1800, will go to refurbish the girls' showers at the school and anything left over will fund student scholarships there. This is the second year AHS has participated in this fundraiser.

This year, Highline employees responded in a big way that is truly in the spirit of giving through the United Way and Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence giving campaign. Total pledges increased 6% this year over last; add that to 13.8% the previous year and employee giving is up almost 20% in the past two years. Rexanne Forbes, this year's campaign chair, observed, "Even in these tough times, Highline employees responded to our neighbors in need with open hearts and generous spirits."

U.S. Representative Jay Inslee returned to Highline recently to pay a visit to the school he attended as a young teen. Congressman Inslee was a student at what was then Cascade Junior High in 1964, before moving out of the district to attend high school.

Shorewood Elementary School recently hosted a “Math & Market Night." It was a fun-filled night with the Shorewood gym transformed into a Farmers' Market of fresh fruit and vegetable produce stations.

The students engaged in nutrition-related activities that gave them practice with valuable math skills. Shorewood students served as cashiers at the stations, while Shorewood children and families “purchased” food with play money, building math skills, and at the same time strong, healthy bodies!

Students at Shorewood Elementary School are hosting a very special instrument at their brand new school – a pipe organ! Margie Paynton, the general music teacher at Shorewood, was able to arrange for this seven-week residency because of her membership in the American Guild of Organists.

Teachers and coaches from Midway Elementary teamed up with the English Language Learners (ELL) staff to host a family homework night.

Four Highline High School drama students were honored recently by the ACT Theater for plays they have written.

Amber Rowe wrote a scene that was a parody of the novel Twilight. She and Cody McCann performed Amber's parody for the audience at ACT.

Cody McCann and Shelby Wunch both received an honorable mention for their plays For Real and Psychological Love.

Danielle Mantello will have her play Fatalism produced at Live GIRLS! Theater in Ballard.

The school board held its annual reorganization election at this week’s meeting. Bernie Dorsey (pictured) was elected as president, succeeding Julie Burr Spani. Sili Savusa was elected vice-president.

Do you know a student with a great community-service project that could use some funding? The Seattle Foundation announces a special opportunity for the youth and students of Highline Public Schools.

What does reading have to do with turning Interim Principal Vi Erickson PINK?

Marvista students have taken on a reading challenge to read at least 20,000 minutes each week as a school, and Mrs. Erickson will wear a little more pink each week until everything she is wearing is pink!

The first week the students read over 60,000 minutes. During November 10 – 14 the students read 63,400 minutes and November 17 – 21 the students read 75,000, and the students committed to read over 80,000 during the first week in December.

More than 2,000 Highline students will benefit from MAD Grants this year through 17 projects.

MAD Grants is a program that awards small grants ($25 - $1,000) to educators in Highline Public Schools and Portland, Oregon, schools. The program was started in 2002 by two Northwesterners: Chris Blumenthal and Nanci Tangeman, a 1979 graduate of Mount Rainier High School. MAD Grants are facilitated by the Highline Schools Foundation in conjunction with their Excel Grant program. Thus far, close to 140 projects have been funded over seven years.