Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2002

Copyright 2002 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article and photos below in your research. Be sure to quote the Seattle Sun as your source.

Education Briefs

Hale to get new auditorium

The Seattle School District plans to construct a new auditorium and lecture hall for Nathan Hale High School, starting in 2004. The project would be completed the following year.

Currently, the school has a theater that seats about 100 people. The planned 14,000-square-foot auditorium will likely incorporate that structure into a hall that seats 500 and has a stage and support areas.

A public meeting on the project will be held Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m. at Nathan Hale, 10750 30th Ave. NE. For details, call 252-0653.

Hale to hold concert

Nathan Hale High School's PTSA October newsletter, the Raider Reader, reports that a fundraising event titled Pancakes and Performances will be held to benefit the school's music department on Saturday, Dec. 7 in the Nathan Hale cafeteria. The event will include music by Nathan Hale's seven performance groups: the Orchestra, Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Concert Choir, Vocal Jazz and Ladies First. The newsletter did not list a time for the event. For more information, contact the PTSA's Music Boosters committee at stluciazouk@attbi.com.

St. John principal wins honor

Mrs. Agnes Jacobson, principal of St. John School in Greenwood, has been named a recipient of the 2002 National Distinguished Principal Award. Jacobson was one of only five private school principals in the country to receive this prestigious award. She was honored at an awards banquet in Washington, D.C., Oct. 11.

Given jointly by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the award was established in 1984 to honor elementary and middle school principals who set high standards for the pace, character and quality of education their students receive. Each year, one principal from each of the 50 states is chosen to receive this award.

Jacobson is in her fourth year as principal at St. John School. Earlier this year, she received the National Catholic Education Association Award for principals for a five-western state region that includes Washington. She is an educator with more than 25 years experience that includes having served as a teacher and vice principal.

Located at 120 N. 79th, St. John is a 78-year-old private Catholic school that serves more than 400 students, ranging from preschool to 8th grade.

Hale students honored by City

Two Nathan High School seniors, Camila Crawford and Anthea Shore, were honored by the City on Sept. 19 for their Junior Community Action Project, according to the school PTSA's October newsletter. The two students oversaw the landscaping of a traffic circle in the Maple Leaf neighborhood, which was awarded "Best Habitat in the Round" in the City's Traffic Circle Garden Contest.

As part of their project, Crawford and Shore applied for and received a $500 grant from the Department of Neighborhoods, which they used to buy plans and compost for their traffic circle. They also organized neighbors into a landscaping team, held block meetings, made design decisions and passed out leaflets to nearby residents to build support. On planting day, they were among 20 volunteers who removed an old tree, hauled in compost and installed the new plants. The circle, which features a tall red oak, includes several plants native to the Northwest: Oregon grape, snowberry, lupine and sword ferns.

Sponsored by the Seattle Department of Transportation's Urban Forestry office, the contest drew entrants from all over the city. The judges included several professional gardeners, including radio and TV host (and Wedgwood resident) Ciscoe Morris.

Blanchet to hold math contest

Bishop Blanchet High School will hold its 29th annual mathematics contest for 7th and 8th grade students on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The school will offer $14,000 in scholarship opportunities. The fee to take the contest is $6. Registrations much be received by the school no later than Thursday, Nov. 7. For details, call Kerry Burrows at 527-7711.\