Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 11, November 2003

Copyright 2003 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article below in your research. Be sure to cite the Seattle Sun as your source.

Seattle Sun education briefs

Forums set on capital levy

Two forums will be held in North Seattle on the proposed 2004 Seattle School District capital levy.

District officials will distribute information and take public comment on the $179 million levy, set for the Feb. 3, 2004 ballot. It would renew a 1998 capital levy, which has financed building improvements, technology upgrades, and enhancements to athletic facilities. Some 600 facility improvements and technology upgrades have been identified for funding under the new levy, serving every school in the district.

The first meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at Salmon Bay School Library, 1810 NW 65th St. School Board members Steve Brown and Dick Lilly will host the meeting.

The second meeting is Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at Eckstein Middle School, 3003 NE 75th St. Hosts will be School Board members Nancy Waldman and Barbara Peterson.

Local teacher wins Fulbright

Spanish teacher Maureen Ryan of St. Catherine of Sienna Parish School in the Maple Leaf neighborhood has been awarded a Fulbright Teachers Exchange Scholarship.

She will travel this fall to Pachuaca Hidalgo, Mexico, where she will teach English to 14 and 15-year-old students at Jaime Torres Bodet, a public secondary school. During the same period, a scholarship recipient from Mexico is taking her place at St. Catherine.

Ryan is an honors graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and Spanish, and a master's degree in education. She taught Spanish to students in Mississippi after college as an Americorps volunteer.

Following a one-week orientation program in Washington, D.C., Ryan traveled to Mexico on Aug. 8 and will remain in the country until Dec. 19. She is keeping in touch with St. Catherine students through messages posted on the private school's website. Ryan says she hopes to improve both her Spanish language skills and her knowledge of Mexican culture and history during her stay. She is especially interested in learning to cook authentic Mexican dishes.

A two-year member of the teaching staff at St. Catherine, Ryan also coordinates the multi-arts program.

Hale to honor former principal

Former principal Eric Benson will be honored at the Nathan Hale High School Foundation's Fall Reception and Wine Tasting on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. at the Sand Point Country Club, 8555 NE 55th St.

This event is the major fund-raiser for the foundation and all Nathan Hale alumni, parents, and friends are invited to attend. The event will feature wines from Washington state and three other regions. Entertainment will be provided by the school's music department.

The cost for the event is $32.50 per person; donations to the foundation from those unable to attend will be gratefully accepted. Checks should be sent by Nov. 5 to Ellen Roe, 8003 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115.

Literacy Source moves to Fremont

The Fremont Chamber of Commerce reported in its August newsletter that the Literacy Source recently moved from its longtime location at the Greenlake Library to its new home: 720 N. 35th St. (across the street from the Fremont Library). Founded in 1985, the Literacy Source provides free services to adults in need of tutoring and/or classes on basic life skills such as reading, writing, computing and speaking English as a Second Language. For details, call the program at 782-2050.

NSCC to renovate building

North Seattle Community College in September began a $6.78 million project to remodel its Arts and Sciences Building. The 35-year-old building will be completely gutted and rebuilt within to bring it up to the City's current codes, install upgraded HVAC systems, and improve the college's ability to group classes in similar disciplines. Five new classrooms will also be created. A temporary building has been erected on the school's outdoor basketball court to house the chemistry and microbiology labs until the new building has been completed.

North Seattle Community College is located at 9600 College Way N in the Licton Springs neighborhood.

Local arts teacher wins award

Debra Baxter of Billings Middle School, a private school in the Green Lake area, has been selected as a regional finalist in a competition honoring arts educators.

The contest, the National Barbie Arts Teacher of the Year Search, is sponsored by toymaker Mattel and named for the popular fashion doll. Baxter's selection as a regional finalist includes a $5,000 grant for her school's arts program.

She was nominated for the award by Ranleigh Starling, an 11-year-old student at Billings. "She has a great passion for art and teaching other people about it," Starling wrote of her teacher in her nomination letter. "Debra never tells students that they can't do something in art. She is always willing to help a student with an idea."

Baxter is also known for integrating art with other aspects of the curriculum, including a history project in which students designed plates commemorating an important event in history. Her students recently created sculptures expressing their feelings about the war with Iraq.

Baxter is a graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art.