Entries from December 2009

December 21, 2009

High school mentoring program launched in Bellingham

KIRA M. COX – THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Kristina Blake knows first-hand the importance of finishing high school. She dropped out of Bellingham High School three months before graduating because she “didn’t value or appreciate education” and just wanted to make money. After working low-paying jobs for a couple of years, she decided she needed to [...]

December 16, 2009

Local middle-schooler wins national video contest

With a smile and a seemingly fearless chicken on her head, Jordan Lederman showed the world what she knew. A nation-wide video contest titled “I Am What I Learn” invited students to create a video that answered the question of why their education is important to fulfilling their dreams. The contest was sponsored by the [...]

December 10, 2009

Communities In Schools of Tacoma among the first to earn national accreditation

Dear Colleagues, I’m pleased to announce that the first four affiliates in our network have gone through the Total Quality System (TQS) accreditation process.  It was a long road, and I want to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to the following affiliates and their executive directors for being the first to undergo the accreditation [...]

December 3, 2009

Teachers open wallets to augment budgets

Excerpted from the Spokesman-Review By Jody Lawrence-Turner SPOKANE — Tight school budgets and dedication to the job add up to high out-of-pocket classroom expenses for many educators. Educators who responded to a questionnaire from The Spokesman-Review newspaper reported spending an average of $751 a year on classroom materials above what they are reimbursed from their [...]

December 1, 2009

Seahawk, Jordan Babineaux helps Madrona Elementary Families

Clare Farnsworth, Seattle Seahawks William Beale had no idea what was about to happen Tuesday. His mother had kept it a secret, because she knew what kind of reaction her 11-year-old son would have if the sixth-grader at Madrona Elementary knew that Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux would be in the school’s library giving Thanksgiving turkeys [...]