Thank you, to Jamie and Logan for their service as Scholar Representatives to the Board

In Federal Way Public Schools, incorporating student voice is central to informing the work of serving our 23,000 scholars.

Students from the Scholar Advisory to the Superintendent team presented a recommendation and outlined the application and selection process for Scholar Representatives to the Board. 

The purpose of scholar representatives’ participation at board meetings is to provide valuable input on school district operations.

At the beginning of the school year an interview team selected Jamie Appleton and Logan Fraser who served as Scholar Representatives to the Board for the 2018-19 school year.

We would like to acknowledge and thank them for their service. While Jamie could not be here today, we welcome Logan Fraser to come forward to be recognized.

This effort is in support of district strategic plan Goal 2: thriving, confident, responsible individuals.

 Thank you for your leadership!

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Federal Way High School Scholar was chosen for Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 2019 Smart Choices Scholarship

Congratulations to Federal Way High School scholar Zach Victor who was chosen out of a thousand applicants for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 2019 Smart Choices Scholarship of $5,000! Victor has enrolled in Washington State University with plans to major in mechanical engineering. The scholarship will apply towards his education.

This scholarship recognizes Zach’s success in athletics, music and his community including 12 varsity letters, being a musician in the school’s orchestra and holding the position of Vice President for the National Honor Society.

This effort is in support of Goal 4, content area competence: mastery of all subjects. Congratulations!

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Elementary track and field program championship meet

Did you know the elementary track and field program consists of approximately 1,900 scholars from 23 schools led by 53 coaches? This well-loved program recently held its championship meet. These scholar athletes are engaged, empowered, active learners which is part of the district strategic plan Goal 3.

We would like to honor the top performing girls and boys who placed first through third out of approximately 330 participants. 

• Natalie Vega Montero 
• Uwany Suazo 
• Taraji Greer
• Mei'Lani Paige 
• Claire Kaspersen
• Amariah Moore 
• Jasmin Kane
• Persia Moore
• Marina Velasco Bono
• Cooper Kelly
• Jayden Hitchcock
• Terrell Jackson
• Dave Ngueita
• Herman Bokonzi
• Alexander Tollefson
• Damari Singletary
• James Okonda
• Vitaliy Tishchenko

Would Barb Tight, who helps coordinate elementary track, and other coaches and administrators come forward now for the photo?

We are so proud of our scholar-athletes!

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Top performing scholar-athletes in the Special Olympics State Tournament

Our scholar-athletes who recently participated in the Special Olympics State Tournament did great! These scholar-athletes are engaged, empowered, active learners that is part of the district strategic plan Goal 3. 

 We would like to honor the top performing girls and boys who placed first through third. For those that are in attendance please come forward now. The following individuals who placed include:

• Jalen Black
• Tevin Boyd
• Rachael Cho
• Deanna Clarke
• Katelyn Droguett 
• Jayson Fox
• Daniel Jenisch 
• Fallon Munzanreder 
• William Schumacher 
• Zac Siggins
• Leland Toro-Mondragon 
• Malachi Allen 
• Levi Droguett
• Asher Kvenvolden
• Christopher Kvenvolden
• Laela Mondragon

Would Sharon Boyle, Federal Way Public Schools Special Olympics/Unified Athletic Coordinator please come forward to accept the certificates on behalf of all the scholar-athletes?

We are so proud of you for these achievements!

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High school graduates receive the Seal of Bilteracy

The Seal of Biliteracy recognizes high school graduates who have demonstrated high levels of proficiency (reading, writing, and speaking) in one or more languages in addition to high levels of proficiency in English.

We honored half of the group that earned the Seal at the last board meeting, and today we are honoring the other half of those students.

Would Federal Way High School, Todd Beamer High School, Thomas Jefferson High School, TAF@Saghalie and Federal Way Open Doors scholars please come forward to be recognized?

The number of students that are biliterate is a key measure of progress in Goal 4 of our strategic plan, content area competence, and we are proud of each of you for your outstanding achievement!

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Thomas Jefferson High School's girls tennis team wins Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 4A state championship 

Congratulations to the Thomas Jefferson High School girls tennis team for winning the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 4A state championship for the first time in the school’s history!

We would like to recognize team members Ally Peterson, Nancy Cabanas and Mia Rosa.

We welcome head coach Andrew Buchan and administrators to come forward at this time.

These accomplishments demonstrate the efforts of our scholar-athletes to be active learners: engaged, empowered, critical thinkers, Goal 3 of our strategic plan.

Congratulations!

The Federal Way High School and Todd Beamer High School Reserve Officers’ Training Corps earned the Distinguished Unit Award 

The Federal Way High School and Todd Beamer High School Reserve Officers’ Training Corps have earned the Distinguished Unit Award for the 2018–19 school year.

This award recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of the cadets, instructors and mentors and the support of the school and local community. These units represent the best of the 900 ROTC units worldwide.

We welcome Federal Way High School Sergeant Will' Smith, Major J.J. Golemboski, the Federal Way High School cadets and Todd Beamer High School Sergeant Wayne Lott, Major Barry Jones and the Todd Beamer High School cadets to come forward to be recognized. We also invite other administrators to come forward too.

These efforts support Goal 3 of the strategic plan: engaged, empowered, critical thinkers. Congratulations! Keep making a positive impact on your school and the community!

 

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High school students receive the Seal of Biliteracy 

The Seal of Biliteracy recognizes high school graduates who have demonstrated high levels of proficiency (reading, writing, and speaking) in one or more languages in addition to high levels of proficiency in English.

Today, we are honoring half the group of those students who earned the Seal and will be honoring the remaining students at the next board meeting.
Would Decatur High School and Thomas Jefferson High School scholars please come forward to be recognized?

The number of students that are biliterate is a key measure of progress in Goal 4 of our strategic plan, content area competence, and we are proud of each of you for your outstanding achievement!

 

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Decatur High School scholar's artwork selected for the City of Federal Way's Traffic Graphic program

Congratulations to Decatur High School scholar Samantha Mendoza-Rojas whose artwork was selected for the City of Federal Way’s Traffic Graphic program. Samantha, please come forward to be recognized.

Samantha shared she was inspired by “The Little Prince” and wanted the artwork to convey childhood, imagination and wonder. Samantha’s artwork can be found on the utility boxes located at corner of 320th St. and 11th Pl. S. in Federal Way.

Samantha, we are proud of your dedication to the arts which supports strategic plan Goal 3: engaged, empowered, critical thinkers. Congratulations!

 

 

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Sequoyah Middle School Jazz Band placed at the Bellevue High School Jazz Festival

Sequoyah Middle School Jazz Band has placed third at the Bellevue High School Jazz Festival! This festival draws 25 middle school and 24 high school jazz bands from around the northwest. This is the first time the Sequoyah Jazz Band program’s history has participated in a competitive jazz festival.

Would the Sequoyah Jazz Band please come forward to be recognized? We welcome Band Director Chris Leslie and other administrators to come forward too.

These accomplishments are in direct support of strategic plan Goal 3: engaged, empowered, critical thinkers. Please join me in congratulating these scholar-musicians!

Two Federal Way Public Schools scholars placed at the Superintendent's High School Art Show 

Two Federal Way Public Schools scholars are among the 15 who have placed at the Superintendent's High School Art Show. High school students from all nine of the state's educational service districts participate in this annual event co-hosted by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington Art Education Association.

Brittney Wehmeyer from Federal Way High School won the Association of Washington School Principals Award and received $200 for her image, “Ripple of Color.”

Seung Hong from Decatur High School won the Washington State School Directors Association Award and received $200 for her image, “Fishbones.” 

We are proud of your dedication to the arts, which supports Strategic Plan Goal 4: Content Area Competence: Mastery of All Subjects. Congratulations

 

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Nine of our TAF@Saghalie scholars placed at the annual Washington State Science and Engineering Fair

Nine of our TAF@Saghalie scholars competed against hundreds of the top high school students in the state and placed at the annual Washington State Science and Engineering Fair.

Scholars, when I call your name please come forward to be recognized.

For their project Graphene: Quality of Various Production Methods Kevin Vo, Yuliya Pruzhanskaya and Aaron Ho received:

• first place in chemistry;
• the US Army Award for Physical Science;
• the Wolfram Certificate of Achievement; and
• they each were offered a $80,000 scholarship to Ohio Wesleyan University.

For their project Soapbox Ketterra Johnson, Alisha Carza and Abigail Marshall received first place in programming.

For their project Drones for Firefighting Gurmanjit Bassi and Logan Straight received second place in robotics, the US Army Award for Engineering and the Baymont "Adventures in Science" Award.

For the project How can we use alternative materials to create artificial blood vessels? Niklaus Ibarra won third place in biomedical science.

This effort is in direct support of the district Strategic Plan Goal 3: Active Learners: Engaged, Empowered, Critical Thinkers.

 

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Scholars compete for the district championship in this year's Battle of the Books

Each elementary scholar who participated in this year’s Battle of the Books read 16 books together to answer 25 questions and compete for the district championship.

Nautilus K-8’s team “World’s Greatest Readers 3.0” placed first. Please come forward:

• Alinea Kirshenbaum 
• Andrew Hyun 
• Christopher Lo
• Hazel Underwood

Meredith Hill Elementary School’s team “Excavational Readers” took second. Please come forward:

• Jaivie Adolphin
• Josiah Bowman 
• Graham Brumfield
• Karis Song

There was a four-team tie for third place!

Green Gables Elementary School’s team “Epic Rusty Bacon”:

• Hunter McQuistin
• Leo Von Ruden
• Amelia Rennick

Lake Grove Elementary School’s team “The Phoenix Foxes”:

• Julian Davis
• Sophia Bolokhovska
• Taliyah Harris 
• Holly Hampton

Rainier View Elementary School’s team “The Book Farmers”:

• Adalyn Haydon
• Sydney Wells
• Myroslava Kamerzan 

Sunnycrest Elementary School’s team “Flaming Hot Battle Cats”:

• Daisy Lemus
• Melissa Quintana
• Jazmyne DuBose 
• Esmerelda Alferez 

We are proud of these scholars and this effort in support of Strategic Plan Goal 4, Content-Area Competence: Mastery of All Subjects.

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Our Thomas Jefferson High School and Federal Way High School robotics teams performed exceptionally well this year!

We would like to recognize the Thomas Jefferson High School Raider Artificial Intelligence Division’s (R.A.I.D.) team. RAID performed well enough at the Pacific Northwest District Championship event that they qualified to participate in the world championship where they made it the furthest they ever have by making it to their division’s semi-finals. Along the way they earned the Creativity Award and Excellence in Engineering Award at the district events, and the Innovation in Control Award at the world competition.

We would like to recognize the Federal Way High School RoboEagles team. The robotics team won the FIRST Robotics Competition Pacific Northwest District event. This was the first time in six years the team qualified for the next round of the Pacific Northwest District Championship event!

We are proud of these scholars and this effort, which is in support of Strategic Plan Goal 4, Content-Area Competence: Mastery of All Subjects.

 

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Scholar from Todd Beamer High School has been selected to be part of the Washington World Fellows 2019 cohort global leadership program

We are proud to announce a scholar from Todd Beamer High School has been selected as one of 15 out of 200 applicants to be part of the Washington World Fellows 2019 cohort global leadership program.

Luis Carrera-Lara please come forward to be recognized. 

The fellowship provides students with a study abroad experience in Leon, Spain followed by two years of college readiness and leadership development programming. This includes eight weeks of SAT/ACT test prep from The Learning Professionals, a tutoring, teaching, and mentoring organization.

To be considered for the program, students had to be nominated by a teacher or school counselor and complete a rigorous application process that includes written essays, a personal interview, and a video submission.

This supports Persistence to Graduation, Goal 5 of our district Strategic Plan. 

Congratulations, Luis!

Thomas Jefferson High School named 2018-19 Winter Sportsmanship Champion for the Olympic Division

Thomas Jefferson High School has been named the 2018–19 Winter Sportsmanship Champion for the Olympic Division in the North Puget Sound League! Thomas Jefferson also tied with Enumclaw High School for first place as Winter All-Sports Champions. Efforts such as these are in support of strategic plan Goal 3 active learners, engaged, empowered critical thinkers.

We would like to recognize Principal Adrienne Chacon, Athletic Director Mike Grady and the winter coaches on behalf of the school and sports teams for these achievements. Please come forward now to be recognized.

We are so proud of our athletic staff and scholar-athletes that portrayed sportsmanship and gained the respect of fellow schools in the North Puget Sound League. Way to go!

 

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Scholars chosen by their Advancing Leadership Youth Peers for awards

We are proud to announce our scholars who were chosen by their Advancing Leadership Youth peers for the following awards. Please come forward when I call your name:Advancing Leadership Youth is a leadership program where students learn about leadership styles and how to work with and inspire others.

• Gjianni White — Most Intentional 
• Kevin Vo — Most Relational
• Jasmine McCray — Most Transformational

Advancing Leadership’s Executive Director Amye Bronson-Doherty and any other representatives are invited to come forward too.

Being part of Advancing Leadership Youth helps our scholars grow into thriving, confident, responsible individuals, Goal 2 of our district strategic plan.

 

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Thomas Jefferson High School math team has won its eighth consecutive Mu Alpha Theta State Championship

The Thomas Jefferson High School math team has won its eighth consecutive Mu Alpha Theta State Championship! This is in addition to 19 scholars placing first through third in individual categories focused on Algebra, Pre-Calculus and Calculus.

Also, Thomas Jefferson High School math scholars have been awarded scholarships by Mu Alpha Theta, the National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society. Julia Sheats won the Kay Weiss Scholarship for $5,000 for demonstrating a commitment to promoting women’s participation in the STEM fields. Nick Kim and Austin Kim both received $4,000 scholarships for dedication to the math team and math activities. 

Would the Thomas Jefferson math team please come forward to be recognized? We welcome Math Coach Tom Norris and other administrators to come forward too.

These efforts are in direct support of the district’s strategic plan Goal 4, content area competence, mastery of all subjects.

 

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Decatur High School Jazz Band won first place at Commencement Bay Jazz Festival

Decatur High School Jazz Band has won first place and was recognized as the most outstanding band at the Commencement Bay Jazz Festival! This festival is a competitive event serving both vocal and instrumental high school jazz ensembles comprised of about 200 students from around the region.

Would the Decatur Jazz Band please come forward to be recognized? We welcome Band Director Jeff Chang and other administrators to come forward too.

These accomplishments are in direct support of strategic plan Goal 4 content area competence. Please join me in congratulating these scholar-musicians!

 

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Scholars produced their own films about "Everyday STEM"

We are proud of our scholars who produced their own films about

“Everyday STEM” experiences and activities which premiered at the third annual STEM Exploration Night. Students created films that focus on various topics including an advertisement for an internet browser and a public service announcement. This supports strategic plan Goal 3 active learners, engaged, empowered critical thinkers.

We would like to acknowledge the scholars and school who won in the following categories. When I call your names, please come forward to be recognized:

• Emily Van from TAF@Saghalie for Social Awareness and STEM 
• Alyssia Howdeshell from Woodmont K-8 for STEM Public Service Announcement
• Nicholas Bides from Lakota Middle School for STEM Advertisement
• Jwan Magsoosi from Rainier View Elementary for STEM Directors Award
• Principal Jordanne Nevin to represent Woodmont K–8 as the School Award winner for having the most scholar film entries

Congratulations, we are proud of you!

 

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TAF@Saghalie scholars placed at the Comcast Innovation Challenge

TAF@Saghalie scholars have placed at the Comcast Innovation Challenge! During this five-month competition, students developed solutions for communications technology in the homeless community. The challenge culminated in final pitch presentations by the students to judges.

The winning student team “Step It Up” received $1,000 each in college scholarships and a Surface Pro laptop for their social media platform proposal to provide access and resources for individuals facing homelessness.

Scholars please come forward now to be recognized:

• Edouard Savonin 
• Nagelli Soltero 
• Nalani Hall 

The second-place team “EC4 group” received $500 each in scholarships for building a device that delivers the subject lines of new emails in a connected account and includes a GPS beacon for contacting emergency services. 

Scholars please come forward now to be recognized:

• Kevin Vo
• Yuliya Pruzhanskaya 
• Ketterra Johnson

We welcome school administrators to come forward too.

This effort is in direct support of Goal 4, content area competence: mastery of all subjects. Congratulations!