June 2011

Arbor Heights fifth-grader, Summer Kace, pictured left, rehearses the procession for her class's graduation. Forth-graders hold up garland for each passing graduate. The graduation will be held Monday, June 20.

Pictured right, Katie Sanderson will miss the graduation ceremony itself, even though she will of course graduate. "I was really looking forward to it, but my family is driving to Disneyland. It will take four days."

Sanderson said that she looks forward to entering sixth grade at Denny International Middle School this fall in part because her current principal, Dr. Carol Coram, will become an assistant principal there.

"Dr. Coram helped us raise $700 for a charity called Mary's Place," said Sanderson, referring to the Day Center program that provides a daytime drop-in place for homeless women and their children. "She just went along right with it and helped us with everything. She wants us to do it again in middle school. I am very excited that I will see her again next year."

As current Arbor Heights School principal Dr. Carol Coram joins her colleague and sorority sister Chanda Oatis (Alpha Kappa Alpha) as assistant principal at Denny International Middle School this fall under principal Jeff Clark, the new Arbor Heights principal, Christy Collins, will take Dr. Coram's place.

You can see our story about Dr. Coram leaving here:

Collins toured the school classrooms and chatted with some of the youngsters following a positive exchange she had with staff and parents Friday morning.

She told the West Seattle Herald she was looking forward to her new position.

"It's very exciting," said Collins, who was born in Portland, and currently lives in Leavenworth.

Editor's note: The West Seattle Herald has been covering news here for nearly a century. Robinson Newspapers (which publishes the West Seattle Herald) have a massive news archive of Herald coverage dating back to 1928. What follows are crime reports and public safety issues from 1933. Although reporters’ names were not included with stories at that time, their original words remain intact. As more historical crime reports are compiled there will be more installments of West Seattle All Time Crimes.

January 26, 1933
High School Safe Robbed of Contents

Robbers looted the local high school’s safe Sunday morning of $40, some stamps, an envelope of senior pins, papers and some copper ash trays.

Upon arriving at the school Sunday afternoon, Mr. Kaye, vice-principal discovered the damaged and looted safe, and the several smashed locks.

The robbers failing to gain entrance into the boys’ gym, broke the lock on the picket fence by the machine shop, and smashed the door by the botany laboratory. Although keys to the safe were available, they smashed the inner door after working the outer combination of the safe.

February 16, 1933

Press release

A coalition led by the Greenbridge Community Action Team, Neighborhood House, King County Housing Authority, the King County Food and Fitness Initiative of WSU King County Extension, and Feet First will engage residents of the Greenbridge neighborhood in the installation of crossing flags at the intersection of 4th Ave SW and SW 100th St at a pizza party on June 24th from 3:30-5:00.

Pedestrians in this area complain that fast-moving cars often do not stop for children or adults trying to cross here. The placement of flags at the intersection of 4th and 100th is intended to create a safer place to cross by increasing the visibility of pedestrians.  This is especially crucial for the many White Center Heights Elementary students who cross 4th Ave on their way to and from school.  At this event, neighbors will decorate the flags with reflective tape, install flags buckets on poles at the intersection, learn how to use the flags correctly, and share refreshments.

The event is part of an ongoing “Safe Routes to School” campaign at White Center Heights, following a motor vehicle collision last year which injured a child walking home from school.

AUBURN - Enthusiastic donors and sponsors teed off in the 2011 Federal Way and Auburn Boys and Girls Club & EX3 Ron Sandwith Teen Center 35th Annual Invitational Golf Tournament with Celebrity Host Dave Grosby at the Washington National Golf Club on Thursday, June 9.

Proceeds helped out the aforementioned organizations in many ways.

For everyone associated with the event, this was the first year of hosting the action at the University of Washington home course.

According to Boys and Girls Clubs Federal Way and Auburn Executive Director Shelley Puariea, the rising cost at the previous location was a factor in the change of location, but several other situations played even more prominent roles in moving to the Black Diamond area.

AUBURN - Enthusiastic donors and sponsors teed off in the 2011 Federal Way and Auburn Boys and Girls Club & EX3 Ron Sandwith Teen Center 35th Annual Invitational Golf Tournament with Celebrity Host Dave Grosby at the Washington National Golf Club on Thursday, June 9.

Proceeds helped out the aforementioned organizations in many ways.

For everyone associated with the event, this was the first year of hosting the action at the University of Washington home course.

According to Boys and Girls Clubs Federal Way and Auburn Executive Director Shelley Puariea, the rising cost at the previous location was a factor in the change of location, but several other situations played even more prominent roles in moving to the Black Diamond area.

City of Burien press release:
Does your street flood regularly during rainstorms? Do you have other storm water drainage problems on your property on in your neighborhood, or any issue related to water quality, wetlands, or critical areas?
The City of Burien would like to hear from you. The City is currently updating its Drainage Master Plan and needs to be informed of any storm drainage problem areas in Burien.
Please fill out the drainage questionnaire found online at www.burienwa.gov/drainage or report the problem at Burien City Hall, 400 S.W. 152nd St., Suite 300.
The Drainage Master Plan will guide the City's drainage-related programs and capital projects in future years. The objective of the Master Plan is to provide a surface water management framework that will help the City achieve the following goals:
* Protect steep slopes, streams, wetlands and shorelines from erosion and sedimentation.
* Protect the quality of surface water and groundwater.
* Provide recharge of groundwater.
* Ensure natural control mechanisms

After you've won $3.4 million in Washington state's Quinto lottery and donated $40,000 for a new track at the high school where you coach, what do you do for an encore?

Tyrone Curry Sr. is doing what he promised in a March 18 Times/News profile-he's running for the Highline School Board.

It's not that he needs another job. On the Evergreen High campus in White Center, he is a janitor, track coach, and basketball coach. In addition, Curry is a seating host at Safeco Field and an assistant lead usher at the Seattle Center.

He is taking on a formidable opponent. Sili Savusa is currently president of the School Board. She was first elected in November 2007 and is running for a second term. Savusa is also family center director for Southwest Youth & Family Services.

The other two board members up for re-election are running unopposed.
Former board president Bernie Dorsey is running in District 4.

The West Seattle Summer Fest lineup is out and the lineup includes a well known Seattle band, The Fastbacks back for their first show since they broke up in 2002. the 9 year absence has definitely given the band an edge. "You bet we've got something to prove" said singer Kim Warnick.

Also on hand for the event will be West Seattle resident Chris Ballew (of the Presidents of the United States of America) in his alternative guise as Caspar Babypants providing a musical blend suitable for parents and kids alike.

You can print out and take with you a version of the lineup at the link above.

Here's the full lineup:

Ali Marcus Fri July 8th 12:45-1:30
Ali Marcus is an Anacortes-based songwriter who sings songs about America, and has shared stages with folks like Tom Paxton and Dar
Cali Giraffes Fri July 8th 7:00-7:45
Effervescent, effusive, confident and killer, The Cali Giraffes have arrived fully formed.
Caspar Babypants Fri July 8th 6:30-7:15

For the third consecutive year, students from Denny International Middle School have won the Seattle Public Schools Math Olympiad. Principal Jeff Clark shared this news in a letter:

"I am very pleased to announce that on Thursday, June 16, students from Denny International Middle School won first place overall at the Seattle Public Schools’ Middle School Math Olympiad! This is the third year in a row that the Dolphins have won this city-wide math competition.

The team got strong performances from all three grades: 8th and 7th Grade teams finished first overall in their grade levels, while the 6th grade team finished second overall. The competition was held at Campion Hall on the Seattle University campus. The sun was out and the mathematicians from all of the schools were having fun. Congratulations to our students and to Mr. Lai, our math team coach."