May 2012

Music and music education are sometimes thought of as secondary when compared to the reading, writing and mathematics basics. But The Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO) is having an impact not just on music appreciation but on the test scores and lives of those they can include.

In 2008, the New York based Wallace Foundation granted $7.7 million dollars to local arts groups with $500,000 going to the SYSO. They expanded their partnership with the Seattle Public Schools through The Southwest Seattle Strings Project.

A video by Lindsay Thomas has been produced (also funded by the Wallace Foundation) on the program that includes interviews with students, a parent and the Director of Orchestras for Denny International Middle School Heather Shaffer who said, "In two years of coaching we've gone from 16 students to about 45 in the sixth grade orchestra. 16 to 45 is a pretty telling indicator of how successful it is and what a need there is for it."

The program provides selected school instrumental music departments with weekly free group instrumental lessons for students in the early stages of learning on the following instruments:

• Violin
• Viola

The Nordic Heritage Museum will showcase the work and life of one of the 20th century’s most prolific architects — Eero Saarinen — with an exhibition opening Friday, May 25, and concurring events starting Wednesday, May 23.
 
Saarinen built some of the most iconic buildings of his time, including the TWA Terminal at New York’s JFK Airport, Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C., and the St. Louis Arch.



Guest curated by Mina Marefat, architectural historian and professor at Georgetown University, the exhibition provides a visually rich overview of Saarinen’s key architectural projects and timeless furniture pieces such as the Womb Chair and the Tulip Chair.
 
An array of photographs and documents tells his biography from his childhood in Finland to his life in America, as well as his little-known covert service to the U.S. Office of Strategic Services during WWII. The exhibition highlights the principles that guided Saarinen’s work, confirming his lasting values and a renewed relevance of his work for the present generation.  
 

During the week of May 7 King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn (District 9) proposed legislation (2012-0135) that would allow the council to establish “anti-criminal street gang emphasis areas” in unincorporated swaths of King County, and give judges the ability to bar people convicted of gang-related crimes from entering those areas. If deputies see individuals banned from an area spending time there, they can be arrested.

The legislation is similar to already-established “Stay out of Drug Areas (SODA)” and “Stay out of Areas of Prostitution (SOAP)” where repeat offenders of drug or prostitution activity can be arrested for entering those areas. It differs from SODA and SOAP in its scope: While SODA and SOAP cover geographical zones and entire neighborhoods, the gang-free zones would be determined on a parcel by parcel basis, by the council.

UPDATE: 7:00 am May 17
A quartet of string students in the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra in the Schools program will be playing to welcome Mr. Banda to Arbor Heights when he visits today. Banda was approved for the job of Superintendent of Public Schools on Wednesday evening in a unanimous vote.

His three-year contract has an annual base salary of $270,000, which makes Banda the highest paid superintendent in Washington State.

Original Post
Seattle School Board Superintendent finalist Jose Banda will visit Arbor Heights Elementary at 3701 S.W. 104th St on Thursday May 17 for a school tour from 10-10:45 a.m.

The tour will include Principal Christy Collins and other school district officials, of what is widely acknowledged to be the school in the worst condition in the district. The tour will include two classroom visits.

To see the employment contract Banda is being offered check this link

Today is Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day) and organizers are ready to entertain people all day long.

Ballard's Syttende Mai activities are the largest outside of Norway and last year, thousands of people converged on downtown Ballard to observe the annual Syttende Mai parade, making it the biggest one yet.
This year, organizers are hoping to repeat the success with 119 parade units to provide on-watchers with a full two-hour long steam of variety and entertainment.

Syttende Mai has been celebrated in the Greater Seattle Area since 1889 and the parade is one of the largest ethnic parades in the United States.

“Syttende Mai a great, full-day of events with  lots to eat, see and do,” said Kae Ellingsen, parade chair of the 17th of May committee.

Ellinsgen is in her second year as parade chair and she had a lot to learn after Jim Vatn's passing.

“Jim Vatn did the parade for over 30 years so we’re still learning the ropes,” Ellingsen said, pointing out that the parade took a wrong turn last year though few on-watchers seem to have noticed the mishap.

After winning three playoff games in a row, Ballard baseball's winning streak came to a screeching halt last night. The Beavers fell 10-3 to Jackson High School in a loser-out game at Everett Memorial Stadium on Monday evening.

Jackson High, last year's state runner-up, got off on a strong start with an RBI triple, and a two-run homerun that put Ballard behind 3-0.

The Beavers answered by getting a run of their own in the top of the second, decreasing the gap 3 to 2, but the Timberwolves' powerful offense added another 7 runs in the second and third inning.

Ballard put Caleb Jaeger on the mount to stop the damage and he successfully put an end to Jackson High's scoring. After the third inning, Jackson did not score again for the remainder of the game as Jaeger struck out eight batters, allowed one earned run on six hits, and gave up two walks over four innings.

The Beavers collected two more runs over the last few innings but the damage was done. Ballard lost 10 to 3.

With their win, Jackson earned a return trip at the 4A baseball state championships and they will face Beamer at 10 a.m. Saturday at Tacoma's Heidelberg Park.

Sports Roundup

Friday, May 11
Fastpitch
Eatonville 14, Evergreen 0
Evergreen played in a Class 2A West Central District tournament game at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds and had its season end with a 14-0 loss to Eatonville Friday.
Track and field
Class 2A meet
Raheem Howard won on the boys side in the 2A action at Renton Stadium, taking the triple jump at a distance of 43 feet, 6 1/2 inches.
Class 1A meet
Orting hosted the Class 1A sub-district meet, where the Seattle Christian girls took fifth place as a team with 26 points and the boys took sixth place with 13. Doherty won the boys 110 hurdles in 17.74.
Boys soccer
Seattle Academy 2, SCS 1
Seattle Christian's season continues despite Friday's loss to Seattle Academy at Sammamish High School. The Warriors will host Manson for a 6 p.m. state opener at Starfire Stadium Tuesday, May 15.

Saturday, May 12
Boys soccer
Franklin Pierce 3, Tyee 2
A 2-0 Tyee lead slipped away in the closing minutes of Saturday's game and the action went to a shootout, with Franklin Pierce winning the barrage of penalty kicks, 5-3.
The defeat ended the Totems' stay in Class 2A postseason play.

Sports Roundup

Friday, May 11
Fastpitch
Eatonville 14, Evergreen 0
Evergreen played in a Class 2A West Central District tournament game at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds and had its season end with a 14-0 loss to Eatonville Friday.
Track and field
Class 2A meet
Raheem Howard won on the boys side in the 2A action at Renton Stadium, taking the triple jump at a distance of 43 feet, 6 1/2 inches.
Class 1A meet
Orting hosted the Class 1A sub-district meet, where the Seattle Christian girls took fifth place as a team with 26 points and the boys took sixth place with 13. Doherty won the boys 110 hurdles in 17.74.
Boys soccer
Seattle Academy 2, SCS 1
Seattle Christian's season ended with Friday's loss to Seattle Academy at Sammamish High School.

Saturday, May 12
Boys soccer
Franklin Pierce 3, Tyee 2
A 2-0 Tyee lead slipped away in the closing minutes of Saturday's game and the action went to a shootout, with Franklin Pierce winning the barrage of penalty kicks, 5-3.
The defeat ended the Totems' stay in Class 2A postseason play.
Fife def. Foster
Foster's 2A postseason also ended with a loss on Saturday.
Baseball

The annual Ballard student art show wrapped up at the Ballard location of the Seattle Public Library on Saturday, May 19th.

Thirty-two student artists and 13 film makers showed around 200 art pieces and sold 27 of them for a total of $663 in sales.

"All money generated goes directly to each individual artist, which they love," said Kim Owens, Chair of ArtWalk 2012 and BHS Art Booster. "I spoke with a student the other day who was shocked and thrilled that people actually wanted to pay for his art."

The art show included student-made jewelry, ceramics, photography and six film shorts.

For information, please visit http://www.bhsstudentartshow.blogspot.com

Press release:

Starting the evening of Monday, May 14, and through early Thursday morning, May 17, there will be night-time lane closures on westbound State Route 518, International Blvd, Air Cargo Rd, S 170th St, S 160th St, and the Airport roadway system to support the installation of roadway signage for the opening of the new Rental Car Facility.


Monday, May 14 to Tuesday, May 15
Between 8:00 pm and 4:00am construction crews will have lanes closed on S 170th St and Air Cargo Rd. Travel lanes will be open through the construction work zones to support traffic.

Between 11:30pm and 4:30am construction crews will have two lanes closed on the southbound lanes of the Northern Airport Expressway. Travel lanes will be open through the construction work zones to support traffic.

Tuesday, May 15 to Wednesday, May 16
Between 8:00pm and 11:00pm construction crews will have lanes closed on eastbound State Route 518 in the vicinity of the Airport exit. Travel lanes will be open through the construction work zones to support traffic.