Press Release:

Westside School, the premier independent school in West Seattle, is expanding to add a middle school to the well known Early and Lower school programs. Westside School will be the first and only accredited independent Preschool – 8th grade choice for elementary education in West Seattle. The rollout will start with a new 6th grade class in Fall 2011, adding one grade per year until the programs round out to a full Middle School. “We are thrilled to providing the West Seattle community with a new option for the crucial middle school years. We believe in honoring middle school students as scholars, where their talents, imaginations and potential can soar,” says Jo Ann Yockey, Head of School.

This past summer, Westside embraced the opportunity to revitalize the E.C. Hughes School building on 34th Ave. S.W. The school moved campuses (from 28th Ave. S.W.) and launched the new year in a beautiful, bright space bringing the old public school building back to life. In fulfillment of a Board vision and strategic goal, the feasibility of a middle school program was researched and considered in the light of abundant physical space. When the Board voted on the motion to expand to include grades 6 – 8, the October 2010 vote was unanimous.

The Middle School will be a vibrant, integrated program focused on building capable, confident, and caring life-long learners. The new space provided will allow for a Middle School facility that accommodates the unique needs of a rigorous, high school-preparatory curriculum. Experiential and service learning opportunities will be core elements including engagement with our local and global communities, as well as the natural world. The Middle School, which will absorb the current 5th grade, will be built on the Early/Lower School philosophy delivering the academic standards with developmentally-appropriate, inquiry-based learning. For more information on the new Middle School, or on Westside School more broadly, please visit www.westsideschool.org.