Raechel Dawson, Feature Writer of the Year by Andy Hobbs

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COLLISION | Man arrested for DUI in five-car collision [3]

VOL. 17, NO. 42

MIRROR

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OPINION | Editorial: Mirror’s endorsement of school, fire and District 30 [8] Roegner: The most unusual race [8] BUSINESS | Small business Hot Sacks heats up for fall and winter [4] MR. FEDERAL WAY | Endorsements for school, fire, District 30 [9]

Sports | Jefferson wins first FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2015 | 75¢ league title in 35 years [16]

Matthew Jarvis | The Czar hangs up his hat [34]

Photo essay tells family’s story for Dwarfism Awareness Month meat,” she said. “It makes me feel like, so dehumanized, I guess.” Humiliating interactions with parents and children are also a frequent. en sexually harass Rachel Webster “When an innocent child asks a question every day. and the parent just hushes them and rushes “I get it every single day and off, what are they teaching it ranges from, ‘hey baby, them? Are they scolding wanna come home with me’ them? Are the parents to ‘I wonder what it would laughing? It’s infuriating to be like being with you. I’ve me,” Rachel Webster said. never been with a midget “Most of the time I try to before,” Rachel Webster said, reach out to educate with adding that the sexual comkindness.” ments are the points when Other times, she calls she feels the lowest. them out with “it’s not As a little person, the polite to stare.” 28-year-old has had to en“I think it’s so frustrating dure a lot of ignorance and that we’re in this world, this rude behavior from people Chris and Nancy Webster country that’s so progresher whole life. hold up a drawing of their family. sive but it’s astounding to “Dwarves are still the butt STEPHANIE JARSTAD PHOTOGRAPHY me that society seems to be of jokes. It’s one of the last forever stuck in this realm bastions of acceptable prejuand this regard,” she said. dice,” she said, quoting “Game of Thrones” This is why the American Sign Language actor Peter Dinklage. interpreter partnered with good friend Children gawking, parents laughing and Stephanie Jarstad, a photographer living strangers taking photos of her are a few in Federal Way, to create a photo essay for examples that don’t begin to scratch the Dwarfism Awareness Month in October. surface of what she’s been through. Jarstad and Rachel Webster met at the But the catcalls top them all. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. “It just makes you feel like a piece of Living in northeast Tacoma, Rachel WebBY RAECHEL DAWSON

rdawson@fedwaymirror.com

School board candidates discuss array of issues BY ANDREW FICKES For the Mirror

Running for District 2 on the Federal Way Public Schools board of directors are two student achievementfocused candidates: Claire Wilson, the incumbent, who is finishing her first four-year term, and Angela Griffin, a past board director, who served from 2008-2013 in District 4. Wilson and Griffin debated Wednesday evening at the Federal Way Mirror-hosted candidate debate at the Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club, answering a series of audience-directed questions that covered the hiring of a new school district superintendent, important issues in the school district that need to be addressed, communication with families and building stability in the district. Wilson and Griffin were asked what significant change has Tammy Campbell, the new superintendent, brought to the school district. “Dr. Campbell has brought a focus on instruction, quality teaching and student success,”

Rachel Webster stands in the middle of a crowd at Pike Place Market in Seattle. STEPHANIE JARSTAD PHOTOGRAPHY

ster attended Fife High School while Jarstad went to Federal Way High School. Jarstad describes Rachel Webster as loving, kind, social and seemingly secure with herself but she knows her friend has “a struggle that’s so real and apparent for so

Wilson said. Wilson said the individualized outcomes for students Campbell is establishing will help with change in student success rates over the next five to 10 years. Griffin said she is excited for Campbell’s potential to support teachers in the classroom and enriching the learning environment. “I believe she will provide great support for teachers,” Griffin said. Griffin said important issues that need to be addressed include paving the way for successful graduation starting at kindergarten and on up to 12th grade. “There is an opportunity to ensure that there is a successful learning environment,” she added. Griffin said another important issue that needs to be addressed is embracing the more than 120 languages spoken in the district and learning how to best serve those cultures. Wilson said important issues include equity, access and opportunity and graduation rates. “We need to transform our policy and procedures,” Wilson said. “Early learning is critical. Family engagement is important.” Family engagement was something both Wilson and Griffin pushed for Wednesday night. “We see families from a diverse group of backgrounds,” [ more ISSUES page 7 ]

many.” The photo essay consists of powerful quotes and experiences from Rachel Webster and her parents Chris and Nancy Webster, also little people. [ more ESSAY page 7 ]

Mirror wins 15 WNPA awards Federal Way Mirror staff took top honors at the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual event on Oct. 9 with a third place in the prestigious General Excellence category for circulation group 4. Overall, Mirror staff took home 15 awards in the annual Better Newspaper Contest for their quality community journalism and advertising. Editor Carrie Rodriguez won first place for Best Environmental News for her coverage of Twin Lakes residents’ concerns about toxic algae and the city’s response. She also won first place for Best

General Feature Story, Long for her coverage of Keller Williams Puget Sound employees who rallied to help a quadriplegic girl’s family. In addition, Rodriguez was recognized with two third place awards for Best Editorial and Best Story on the Arts. Publisher Rudi Alcott, reporter Raechel Dawson and Rodriguez were also recognized with a third place award for Best Comprehensive Coverage of a Single Issue for their coverage of a felony trial in Oregon. “Fantastic coverage on a trial not even in your [ more MIRROR page 7 ]

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www.federalwaymirror.com [ ESSAY from page 1] “My family means more to me than anything else in my life,” Nancy Webster said. “When we are together, I feel completely content. My husband and I feel so blessed to have each other, a son, daughter-in-law and daughter. A special gift we were given is to have a child with dwarfism and one who is average size. They are blessings in our lives.” In the photo essay, Nancy and Chris Webster are pictured in their custom kitchen and home – a more intimate setting, Jarstad said. Nancy Webster said it’s been interesting to see how other cultures react to her family’s “unique situation” as they’ve traveled throughout their lives. “Educating the world is important,” she said. “Knowledge is power.” Having grown up in a small town in Canada to a farmer with four siblings, Nancy Webster now teaches special education at the Tacoma School District. Although she leads a happy life, she’s had challenges related to her short stature. “Job discrimination, dating, walking long distances, stairs, shopping (finding shoes and clothes), health issues related to my dwarfism (it’s not just being short), being made fun of, bullying, acceptance in general,” Nancy Webster lists. “I think it’s important to mention that I also feel that life can be beautiful and it’s overcoming those challenges that mold us into who we eventually become.” Jarstad’s photo essay showcases Rachel Webster in a crowd of people walking around Pike Place Market, her own neighborhood. “We had a think-session of ‘when do you feel most vulnerable and noticed,’” Jarstad said. “We talked about standing in a crowd. She can’t walk anywhere without people pointing

[ ISSUES from page 1] Wilson said. “We need to be partnered with parents and to help them to see how they can be the solution.” Griffin said as an elected board director she would engage families by being visible, being involved in the schools and participating in school-related activities. She said the school district’s ability to recognize the shift in demographics as it occurs and responding to it accordingly is important.

Becoming aware

To view Jarstad’s photo essay for Dwarfism Awareness Month, visit www.stephaniejarstad.com/ blog/2014/11/14/dwarfism-awareness-month. Jarstad’s photos will also be on display at Northwest University, where she is working toward her masters in business administration degree. A special reception to view the photos will be from 4-5:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Building (second floor, 6710 108th Ave. NE, Kirkland, at Northwest

University). The Websters will speak and answer questions during the reception. The photos will be on display from Oct. 15 through December. Rachel Webster is part of the local chapter of a national organization called Little People of America and encourages those with questions to visit their website, www.lpaonline.org. The nonprofit, which works to provide support and education for dwarfism, offers these facts: • There are more than 200 distinct forms of dwarfism and skeletal dysplasia. • People with dwarfism are generally not taller than 4-feet, 10 inches at adult height. The typical height range is

2-feet, 8-inches to 4-feet, 5-inches. • Eighty percent of people with dwarfism have average-height parents and siblings. • There are an estimated 30,000 people in the United States and 651,000 internationally with a type of dwarfism. • Little People of America has 6,500 members across the United States and includes 70 chapters active in all 50 states. • Little People of America hosts an annual national conference each July which draws more than 2,500 attendees for a week of activities, including educational and medical workshops, sports, and social networking and events.

and saying something to their friends.” Jarstad said the photo of her in a crowd was the highlight of the project. The friends also worked together on a similar project five years ago when Jarstad was assigned an assignment from her college photography class. The assignment asked her to photograph a controversial issue. She chose accessibility. For the assignment, one photo depicted Rachel Webster standing on a public bathroom toilet, unable to reach the women’s sanitary box. Jarstad said her photography, specifically this photo essay, is a vehicle to promote awareness and acceptance. “The main point is for society to just be a little kinder and I feel like education helps that,” she said, adding the work she does aligns with the Aristotle quote, “’Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your calling.’ Photography is my vehicle for

change. It’s my mouthpiece. With a camera in hand, my goal is to leave my piece of this world a little better than I found it.” Growing up with a brother who’s 6-feet tall, Rachel Webster wants the world to view little people and dwarfism like her brother does. “His experience is unique, being in a family of little people,” she said. “If everyone looked in the mirror and accepted they were different, there would be no need for dwarfism awareness or talks on racism.” Nancy Webster said her hopes for the future are summed up in a quote from her daughter: “I wait for the day when we can just pass each other on the street and it’s just understood that we are all a little bit different. The child doesn’t look at me like a monster, but instead smiles. I’m not immediately rejected on a date because of my size. The manager doesn’t blink an eye when he greets me for my interview. In a world, populated by diversity, we could all use a lot more understanding.”

Finally, Griffin and Wilson were asked how they would build stability in the school district. “The board has hired an excellent superintendent,” Griffin said. “What I will do is ensure that she is clear about the expectations of the board and ensure end goals are being met. I will collaborate with the superintendent and the community.” Wilson said she is one of five board members. Their job, she said, is to build a cohesive team to provide support to the superintendent. Wilson said there is a continued challenge to

building a cohesive team when the board has suffered a 129 percent turnover rate between 2000-2014, as reported in the September 2015 Municipal League Report: School Board Governance in King County. “I’m the most senior member (on the board) with four years,” Wilson said. “That’s scary to think about.” Board stability and consistency is critical, Wilson said, in providing support to the superintendent and most importantly, the students of the school district.

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October 16, 2015 [7] [ MIRROR from page 1] state,” one judge wrote about that story. “Congrats on going above and beyond to get this story covered.” Dawson also hauled in three awards, including second place for the Best Investigative Reporting category for her story “More details emerge in city’s purchase of former Target site.” “Again, a good example of a story where the reporter was determined to keep going to answer questions for readers,” one judge wrote. Dawson also won two third place awards for Best Investigative Reporting and Best General Feature Story, Long. Sports reporter Terrence Hill won third place for Best Color Sports Photo - Action. The Mirror’s sales team also took home five awards. Marcie Shannon and Cindy Ducich won first place for Best Use of Process Color for a Black Bear Diner ad. “Color looks fantastic … Food looks very real and jumps off the page at the reader saying, ‘eat me, I’m delicious,’” a judge wrote. Kay Miller, Jennifer Anderson, Shannon and Ducich also won first place for Topical/ Non-Tourism Special Sections for the Mirror’s annual Health and Wellness Guide. In addition, Shannon, Miller and Ducich won first place for Multiple-Advertiser Ad for the newspaper’s annual Father’s Day ad featuring the publisher, Todd Suchan and Mayor Jim Ferrell at Wild Waves. Shannon, Miller and Ducich won second place for Toursim/ Community Guide Special Sections and all three, plus Anderson, won third place for Special/Events/Festivals Special Sections.

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BUSINESS | Local espresso bar hosts Perk Up & Paint events [4]

VOL. 17, NO. 47

MIRROR

F E D E R A L WAY

DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING

OPINION | Editor’s Note: Mirror launches kids holiday contest [6] Roegner: Reaction to Wilson’s retirement benefits [6] COMMUNITY | Group Health, Boy Scouts collect sleeping bags, tents for homeless [12] POLICE | Man surrenders dogs after they kill neighbor’s chickens [23]

SPORTS | Swimming, diving FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 | 75¢ champions crowned [11]

CHAMBER | Chamber honors three local businesses during annual gala [27]

Chick-fil-A, TV studio coming to Federal Way

Bride mourns fiancé in memorial photo shoot BY RAECHEL DAWSON

BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdswson@fedwaymirror.com

rdswson@fedwaymirror.com

aybe Economic Development Director Tim Johnson was on to something when he said the filming industry could benefit Federal Way’s economy this past January. According to the former California resident, a husband and wife are in the process of opening up “Hong Kong Market” on the northwest corner of South 356th Street and 21st Avenue South. But the market isn’t an ordinary grocery store — it will be a television studio. “They have a relationship with Food Network, so this is going to be one of their operations where they’ll be doing that kind of shooting,” Johnson said at the Federal Way City Council meeting on Tuesday. Johnson stood before the council not only to share the interesting news of Hong Kong Market, but to update the community on several other key areas of economic development. Lisa LaManna, the senior vice president of retail operations with Harsch Investment Properties, said Federal Way is about 5 percent vacant when it comes to retail spaces, a good BY TERRENCE HILL percentage. thill@fedwaymirror.com Harsch Investment Properties owns Celebration The holiday season is a fun, yet Center, SeaTac Village stressful time of year for many people. Finding the right gifts or [ more CHICK, page 3 ] the perfect food for a family dinner and braving the traffic and lines at crowded venues can take a toll on anyone.

Lauren Reynolds found a baker for her wedding cake, picked out a dress, a DJ for entertainment and had plenty of decorations ready to go for her special day. Most of all, her heart was full. “I just felt happy, I felt peace,” the Federal Way resident said. “Everything was just going in the right direction.” But it all came crashing down one day in October 2014, a month before her wedding, when Reynolds had a strange feeling about her fiancé Tristin Woods. “I was at a family activity and I hadn’t heard from him that morning yet, which was weird,” Reynolds said. “Then I got a text from his mom, asking if I had heard from him and I started to worry.” Woods was in California, where he had family and had lived off and on. Trying to figure out what was going on, Reynolds started calling around and got a hold of his aunt.

Above, Lauren Reynolds, of Federal Way, poses in her wedding dress in a pool during a memorial photo shoot. Left, Reynolds holds a picture of her and Tristin Woods, who she met through church in the winter and was engaged to by summer. Woods would tragically die in a car accident in October, one month before their planned wedding a year ago. A Federal Way photographer took photos of Reynolds in her wedding dress as a tribute to the widow’s late fiancé. Photos courtesy of Stephanie Jarstad Photography

[ more BRIDE, page 14 ]

New alliance gears up to serve 1,200 low-income students for the holidays For others, such as Federal Way resident Katie Lang, the reality is a bit different. Simply knowing that they will have any gifts to give and dinner to provide for their family is a struggle. She has four children, all of them boys. The eldest son is 12-yearsold and currently attends Lakota Middle School. There are also a pair

of 9-year-old twins and a 5-yearold, who currently attend Lake Grove Elementary. Lang’s family lives off the commission that her husband Christian earns from his job at a moving company. “It gets really tight around this time of year,” Lang said. “People mostly move during the sum-

mer, not the winter. It really slows down.” Four years ago, Lang was contacted by a counselor at Lake Grove Elementary who informed her of the Adopt-a-Family program, which was run by the Federal Way Police Department. The program was created to help low-income [ more HOLIDAYS, page 2 ]

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[14] November 20, 2015 “When she called me, she [ BRIDE from page 1]

said, ‘I’m sorry honey, but Tristin died in a car accident during the night,’” she said. “I just fell to the ground and started screaming. I just lost control.” Reynolds said she was overcome with darkness on the worst day of her life. Woods was a passenger in a vehicle that had an intoxicated driver, who wrecked after driving 110 mph on the freeway. Woods, strangely, was the only one who wasn’t wearing his seat belt and the only one who died. “The hardest part about that is Tristin never ever got into a car and didn’t put his seat belt on, so it just didn’t make any sense,” she said. “His grandfather had died in a car accident and he was so cautious about that, so it’s just the weirdest thing.” That was just about a year ago. Reynolds would have celebrated her first year anniversary with Woods on Nov. 8, the wedding date they had planned. Instead, on the one-year

[ EDITOR from page 6]

Please tell us in 800 words or less what the holidays mean to you. You are welcome to write about Christmas, or you may address what this time of year means to you in

www.federalwaymirror.com anniversary of Woods’s death, Reynolds’s friends had an idea that would later provide a small amount of closure: A photo shoot of Reynolds in her wedding dress as a memorial to her fiancé. “It was such a fun girls weekend and it just felt, just being in my wedding dress made me feel so beautiful and we were walking around this park in Seattle and this man took his hat off and bowed as we walked by,” Reynolds recalled. “It was happy and it felt good and that was a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time.” Good friend Stephanie Jarstad, a Federal Way photographer, took the photos while other friends helped with make-up and hair. “I was honored and humbled to photograph such a sweet tribute,” Jarstad said. “With only a few short weeks before Lauren’s wedding day, you could imagine the excited anticipation any bride feels. Losing her sweet fiancé couldn’t have been

general. We will select a first, second and third place winner and winning entries will be published in our Christmas edition on Dec. 25. Each winner will also receive a $50 gift card to The Commons mall.

Lauren Reynolds looks to her fiance Tristin Woods, who passed away one month before their wedding day. Stephanie Jarstad Photography

further from her mind. My heart completely broke for Lauren, at a time when they should have been starting their lives together she was saying her goodbyes. This photo shoot was held for Lauren to express her love for Tristin and the goodbye they never had.” Reynolds said she felt

close to Woods that day. Although short, their love story was deep. Reynolds, a Decatur High School graduate, met Woods through his father, who attends her church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Federal Way. Reynolds said she fell in

Entries may be handwritten or typed and we encourage participants to draw pictures to accompany your stories, some of which will be published as well. Email your story to editor@federal-

love with him within a week of knowing him, but the first time they connected was at a church Christmas potluck. “None of my family was going, the only reason I went is because I knew he’d be there,” she said. Reynolds said she was surprised when Woods asked her if she wanted

waymirror.com, or drop off your entry to our office in person or mail to: Federal Way Mirror, 31919 1st Ave. S., Suite 101, Federal Way, WA 98003. All entries must be received by 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14.

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RIBBON-CUTTING | Community welcomes new Seattle Children’s South Clinic [3]

VOL. 17, NO. 38

MIRROR

F E D E R A L WAY

DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING

OPINION | Jarvis: Here’s what South King Fire should do [4] Roegner: David and Goliath: Can Thumbi defeat Duclos? [4] POLICE | Mother panhandling with children arrested on felony charges [10] FATALITY | Car fatally strikes pedestrian walking in middle of Military Road [11]

SPORTS | Federal Way falls to FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 | 75¢ top-ranked Camas [12]

BUSINESS | Asensio Coffee brews up local coffee and art [16]

Council approves $400,000 stormwater project at Town Square Park BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@fedwaymirror.com

he Federal Way City Council voted to approve a $400,000 stormwater outreach project and educational center at Town Square Park at a council meet-

ing on Tuesday night. “First of all, Town Square Park will be a great asset to our city,” said Councilman Bob Celski at the meeting. “I mean, it’s going to be part of the city center and the whole buzz around the city … expanding from there, but I like the idea of making this park alive, a robust park, one that’s really

multi-purpose.” The Town Square Park Stormwater Low Impact Development Outreach Project will include an educational center that will deliver stormwater education and outreach [ more PROJECT, page 8 ]

Man who stabbed girlfriend 100 times found not guilty by reason of insanity BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@fedwaymirror.com

A King County Superior Court judge found a Federal Way man accused of stabbing his girlfriend more than 100 times not guilty by reason of insanity on Sept. 9. Kenneth “Kenny” Mace was charged with first-degree murder in July 2012 for killing Melinda “Mindy” O’Meara, 20. Since then, he’s been in confinement on $2 million bail. After nine months of mental health treatment at Western State Hospital, a judge found Mace competent to stand trial on July 16, 2014. A non-jury trial was held on Sept. 9 with Judge Patrick Oishi, who found Mace a “substantial danger to other persons” and has a likelihood of committing criminal acts that will jeopardize public safety if not kept under control by the court, specifically a state mental hospital. The court committed Mace to the Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services for hospitalization that will care for the treatment of the criminally insane. The judge also ordered

Remembering 9/11 Above, firefighters with South King Fire and Rescue and other local fire departments listen during a memorial service for the 14th anniversary of 9/11 at South King Fire and Rescue Fire Station 64. Photo courtesy of Randall Smith

Right, a boy waves a small flag during the ceremony, which featured guest speakers Ray McCormack, a lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department, and Ken Lee, whose uncle was on flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. For the full story and more photos, see page 14. CARRIE RODRIGUEZ, the Mirror

Council approves $75,000 college study assesment BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@fedwaymirror.com

The Federal Way City

Council unanimously voted to approve $75,000 toward a college/university needs assessment study for Federal Way at a council meeting on Tuesday. Dipping into strategic reserves, the funds will

allow the mayor to enter into a Professional Services Agreement for the study to be conducted. The city has identified Florida-based MGT America to do the study, and anticipates it to begin

at the end of October and be finished by spring 2016. “I wholeheartedly support this and am very much looking forward to continuing the trajectory that we’re on,” said Councilwoman Kelly Maloney

Melinda O’Meara was fatally stabbed 100 times in July 2012. Her boyfriend who killed her was found not guilty of the crime by reason of insanity. Contributed photo

Mace cannot have contact with O’Meara’s family while committed. Two of the victim’s best friends filed statements explaining what it meant to lose their friend. “Losing her hit me much deeper than I could have ever imagined,” O’Meara’s friend Melanie wrote. “I was about to start my junior year of college in Arkansas, but knowing that I had to leave my neighborhood to go back to school just about tore me apart. I was sick with confusion, worry and guilt.”

at the meeting. Maloney spearheaded the city’s college/university initiative, which the council approved in July 2014. The initiative commits the city to the goal of bringing a college or branch campus to the city’s downtown area.

[ more INSANITY, page 7 ]

The conversation continued after Weyerhaeuser announced last year it would be moving its longtime Federal Way headquarters to Seattle in 2016, as public officials and legislators tossed around ideas of what [ more COLLEGE, page 7 ]

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[14] September 18, 2015

HIGHLINE EARNS NATIONAL DIVERSITY AWARD

Highline College has received the 2015 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education, for the third consecutive year. “Highline is honored to receive this award for the third year in a row and to be recognized for our commitment to diversity and the work we do every day on our campus,” said Highline President Jack Bermingham. “Diversity is more than a program or an initiative at Highline; it is the soul of our institution.” As a recipient of the annual award — an honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — Highline will be featured along with 91 other recipients in Insight Into Diversity magazine’s November 2015 issue. Insight Into Diversity magazine selected recipients based on diversity and inclusion initiatives, and ability to embrace a broad definition of diversity on campus, including gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, people with disabilities and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Highline is the most diverse college in Washington and was one of only two colleges in the state, and the only community college in Washington, to receive the 2015 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award.

‘Never forget’ Community remembers lost lives at 9/11 memorial service BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@fedwaymirror.com

t. Ray McCormack was running late to work the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. McCormack, a lieutenant for the New York City Fire Department, had worked the night before but went home early after his wife called him with worries. “I’m going to tell you two things: First off, my wife rarely calls me at work and, second of all, nervousness is not a real excuse to leave work,” he told a crowd of about 100 at a memorial service for the 14th anniversary of 9/11 at South King Fire and Rescue Fire Station 64. He was supposed to work throughout the night and the day of 9/11 but after his wife’s friend called, echoing her concerns, he left the firehouse with slightly high blood pressure, expecting to be in the next morning. In addition to being late, McCormack was pulled over for speeding and had to rely on his scanner because his radio wasn’t working that morning. But his morning quickly worsened when he heard a peculiar thing on the scanner. “I thought I heard somebody say that a plane crashed into the World Trade Center,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘No, that can’t be it.’ But the next message I heard was ‘send every available ambulance you have.’” McCormack looked up and there was smoke. “I broke a few more traffic laws to get to work,” the Harlem lieutenant of Ladder 28 said. The first plane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, marking

Highline faculty member recognized FROM STAFF REPORTS

Amelia Phillips has been named one of this year’s 100 Inspiring Women in science, technology, engineering and math, an award presented

the worst terrorist attacks the United States has ever endured. Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda later crashed three other hijacked airplanes — a second into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and one into a field in Pennsylvania, which was heading to Washington D.C. but was rerouted after a passenger takeover. The firehouse was chaotic. Televisions blared, rumors flew and everyone was directed not to use phone lines unless unless absolutely necessary. Itching to help before the second plane had even crashed, McCormack finally got his chance at midnight. “We worked throughout the night and the next afternoon and we finally got relieved,” he said, noting many firefighters returned to the site after their shift had ended. For the first two weeks, McCormack and others’ job was to find survivors in void spaces. “But it turned out, I don’t think any — there were some survivors but they were found initially,” he said. After that, it was recovery mode. For one month in the beginning of 2002, McCormack and his team found deceased people and returned them to their families. “It was a very difficult month, emotionally and physically,” he said. Gig Harbor resident Ken Lee was on the other side of the country when he found out his uncle Dong Lee had died on American Airlines flight 77, the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. “I didn’t even know my uncle was traveling because he lived in Virginia, he was going from Virginia to Los Angeles that day,” Lee said. “And then it was after, a day after, that I got a call from my aunt that he was on the plane. The last thing, after talking to my aunt, the last words he said was that he’ll miss her and be careful.”

Lee’s uncle was traveling for a business trip with Boeing. Only nine years older than Lee, Lee described his uncle as more like a brother to him. He immigrated to America in the 1960s from Korea after having lost both of his parents at a young age. “He was a person you really wanted to be around,” Lee said. “The reason I looked up to him was he was rock solid in his conventions… He always went out of his way to make other people happy.” The memorial service, meant to honor the 2,977 Americans and 343 firefighters who were killed by the attacks, showcased a year-old memorial structure with the names of the police and fire personnel and citizens

whose lives were lost. The memorial is built in the shape of a pentagon with the names of the World Trade Center victims on the inside of the south wall. In the center of the pentagonshaped memorial is a 1,200 pound, 10-feet tall steel beam from the World Trade Center. The steel is mounted on a pedestal that displays the names of the police and fire personnel and it is pointed 102 degrees east towards Ground Zero. On the southeast wing is a rock, which was excavated from the Shanksville, Pennsylvania crash site with names of victims above and on the southwest wing, there’s a 250 pound piece of Indiana limestone from the face of the Pentagon with

victim’s names above. On the other side is two three ton basalt columns that rise out of the words “Never Forget,” which represent the World Trade Center Twin Towers. The columns are next to a single Callery pear tree, which represents the lone surviving tree at Ground Zero and the grass area, tying the two sections together, represents the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. “Many thanks go out to those that helped make this memorial a reality, especially Lt. Chris Burdyshaw and the crews at [station] 64,” South King Fire and Rescue Chief Allen Church said. “Let’s never forget the firefighters, police officers and citizens who lost their lives that horrific day 14 years ago. Never forget.”

by Insight Into Diversity magazine. A tenured faculty member at Highline College, Phillips earned the national recognition for her teaching, mentoring and leadership in the computer science field. “Dr. Phillips is everything a college could ask for in a (science, technology, engineering and math) faculty member,” said Jeff Wagnitz,

vice president for Highline’s Academic Affairs division. “She is an exceptional scholar, campus leader, industry liaison and role model for students. It’s an understatement to call her award ‘well deserved.’” A recognized expert in the field of digital forensics, Phillips often speaks and serves as a panelist at confer-

ences and events in the community and on campus. Phillips mentors female students on campus and has taken several to the annual Women in Cybersecurity Conference. For Highline’s new Women in Cybersecurity club, she serves as the adviser. Her many achievements include co-writing one of the

leading computer forensics textbooks in the country and a textbook on e-discovery. Phillips led Highline’s development of an applied baccalaureate in cybersecurity and forensics, one of the college’s first four-year degrees. Phillips is recognized in the September 2015 issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine.

Above, Puget Sound Firefighters Pipes and Drums performed during the 9/11 memorial service at South King Fire and Rescue’s fire station 64. The memorial service was held on the 14th anniversary of 9/11. Right, a man prays during the ceremony. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the people aboard four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001. Photos by CARRIE RODRIGUEZ, the Mirror

Fairy Godmother for transgender community reveals challenging past tually, every paycheck, she’s given 10 percent to us.” Valenna is the president earing a twoof the Gender Alliance of piece bikini, the South Sound, a nonLonness Valenna profit support and social slid down one of Wild group for the transgender Waves Theme Park’s many community, which includes water slides. those from Federal Way. “I stand up, swipe the She goes by the moniker water off my face but then “Fairy Godmother” for the I noticed my little bottom help she’s given to people came off,” she said. “‘Oh, starting out quick, come over “I’m a very unique during their and get it and put individual ... I was transition it on’ and then I — including turn around and born with both providing a see the lifeguard organs, female and place to stay right there and male, it is a very for transgender she’s like … that rare occurrence ... people who was that.” My genetic structure find themselves It was her first homeless. is different from trip to the park But her life with the Gender others.” hasn’t always Lonness Valenna Alliance of the been a Fairy South Sound. Godmother Knowing there helping the was no way to avoid the homeless. lifeguard, Valenna deBorn in 1982 as intersex cided to own the awkward to Jenny Kiser in Houma, encounter despite her Louisiana, Valenna was mortification. named Harley Sturgis Kiser “So I go right up to her by her father who promptly and I said, ‘the first show left just after her birth. is free, the second will cost “I was two fetuses that you.’” merged together in the Luckily, the lifeguard womb,” Valenna said. “I’m a burst out laughing but had very unique individual … I some obvious questions. was born with both organs, “I proceeded to take the female and male, it is a next 15 minutes of my livevery rare occurrence … My lihood away and explained genetic structure is different to her what transgender from others. In fact, there people are,” Valenna said. are only 27 known cases.” “… I told her about G.A.S.S. Because of her differand everything and now ac-

ences, and growing up in the south, Valenna said her mother wasn’t entirely aware of her condition. “I was raised as a girl until the age of 7,” she said, bluntly. Because her mother was a truck driver, Valenna went on trips with her as a child. To keep her occupied, she delved into children’s activity books and learned to read at a young age. Her first experience with gender identity came when she stumbled upon L. Frank Baum’s Oz books, the author of the “Wizard of Oz.” “There was 14 of them and one of my favorite characters in there was Princess Ozma,” she recalled. “She was actually a boy named Tip that went through and basically lived the life of a slave, and eventually became the princess of Oz, finding out that she/he was the heir to everything.” Baum’s books go back to 1904, very radical ideas at the time. Once Valenna was old enough to start school, the two settled down in Anderson, Indiana. However, signing Valenna up for school proved to be a challenge with a birth certificate that stated “intersex” as the gender. At the time, Valenna said the school system told her

Diversity — now that is a word that is used so often that sometimes when spoken its meaning becomes an ineffective language tool and at times, alters the purpose of using such a strong and power-

ful term. Now I applaud the Federal Way Mirror in wanting to include such a positive word in their paper each month but the question is, what does diversity mean to you? Does anyone really

BY RAECHEL DAWSON

rdawson@fedwaymirror.com

a commitment to educating every child

ALL MEANS ALL

Lonness Valenna, 33, stands in her front yard in her fairy godmother garb. Valenna is the president of the Gender Alliance of the South Sound. RAECHEL DAWSON, the Mirror mother that they “couldn’t have that” because it wouldn’t be safe if bathroom issues came up. “They basically said, ‘We can’t have your child in school until he gets an operation,’” she said. “Because, in their minds, penis equals male no matter what.” In 1988, Valenna had a traumatic “normalization surgery,” which was paid for through financial aid. Valenna said her mother

Diversity: Freely used; often misunderstood Gregory Baruso

MLK DAY FOOD DRIVE

Each year, the city of Federal Way and the Diversity Commission sponsor the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Celebration to honor him for his contributions to humanity and to celebrate the diverse community. The commission will host a food drive at local grocery stores with a community festival on Monday, Jan. 18, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The festival will be from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Thomas Jefferson High School with Erin Jones, Mayor Jim Ferrell and Superintendent Tammy Campbell as speakers. A day of service will follow from 12-1 p.m. where people can participate in service projects.

www.federalwaymirror.com

GUEST COLUMN

F E D E R A L WAY

DIVERSITY

[14] January 8, 2016

know what diversity is? What does it mean to create a diverse workplace? What does someone mean when they state that they live in a diverse neighborhood? Before I delve into what I believe diversity to be, I’d like to take you back to my childhood neighborhood,

thought it was just a bit of corrective surgery, but it turned out to be a “full blown hysterectomy.” Valenna said she was forced into malehood and every feminine thing she loved was taken away from her. “It’s the equivalency of a child being raped,” she said. “This felt like your soul was being raped. Your very being, your existence, your [ more GENDER, page 20 ]

the community that developed what we can call my culture. I grew up in Seattle, four blocks away from Garfield High School in the heart of what is known as the Central District. Back in the 1960s, even in that area, Filipinos like myself were not well known as [ more DIVERSITY, page 21 ]

Survey participants sound off on Mirror’s diversity section BY CARRIE RODRIGUEZ editor@fedwaymirror.com

fwps.org | www.facebook.com/fwps210 | Twitter: @fwps210

The Federal Way community would benefit from a monthly diversity section in this newspaper, according to the majority of people who responded to the Mirror’s recent online diversity survey. Of the 59 people who replied to the 10-question survey, 62 percent, or 36 people, said the community would benefit from a diversity section, while 38 percent, or 22 people, said the community would not. Starting in this issue, the Mir-

ror is launching a three-month pilot project, which will include a monthly, one-page diversity section comprised of stories, columns and other media. These stories are not limited to ethnic diversity, but sociological diversity, which includes the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning) community, those with disabilities and those who are the disenfranchised minority. To assist in this project, the Mirror asked readers to complete a short survey. The survey asked respondents about their gender, race/ethnicity,

age, if they identify with the LGBTQ community and whether they had disabilities. Approximately 50 percent (29 people) of those who took the survey identify as male, while 47 percent (27 people) identify as female. One respondent also identified as a maleto-female cross-dresser and another as a trans woman. The majority of survey respondents — 32 people — described their race/ethnicity as white/caucasian, 12 as multi-racial, five people as African-American and six as vari[ more SURVEY, page 23 ]

[20] January 8, 2016 GENDER from page 14]

www.federalwaymirror.com

identity taken from you.” Throughout her childhood, Valenna would go over to girlfriend’s houses and play dress-up in secret. By age 12, she expressed to her mother that she wanted to be a girl. “She would call me a ‘collection of spare parts that was accidentally given life,’” Valenna recalled as their relationship took a turn for the worse. One day, Valenna and her mom got onto a bus for Indianapolis, Indiana but stopped at a rest stop in Muncie, Indiana. As the two got off, Valenna returned to the bus but couldn’t find her mother. She figured she had sat somewhere else and that they’d meet up in Indianapolis. But when she arrived, Valenna couldn’t find her. She had been abandoned in a big city at the age of 12. “I wandered around for a day-and-a-half or two,” she said. “Eventually, the police found me and, well, they couldn’t find her so I became property of the state.” Valenna said doctors tested her blood and other samples after finding out she was born intersex before she was sent to Ireland to live with her grandparents. “Grandfather was in no way accepting while grandmother, on the side when he wasn’t around, let me do a lot of the women stuff. She was understanding, grandfather not so much,” she said. “It’s always kind of been the case going through life. The males just can’t grasp it.” Two years later, Valenna returned to her family after she got a call that her mother was looking for her. She had married, had a son named Jesse James Kiser and was living in Georgia. Valenna tried to stay with family but, feeling unaccepted, she moved out and became homeless — not her first time. “Because of a traumatic incident that happened a little bit after [my brother’s] father’s death, mother started really hating things of diversity,” Valenna said. “We went to Louisiana and I was kind of in the poorhouse for a time because she wanted to keep me around but she did not want me going towards the other side, so I left.” Valenna got a job at Wal-Mart while in high school and reconnected with a pen pal who would later become her wife. Holed up in a studio she called an attic, Valenna finally had a place of her own. With her job, she was able to buy “girly stuff,” which included trips to a formal dress store. “I’d go in there, talk with them and one of the ladies who

worked there was a lesbian,” Valenna said. “She was about the closest thing you can get to diversity out there.” She told the dress store employees that she worked in a playhouse and was looking for theatre costumes. But, after a while, she couldn’t stand living a lie. “It was getting to the point of depression, almost suicide, not being able to be your authentic self and having this facade,” she said. “Not because I wasn’t ready but because the world around me, the environment wasn’t ready for such a thing.” Valenna decided enough was enough. She put on her “poofiest” dress on her birthday, hid a sword for defense and committed “social suicide.” When people asked, she said, ‘This is how I am. Don’t like it? You know where to find me.” Over the course of two days, no one came. Valenna mistakenly thought it was acceptance but it turned out no one knew where to find her. She received backlash from her employer for wearing a skirt and was bullied. “I wore a pleated skirt, a Cathy skirt, to work because that was the uniform at the time and people would just come gawk at the weird person,” she said. “Unfortunately, it made the store’s sales rise.” But after Hurricane Katrina, and the suicide of Valenna’s brother in 2010, Valenna’s mother was committed to Bayou Oaks mental facility. “Harley was a strange kid for me when he was growing up but now since he’s given me a name that I can call him now, which is Lonness, I love the name,” Jenny Kiser said in a phone interview. “I think it was thought out very well.” According to Valenna, “Lonness” is Irish and is old Gaelic, which means elegant. Valenna is Gaelic for “to transform.” Jenny Kiser spent a few years in the mental health facility and is undergoing diversity training at a a local Gay Straight Alliance club at the community college in Houma, Louisiana. “It’s been a long journey for me,” Jenny Kiser said. “I have read three books on this and I’m fixing to read another book he’s sent me,” she said. “I’m just loving my gift, it’s priceless.” Valenna sends her books to read and study, with the most recent being “Where’s My Book? A Guide for Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Youth, Their Parents

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and Everyone Else” by Linda Gromko, PhD. Valenna is also a contributing author with her chapter on page 243. After the outburst with her mother, Valenna moved to Seattle with her wife and friend. “Seattle kept coming up,” she said about her search for transgender communities. Car-less, jobless and out $7,000 from moving costs, Valenna, her wife and a friend moved to Des Moines. “Day three — I’m going to go to Capitol Hill! This is what I read about,” she said, referring to the Seattle neighborhood known for its LGBTQ inclusion. “But I saw one drag queen. Where’s all the trans people?” Valenna was told Capitol Hill was the “gay neighborhood” and that she “might want to go further south.” After much research, she found the Gender Alliance of the South Sound, which is based at the Rainbow Center in Tacoma. Valenna said they were extremely accommodating — asking if she needed therapy, hormones, something to drink or eat. It was the start of Valenna’s activism in the transgender community, where she’s still making waves. Since her time in the northwest, she’s helped friend and current vice president Amy Colbert create Amy’s Out House for homeless transgender people. Valenna started her own house in the Renton area called the Candy House, and she’s helped the group through positions such as events/social coordinator, vice president and is now the president of the Gender Alliance of the South Sound, which has satellite groups in Olympia and Bremerton. As the Fairy Godmother, she takes women on small shopping sprees, hosts roller skate nights and has restructured the Gender Alliance of the South Sound to be a social group instead of just a support group. Although the Gender Alliance of the South Sound doesn’t have the financial means to help in the way Valenna would like, her next goal will be to look into how the homeless transgender community can be supported further. “You’re only one person and you can’t change the world, or at least what people say,” Valenna said, quoting her mentor Charles Gilligan, Jr. “You can only make a dent in it. But it only takes one dent to rust a car from the inside out. So, make that dent and try to change the world. Anything is within one’s reach if one tries.” For more information, visit www.southsoundgender. com or www.lonnessvalenna.com.

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BUSINESS | Marlene’s in Federal Way celebrates 40 years in business [6]

VOL. 18, NO. 12

MIRROR

F E D E R A L WAY

DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING

OPINION | Roegner: Principles and Politics [8] Mr. Federal Way: Needles and freezing at Best of Federal Way [11] COMMUNITY | Federal Way teens design working apps in one-day App-A-Thon [10] NEWS | Decatur student arrested, expelled for bringing BB gun to school [12]

SPORTS | Federal Way rally falls FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016 | 75¢ short in season opener [4]

BLOTTER | Man points gun at wife [29]

Beloved teacher, coach, pastor dies after cancer battle BY RAECHEL DAWSON

rdawson@fedwaymirror.com

fter battling cancer for more than a year, Sean Smith passed away surrounded by his family on the night of Sunday, March 13. It was 15 months to the day from when he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, a deadly disease with a 1 percent five-year survival rate. But in his 50 years of life, the teacher, coach, youth pastor, family man and Federal Way community member touched thousands of lives with the positivity and kindness he shared with everyone he met. “Sean just had a real gift and genuine love for people, especially young people – inspiring them to be everything that they could be, to live a life with integrity,” said his wife of 27 years, Tami Smith. After Sean Smith was di-

agnosed in December 2014, his large network of friends and family members pulled together to set up a bank account called the Sean Smith Beneficial Trust with Bank of America. The trust is active once more to help after his passing. The community also held an auction to help raise money for his treatments last March, and former students from his days as a youth pastor rallied funds again last October. Tami Smith said her husband took a five-month break from chemotherapy in June after responding “very well” to it, but his initial symptoms returned in December 2015. It was then that the entire family decided to take a trip to Hawaii over the holidays. Shortly after they returned, he struggled. Sean Smith would undergo three surgeries, fighting a blood infection and other

Few locals without power after windstorm

symptoms with his GI tract in just two months. By early March, doctors told him he was too weak to continue chemotherapy and he came home on hospice shortly after.

FATHER, HUSBAND, SON, FRIEND

“We’re all just kind of holding each other up because Sean would want that,” said Sean Smith’s sister, Michelle Theiss, who is in town from California. Sean was born in Bellingham on Feb. 14, 1966, to Mary (Gena) Smith, 71, and Boyd Smith, 73. He attended Federal Way Public Schools, graduating from Decatur High School in 1984. Theiss said her big brother struggled in school despite his intelligence because he had dyslexia, and “nobody knew what that was back in the 1980s.” While Theiss is devastated by the loss of her brother,

Sean Smith was a teacher, coach, youth pastor and family man. Facebook photo she is especially heartbroken for his high school sweetheart. “I met him in 1983 at

BY RAECHEL DAWSON

BY JASON LUDWIG editor@fedwaymirror.com

Only a handful of residents in Federal Way started the week without power after a fierce wind-

storm tore through the region over the weekend. As of 8 a.m. Monday, five Federal Way customers were without electricity, according to Puget Sound Energy. Their service was restored before midnight that day. [ more STORM, page 3 ]

basketball game together with mutual friends, and [ more SMITH, page 2 ]

Federal Way launches initiative to clear out homeless encampments rdawson@fedwaymirror.com

A Federal Way house was damaged by a falling tree after Sunday’s windstorm. Photo courtesty of South King Fire and Rescue

Decatur High School,” Tami Smith said. “I had just moved here from Spokane.” The two had been at a

Homeless encampments are a “huge public safety and health issue” in Federal Way, according to Mayor Jim Ferrell. And he announced on Tuesday the city has a plan to clean them up. “There are a number of locations in the city in which there are needles strewn everywhere, there’s garbage everywhere, there’s hulked-out cars,” Ferrell said at a City Council meeting, referring to the camps. “It’s a public safety issue and it’s a health issue with all the needles.” The plan, or “initiative,” as city officials say, calls for collabora-

tion among multiple different city of Federal Way departments – the police department, community development, code enforcement, public works, parks and human services. Once homeless encampments are identified around the city, spokeswoman Cathy Schrock said, officials will determine if they are located on public or private land. If they’re on public land, the people living there will be notified that the camp will be closed and given information about various human services – housing, chemical dependency, mental health and more. If the camps are on private land, city officials will notify the landowners and inform them that they are not in compliance with

6 BEST BRAKE VALUE

city code. “But eventually, if all those things don’t come into play, you have the ‘simple’ crime of trespassing,” Schrock said. “Our intent is not to take these people and turn them into criminals; our intent is to give them opportunities.” Ferrell, Federal Way Police Chief Andy Hwang, and two deputy chiefs visited a former homeless encampment in February after they learned a fire had started in the area from people using propane tanks to cook and stay warm. The encampment was near Steel Lake on private property but was about 50 yards from a “whole row of houses.”

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[2] March 18, 2016 [ SMITH from page 1] she recalled him coming up to the group pointing to

www.federalwaymirror.com various girls he was going to dance with at school dance that night. When he got to her, he told her how he was

going to “dance with [her] a lot.” Five years later, the couple was married. Their

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sons, Joshua Smith, 24, and Spencer Smith, 21, were born a few years later. Theiss remarked how great it was that she and Tami Smith were friends, and Theiss’ husband, whom she would marry 10 years later, was a friend of Sean Smith’s. The couples lived near each other for seven years, raising their children together. “My husband, Brad Theiss, a lifelong friend of Sean’s, and my girls Madi and Allie were blessed to be Sean’s neighbor for a number of years when our kids were little,” she said, adding that her husband will sing at the memorial service. “Our hearts are broken, as we will miss his infectious laugh and smile.” Friend Jennifer Buckholz also met Sean Smith in high school, which led to a 35year friendship that would see them graduate together and get married and have children at around the same time. “The one thing about Sean is that he doesn’t throw friendships away,” Buckholz said. “He collects them like precious jewels.” Buckholz and Ali Hart, a friend of eight years, started the Smith Strong Beneficial Trust, which Buckholz said is still getting donations from many people. “It’s just an amazing testimony to who he was as a person,” she said. With the knowledge that his survival rate was so low, the Smith family spent the last year spending as much time together as they could. Not only did they go to Hawaii, but Tami Smith said they spent time restoring a cabin built in 1960 on family property at Mason Lake. Although Tami Smith is sad her husband never got to see the end result, a huge group of friends finished the restoration at the end of last year for him. In the days before he died, Tami Smith called their closest friends and let

Sean and Tami Smith, center, with their sons in Kona, Hawaii. Contributed photo

them know he was declining rapidly. “I told him on Sunday in the middle of the night – I was sleeping with him, and I told him he had been an amazing husband, a wonderful father and we were going to be OK and it was OK for him to go,” Tami Smith said in tears. “He had done so much for so many people and he just really loved life.”

DECATUR TEACHER

Sean Smith studied at the Oregon Institute of Technology, Seattle University and the University of Colorado, and was an engineering technician before he would return to the place it had all started – his high school alma mater. Federal Way Public Schools spokeswoman Kassie Swenson said Sean Smith started teaching at Decatur nine years ago but was a coach for much longer. Nancy Hawkins, the former Federal Way Public Schools director of career and technical education, had been looking for a teacher to start an ambitious program at Decatur High School. However, Project Lead the Way, a national program with an emphasis on pre-engineering education, almost didn’t happen. “We came within two weeks of pulling the plug on the whole thing,” she said.

But then Hawkins met Sean Smith. “He’s this positive kind of guy who basically says yes to anything,” she said, adding that he often said, “I’ll do whatever it takes.” Sean Smith helped build the pre-engineering program at Decatur from the ground up, taking courses in teaching during summer breaks and being open to new ideas – one of which led his students to apply for a patent. The patent was for a device called the “active shooter project,” which was prompted by news of school shootings. Decatur’s interior classroom doors were especially dangerous in this situation because they required teachers to go into the hallway and lock them from the outside. Seniors developed a $5 door locking mechanism that fixed the problem. Sarah Vanhoy’s daughter, Maranda McGeough, was one of the students who worked on that project. “My daughter is going to college for engineering because of him,” Vanhoy said, adding that her daughter has received the American Association of the University of Women Award for her work in engineering and technology. And it wasn’t just her daughter who was affected [ more SMITH, page 30 ]

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by Sean Smith. “I had my daughter when I was 15, and a lot of teachers treated me different, like I wasn’t like the other parents,” Vanhoy said, noting that teachers would often try to over-explain things to her. “He didn’t treat me different than the other parents. He talked to me the same.” Vanhoy said he was a “one-of-a-kind man” and inspired “so many” kids in his life. “No matter what you looked like, dressed like, he treated you the same,” she said. “He genuinely cared… Without him, my daughter wouldn’t have gone to

told her, ‘You’ve got such a good brain. You have to go.’” Former student Balin Lusby called Sean Smith his “engineering mentor.” “I had always looked forward to the day when I could come back and thank him and show him my bachelor’s degree,” Lusby said. “Sadly, that will never happen.” Lusby said that after excelling in his pre-engineering class for two years, he began Running Start but returned to Decatur to tutor other students. “I am so thankful his support, his patience and his respect for me,” he said. “He was a great teacher and mentor and has inspired me

www.federalwaymirror.com to keep a giving attitude, to share my knowledge and my tools with other growing engineers, and to always produce the highest quality of work I am capable of while helping others along the way.” Tyler Dean, a senior at Decatur, began Sean Smith’s engineering course as a freshman and has served as his teacher’s assistant since his sophomore year. Dean said he was fascinated by Sean Smith’s work as a youth pastor and said he grew closer to his teacher each year they knew each other. “I literally sat next to him every day,” Dean wrote in an email. “As we talked about everything, if I had nothing

to talk about, he would have me open my bible so that we could have something to talk about. Mr. Smith was one of my best friends, he was my role model.” Swenson said Sean Smith continued teaching after his diagnosis, coming in when he could. He remained in the classroom until February of this year. “I have heard so many positive comments about Sean’s commitment to our student-scholars at Decatur,” said Superintendent Dr. Tammy Campbell. “His impact will live on in the good work of the student-scholars he taught and touched over his 20-plus years at Decatur. My heart goes out to his family.” Hawkins said she’s worked with a lot of teachers in her 45 years in education, but “Sean was among the very best teachers” she’s ever known. “Sean Smith has been a vital part of the Decatur community,” said Decatur Principal David Brower. “As a distinguished alumnus, coach and educator, he has inspired thousands of kids over the last 20 years.”

COACH SMITH

The Gators coach helped with many sports but was most influential as Decatur’s head boys soccer coach, a title he held until he was di-

agnosed last year. However, he maintained his status as assistant wrestling coach through the current school year’s season. Sean Smith also helped coach football at Decatur and Lakota Middle School on and off throughout the past 20 years. “Sean was a man of great faith, and it carried over into the way he approached coaching and mentoring student athletes,” said Korey Sites, the athletics director at Decatur. “He believed in each and every kid and could communicate that clearly to them.” Sites said sometimes he told student athletes life lessons, but often it “was with his smile and distinctive laugh.” With every setback in competitive sports, Sites said Sean Smith encouraged his team to be resilient and persist, “much as he did during his fight with cancer.” “Coach Smith was a strong advocate for whatever he believed in and could be extremely competitive,” Sites said, noting that he’ll miss him for his wisdom and optimism. “He fought for his teams and put an immense amount of time and energy into coaching.”

MAN OF GOD

Pastor Billy Arnold met Sean and Tami Smith 25

Sean Smith and his sister Michelle Theiss. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO years ago after they began attending LifeWay Church in Federal Way. He said they were newlyweds who had “popped in one day” in the spring of 1990. The two became involved in the church right away. One thing led to another, and Sean Smith found himself on church staff as a youth pastor in 1993. “He made a real commitment,” Arnold said. “He was born into a home of faith.” But he “made his faith a reality” in his young 20s. “At that point forward, it really changed everything of what his life was all about,” [ more SMITH, page 31 ]

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www.federalwaymirror.com Arnold said. “His life was dictated by calling.” As a youth pastor for 16 years, he lifted up God’s grace to teens in the church and helped them himself when he could. One such youth was well-known Decatur High School student Dominque “Dom” Cooks, who passed away from a brain tumor in April 2014. In a previous article in the Mirror, Sean Smith said going through cancer made

him think back to Cooks, a 220-pound defensive lineman he coached, and the journey he went through. “I remember when Cookie (Cooks) spoke at the ceremony he said he was thankful for his friends and he was thankful for the cancer because it reminded him that life was short,” Smith said in the article. “He said getting diagnosed showed him who his friends are and that they are here in the halls of Decatur. That’s exactly how I feel now.” Arnold was with the

Burien Arts Gallery accepting submissions for 2016 exhibitions Gallery looking for contemporary artists in all genres FROM STAFF REPORTS

The Burien Arts Gallery, centrally located in downtown Burien, is calling for artists to apply via www.burienarts.org for consideration to have their work exhibited in

the Burien Arts Gallery. The gallery is interested in contemporary artists working on topical narratives in all genres. The Burien Arts Gallery, opened in October 2013, is the only nonprofit fine arts gallery between West Seattle and Tacoma. The entry form is easily accessible online (burienarts.org/artistentry-form/) and can be

Smith family the night of his death, and the pastor recalled hearing him tell his niece that he wasn’t afraid to die and that he had “confidence in eternity of heaven.” It’s a conversation Arnold has had with Sean Smith multiple times since he was first diagnosed. “He was a cheerful guy,” Arnold said. “Like anybody that makes an impact on people, I’ll miss him like I’ll miss a friend.” Arnold said God allowed Sean Smith to have a big impact as a mentor, teacher, submitted immediately and electronically. Submissions must include a minimum of four and a maximum of 10 work samples. File size and type restrictions apply and can be found, along with other information, on the galler y’s website. Artists chosen by the review panel will be curated into the 2016 exhibition schedule. Exhibitions will run approximately one month, include a reception, and may include a small talk by the artist or artists.

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