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September 8, 2015
Welcome Back Islanders!
Photo by Samantha Philipp
Students frequently use shared overrides to access block websites such as Netflix.
Dear Islander students and staff, we, your ASB officers, want to welcome you back to Mercer Island High School! We hope you had a fantastic summer and we’re really excited for another great school year. From laying our foundations, to planning the first week back, we’ve been hard at work this month. However, most of our enthusiasm lies in where we want to take the school beyond the first week. No leadership class would be complete without a strong vision, and we’d love to share it with you. As a class, we have a very specific goal that we hope to advance: To make everyone proud to be a part of the islander com-
Volume V, Edition 1
munity. Yes, this is a lofty goal by any metric, but the results will be worth the effort.. Our vision is an inclusive school where everyone feels that they can be themselves. Our vision is a culture where inclusivity is a virtue, and students feel like they can belong. Our vision, put simply, is a community united. This is high-stakes talk coming from a group of student politicians, but one value we hold highly is our commitment to action. Above all, we are here to serve the school, so don’t be surprised to see us outside of the classroom. While we plan on creating diverse events in which all students can participate and enjoy, you can also find our members greeting you around school or at the front entrance with a smile.
Of course, any attempt to change culture for the better needs to come from the school as a whole. The key to facilitating an atmosphere of support and self expression is for our own organization to practice transparency with you all, the students and staff. To this end, we’d like to introduce “Open ASB�. Starting in the coming months, the ASB cabinet will set up forums for interested students or staff members to come in to engage in discussion, ask questions (and receive candid answers), offer suggestions, or just learn about what’s going on from our side. Do you have an awesome idea that you want to see happen in the school? Let’s hear it! Curious about a new policy going around? We’d love to fill you
in. Feedback on how we’re doing? Always welcome. We plan to implement simple suggestion boxes around the school as well, where you can also provide written feedback. This is your chance to make your voice heard and impact the direction of the school. For as long as the school remains open, we will be working in room 301 during fourth period to serve you. This endeavor will be led by no other than Chris Twombley (whom no leadership editorial would be complete without). Not one to be scared by a difficult trial, Mr. Twombley has taken up the mantle as the new leadership class advisor this year, bringing his intelligence and dry humor along with him. We’re thrilled to welcome
him into our fold, and are excited about his contributions to the program. We are honored to be doing what we’re doing, and we look forward to working alongside you this year for a school made unified.
new additions have not only increased the aesthetic appeal of MIHS, but they have also improved the school in other, less visible ways. Getting a bond passed to fund the construction in the first place was one of the biggest challenges the district faced on the project. Their first attempt was a measure on the April 17, 2012 ballot which sought to issue a $196 million bond to help
rebuild and modernize schools on the island. If passed, the bond would have authorized the District to replace all three elementary schools and the middle school, purchase new land for a fourth elementary school, add new science labs and classrooms, make improvements to the stadium, and modernize Mary Wayte Pool.The measure was defeated, as it needed an additional 21 percent to pass.
Two years later, the District proposed a $98.8 million bond which would fund three new projects: the construction of a fourth elementary school on the North Mercer Campus, the expansion of Island Middle School, and the addition of 10 new classrooms to MIHS. At the Feb. 11, 2014 special election, 73 percent of voters approved the bond. “I think what the district did [originally] is they went too aggres-
sive and tried to put all the projects all at one time and so this go around, they decided to phase the projects and that made a difference in when they finally got it approved,� said MIHS Principal Vicki Puckett. Another challenge the District faced was the rapid timeline of the project. approved by the City.
Love, Your 2015-2016 ASB Tigar McBurney- ASB President Aidan Wang- ASB Vice President Jacque Li- ASB Secretary DB Nguyen- ASB Treasurer Brian Oppenheim- ASB PR Coordinator Luke Kenworthy- ASB Spirit Commissioner
Classrooms open their doors as contruction comes to an end by
Jane Gormley online editor
Students attending MIHS last year remember construction as fire alarms, tarps in the hallway, and noise pollution. But now, with the addition to the high school complete, the word construction brings up images of stainless steel, huge windows, and incredible technology. Besides their beautiful design, the
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