Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, August 31, 2012
www.issaquahreporter.com
Big changes Lake Washington School District begins new format BY KEVIN ENDEJAN KENDEJAN@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
Brandy Serna pulls down a backpack from a shelf at the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank. The drive filled 1,000 bags this year with supplies for kids in need.
CELESTE GRACEY, Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter
Back, packing for school
Community gives 1,000 bags, supplies to Issaquah School District students in need BY CELESTE GRACEY CGRACEY@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
B
randy Serna could hardly see over the tops of the tables covered in backpacks. She circled a couple minutes, trying to find her favorite when her eyes locked in on a black one.
She pulled the supply-laden bag down, stumbling from the weight of paper and pencils inside. “I can see it on the children’s faces,” said Cassie Elenes, a volunteer at the Issaquah Food and Clothing bank. “They get excited when they can pick their own markers and bags.” With combined help from a number of groups, including Kiwanis, the Issaquah Schools Foundation and various churches, the bank was able to fill 1,000 bags for underprivileged students in the Issaquah School District. Sanmar, a local sporting good business, donated all of the bags. The most successful drive so far, it’s an
example of how organizations can collaborate to serve the community better, said Cori Kauk, head of the food bank. “I feel this year people in the community are the on the same page.” It’s important for kids to feel secure and equipped when they start a new school year, she said. The bags and supplies, which can cost upward of $50 each, are a heavy financial burden for the families who already have their kids on the free and reduced lunch programs. Calls to the food bank for financial assistance are the highest during periods of transition, including the start of school and after Christmas. “It impacts their ability to pay the PSE bill,” Kauk said. The food bank expects to pass out about 600 of the bags before the start of school. The rest will go to schools for teachers who discover the need in their classrooms. There about 1,700 students in the district who qualify for the bags. Issaquah Reporter staff writer Celeste Gracey can be reached at 425-391-0363, ext. 5052.
Each of the backpacks distributed at the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank were filled with age-appropriate supplies. Students then got a pick at a few extra items. CELESTE GRACEY,
Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter
When the first bell rings next week, roughly half of Sammamish’s students are in for a new experience. The Lake Washington School For a look District — which at how Sammamish includes Eastlake schools are preparing for High School, Inglewood this year’s changes, turn Middle School and to page 7 five Sammamish elementary schools — has completely changed its format for the 2012 school year. Eastlake will now include ninth-graders, sending a trickle down effect through its feeder schools. Inglewood takes on sixth, seventh and eighth grade students, while the elementary schools — Blackwell, Carson, Margaret Mead, McAuliffe and Smith — will be kindergarten through fifth grade. The district is making the change to deal with increased student enrollment. Officials estimate without the change the district would have needed four new elementary schools. “By shifting one grade out of elementary and one grade into high schools, where we had extra space not being used, we are using our existing space more efficiently,” said Kathryn Reith, district spokeswoman. Reith said the district also considered the importance of making ninth graders feel like they’re a part of the highschool experience. “No matter how often the staff or parents told them they were in high school for the purposes of high school graduation and applying to college, students just didn’t really get it,” she said.