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COVINGTON | MAPLE VALLEY | BLACK DIAMOND
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THE ROAD TO RIO | Melanie Roach lifting her way to 2016 Olympics [page 10]
Five in a Row | Tahoma boys basketball loses Friday, Saturday [9]
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015
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Shop with a Cop brings smiles to officers and kids City Council approves 2016 budget BY SARAH BRENDEN
Reporter
T
he Covington Wal-Mart was filled with officers and children Saturday morning for Shop with a Cop. The children along with their officer buddy shopped with a budget of $50 looking for gifts for themselves. As much as the officers guide them toward things for themselves, the children often head straight for the laundry detergent, shampoo, soap and other household items because they know that is what their family needs, Mechee Burnett said, King County Sheriff ’s Office Community Service Officer. Ten schools between Maple Valley and Covington were served through the program. Burnett said prior to the event the goal was to reach 500 kids, which was exceeded. Aside from shopping for holiday presents, she said the program works to “bridge the gap between law enforcement and youth.” Food was handed out to the officers and the children and Santa was on hand for photos. This year Shop with a Cop was sponsored by the Maple Valley Rotary and Windermere Foundation.
The coming year looks brighter in many fund balances with streets still a question mark BY DENNIS BOX Editor
Kellie Moulton, 11, picks out a gift during Shop with a Cop at Wal-Mart Saturday with the help of Covington Police Chief Andrew McCurdy and his daughter Morgan. DENNIS BOX, The Reporter
The Covington City Council placed it unanimous stamp of approval on the 2016 operating and capital budget Dec. 8 closing the book on 2015. The operating budget for 2016 is $41,569,914. COVINGTON A few of the fund highlights include $15 million in the general fund, $1.5 in the street fund and $10 million in the surface water management fund. City staff will receive a 1.6 percent cost of living adjustment. The projected ending general fund balance on Dec. 31, 2016 is [ more BUDGET page 6 ]
IDEA project gives students an understanding of disabilities BY ANA KAREN PEREZ-GUZMAN Reporter
The third grade class at Rock Creek Elementary School sat with wide eyes on Dec. 8 as they watched a child their age, with a disability, jet ski in a video. They oohed as another child played basketball or was shown indoor skydiving. Allison Bureau’s son, Wyatt, is shown in a lot of clips in the video. Allison Bureau started the interactive disability education awareness (IDEA) project a year ago after coming into Wyatt’s classes to explain his disability. When Wyatt was in kindergarten, he used a tablet to help him communicate because he had a hard time speaking. His fellow classmates did not understand why he got to play with a tablet and they didn’t. They did not understand his disability so Wyatt had a hard time fitting in. Allison had the idea of talking to his class about his disability to help them understand what Wyatt was going through. After talking with his class,
Allison noticed he was having an easier consists of a 40-minute introduction to the time fitting in. A while later, a teacher told program and then some hands-on activiAllison a student was being bullied because ties. of her disabilities and asked her to come During the introduction, a video is speak with the class about disabilities, just shown where children their age, with a dislike she had for Wyatt’s classes. Three weeks ability, are doing activities they might not after she spoke to the class, the think they could do. The purpose teacher informed Allison the stu- “No matter what of the video is to show them that dent had stopped being bullied. no matter what your differences, your differences, After seeing the success of the you can achieve you can achieve anything, Allison discussions she had with different anything.” said. She speaks with them briefly classes about understanding disafter the video and hands all of Allison Bureau abilities, Allison decided to start the students a marshmallow. She a school-wide discussion, with then instructs them to put the the IDEA project. She decided to marshmallow in their mouth and concentrate on elementary aged press it to the roof of their mouth students to start with. “If you educate kids and then tell someone what they had for about stuff like this when they are young, dinner last night. The kids start giggling as hopefully when they are old enough to they struggle to speak, but after the activity understand, they will grasp it and not bully she asks them how they felt. Most students other kids,” Allison said. said frustrated, sad, annoyed or embarIt took four years of talking to more than rassed they couldn’t talk. Allison explains 30 therapists, most of them being Wyatt’s that when someone has a speech disability, therapists, and doing research to make the this is how they feel. Their tongue muscles IDEA project come together. The project do not work as well so they cannot get the
words out as easily as most people. Allison did not want to be another adult talking at them, she wanted to do some hands-on activities to help them understand and keep their attention, she said. Which is why she starts off with the marshmallow activity during the introduction. In the second part of the IDEA project, six stations are set up to show what having certain disabilities are like. At one station, the students have to put big snow gloves on and try to button or zip up a jacket. This shows what it is like when someone has a disability that affect their fine motor skills. All of the activities mimic what it’s like to have a disability to hopefully help the students have a better understanding of what one of their fellow classmates might be feeling. The students come together after the activities and Allison talks with them about how they felt and she sees that they all have a better understanding. [ more IDEA page 6 ]