DISTRICT

The next school board meeting is March 7. There will be a workshop at 5:30 p.m., followed by a regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom. An agenda is available on the district website under Board of Directors.

The public is encouraged to attend and time is set aside at each meeting for public comment. For more information, contact Marilyn Walsh at mwalsh@sequim.k12.wa.us or 582-3262.

GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Teachers Sheri Burke and Shannon Green are working with the student drama group to bring the enchanting story of “Beauty and the Beast” to the stage in late spring. Parts have been assigned and the group is rehearsing after school in the multi-purpose room. Watch for more details to become available soon.

Maribeth Stewart’s fourth-graders (along with each Sequim School District fourth-grader) received dictionaries from the Rotary Club of Sequim earlier in the school year. Below are parts of thank you letters that are being mailed to the Rotary Club:

Thank you for my dictionary. I really appreciate it. Especially because it has amazing pictures and some dictionaries don’t. Thank you for customizing and writing our whole 30 kid class’s names inside. I know we all appreciate it. Kairi Larson

Thank you for thinking about our education. I cherish my dictionary and I will always care for it. Also, I like the cover and the back cover because they are hard and they are so colorful. I also like how it has phonics, spelling, geography, world, United States, and measurement sections. That is cool! Rileigh Silvis

Thank you for your support on our education. We really appreciate using them to figure out the words meanings and how to spell them. I have never had my own dictionary until the Rotary club came. It was the best presentation I have seen for a product. Korbyn Domning

I want to thank you for the wonderful dictionary. Thank you for the kind gesture. You are so generous. I love that my dictionary has my name and it’s spelled correctly. Thank you for thinking about our education. Maddison Stamp

Our class has been using our dictionaries a lot lately. It was very helpful that you gave them to us. My dictionary is very important to me. My dictionary is very vibrant. I love that you made it hardcover. The pictures really stand out. Circe Wilkinson

I have been using my dictionary a lot. It helps me find good words to use. Also thank you for giving me an awesome hard cover book. I am sure it will last. I will cherish this book forever. It is the best dictionary in the world. Thank you again, I really do enjoy this awesome dictionary. Brianne Bruch

HELEN HALLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Speech and language pathologist Terilee Allsop-Howat says that morning preschoolers are learning to follow picture schedules and simple directions and routines, and to use iPads to communicate their needs and desires. Afternoon (kindergarten-bound) preschoolers are learning kindergarten language concepts and are teaching their mouths how to speak more clearly!

Students win free books from Accelerated Reader drawings weekly. Students who read a book and then take and pass the Accelerated Reader quiz on that book, can enter a weekly drawing for a free book. Recent winners include Emily Johnson, Cooper Middleton–Sharpe, Marshall Phipps, Sumer Nall, Mohamad Awada, Teddy Schultz, Kailah Blake, Izzy Taylor, Kyle Barnes, Weston Hart, Conner McCullough, Britton Hobson, Aaron Wallen, Angel Wagner, Victoria Wagner, Izaiah Alonzo, Burke Henderson, Savannah Francis and Danika Chen.

Librarian teacher Sheri Kruckeberg says she’s happy that she’s given away more than 150 books so far this year and she encourages students to keep on reading!

Science specialist Dave Hasenpflug worked with students in teams of three and four on an engineering project recently. The project was to design, build and test a structure built entirely of paper within a time frame of about 45 minutes. The tower must hold the weight of progressively heavier balls, from tennis balls to croquet balls, and if it meets that challenge, then the structure must withstand the force of wind from a small, handheld fan.

Following are observations written by the young engineers from Emily Ellefson’s third-grade class:

Engineering Monday when we are building “strong towers” out of paper is …

… Fun and exciting because our tower held two tennis balls and a baseball. But it didn’t make the windstorm because it collapsed while Mr. H was blowing on it. We tried again to make it stronger but it collapsed two more times. Laci Wright

… Tough and the best part of my day because my team and I worked together. It was a little above 60 cm. It could hold two tennis balls but when we tried three tennis balls it collapsed. Francesca Bettiga

… Challenging and complex because you want to make it past the wind so you get a harder challenge. It’s so complex that when the wind came no one in our class did not even get past the wind. They all collapsed. Max Budnek

… Tough and fun because everything is very challenging! Our tower keeps on falling down. But we always try again. It’s kind of complex. Everything goes crazy. Paper is hard to make a tower out of, especially when you use NO tape. But it’s very fun. Maddy Cogburn

… Fun and challenging because we worked hard. Our paper tower was tall, but when we put a tennis ball on our tower it collapsed! But we had fun! Sara German

… Challenging and fun because we work as a team and we try to make our paper tower more than 50 cm and we did. So we went to 50 cm. Makenna Hillman

… Fun and crazy because we do it as a team. The ideas are so crazy. I think it is so challenging which makes it fun. I love all of the creative ideas. We do it the fun way. Reagan Howe

The annual Cougar Writing Conference, celebrating authors and storytellers, is Feb. 22-26. As part of this year’s celebration, we will welcome picture book author and illustrator Jennifer K. Mann to speak to our students about writing and illustrating her books, “Two Speckled Eggs” and “I Will Never Get a Star on Mrs. Benson’s Blackboard.”

In addition to this author’s visit, we will enjoy a stage adapted performance by Seattle’s Book-It Theatre of the Newberry award-winning book “Flora & Ulysses” by Kate DiCamillo. It’s certain to be a fun-filled and inspiring week!

OLYMPIC PENINSULA ACADEMY

Rebecca Bullard’s class is learning about eyewitnesses, interviewing skills and finding the important information out of the many things people say. They spent an hour running around the district interviewing “eyewitnesses.”

These eyewitnesses knew something about the Dungeness River drying up and each had a few important clues about this “crime.” Eyewitnesses were teachers, librarians and secretaries who were able to participate during the hour the class went on their investigation. They played the part of scientists, nosey know-it-all’s, landowners, random people and Home Depot employees.

The class also looked at visual clues and data and took notes on them as well. They will be writing up non-biased articles this week using the information they discovered from their investigation. Next, the instructor will reveal to the class what actually happened in the “crime” they were researching.

Bullard says, “The class members had a great time during their investigation and our actors did a fantastic job as well!”

SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL

Talent show performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 19-20, in the auditorium. Senior Taylor Bullock will be the emcee of the show, as of now. There are about 20 acts, with some other “unjudged performances” between.

Teacher and staff advisor for the talent show Jake Reichner says, “This is the widest variety of acts I have seen; there is comedy, singing, rapping, bands, screaming, dancing, making tea and playing the didjeridoo, magic, and more.”

The audience will judge Saturday and a student panel on Friday night.

A new informational evening has been added for sophomores and parents. Sophomore Parent Night is Feb. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. Topics will include graduation requirements, course registration, post-high school planning and more.

On Feb. 22, an HIV/AIDS presentation will take place during DEN class. This presentation is a graduation requirement for high school seniors. Parents, if you have questions, please contact the school nurse at 477-7728.

The annual ASB Blood Drive is scheduled from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 23 in the auxiliary gym.

The deadline to turn in spring sports paperwork to the front office is Feb. 24 and spring sports begin Feb. 29. Spring sports include baseball, fastpitch, boys golf, girls golf, boys soccer, girls tennis and track.

The annual seniors vs. staff basketball game will be at 6 p.m. Feb. 25 in the gymnasium. Those rooting for the seniors are encouraged to wear purple and those pulling for the staff should wear gold. The most spirited side will win a prize! Admission is $3 for students with an ASB card, $5 without.

Leadership student Andrew Juntilla reports on the following two events:

Hundreds of students from around the peninsula packed inside of Kentlake High School in Kent on Feb. 5 for a Leadership convention hosted by Jostens. Sequim was represented by 35 Leadership students. Guest speakers from the West Coast donated their time to inspire students to take action, to spark a difference at our school, in society and for personal self-fulfillment.

This was an incredible conference that left students with hope and the motivation to reform, innovate and implement change to better not only the leadership of the school, but also the bond that we share with our peers and teachers. It was an amazing experience for all of us who attended and cemented a memory that I will never forget.

Sequim University, a day spent at the middle school in which the tables turned and now the students are the teachers. What, high school students teaching adults in a classroom? Jan. 25 was a Monday of no school for students due to Records Day, but was transformed into a nine-hour work day with the intention of teaching classified school employees about improving interpersonal skills in order to better their work environment.

Leadership students explained key characteristics and important tips to the staff members we see every day roaming around the school district campus.

After the event, we students were overjoyed to hear feedback from school staff that they thoroughly appreciated our compassion for the schools. I was very proud to give my time to show appreciation of our classified staff, including bus drivers, janitors, engineers, lunch helpers and many more.