I am very proud to serve as Principal of Bothell High School.

Bothell High School utilized Learning Improvement Allocations in a number of ways to help struggling learners during the 2007-08 school year. This included the following:

• A math tutor/school assistant was hired to  work with students in math classes who were in need of additional assistance.
• Curriculum for the WASL math class for seniors was aligned with state standards.
• Bothell High School had a WASL Summer Academy to help student prepare for the Reading and Writing WASL test given in August.
• A committee of teachers met frequently to address school improvement efforts. This has lead to building initiatives to help all students succeed at Bothell.
• Special Education teachers worked to develop portfolio assessment for specific students. These  portfolios take the place of the WASL test for a small percent of our student population.
• A curriculum was developed and a class constructed to assist English Language Learners ( ELL) students in Social Studies. Both U.S. History and Senior Social Studies will be taught on a rotating basis.
• Special Education teachers worked to align curriculum in reading, writing and math with state standards and to prepare students for the WASL.
• Books and materials were purchased for the Learning Center Academic classes and for Science classes.
• In addition, a Writing Manual was developed through the efforts of the Social Studies and English teachers.  This manual will be used by all students in their English and Social Studies classes, as well as  being a guideline for student writing.

We are pleased that these efforts resulted in improved student achievement as measured by the WASL given in the spring of 2008. 71.7% of students met standard in Math, 90.2 % in Reading and 94.4% in Writing. This is an increase of 1.3% in Math, 2.3% in Reading and 1.4% in Writing.

Bothell High School also provided classes and programs for students who were experiencing academic challenges. There was a credit recovery program for sophomores, a Reading Lab for sophomores, and On-Line learning opportunities for credit deficient students. In addition, courses geared for students with academic challenges were offered in Mathematics and Physics. Bothell High School is committed to maintaining and improving course offerings for its student population and we will continue to look at ways to support all students.

There continues to be close cooperation with the junior high schools that are in our feeder pattern to provide advanced curriculum opportunities for ninth graders. Over one hundred and fifty ninth graders took courses; the majority of them began their world language experience in French, German, Japanese, or Spanish. The others took advanced math and science courses.

Regardless of one's academic ability, Bothell High School has programs to meet the needs of all students. In 2007-08, students could take Advanced Placement courses, and Honors and Advanced classes in all disciplines. Our World Language Department worked with a local community college and the University of Washington to coordinate College-in-the-High School courses for college credit. Many students took the AP Exams and earned potential college credit though their high scores. During the 2007-08 school year 187 AP tests were taken, with a 75% pass rate. This is an increase in number of tests taken, (138 in 2007) and pass rate. (65%) Students wishing to begin their college career early participated in the state's Running Start Program. Students also took courses at Bothell High School through Career and Technical Education and earned college credit. Technical training classes that were offered to all Northshore students, but were housed at Bothell High School, were Automotive Technology, Construction Academy, Culinary Arts, and Teaching Academy.

Bothell High School students won several awards through co-curricular competitions. Among the highlights were:

 
Several members of the faculty at Bothell High School have also been honored. Four teachers have earned their National Board Certificates; another teacher is a past Northshore Teacher of the Year recipient, and still another teacher is a past Golden Apple recipient.

The final Phase III of the remodeling of Bothell High has made it a state-of-the-art facility. The remodel was completed in time to open at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year. Completed in Phase I was the gymnasium that included two basketball courts, a comprehensive weight training facility, dance studio, and trainer's room. Phase II saw the completion of a mathematics and science wing, a collaborative Performing Arts Center with the Northshore Performing Arts Foundation, and choral and instrumental music rooms with outstanding acoustics. The acoustics in the Performing Arts Center are as good as any performing hall in the Pacific Northwest.

Classrooms, library, administrative and counseling offices, and cafeteria have been constructed in Phase III. Spaces for ASB, Business and Marketing, Culinary Arts, Special Services, and Visual Arts are a special focus of  the classroom rebuilding phase. In mid-October 2008 all parking lots were completed. Please stop by and see our beautiful new campus.

Recognizing the importance of athletics in students' lives, Bothell High School is proud of the long tradition of success and the emphasis on sportsmanship and team effort. Some of the highlights of the 2007-08 school year were:

Bothell High School provided a full complement of services through our Counseling Department. School counselors and the Occupational Informational Specialist worked closely with students to assist them with their academic planning, helped them resolve peer issues and develop skills and strategies for self-advocacy, and assisted students with the collection of data for their student portfolios. Throughout the year, counselors facilitated large group classroom guidance sessions with every student in the school. Topics included stress management, study skills for school success, and preparing for senior year requirements and activities. Counselors  also met with parents to provide guidance and help as well as to suggest available resources in the community. The Counseling Department sponsored several evening programs. Some of the topics included college planning, financial aid, helping struggling students, and understanding ACT/SAT test scores. Bothell High School counselors continued to foster positive relationships with students under their guidance (counselors work with the same students during their three years of high school). A drug/alcohol counselor from the Center for Human Services was on campus one day a week to work with students struggling with substance issues.

A goal of the Bothell High School Counseling Department is to implement a program that closely follows the ASCA National Model.

Bothell High School enjoys a positive relationship with its parents and the greater Bothell community. The Bothell PTSA is very active in working closely with BHS administration, its staff, and students. Whether through funding the supplies for emergency backpacks in every classroom, awarding scholarships to deserving seniors, providing special lunches for hard-working staff, or volunteering in the Counseling Center, classrooms, or library, the PTSA is an integral and vocal part of the climate and culture at Bothell High School.

We appreciate the business community support that is given to our school. The business community has also provided monetary support for various activities and athletics and have assisted in many other ways.

Bothell's co-principals are members of the Northshore Kiwanis Club and Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce. There is also a strong link with the Bothell Police Department who has supported the placement of a school resource officer on the school campus. This has fostered and promoted a healthy relationship between students and law enforcement. Bothell High School's School Resource Officer Program has been a very successful program and has served as a positive working model for nearby schools.

The atmosphere at Bothell High School continues to be one of acceptance and encouragement. Bothell is more than a high school; it is a place where students and staff reside as part of a community. There are many activities and clubs that allow students to put their passions and interests into action. Whether participating in a sport or one of the arts, the Cougars success will not be limited and the potential for accomplishment is visible throughout the campus.

The ASB theme for 2007-2008 was "Flexible, Adaptable, Teachable" (F.A.T.). Since we were amidst the construction of a brand new building this theme acted as our guiding light for involving the student body in activities. It was necessary that we were flexible in working with staff to create a positive mindset for students. We were adaptable in that we recognized there were different methods and actions to accomplish our goals. The ASB learned to be teachable through being sensitive to feedback from our students, staff and administration. Overall, our challenges were many, but our ambitions helped us to persevere.

This past year we focused on a variety of community and global outreach projects. In the fall we continued the tradition of supporting our special needs students by surprising them with Halloween items. In December we participated in our annual service project of providing local needy families with holiday food and gifts. Our main mission was to raise awareness and funds for the issue of human trafficking and modern-day slavery after reading the book Not For Sale by David Batstone. We realized this was a large undertaking, but nonetheless, we felt that it was important to inform our student body and staff about this major global issue. The ASB created a fundraiser called Free to Play. Local businesses were encouraged to donate funds to the International Justice Mission (an organization dedicated to freeing the oppressed globally) in conjunction with our boys and girls regular season basketball games. Students and team members wore specially designed t-shirts representing the cause. One of our ASB students was inspired and decided to host a fundraiser dinner as part of her senior project. An all school assembly was held featuring the Tronie Foundation and the Polaris Project. These two organizations work to help locally trafficked victims. Our final event was hosting the KingCo league community service "interhigh." This function continued to educate over 200 students from local schools about the importance of this issue.

The ASB partnered with the leadership classes to sponsor the yearly father-daughter dance, blood drives and the "Mr. Bothell" pageant as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation event. Throughout the year we put on breakfasts honoring new students, exceptional students and had a co- principals/student forum. We planned a variety of assemblies throughout the year to recognize outstanding students. ASB also worked to bring back the tradition of the homecoming parade. In order to spread school spirit we created a program called Pack the House. Specific events were chosen for students to attend allowing them the opportunity to get a free t-shirt.

Needless to say, ASB had a busy year and was successful in meeting the needs of our students while benefiting our local and international community. We continue to strive for integrity and responsibility while understanding our role as student leaders. ASB gives us the opportunity to positively influence our fellow students and staff while providing leadership skills to guide us the rest of our lives.