Community Newsletter:
Summer 2023

 

 

Superintendent's Message

Superintendent shaking a student's hand and congratulating him

Dear Northshore Community, It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our students, families, staff, and broader community as the interim superintendent during the 2022-23 school year, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to continue as the permanent superintendent. Northshore is a remarkable school district with caring, dedicated staff who are empowering our students with the skills and knowledge to achieve their hopes and dreams.

The health of our greater Northshore community depends on the excellence of our public schools, and I am committed to making sure our schools effectively meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of each and every one of our children, particularly those furthest away from racial and educational justice. This is my most important responsibility, and I am so proud of our students for all they achieved this school year - including our 1,700 graduates.

As a district, our 2022-27 Strategic Plan outlines our commitments to students and their families - this community promise centers our every decision and action. We continue to evaluate and refine our efforts to ensure we are serving each of our students in the best ways possible.

Below in this Northshore Community Newsletter, you will find examples of how we are accomplishing this work. I invite you to explore these stories and more by visiting our website or connecting with us directly.

In partnership,
Michael Tolley, Superintendent

Learn more about the District’s Strategic Plan and the Superintendent’s Listen and Learn report at nsd.org/superintendent.

 

Get to Know Our Graduates:

Pryce Roberts, Woodinville High School

Written by Jackie Su, Inglemoor Class of 2023

Image of 2023 Woodinville High School grad Pryce Roberts

This fall, Woodinville High School graduate Pryce Roberts will be attending Portland State
University to study computer science. He also received an athletic scholarship to play Division I football for the university. He attributed his athletic success to the great resources, facilities, and coaching staff that was available to him at Woodinville.

“I had great people to look up to and great coaches to learn from, who really knew what they were doing, so I was really fortunate to have that,” said Roberts. 

Outside of football, Roberts found a passion for computer science, which all started when he randomly signed up for an “Intro to Computer Science” course his sophomore year. He continued to enroll in computer science courses throughout high school and grew to really enjoy the subject.

“It was just something that I would say came naturally to me in my mind, you know, it made sense. It’s satisfying when you have an issue and you finally figure it out. And so last year I decided that I wanted to study computer science in college and I signed up for  Advanced Computer Science Principles,” said Roberts.

He explained that this course was more self directed, and he had to propose and design his own project as a final. For his project, Roberts created something personal to him, and combined both his passion for football and computer science. He explained that during his football recruitment process, it was a hassle to send out his tapes to many different coaches. So, Roberts built a website that assists student athletes in the college recruitment process by allowing them to easily access coach contact information and research different schools.

student posing for photo outside

Jackie Su is an Inglemoor Class of 2023 graduate and was Co-editor-in-chief of Nordic News. Su will be attending Barnard College of Columbia University in the fall. She hopes to study journalism along with public health.

Raz Bloom, Innovation Lab High School

Written by Anjali Einstein, North Creek Class of 2023

image of Innovation Lab High School Graduate Raz Bloom

The school year has come to a close as we say goodbye to the class of 2023. Raz Bloom is one of these seniors who graduated from Innovation Lab High School this past June. Innovation Lab is an alternative high school in the District that provides interdisciplinary coursework and focuses on real-world, project-based learning. While she attended
North Creek High School her freshman year, Bloom later transferred to Innovation Lab.

“Overall, the school is great. And it has a lot more personalized help for students who need more help than can be provided at a traditional high school setting. And me being on the autism spectrum, I need a fair bit of help,” she explains.

While talking about her experience in high school, Bloom addresses the importance of mental health. “The importance of mental health goes above almost everything,” Bloom said. If you’re not addressing your mental health, you can’t really expect to be productive, she described. In order to prioritize her mental health, Bloom spends time focusing on her hobbies, whether it be taking a walk, spending time with her friends, or playing Minecraft.

After high school, Bloom plans on pursuing an apprenticeship in electrical engineering, holding a long-term goal of potentially becoming a nuclear engineer. She became immersed in the world of electrical engineering after discovering a YouTube video about a small device that could create the fourth state of matter plasma with just a few components. After doing an abundance of research, she soon grew fascinated with nuclear engineering.

 

student posing for school photo

Anjali Einstein is a North Creek Class of 2023 graduate and was a reporter for the Jaguar Journal. Einstein will be attending Willamette University in the fall, with hopes of pursuing business administration and data science.

Class of 2023: By the Numbers

2023 Bothell High School Graduates


Graduates: 1,702

  • Graduates pursuing higher education: 1,374
  • Graduates pursuing apprenticeships: 27
  • Graduates entering the workforce: 106
  • Graduates entering military service: 12
  • Graduates who earned an AA degree through Running Start: 65

Total scholarship awards: $13.2 million

 

 

 

Northshore Celebrates our 2023 Retirees

Together they have contributed 2,777 years of service!

This season, we also celebrate the remarkable careers of the many Northshore staff members retiring. The success of our students is directly tied to the dedication, hard work, and quality of our staff, and we honor and show our appreciation to our 117 retirees from 2022 and 2023 for their 2,777 years of service to our Northshore students.

Click here to see the full list

 

Progress Made Toward Our Goals and Commitments

Students Work Toward Justice, Support for All Learners

four students posing for a photo at the student justice conference

Empowering students to advocate for and pursue their own educational passions is one component of the District’s Strategic Plan Goal 2 – Responsible, Resilient, Empathetic Learners. In support of that goal, nearly 200 high school students from across Northshore schools and programs gathered to celebrate their intersectional identities, build community and collaborate with their peers, grow their knowledge and understandings about various forms of justice, and learn about a range of higher education opportunities at Northshore’s annual Student Justice Conference. Members of Northshore’s Student Justice Collective, which is a districtwide committee of high school students, provided guidance on the conference topics and facilitated workshops, including ones focused on educational diversity and slam poetry. Guest speakers also led workshops to further support this student-led effort.

Safety & Security

young girl holding stop flag and working with adult as a crossing gaurd

In support of the District’s Strategic Plan Goal 2 – Responsible, Resilient, Empathetic Learners – and in response to student and family feedback, the District continues to invest in safety and security improvements in our schools. Projects beginning this summer, pending equipment availability, include: security camera installations at six schools, fencing projects at six schools, main office lock upgrades and access control systems for main entries at four locations, and purchasing equipment and supplies for a district wide radio system designed to improve communications between schools and the District in the event of an emergency.


 

Family Engagement & Resource Center

Superintendent Tolley, speaking with a group of parents in a tech lab

This summer, Northshore will launch a centralized Family Engagement and Resource Center. Initially the Center will be focused on resource access and coordination, and the long-term goal is to empower families and educators to authentically partner in support of student academic achievement. Research is clear that the most effective family engagement models – leading to student improvements – require a strong partnership between school and home. During the Superintendent’s Listen and Learn tour in fall 2022, some families acknowledged that although Northshore has many supports in place for families, they were sometimes unsure how to navigate those opportunities. By bringing into better alignment the resources we have to offer, the District can more effectively respond to family needs. This effort directly supports the District’s Strategic Plan Goal 3 – Growth for Every Student, Elimination of Outcome and Opportunity Gaps.
 

Student Achievements and Celebrations

Parent with standing with to young girls listening to teacher talk

Elementary students are learning and engaging in areas that foster creativity and imagination. At Frank Love Elementary, students in teacher Kalie Iorg’s 3rd-grade class conducted research, reflected on their personal experiences, and wrote narratives while preparing multimedia presentations called “The Me I Want the World to See.” These projects highlight their identities, celebrate diversity, and show the student’s pride in their traditions and family. The final projects were shared with the community at the school’s Festival of Cultures event in May. Students used technology applications such as Flipgrid, Seesaw, and iMovie to create each portion of their presentation and then put the audio and video clips together using MacBooks. These devices and applications were all made possible due to the generous support of Northshore voters, who approved the 2022 Tech Levy. This student project aligned with the District’s Strategic Plan Goal 4 – Innovative, Creative, Critical Thinkers.

 

"The Me I Want the World to See" Student Projects

Jemma's Project
Eyoha's Project

 

2022 Bond and Levies

Approved by Northshore voters in 2022, the Educational Programs & Operations Levy, Technology Levy, and Capital Bond support our students with classroom-based learning tools, resources, and safe spaces. Northshore is dedicated to meeting its commitment to our community.

 

student posing for photo at school

 

Board of Directors

Board meetings are usually held on the second Monday of the month at 4 p.m. and the fourth Monday of the month at 7 p.m. 

School Board Member Han Tran
  • District 3
Hân Trần
  • Liaison To: Northshore PTSA Council, King County Council, Citizen’s Group Committee
  • Email: sbdistrict3@nsd.org
  • Phone: 425-408-7689
School Board Member Sandy Hayes
  • District 4
Sandy Hayes
  • Liaison To: Northshore Schools Foundation, City of Bothell, Citizen’s Group Committee
  • Email: sbdistrict4@nsd.org
  • Phone: 425-408-7690