Letters to the Editor

Concert

Women’s barbershop group a great activity

I want to invite the Shoreline community to a free barbershop chorus concert on Friday, April 13, at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church located at 145th and 20th Avenue Northeast.

This barbershop harmony is all women. We have tenors who are the high voices, leads that sing the melody and baritones and basses who are the foundation of the chord.

Most of you will be busy over the Easter holidays so I wanted to give you a chance to mark your calendar.

I personally have joined the Medicare generation, was widowed and finished caretaking for my elderly father. I looked for a new activity. It has been 40 years since I sang a note.

If you like to sing along with the radio in the car you may be a perfect candidate to join the group. You don’t have to read music because we learn by listening to tapes. If you are looking for a fun activity to fill lonely evenings, come visit on Tuesday between 6:30 to 9:30 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 145th and 20th Northeast. Just drop in — you’ll be welcome.

This chorus was founded in about 1951 and there are a couple of the founders still singing. We compete in contests and wear costumes and generally have fun. Age is no limit, young or old are welcome. We have 20s, 60s and 80s in the group.

If you are a man, there is barbershop for men and I’m sure we can put you in touch.

Hope to see you in the audience on Friday, April 13, at 7 p.m. You can’t get more affordable entertainment than free.

La Nita Jordan Wacker

Shoreline

Room Nine

Room Nine a valuable choice in education

In response to the letter titled “Shoreline Schools: District has yet to make a smart decision” I would like to address some of the erroneous and inflammatory comments that Karen Anderson (a first- and second-grade teacher at Sunset Elementary School) has made about another public school in our district. The “faux charter school” she so derogatorily refers to is the Room Nine Community School, a vibrant K-8 model for alternative education in Shoreline for well over 30 years. I don’t think Ms. Anderson truly understands what goes on in Room Nine, or what our philosophy is. But because we provide a valuable choice for parents who either don’t want a traditional education for their kids, or have children that don’t do as well in a standard elementary or middle school setting, and due to the fact that our staffing and enrollment are lower than a typical elementary we do have a waiting list. Traditional schools don’t because there are 11 of them staffed with dozens of teachers. Additionally, teacher/student ratios in Washington are set by law, and all schools in Shoreline are bound by the same laws.

But most distressing is the tone of Ms. Anderson’s letter. I’m sorry that schools are being closed and programs moved, but as parents and teachers we’re all responsible for living the values we expect our children to carry forth into the world. Feeling anger is a normal human experience; lashing out at other members of our community is an ugly way to deal with that anger, and it teaches our children that vindictiveness and pettiness are traits to be emulated. I don’t think I want my children learning that lesson.

Joe O’Malley

PTA Chair

Room Nine Community School

Don’t move school to Meridian Park

As a passionate parent of a Room Nine Community School child, I wanted to speak out why I’m against the proposal to move our school to Meridian Park. I realize the Shoreline School District has hard choices to make to balance the budget to clear the $2.9 million deficit, but please not at the expense of our school! This is my daughter’s fifth year here and if we move in September it will be the fourth move Room Nine has made in the past six years. This proposal to move us back to Meridian Park is shortsighted. I’ll give you three reasons why.

1. Just barely two years ago, the district spent $1.9 million to renovate our current building and make it habitable. If they empty the building now to save on overhead costs, what a waste of $2 million!

2. To move a school is inherently chaotic and so much time that would be spent learning, gets focused on settling in the new location. We’ve been there, done that, way too much already.

3. For 10 years we resided at Meridian Park as a guest program. Both Meridian Park and Room Nine were happy to say goodbye to each other. Trying to fit a round hole in a square peg is impossible. This is an inherent frustration with trying to fit our learning model into the public classroom model.

I have seen our school blossom since we’ve been in our current location. Amazing projects and experiences we have been able to engage in with no inherent territorial obstacles to throw up roadblocks to our creativity and ingenuity. After over 34 years in the district as the only alternative public school, Room Nine has finally found a place of our own. I hope we can keep it that way.

Jennifer Haywood

Shoreline