Mike VanOrden has been recommended as principal of Highland Terrace Elementary School beginning July 1, Superintendent Sue Walker announced. The appointment is subject to approval by the Shoreline School Board.
VanOrden would replace Miriam Tencate, who is leaving Shoreline to accept an administrative position with the Lake Stevens School District.
VanOrden has been principal of Alderwood Middle School in the Edmonds School District since 2005. There he worked with staff to improve interventions for struggling students and worked closely with parents and the community to provide support for the school.
He was previously assistant principal of Meadowdale High School and taught science at Mercer Island High School and in California.
VanOrden received his master’s degree in educational administration from Western Washington University and bachelor’s of science in biology from Humboldt State University in California.
Help for going back to school
The annual Shoreline Back to School event provides school supplies, hair cuts and clothing to Shoreline School District families with a low income or circumstances that make it challenging to adequately prepare their children for school.
To register for the event, visit www.btsconsortium.org, or call the information line at 206-393-4916.
This year’s event is to take place Saturday, Aug. 29, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Ridgecrest Elementary, 16516 10th Ave. NE.
Donations of backpacks and school supplies are still being accepted and can be dropped off at the Center for Human Services, 17018 15th Ave. NE, in Shoreline, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Monetary donations are also welcome and can be dropped off or mailed to the center.
Last year, the Back to School Consortium helped more than 660 students with school supplies and clothing. The consortium’s goal this year is to serve 1,000 students.
More capital improvements
While Shoreline School District students and their families enjoy summer vacation, another series of capital improvements will be underway at district buildings.
The projects are part of a $149.5 million bond issue approved by Shoreline School District voters in 2006.
Projects that will be most visible to the public are the renovation of play fields at Highland Terrace, Lake Forest Park and Syre elementary schools. This work will be completed this summer, but the fields will be closed during the 2009-10 school year to let the new grass mature. The fields will also include synthetic turf cutouts in the most heavily-used areas.
Three schools — Brookside, Parkwood and Kellogg — will receive fresh coats of exterior paint.
New roofs will be installed at Highland Terrace, North City and Ridgecrest.
Fire alarms are being upgraded at Briarcrest, Echo Lake, Highland Terrace and Parkwood.
Briarcrest and Echo Lake will receive new carpeting and floor coverings throughout the interior of both buildings. New “walk-off” carpeting is being installed at the entrances of all other elementary and middle schools.
The tracks at Einstein and Kellogg will receive their final surface coating. Einstein’s synthetic-turf field is being replaced under warranty as it did not meet the district’s specifications.
Design teams at both Shorecrest and Shorewood high schools are continuing their work. For updates, visit the Shorecrest and Shorewood design-team pages at www.shorelineschools.org.
New transportation manager named
Dan Payne has been appointed as manager for the Shoreline School District transportation department beginning July 1, Superintendent Sue Walker announced.
Payne brings more than 13 years of student transportation experience to Shoreline. He is currently a program supervisor for pupil transportation with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in Olympia.
Before joining the state office, Payne served as transportation director or supervisor for the Stanwood-Camano, West Valley (Yakima) and North Franklin (Connell) school districts. He began his career as a bus driver and transportation coordinator for the Walla Walla School District.
He is a graduate of Walla Walla Community College and the Pupil Transportation Management Training Program offered by Central Washington University, OSPI and the Washington Association for Pupil Transportation.
Shoreline passes audit
The Washington State Auditor has completed its 2007-08 audits of the Shoreline School District’s financial statements and compliance and made no findings against the district.
In addition, the auditors reported that all prior audit findings had been fully corrected. The auditors praised the district’s business services department for its outstanding performance.
Teacher receives national notice
Kaelyn Sullivan, a teacher from Shoreline Christian School, will attend one of 31 summer study opportunities supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The federal agency each summer supports seminars and institutes at colleges and universities so that teachers can study with experts in humanities disciplines.
Sullivan will participate in an institute entitled “Making Sense of the Reformation.” The three-week program will be held at the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. The center and college are named for Protestant reformer John Calvin.
The 25 teachers selected to participate in the program this year will each receive a stipend of $2,600 to cover their travel, study and living expenses.
Topics for the 31 seminars and institutes offered for teachers this summer include the works of Shakespeare, Milton, Dante, Cervantes, Steinbeck and Tolkien; the art of Winslow Homer, James Audubon and early American artists; St. Francis of Assisi; George Washington; Hannah Arendt; the history and culture of South Africa, China, and the Isle of Man; the Vichy Regime in France; world economic history; the Netherlands; the United Kingdom; European Reformation; peaceful revolution in east-central Europe; Italian language through art; archaeology of Israel and Jordan; U.S. political and constitutional theory; history of the American Midwest; historic maps; modern French drama; and modern poetry.
The approximately 590 teachers in all who participate in these studies will teach almost 74,000 American students the following school year.
— Compiled by Enterprise staff
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