Community members embark on ‘Experience Edmonds Education Tour’

Student tour leaders, guests and district staff pose at the end of the tour.

Edmonds School District staff took guests on an information tour of the district and a physical tour of Mountlake Terrace High School Jan 16.

The group of 14 gathered at the district office in Lynnwood at 9:30 a.m. for an opening greeting, the day’s plan and a quiz on district knowledge. However, the top three scores received chocolate bars rather than a grade.

The quiz asked questions such as how many of the district’s teachers have a master’s degree and how many years of experience they have on average.

Miner said four of the quiz’s questions and answers help dispel the common misconceptions about the Edmonds School District being wealthy because of its name association with the city. In reality, the City of Edmonds is only a part of an underfunded district.

The questions were:

– How many square miles does the Edmonds School District serve? Answer: 36.

– Name the six communities (i.e., cities, etc.) we serve. Answer: Brier, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Woodway and Unincorporated Snohomish County.

– What percentage of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch (Household income of 40,560 or less for a family of four)? Answer: 44%.

– Within $10 million, what is the district’s total revenue? Answer: $426,530,000

Superintendent Rebecca Miner.

The district is named after Edmonds because the city and its district were here first. The City of Edmonds was started in 1876 and incorporated on Aug. 14, 1890. In 1884, between the city’s birth and acceptance into Snohomish County, the Edmonds School District was created and housed in a barn’s feed storage room.

The cities the district serves other than Edmonds are Brier (founded in 1965), Lynnwood (founded in 1959), Mountlake Terrace (founded in 1954), and Woodway (founded in 1912), each of which joined the district as it was created.

The presentation included facts related to the questions, such as the students the district serves, demographic and statistical data, and funding and budget information.

 

Guests line up for the bus to Mountlake Terrace High School.

The tour of Mountlake Terrace High School

At about 10 a.m., the bus was ready to take tour attendees to Mountlake Terrace High School.

For the tour, guests were divided into groups, with a student ambassador per group acting as a tour guide.

Elementary school students watch a play by the MTHS theater department.

The tour first went to the MTHS Theater, where the drama department performed The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf for area elementary school students. This allowed guests to see how the high school gives back to the community and younger children.

Another stop was an Advanced Placement Jazz class, where a vibraphone duet practiced techniques for controlling their tone and volume, which can influence a song’s emotional implications. Other groups experienced STEM tools such as virtual cadavers, robot test courses and the school’s news outlet, The Hawkeye.

Director of CTE/Career and College Readiness Mark Madison

CTE: Not your dad’s vocational classes

The tour provided a glimpse into what students were learning and how things have changed. Before the presentation, the District’s Director of CTE/Career and College Readiness Mark Madison asked the group what vocational classes were offered when they were in high school.

The most common answers were home economics, auto, metal and wood shop, as most of the group was in school before the internet was prevalent. However, there is now a range of vocational options for high schoolers:

– Aerospace Manufacturing

– Architectural Design/CAD

– ASL/Sign Language Interpreting

– Automotive Technology

– Biotechnology

– Business, Marketing and Information Technology

– Carpentry and Construction

– Computer Science and Engineering

– Culinary Arts

– Education and Human Services

– Health Care Professions

– Horticulture

– Sports Medicine

– Visual Communication

Madison explained that partnerships with local businesses, such as Boeing, provide students with information resources, networking opportunities and paid internships. This allows the students to graduate and transition into the workforce with professional certifications.

The CTE presentation material is available here.

The tour group sits down to eat and chat.

Lunchtime: Food options and the 20-minute lunch

Food and Nutrition Services Director Megan de Vries spoke to the group about school lunches.

De Vries said that options are limited at the elementary school level to save time in line; more options are added in middle school and again in high school.

District high schools offer fruit, salads, sandwiches, hamburgers and a rotating hot lunch, with nacho day being the most popular, de Vries said. Further, she assured  the guests that students do eat the fruit and salads.

However, the group asked, “Is 20 minutes enough time for students to get through the line, find a seat and enjoy their food?”

De Vries said scheduling lunches in groups and getting through the line is the key to ensuring all students eat lunch. The district also offers breakfast and a “Second Chance Breakfast” for those who can’t arrive before class.

“Teachers are usually pretty relaxed if the kids bring food [to class] in the morning,” de Vries said. “As long as they don’t make a mess.”

Story and photos by Rick Sinnett.

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