On the school front, we went from telling our high schooler to prepare to not go back in-person this year, to “do you want to do an in-person hybrid model,” followed by “if yes, did you grow out of all of your pants suitable for leaving the house?” Turns out, we don’t have enough pants that don’t double as pajamas. This week, there is a lot of ever-updating information on what’s next with school while we also still have local, virtual art and STEM options, a local scholarship opportunity for artists, and YMCA camp options in King and Snohomish Counties.

Stage 2 of the Edmonds School District re-entry plan, which was underway before Governor Inslee’s Emergency Proclamation last week, starts Monday, March 22, making way for students in kindergarten through 2nd grade to start an A/B Hybrid model of in-person learning. With the proclamation in place, students who choose the in-person hybrid option in grades 3-6 will start the week of April 12, and 7th – 12th grade students will start the week of April 19. Schools will be “expected to provide an in-person learning option that equates to at least 30% of instructional time” over a minimum of two days a week.

Intent forms emailed to “Guardian One,” as designated in Skyward, were sent on March 15 and were due March 17 — those who had trouble with or didn’t receive their links should contact their schools directly. The school district offers a “new, animated video explaining how the return to in-person learning will look” and asks that you “please take a moment to watch it with your student if you are returning to the classroom or have plans to participate in future on-campus activities as it answers several common questions.” You can find the video on the Edmonds School District YouTube channel.

Edmonds College, in partnership with Edmonds and Mukilteo school districts and the American Association of University Women, is offering the Expand Your Horizons STEM conference on Wednesday, March 24. This free, virtual event is aimed at girls grades 8 to 12 and will feature live and pre-recorded workshops so they can “explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.” The schedule for the day, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is full of incredible options. Viewers can experience a submersible dive day from start to finish, find out how a clinical pharmacologist uses math to solve the question of how to properly dose medicines, answer the questions “What does a geneticist actually do?” and “How did a Hollywood movie Star aave the world with STEM?” The keynote speaker, Karen B. Brun, has had a career in the U.S. Air Force, specializing in aviation and air mobility operations serving as a C-5 Galaxy flight engineer, and was selected by NASA to be a mission specialist for the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) Program, a 45-day simulated space habitat mission at NASA Johnson Space Center.

“Let’s Have Fun With Cardboard” is the next Cascadia Art Museum Virtual Family Art Exploration event. Edmonds-based artist Sharon Grader will lead participants as they “turn that unwanted cardboard into a piece of art.” Grader will introduce collage and mark-making techniques and participants can use “scraps of paper, scissors, glue, markers, pens, Crayolas, and ink to transform a piece of cardboard into a work of art.” For more information and registration, you can head to CascadiaArtMuseum.org.

 While we are on the topic of young artists, the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation is awarding scholarships to Edmonds-area students “who plan to study a visual arts-related curriculum in college.” Eligibility includes students who live within the Edmonds School District or who attend Edmonds college, this includes students who have received a foundation scholarship in the past. The foundation will be offering $32,500 in aid this year as a part of the more than $80,000 they give annually in the form of “scholarships, grants, public art installations, and large special community projects.” For more information on the scholarship or to apply, you can visit EdmondsArtsFestival.com/Apply-Foundation/.

The Carroll-Henderson School of Irish Dancing in Edmonds at the Edmonds Masonic Temple on Dayton is offering a free open Irish dance class for kids ages 4 to 12 to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Children will be divided into different sessions by age, and will get to experience the basic movements of Irish dance while learning a little about the culture of Ireland. There is a limited number of slots, and pre-registration is required. For more information, you can contact Lauren Carroll-Bolger at carrollhendersonsid@gmail.com or register via Google Form HERE.

YMCA of Greater Seattle and YMCA of Snohomish County are offering camps this summer. The YMCA of Greater Seattle opens camp registration on Saturday, March 20 — the email advertising camps also has a link to summer jobs including day camp and aquatics positions. In addition to in-person camps, they also offer “Camp in a Box,” which is an option for YMCA-curated activities that you do at home. You can find all the camp descriptions and registration at SeattleYMCA.org. For Snohomish County, they offer camps from the age of 3 all the way to the 9th grade and they have a half-day camp option as well. Information and registration can be found at YMCA-SnoCo.org.

— By Jennifer Marx

Jen Marx, an Edmonds mom of two boys, is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time.