School board celebrates All-State, All-NW musicians

Edmonds School Board President Nancy Katims

The Edmonds School Board Jan. 28 unanimously approved an agreement with Mahlum Architecture for the school district’s new middle school project, and honored its top student musicians.

The new middle school was included in a voter-approved bond measure in February 2024. It authorized the construction of a fifth middle school at the former Alderwood Middle School location, which Mahlum Architecture will now design. The district’s goal is to complete the new middle school for the beginning of the 2028-2029 school year.

The All-State and All-Northwest musicians received certificates of recognition.

In other business, Tam Osborne, the district’s manager of visual and performing arts, introduced the students selected as All-State and All-Northwest musicians.

“These are the students who decided to take on an extra effort, a leadership effort,” Osborne said.

The 13 student musicians showed great leadership skills, Osborne said. They prepared their All-State materials and submitted them for adjudication, hoping to be selected for an All-State group.

He explained that the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) is the state association representing music teachers across Washington state. To celebrate the coming together of music educators, they host a series of performance crews.

“Students need to audition in order to be selected for those groups,” Osborne said. “It is, in a very real sense, a competition.”

For state groups, students compete against every other student in their grade for a spot, Osborne said. However, the All-Northwest competition “is truly an All-Northwest competition.

The National Association of Music Education (NAfME) holds a yearly competition in conjunction with the WMEA. The location alternates between Spokane and Seattle and involves Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idah, and Wyoming.

The students selected are:

Brier Terrace Middle School:

Ellie Chung, Jr., All-State Orchestra

Edmonds-Woodway High School:

Angela Adams, All-Northwest Mixed Choir

Woods Jarol, All-Northwest Jazz Choir

Mathilda Hummel, All-Northwest Band

David Thomas, All-State Symphonic Choir

Joy Yoo, All-State Symphony Orchestra

Madrona K-8:

Ysa Soriano, Jr., All-State Orchestra

Karis Woo, Jr., All-State Orchestra

Micah Downey, Jr., All-State Orchestra

Meadowdale Middle School:

Sunyong Park Jr., Orchestra- All-State

Mountlake Terrace High School:

Sonita Chen, All-State Symphonic Orchestra

Luca Manzo, All-Northwest Jazz Band

Junwoo Lee, All-State Concert Band

Principal Jacklyn Henly of Lynnwood Elementary School adjusts the microphone for a student.

The school board also received a student presentation from Lynnwood Elementary School students, followed by Principal Jacklyn Henly’s delivery of the school’s improvement plan.

The students explained their strategies for promoting kindness while encouraging good citizenship and anti-bullying. One way is through the Buddy Bench, where kids can go if they are too shy to ask to join a group or just want to sit and chat.

Items approved by the school board Jan. 28::

Revised Board Policy 3131 – Transfers. Board Director Thomas Garrard made the motion, which was seconded by Director Hawk Cramer and unanimously passed. This policy outlines the process for families to request that their student be transferred to a school outside their designated geographic attendance area.

Revised Board Policy 3140 – Release of Resident Students: The board unanimously passed this policy after the motion was entered by Hawk Cramer and seconded by Thomas Garrard. Policy 3140 outlines the process for families to request to be released from Edmonds School District to attend another school district in Washington. The updates include replacing “parent” with “family” and providing more precise definitions of the approval process requirements and expectations.

Revised Board Policy 3141 – Nonresident Students: Board Director Keith Smith made the motion, seconded by Hawk Cramer and unanimously passed by the board. The Nonresident Student Policy outlines the process for families outside the Edmonds School District to request a transfer to attend a school within the district. The updates include replacing the term “parent” with “family” and providing clearer definitions of the approval process requirements and expectations. There were no changes between the first and second readings.

Items with no action taken:

Resolution #25-04 – Increase the Workers’ Compensation Revolving Fund: The district is self-insured for workers’ compensation benefits and uses a third-party administrator to manage and pay workers’ compensation benefits by check on behalf of the district. The funds are taken from a revolving fund imprest account. The account balance needs to be increased from $150,000 to $300,000 to meet the increase in workers’ compensation activities.

Equivalency Credit Opportunities: The updates provide more precise guidance on the value and use of equivalency courses in meeting graduation requirements. The changes emphasize new communication requirements and equivalency credit updates. The policy reflects post-2021 requirements, ensuring that statewide and local equivalency courses offered by the district, skill centers, or interdistrict agreements are honored for academic credit. Courses will now reflect equivalency credit by assigning credit to the equivalent academic area while designating the Career and Technical Education course on the transcript.

Revised Board Policy 2190-Highly Capable Programs: The policy revisions adjust the language used to describe students receiving highly capable services, replacing the term “selected” with “qualified,” “identified,” or “placed,” as appropriate to the context.

Revised Board Policy 3246 – Restraint, Isolation and Other Uses of Reasonable Force: The policy changes primarily involve updating the legal references cited. District staff have also drafted an accompanying procedure.

The next school board meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Educational Services Center, 20420 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood, WA 98036.

You can watch the meeting online by clicking here.

To view the meeting agenda, click here.

By Rick Sinnett

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