Life Long Learning Action Team Meetings features RB neighborhood educators

Rainier Beach Moving Forward Life Long Learning Action Team Meeting Report
August 22, 2013

Top Highlights
1. Barbara Moore (South Lake HS), Keisha Scarlet (South Shore PK-8), Dwane Chappelle (Rainier Beach HS) were in attendance, stellar educators all! Additionally staff from Southeast Seattle Education Coalition (SESEC) was present
2. Ms. Makela Steward is the new Vice Principal at South Lake High School
3. Rainier Beach International HS has a ninth grade enrollment projection of 221

Top Surprises
1. South Shore and RBIHS has a partnership where South Shore students are at RBHS studying computer coding, RBHS students is at South Shore studying Mandarin
2. Ms. Scarlet sharing how she was profiled by the manager at the Rainier Beach Safeway even though she sat with him three months before for a catering order. She expeditiously proceeded to get him replaced…you go Ms. Scarlett!
3. Southeast Seattle Education Coalition (SESEC) announcing it has filled three new positions, one with the Rainier Beach’s own Yalonda Gill Masundire
4. Each school present has a mascot with a water theme – South Lake: Blue Sharks, South Shore: Sea Dragons, RBIHS: Vikings

Most Controversial Occurrences
1. See #2 in Top Surprises
2. The principals appeared to not yet have heard that Mapes Creek/52nd Ave (“the alley”, “the circle”) was going to be closed for one whole year due to daylighting of Mapes Creek inside Beer Sheva Park. Both students and neighbors are going to have to find another route from Henderson to the Rainier Avenue business district…McDonalds, Safeway, Subway, KFC etc…

3. All schools are increasing their performance and there are few people promoting this fact

Implications for Rainier Beach Neighborhood
1. The principals cited engagement with the business community as a desirable outcome. It does not have to be limited to financial resources…they desired the human capital as well

2. The schools need to be formally tapped into as a source of outreach (for literature to be placed there, for informing the populations of neighborhood activity) to students, parents and teachers/staff. Approximate totals of students (1200+), parents (600+) and teachers/staff (80+) total at least 1800 people