February 2013

Stella the Labradoodle came into Robbie Ralkowski's life as, "kind of a rescue," she said. "We got her in Gresham, Oregon from a breeder down there almost four years ago. "We like to say she's a rescue because she was one of the first dogs to go in the litter and the people that got her the first time couldn't keep her because they had two older dogs that were really mean to her so they took her back to the breeder, so we got her when she was 12 weeks old. She is now four years old."

The Ralkowskis (husband Jan and Robbie) feed Stella a natural dog food they get at Petco and for treats she gets liver treats.

They have two grandchildren, Ellie and Jack and they, "absolutely love her. She gets so excited when they come over and we see them a lot. They come to the door and she just goes completely ballistic. They are the light of her life. At family dinners we can often find Stella and one of the kids under the table."

Hicklin Lake, the polluted body of water anchoring Lakewood Park in White Center, finally received good news on Feb. 25 with King County announcing they have secured funding to bring in four “floating islands” that will be used to capture “excess nutrients in the water that lead to Hicklin Lakes’s water quality problems.”

King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) said a $50,000 grant from the Washington Department of Ecology Algae Control Program will cover the majority of an $86,000 project.

The islands will be “250 square feet in size, built of a durable polycarbonate, and anchored in place,” according to a press release.
DNRP goes on to explain:

“The islands are perforated with dozens of holes that are planted with a variety of native wetland species. The plants’ roots will reach into lake as they grow, where they will take up excess nutrients.

A bio-film of microscopic organisms that forms along the bottom of the floating islands and the plant roots will also take up nutrients from the water.

The King County Library System Board of Trustees approved the new White Center library Tuesday night, Feb. 26 by a vote of 4 to 0, and approved locating the new library at a vacant lot on the corner of SW 107th and 14th SW (the preferred site by the White Center Chamber of Commerce, the White Center CDA, several school teachers and after school program directors, and many other White Center community members).

This location is directly across the street from Mount View Elementary School, directly across the street from Coronado Springs, a low income facility with over 300 family and elder apartments, and the site is next door to almost 400 additional apartment units to the south.

All these residents will have an easy walking distance on non arterial streets to reach the new library.
The KCLS will now negotiate with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, the owner of the site on the development process.

It is expected that the new $5+ million library will be a redevelopment opportunity for the White Center business district and become an anchor to the south end of the White Center business district.

In early 2013, teachers at Garfield High School boycotted Seattle Public Schools use of MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) standardized testing based on the grounds that it does not accurately assess student progress and is used to evaluate instructors, even though they are not allowed to see sample questions of what might be on the test to properly prepare their students.

SPS now says they will perform a thorough statistical review of MAP testing (which wraps up on Feb. 28) to help decide on its future.

Back to the controversy's inception, it quickly became clear Garfield was not alone in their displeasure, as teachers across the city joined in writing letters to SPS Superintendent Jose Banda asking him to end the standardized testing that was implemented in 2009. Several faculty members from West Seattle schools joined the fight against MAP.

Press release from Seattle Public Schools

Here’s an update on the state of assessments at Seattle Public Schools, including Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing and the task force appointed to study assessments District-wide.

We will conclude our MAP testing at all schools on Thursday, Feb. 28. Because there has been significant interest in this topic, we will be working in the next week to gather statistics on this latest round of testing, including the number of students who took the test across the District as well as the number who chose to opt out. We will also collect the number of students who took the test by school. In addition, we will count the number of teachers and other staff who chose not to administer the test – both across the District and by school. All of these numbers will be reported to you.

Finally, in addition to this data we will also provide information on any disciplinary action that might be administered for those teachers and staff who did not give the test as required.

Information from West Seattle Community Orchestras
Start your Spring a little early with an evening of Pops played by the West Seattle Community Orchestra’s Debut and Intermediate performers. A talent showcase of individual and ensemble performances rounds out the toe-tapping evening of fun. Familiar tunes include an arrangement of Sound of Music (Rodgers), Love is Blue (Popp), Little Bit of Latin (Muller), and Blue Tango (Anderson).

Show starts at 6:30 pm sharp, March 5, at Chief Sealth International High School, 2600 Thistle Street SW. Donations at the door support WSCO’s free tuition program for K-12 students.

West Seattle Community Orchestra's vision is to inspire an enjoyment of music-making through instruction and mentoring in mixed age ensembles culminating in quality group performances.“Being in WSCO has opened up a lot of good musical opportunities for me; we play a wide range of music and I like this.” –Will, 9th grade orchestra member.

For more information on WSCO: WSCOrchestras.org

The Sunday breakfast menu sounds simple. The pancakes are from a mix. Orange juice will be purchased, not hand-squeezed, the egg casseroles baked in advance. But it’s not the menu that’s matters. It’s the ingredients. Teenagers and neighbors who have answered the Smith family’s call to become part of preparing and serving a monthly hot breakfast at a men’s shelter In Pioneer Square.

As parents and community members, Barb and Kip Smith have always felt strongly about involving their children in ways to help those who need a helping hand. Kip Smith grew up in a family that helped through their church. Barb Smith’s background is in social work, as is that of friend and business partner Lauren Malloy-Johnson. They co-own Space to Create on 70th St NW, where they have always managed, through various events, to support the nonprofit Solid Ground.

Update:

One last picture. Above is a panorama of the completed mural.

Update:

Ryan "Henry" Ward's mural project in the Adams Elementary court area has been completed.

"The Courtyard Classroom at Adams Elementary is finished! The mural is absolutely amazing! Ryan Henry Ward did a wonderful job," wrote Schelleen Rathkopf, who helped organized the mural project.

Below are a couple images of the finished project courtesy of Adams Elementary:

--
Original Post, Feb. 27

Ryan 'Henry' Ward, the well known Seattle artist, has helped spiffy up Adams Elementary School with one of his trademark quirky murals.

Compiled by Shara Wallace

Deadline for receiving items for Community Calendar is 5 p.m. Wednesday for the following week’s Times/News. Events are published based on timeliness and space availability. Email submissions to: hteditor@robinsonnews.com Items can be accepted from nonprofit groups and government agencies only. Others may call Dona Ozier at 206-708-1378 for inclusion in our “Out & About” advertising section.

Art Exhibits

Burien Community Center—Paintings by Richard Jahn. 14700 6th Ave. S.W. Through March 31. Hours are Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Burien Community Center---“Extraordinary Women of Highline," an exhibit that showcases the accomplishments of pioneering women from the Highline area. 14700 6th Ave. S.W. Through Feb. 28. Hours are Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

After a pursuit, officers shot a suspect wielding a "large piece of metal" last night according to the SPD Blotter.

At about 7:30 p.m., Feb. 26, police responded to a call about domestic violence disturbance and a possible hostage situation on the 10000 Block of 4th Ave NW. According to the 911 caller, a family member was threatening to hold the father hostage with a knife, but when officers arrived, the suspect was walking out the front door.

The suspect would not comply with officers, attempted to go back inside, was tazed apparently ineffectively, and then started running down the street.

Officers gave chase, but in Three Stooges style the suspect stopped abruptly and one officer slipped and fell at the suspect's feet. The slapstick turned sour when the suspect rose what police only identified as a "large piece of metal," forcing (according to the SPD blotter) responding officers to fire, shooting the suspect several times.