The Highline Schools Foundation held its Academy Awards Thursday night, March 22 and the winners are…..Darcy Smith, Alan Spicciati, Barb Rogers, Astha Tada and David Sabey.

The foundation presents its Gold Star awards annually. This year, foundation trustees decided to announce the winners at a fun Gold Star Bash held at Burien’s newest entertainment venue, the Production Shop.

The Gold Star winners will be formally recognized at the Gold Star Awards Breakfast held Friday, April 20 at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Conference Center, 7:30-9 a.m.

The breakfast is free to attend but a minimum donation of $125 is suggested at the event.

Register at www.highlineschoolsfoundation or call 206-248-5196 to receive an invitation.

Smith, a 6th-grade teacher at McMicken Heights Elementary in SeaTac was named Outstanding Teacher. Spicciati, interim superintendent, was picked as Outstanding Administrator. Barb Rogers, office manager at Health Science and Human Services High School on the Evergreen campus in White Center, was announced as Outstanding Classified Employee. Astha Tada, former Cascade Middle School librarian, was named Outstanding Volunteer. David Sabey, Sabey Corporation president and 1965 Highline High graduate, was named Outstanding Alumnus.

Foundation executive director Ashley Fosberg told the attendees the bash came about because the annual breakfast is held during the school day so teachers cannot attend.

The annual Gold Star breakfast honoring the winners is held during the school day so teachers can’t participate.

So this year the foundation decided to throw a Gold Star Awards Bash in the evening to announce the winners.

“It’s the schools version of the Academy Awards,” foundation executive director Ashley Forsberg declared.

The bash was a red-carpet style unveiling of the 2012 winners, complete with drinks, light appetizers, dancing and emcee Andy Klietsch.

The bash was the first place the names of the winners were announced.

The venue is an old auto-repair warehouse just east of Ambaum Boulevard that has been turned into an event space.

Fosberg concedes it looks like a dingy warehouse on the outside but inside it was decorated in neon. Beneath a “Lubrication” sign, drinks were served.

In the past 11 years, the foundation has contributed over $1 million in funds to programs and students in the Highline district.

The foundation is the only non-profit organization that supports all the public schools in the district.
It provides private support in areas where state funding cannot through grants for classroom innovation, arts funding, pay-for-play fees and college scholarships.