By Gwen Davis

The California-based Summit Public Schools (SPS) kicked off an info session Thurs. evening about the future of a potential West Seattle charter school opening in 2016.

The school would serve grades 6-12, with approximately 105 students per grade.

But it’s not a done deal, the facilitators noted at the beginning of the meeting.

"We in no way can promise we’re coming to West Seattle,” said Jen Wickens, chief regional officer of SPS and co-facilitator of the meeting. Charter schools must apply to the Washington State charter school organization, she said. There needs to be a community forum and capacity interview.

“But we made it happen with the first two schools [in and hopefully it will happen in West Seattle,” she said.

Wickens and her co-facilitator Greg Ponikvar, executive director of the expeditions program at SPS, opened the meeting with an introduction to the school’s model and mission.

“We don’t define college readiness as only getting into a four-year college,” Ponikvar said. “A lot of it is how can students be successful in life.”

College readiness is identified and created by the organization’s four-element model: 1) content knowledge 2) cognitive skills 3) real-life expereinces and 4) habits for success.

“We understand that usually classes have a huge focus on content,” Ponikvar said. “But our courses are focussed not only on college but on career and life skills, like critical thinking and analysis.”

The organization wants students to thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

“Do students have the habits to really be successful?” he said. “There have been a lot of studies that show students don’t know how to preserver through challenges.”

Acquiring emotional intelligence is important.

“We want students to leave high school with a passion,” Ponikvar said. “We try to provide students with experiences in expeditions that will be relevant to potential careers they might have.”

Furthermore, they are exposed to practical disciplines they’ll need in life, like figuring out finances and considering budgets.

“We try to give them experiences that are important to real life, not just they’re going to get a grade on,” he said.

100 percent of students in the SPS are eligible for two- and four-year colleges, the facilitators noted.

During the second half of the meeting the audience of about 20 people was split into feedback sessions.

“We want to be here and we want to work with the community to get the charters authorized," Wickens said.

What do the students need and want here in West Seattle, they asked the participants. Additionally, what are West Seattle’s educational assets.

“Choice is a good thing,” one mother of three students said, referring to the charter school alternative.

“They need to be engaged so they can be learners and can live the life they want,” another particpant said.

Students needed to feel emotionally and physically safe at school, one person expressed.

“The elementary education in Seattle Public Schools just doesn’t seem to maximize hours for learning,” another participant voiced. “It seemed in my day that people learned more in school.”

Homework was another item. "In elementary school homework wasn’t such a big thing,” one person said. “I support homework but I feel like I’m doing the school’s job.”

Wickens asked what hopes participants had for the new school.

“I think one thing that’s special and unique about this community is it’s connected,” someone said. “So much happens outside of the classroom and students need that community.”

“I would like very high engagement in the classroom,” a parent stated. Having a small environment where all adults know about the well-being of all the students should be a priority, he speculated.

The kids should feel like they’re known and not fly under the radar, other participants added.

However, someone else said the school should value diversity while another said he’d like to see engagement in the arts.

Standardized tests were also brought up. Kids should be immersed in a culture of learning, not on making a mark, people voiced. What does the child need to be successful, should be the primary question, not what does the child need to pass the test.

Wickens asked about what community assets West Seattle has, which is important for students’ experiential learning in the “expeditions” part of the curriculum. “We love the idea of kids having deep experiences and interests,” Wickens said. “It’s their chance to dig into a topic of their choice.”

People brainstormed local organizations that would be good for experiential learning: The Youngstown Cultural Art Center, Total Gospel Choir Experience, West Seattle Symphony, Experience Music Project, Seattle Children’s Theater, Boeing, Microsoft, Flight Museum and 12th Night Productions were organizations mentioned.

At the end of the meeting Wickens made a pitch.

"People are needed for a long-term advisory council,” she said. "If you’re interested in helping us build a school in West Seattle we’d love your help."

The next info session is Tues. March 17 at the White Center Public Library from 6:15-7:15 p.m.
The one after that is Tues. April 14 at the Southwest Branch of the Seattle Public Library from 6:45-7:45 p.m.