Please note that there is no Monday Late Start for June 12. Instead of a late start schedule, school will be dismissed two hours early. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. This schedule change is to help support graduation attendance at the Tacoma Dome. Bonney Lake’s ceremony begins at 4 p.m. with Sumner’s following at 7 p.m. Find your school’s schedule below.

The Class of 2023 from Sumner and Bonney Lake high schools participated in the annual Victory Tour earlier this week, visiting our elementary and middle schools to show every student what their future holds.

Congratulations, graduates! Thank you for inspiring those who will follow you.

Check out the excitement of the Victory Tour in the video below.

The Elhi Hill High School Program has 55 students graduating this year and recognized them at graduation celebrations earlier this week. Family, friends and staff cheered them on as they rang the ceremonial graduation bell. Congratulations to all of our Elhi Hill grads.

The Elhi Hill High School Program provides a caring environment for students who need services beyond the traditional school day to meet state and district standards. Students who graduate from Elhi Hill receive a diploma from Bonney Lake or Sumner High School.

Congratulations to Bonney Lake High School for being named a Jostens Renaissance School of Distinction! BLHS is one of just a few schools in Washington and among 36 schools in the U.S. and Canada that have received the impressive distinction, given to schools that are making a positive impact on school climate and culture.

To receive the designation, schools must meet rigorous metrics proven through data that can take years to cultivate. BLHS was recognized as one of 10 Silver Tier Schools of Distinction on its first attempt.

BLHS students in ASB, Connections Leadership, Principles of Leadership, Project Management, and many others have been working hard to build an ever-improving, healthy, positive and vibrant school culture. Their work, combined with other school groups, has increased the rate of student ownership and participation in clubs, sports, and activities throughout the school. In fact, the growth of student voice has directly led to the establishment of a BIPOC Club this year. BLHS will surely continue to make equitable changes in their school culture for years to come.

BLHS will be recognized for its positive school culture, measurable and proven systems for rewarding and encouraging students and staff, and consistent commitment to graduation at the Jostens Renaissance Global Conference in Dallas over the summer. Congratulations to all the students and staff who worked to make this happen!

One of the amazing ideas BLHS had this year was to host a contest for students to design the best poster featuring the school's POWER values: Perseverance, Ownership, Work Ethic and Respect. Here are some of the designs!

Before the pandemic, Sumner Middle School’s Heart of the Bobcat awards was a brand new program for the school. It’s now back again in full form, honoring students who represent the highest level of character beyond the classroom. The June 1 awards ceremony featured 28 students in the categories of athletics and clubs/activities.

Coaches and club advisers submit their Heart of the Bobcat winner, and then a committee selects four overall winners — two athletes and two club/activity participants. The four individual winners each receive a Heart of the Bobcat plaque.

Winners were selected for their qualities that are integral beyond the classroom, such as on the field, stage or performance hall. The qualities include the school’s five guiding principles: Success, Fun, Positive Choices, Safety and Belonging. In addition, they exude a teachable spirit, confidence, pride, service, integrity, enthusiasm, loyalty, commitment, accountability, perseverance, discipline and selflessness.

Event attendees also enjoyed guest speaker Kegan Hall, a professional artist and Sumner Middle alum, who presented wise words of advice to follow your dreams and be successful.

Jada Foster (Fastpitch)

Shameela Isabell (Girls Basketball)

All Heart of the Bobcat winners

Bonney Lake High School hosted the 18th Annual Heart of the Panther banquet on June 7 to honor 39 students who displayed POWER values in extracurricular clubs, activities and athletics. These individuals bring out the best in others, and themselves, through their strength of character and sense of service in the classroom and community or on the sports field and performance stage.

When nominating students, staff members selected a POWER principle that best describes an individual’s participation:

P = Perseverance

O = Ownership

W = Work Ethic

E = Engagement

R = Respect

Among the 39 nominees, there were four overall winners, who each received a $500 scholarship from the Sumner-Bonney Lake Education Foundation. Congratulations to:

• Hailey Littlefield (Educators Rising, FCCLA)

• Reece Long (Football)

• Andrew Perdue (Digital Media Club)

• Iris Rogel (Soccer, Track & Field)

The sun was shining down on Emerald Hills Elementary School’s second annual Garden Party yesterday! Thank you to all the families who came by to tour the school garden, which is used in teacher Laura Young's Laker Life Lab to teach students about the natural environment. In the garden, you can find a wide array of flowers, plants, vegetables, and even a worm farm!

There were also fun activities and information to share in the Community Alley. Students learned from the SBLSD Native American Education Program how Native Americans lived off the land and how certain plants and other natural materials could be used in everyday life. Students also painted rocks, spun the prize wheel at the Family Resource Center booth, and learned from Pierce Conservation District how composting their food scraps in a worm bin can create nutrient-rich fertilizer.

Thank you to our community partners who came to connect with our families, including the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Pierce County Library System, Bonney Lake Food Bank, Pierce Conservation District, Sumner-Bonney Lake Family Resource Center, the SBLSD Native American Education Program and more.

Mountain View Middle School teacher Tammy Notehelfer was featured on FOX 13 Seattle for winning the inaugural National HMH Lighthouse Award! One of her students, Masha, was there to share how Mrs. Notehelfer made her feel welcome when she first came to MMS from Ukraine, including throwing a tea party to help introduce her to other students.

"Mrs. Notehelfter really put a lot of effort into teaching me how to speak English firstly but also on a psychological level to understand me," she said.

Thank you, Tammy, for making all students feel known, valued and supported!

Watch the full video here.

Four SBLSD seniors were recognized this week at an awards reception in Tacoma for receiving the Willie Stewart Community Service Scholarship in the amount of $2,500 each.

The scholarship program, organized by United Way of Pierce County, celebrates Pierce County high school seniors who have given back to their community through volunteer service. To receive the scholarship, students must have demonstrated leadership and innovation in addressing community needs, must provide documented volunteer service for grades 11-12, complete a 500-1,000 word essay and submit a letter of recommendation.

Congrats to the following scholarship recipients:

• Katie Claunch (SHS): Katie is dedicated to helping her community and places she has never been to, including Nepal. Throughout her time in high school, she has taken a hands-on approach to community service by organizing food drives, volunteering at food banks, and working with the organization named Life’s Handy Work. Katie has dedicated 426 hours to her community and plans on going to Oregon State University this fall. After college, she wants to become a Cardiothoracic surgeon and plans to help take measures in which everyone has equal access to medical care.

• Hailey Gaines (SHS): Hailey has helped with food drives, youth groups, and is a part of ASB. She also was the coordinator of her school’s Winter Wishes program in which students were granted wishes anywhere from gift cards to flights to see family. Additionally, Hailey keeps up with her academics and has maintained a 3.9 GPA while serving her community. She has spent 386 hours volunteering and plans to continue her academic and community service endeavors at Washington State University.

• Paige Littlefield (BLHS): As state FCCLA Vice President, Paige has done extensive research on the impact of food waste and food insecurity in the state of Washington. In total, she has dedicated 721 hours to better her community. Her research led her to volunteer hundreds of hours at The Market, formerly known as the Bonney Lake Food Bank. Paige has found a passion in being a ‘servant leader’ and plans to continue her work in college at Oregon State University.

• Makailee Henry (BLHS): The Market, formerly known as the Bonney Lake Food Bank, has sparked hope in Makailee. She describes the remodeled structure as a new looking grocery store and states that it gives a new perception to food insecurity. She credits The Market as it gives low-income people a place that is clean and fresh and modeled after a traditional grocery store experience. Makailee has spent 217 hours at the Market, and finds joy in volunteering because she is helping people by providing food to nourish their bodies and a listening ear to heal the soul. She plans to continue serving at Princeton University.

The recipients were recognized at the awards ceremony by Willie Stewart, who became a pioneer in 1970 when he became Tacoma School District’s first African American principal.

The District is offering free hot lunch for all children 18 years and younger throughout the summer at Daffodil Valley Elementary. The lunches must be enjoyed inside the school building.

Details:

• June 26 - Aug. 17, Monday through Thursday*

• 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Daffodil Valley Elementary (1509 Valley Ave., in Sumner)

*No meal service July 3-4 due to the Independence Day Holiday.

For more information, call the District’s Child Nutrition Services at (253) 891-6450 or visit sumnersd.org/summermeals.

The public is invited to attend School Board study sessions and meetings, which are held at 6 p.m. virtually and in person at the Central Office Boardroom (1202 Wood Ave). Dates, times and locations are subject to change. Agendas are published a day prior to each meeting.

Board meeting: June 14

• Virtual: Meeting link (passcode: 975780)

• Sign up for in-person or virtual comments (Deadline to sign up: Noon, June 13.)

• Submit written comments electronically (School board reviews online submissions by noon the day prior to board meetings. These are not read aloud at the meeting, but are included in meeting minutes.)

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