Congratulations and THANK YOU to the Bremerton School Board!
Congratulations and THANK YOU to the Bremerton School Board! For the third year in a row, our School Board has been named a Board of Distinction by the Washington State School Directors Association.
In a year of shifting instructional models and daunting health and safety challenges, this year’s Boards of Distinction application asked school directors to illustrate how their actions helped their school districts close opportunity gaps. To be awarded, boards had to show a clear link between their leadership in applying the Washington School Board Standards and closing gaps that impact student success.
You can learn more about the award and selection process at https://www.wssda.org/2020-boards-of-distinction-announced/.
We appreciate our board's leadership and tireless support and advocacy for all students in the Bremerton School District.
(Photograph taken in 2019: Superintendent Aaron Leavell, (former) student Board representative Gabriel O'Rourke-Dela Cruz, Director Allyson Rotter, Director Dr. Karen Bolton, 2020 Board President Jonee Dubos, Director Carolynn Perkins, Director John Hurley, and special guest Mayor Greg Wheeler.
Edward Angelbeck, Kitsap Lake Elementary
Edward Angelbeck, paraeducator at Kitsap Lake Elementary, retired as a Senior Chief Electronics Technician from US Naval Submarine Service. In his 27 years of service, Ed served on six different submarines from both east and west coast Naval bases.
Ed says one of most exciting events in his career was the collision with a destroyer in November 1982 while he was serving on the submarine, USS Thomas Edison.
Pamela Lee
Pamela Lee, school psychologist at Mountain View Middle School served in the Navy for 12 years as a nurse.
She served in Desert Storm and the rest of her time she delivered babies as a labor and delivery nurse at military hospitals.
Cindi Probst, District Admin Office (IT)
Lucinda (Cindy) Probst serves as the District’s Communications & Technology Administrative Assistant.
She served in the Air Force for six years as an Inventory Management Specialist, managing all types of equipment and supplies ranging from pens and cold weather gear to parts for aircrafts and missile silos.
While stationed in RAF Upper Heyford in England, she helped support the aircraft that were actively participating in the Libya bombings of 1986. (Here is a fun fact about RAF Upper Heyford: it was used for many of the scenes in the James Bond movie Octopussy.).
During the Gulf War, Cindi was stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana she worked to get troops and equipment going to Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Karen Bolton
Dr. Karen Bolton, Director on the Bremerton School Board is a retired First Class Petty Officer. She served our country faithfully for 20 years in a variety of places including Virginia Beach, Great Lakes, Pax River Maryland, NAS Moffett Field, USS Lexington, Crete Greece, Reykjavik, Iceland, and the USS Abraham Lincoln before retiring at Naval Base Kitsap - Banger.
Dr. Bolton was award the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Star, Navy and Marine Overseas Metal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, NATO Medal and has multiple letters of commendation for her role on a rescue team during two separate aircraft fires on a flight deck.
Leslie Daugs is a second generation Filipino-American. Leslie works in security at both Renaissance High School and West Hills STEM Academy and is a long-time advocate for at-risk youth in our community.
Both of her parents were immigrants and moved here due to the war, when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. At that time, they allowed Filipinos to join the U.S. military. Her dad joined the Navy and brought her mom to the United States. Years later they became U.S. citizens. Her dad retired after 20 years in the Navy and Bremerton became home. He also worked an additional 20 years in civil service at Keyport. Leslie’s mom retired as Human Resources Director for KMart.
Leslie and her three sisters are all graduates of the Central Kitsap School District. Ms. Leslie has more than 30 family members living in Kitsap County! She and her husband Daryl have three children who have graduated from Bremerton High School, and they have been foster parents to 54 young adults.
Leslie has served youth in many other capacities for work and as a volunteer. “I enjoy seeing and visiting with kids, and seeing them in the future as grown individuals. They are our future. Kids are so open and carefree, and I enjoy that free spirit within them.”
Ms. Leslie is one of many Filipinos who has advocated for cities and counties to recognize the work of the Filipinos in Washington state. In May 2019, when Governor Jay Inslee signed October as Filipino History Month, she was in Olympia with many Filipinos leaders when the Governor signed it into law. She is also a Bremerton City Council member.
Irene Torrella, ELL Bilingual Paraeductaor at Mountain View Middle School,
Irene was born and raised in the Philippines. She spent her formative years in Legaspi City. After high school, she moved to the big city of Manila for college, where she earned a degree in Communication Arts. In 1986, she moved to Guam to join husband before moving to Washington State in 1989.
Irene has worked for the Bremerton School District for 20 of her 30+ years living in Washington state, where she and her family chose to make their home after her husband’s 23 years of service in the military.
Irene’s “Why” for working in education: “I teach because it gives me the most fulfillment. When prior students reconnect with you after they graduate from high school to thank you for helping them and being an inspiration to them, it's a priceless feeling! It makes my job so worthwhile.”
Desiree Hall, an Instructional Coach at West Hills STEM Academy.
Desiree Hall, an Instructional Coach at West Hills STEM Academy.
Desiree’s grandparents immigrated to the United States from the Philippines after her grandfather fought in WWII and survived the Baton-Corregidor Death March. She has fond childhood memories of being surrounded by a large family of aunties, uncles, and numerous cousins, learning traditions such as dancing the tinkling and making lumpia with her grandmother.
Before becoming a teacher, Desiree was a swimming instructor and worked in shoe sales. She graduated from Olympic High School, got her Associate of Arts degree at Olympic College, her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Washington State University, and earned her Master’s degree in Education from Old Dominion. Ms. Hall is also a National Board Certified teacher.
Desiree “why” for working in education: “I am here to support each of my students fulfill their dream.”
Community Partnership supports "learning labs" at home
In case you missed this on Facebook...
Our Bremerton High School culinary arts / CTE team has put together a partnership with the Safeway on Callow Avenue to provide supplies/ingredients for 200+ students enrolled in culinary classes at BHS so they have the ingredients for a "cooking lab" at home.
Every Monday we’ve got volunteers bagging groceries which students pick-up so they have all the supplies they need at home to complete their class assignment! This has been a huge team effort with BHS staff, volunteers and Safeway coming together to make this happen - and giving students the opportunity to cook “in” class. Our teachers are having a great time doing virtual cooking labs with students who will be making things like biscuits, pretzels, granola and smoothies!
“The support from our community partners at Safeway and the Bremerton High School staff has been amazing and it has allowed our students to see that while education has temporarily changed for them, the value and commitment that their community places on educating them has not!
CTE classes are designed to replicate the workplace in a variety of career fields. This is just one example of how our CTE teachers at the high school, West Hills and MVMS are providing kids with “kits” so that they can continue to have a true experience while learning from home.
COVID19 has forced all of us to learn that it is possible to do things differently, and our students will eventually be transitioning into the workforce with a skill set that most of us never had. They are learning to adjust and change direction when necessary!”
--Linda Hupka, CTE Director, Bremerton School District
Welcome to the BSD Family, new staff members!
Book-a-Librarian from Kitsap Regional Library
Kitsap Regional Library is launching a new service called Book-a-Librarian where educators can request a KRL librarian for a 30-45 minute virtual visit to their classroom – to read a story, talk about a topic for class, host a virtual fieldtrip around the library, or just chat about how kids can use the library to succeed at alternative/virtual learning. Simply fill out the short form and let us know what you need!
Book-a-Librarian is a virtual service intended to give school librarians, teachers, and other community partners better access to one-on-one appointments and library outreach opportunities. The range of personalized topics and services offered (see list below) reflect those that our Library offered more broadly in person before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Class visit/field trip
- Financial aid help (FAFSA/WASFA)
- Find your next book - overview of reader’s advisory resources
- Group storytime
- Help with my e-reader, Kindle, Kobo, or other reading device
- Online library resources
- Library service overview
- Research help - guidance on a defined research topic
- Search the library’s catalogue, website, or databases
- Visit from a librarian to your organization/group
The link to the request form is https://www.krl.org/bookalibrarian.
School Meals Information
Thanksgiving week update: Meals will be distributed next week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday, students will receive 3 days of meals (Wed-Thurs-Fri).
Tech Support Website
Flu Shot Clinics in November
Follow BSD on Social Media!
- Staff Updates newsletter archives
- Submit ideas or content for the Staff Updates newsletter to: Karen.Bevers@BremertonSchools.org
Website: www.bremertonschools.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BremertonSchools/
Twitter: @BremertonSD