Blaine School District

Blaine High School’s Senior Culminating Project confirms each student’s mastery of communications skills, time management skills and personal planning skills. There are four required steps to a successful Culminating Project: (1) Students spend at least 20 hours completing an internship, a community service or a physical project. (2) Students must complete a portfolio with a post-graduation plan. (3) Students must write a clear and organized essay that reflects his/her experiences, and receive passing scores from two separate evaluators. (4) Only after these steps are successfully demonstrated may each student present to a panel of teachers and adult community members.

The board presentations, known simply as Boards, were May 21 and 22 this year, and represent the last step in the Culminating Project. Before a board of four to six adults, students must present and discuss their accomplishments and goals, including their twenty hour choice, their 13th year plans, and highlights of their high-school career.

This will be the 10th graduating class to complete the Culminating Project at Blaine High School. While some seniors are hesitant to admit it during the process, most, if not all, seniors feel a real sense of pride and accomplishment when they walk out of their successful Boards; they feel they have done it and are now ready!

Ryan Wallen won the Boy's Tri-district Golf Championship last week at Gold Mountain G&CC, and is now headed to the State Tournament on May 21 & 22 at Spanaway Lake GC. Ryan will be joined by fellow Borderite Devan Boucher. Young Lee qualified for the Girls' State Tournament, also to be held at the Spanaway Lake Course. Track and Field will send eight athletes to the 1A State Meet held at Eastern Washington University, in Cheney. Blaine Track and Field athletes heading to State include Olivia Adams (1st in the pole vault), Eddie Fontes (1st in the 800 meters0, Tracy Booth, Tom Bradley, Gordie Kordas, Malie Laolagi, Racheal McKinstry, and Brad Whitley. The Blaine High School Girls' Softball Team came up just one victory short of qualifying for the State Tournament.

Congratulations to all of our Spring Sport athletes, and the very best of luck to our State competition qualifiers. Go Borderites!

Following a very comprehensive search process, Stacy Thomas has been approved by the Board of Directors for the position of Executive Director of Teaching and Learning in the Blaine School District. Stacy left an Elementary level teaching position in Blaine two years ago to become a Vice Principal in the Meridian School District. While in Meridian, Stacy took on a key, system level facilitation role with respect to both alignment of Common Core State Standards, and the purposeful implementation of the "5 D" TPEP model (the new teacher evaluation system).

Stacy's references, at both the elementary and secondary levels, consistently reinforced her passion for the work, her high skill level, her respect for the needs and contributions of all with whom she works, and her commitment to informing and supporting higher levels of student success. We are very excited about the opportunities that Stacy's assignment brings to the overall depth and integrity of our work in Blaine. Welcome back Stacy!

The Blaine School District Board of Directors has formally approved the 2013-14 school year calendar. Parents and patrons can link to the calendar here.

Expectations remain high for 2012-13 to be a productive year for the students and staff of the Blaine School District. Specifically, we will see three significant initiatives take shape at the building and classroom levels.

1. The integration of the highly rigorous "Common Core Standards" at all grade levels in both Mathematics and English/Language Arts.

2. The initial steps of transition to a new State Assessment System ("Smarter Balanced Assessment") which will align with the new "Common Core Standards", while placing a higher level of emphasis on incremental measures of student progress.

3. The implementation of a new evaluation system for both teachers and principals, with accountability to the verification of consistent academic growth for all students.

This overall body of work is easily one of the most ambitious (collective) undertakings being assumed by school districts over multiple decades. The staff of Blaine School District is up to the challenge, as we continue to aspire to do all that is possible to assure for the highest possible level of positive impact on the academic progress of all students.

The Blaine School District Board of Directors took formal action on the 2012-13 Comprehensive Plan during their October 22, 2012 regular meeting. The Comprehensive Plan represents both District and individual Building/Department work slated for the current program year. The integration of Common Core State Standards, new State Assessments, and a new Principal and Teacher Performance Evaluation System, over the next three years, will present some uniquely complex challenges across the system. The staff of the Blaine School District will continue to strive for maximum efficiency in this work, while committing to making those decisions that best assure for higher levels of overall student performance.

Community Information

Non-Discrimination Statement: Blaine School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, pregnancy, marital status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. This holds true for all students who are interested in participating in educational programs and/or extracurricular school activities. Inquiries regarding compliance procedures may be directed to the school district's Title IX Officer and/or Section 504 coordinator. Our Title IX Officer, Christine Anderson, and the Section 504 Coordinator, Randy Elsbree, can be reached at 360-332-5881 or 765 H Street, Blaine, WA 98230.

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