Superintendent's Message November 2006

The mission of the School District — our statement of purpose is, in part: [To] educate, challenge, and equip each student to realize his/her potential and become a life-long learner who is a contributing member of society.
Sometimes statements like this exist as somewhat meaningless words put together by some committee then shelved in a binder until it is time to renew the mission statement. In Nine Mile Falls School District, we are committed to making this mission statement come to life.

The last part of the twentieth century saw seismic shifts in our definition of what a graduate from high school should know and be able to do. In 1960, one could graduate from high school with basic mathematics and literacy skills and find a job in industry that paid a wage, which would allow one to reasonably support a family. As the US economy shifted into the information age, the high school graduate with basic mathematics and literacy skills can, if they are lucky, get a job at Burger King. The world has changed, and schools in Washington have been working hard over the last 13 years to respond to our changing world and economy.

In May 1993, House Bill 1209 made a landmark commitment to education and high achievement standards that has changed and improved our schools dramatically. In Nine Mile Falls, the number of students who meet these standards have doubled. Student performance has improved year after year. Beginning with the class of 2008, ALL graduates will be required to demonstrate that they have met the state’s achievement standard in the three “R’s” of reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmatic. They must either pass the tenth grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning (The WASL) or demonstrate their achievement by alternative means being developed by the state.
But this is NOT the end goal of our work with students! The demonstration of standard is the new MINIMUM. We expect that with few exceptions students will surpass this goal in tenth grade with a full two years of high school left to prepare for life after high school. This means students will have the knowledge and skills to make choices after high school, choices that include college, extended vocational training, and trade apprenticeships. We believe that Lakeside graduates should have the opportunity to leave high school with all of these opportunities available to them.

Over the past six years, we have seen increases in the number of higher-level classes available to students, including more advanced placement and dual-credit options (where a student can take a college-level course at LHS and receive both high school and college credit). We require a minimum of three years of high school mathematics, one more than most school districts in the state. LHS Principal Mark St. Clair is leading the staff on a very intentional focus of increasing the rigor of all classes at Lakeside High School. Lakeside math teachers are members of the Transition Math Project, whose mission is to build the bridge between the 10th grade mathematics standard and what students need to know and be able to do in order to be competitive in college-level mathematics.

Our mission is clear. The challenge is greater than it has ever been. We are committed to our mission of educating, challenging, and equipping each student. We will never meet this goal without the ongoing support and commitment of students, parents, and community members. This community is incredibly supportive.
Thank you.
For all the Kids,