By Marianne Lincoln

On September 5th, school begins in the Bethel District. With the start of this school year there are many changes including one bright and shiny new school, Clover Creek Elementary and one completely overhauled, almost like new school, Shining Mountain Elementary. That means Clover Creek kids and staff that were scrunched together with Naches Trail will return to their new building. Kids and staff that were relocated last year to the old Spanaway Elementary, will get to return to their local neighborhood building on 38th Avenue.

In addition, the 8th and 9th graders of last year are moving to the high school as freshman and sophomores, putting 4 grade levels in all the high schools. The greatest consideration in making this move was to get more of the freshmen focused on achieving their graduation and or college entrance requirements. Educators were concerned that many of the freshmen were not adequately focused on the importance of their course credits while in the junior high environment. The freshman year can make or break a student’s ability to graduate on time and the district’s board of directors made this move as a notice to the freshman to get focused. I know because I was one of those board members. Graduating along with your class is a high point in a student’s life and having to miss graduation because of a couple of lost credits can ruin a lifelong memory.

This year the high schools will more crowded and the junior highs, which are shifting to middle schools, will be short

one grade level. Next September, in 2013, the current classes of 5^th and 6^th graders will move up to the middle schools together, making them 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade middle schools.  Before anyone balks at this, I was on the facilities committee and saw the extreme benefit to the taxpayer created by this move. This adjustment of the 6^th grade to middle schools will push out the need for construction of another elementary school for another 7 years or so. If you read that again it says, you will not have to vote for tax money on an additional bond for another elementary school for several more years. If this move was not made, you would be asked to vote on another bond issue in the next 2 years. Bethel had enough space in their middle schools to absorb the current population.

In the near future, there will be additional pressure put on the high schools for space. This will be taken care of at Graham Kapowsin where there were plans created for an additional wing on the building that has not yet been built. Bethel held off on building that wing and met other building needs until the student population in high school necessitated it.

In the next few weeks, I will report on the dedication of the new Clover Creek Elementary. As an avid historian, this

school has special significance that I will share closer to that time.

As an additional cost saving measure, the old Spanaway Elementary will remain open and the Franklin Pierce School District will be renting a portion for their Head Start program that was displaced from the old Parkland School which is now operated by PLU.

Welcome to the 2012-13 school year, I wish everyone a year of achievement and subject matter that is fascinating and useful.