Earthquake Drill Wins Praise

Explorer West students and staff participated in our annual earthquake simulation activity today. This fun, hands-on, educational event allows students to learn how to react in a crisis situation. The students were moulaged with fake blood and wounds, uninjured kids set up tents and helped with tasks as needed. Ben Wheeler was our "media spokesperson" during the emergency, and met with a West Seattle Blog reporter as part of the role playing exercise. The North Highline Fire Department came with their trucks and evaluated the school community's response to this "emergency". They reported back that Explorer West runs one of most well executed earthquake simulation exercises and expressed interest in replicating it in other schools.

Here is a link to the story as covered on the West Seattle Blog: http://westseattleblog.com/2010/09/explorer-west-middle-school-goes-all-out-for-earthquake-drill

Walt Hundley Playfield Dedication

The sun always shines on the righteous. That’s what founding EW Board member, Manvel Schauffler, used to say. The sun came out on Saturday, September 18 for the dedication of the Walt Hundley Playfield in honor of Evan Hundley’s father. The event was well attended by friends, family and Explorer West community members (staff, board and faculty). The park, formerly known as the High Point Playfield is located at 35th Ave. SW and SW Holly just shy of the city’s highest elevation, 520 feet. The Explorer West tennis team holds practice at this newly renamed park.

Walt Hundley, served the city of Seattle for many years in a number of roles including City Director of the office of Budget and Management (1974-1977) and Seattle’s first African-American Parks Superintendant (1977-1988). Former mayors Wes Uhlman (1969-1978) and Charley Royer (1978-1990) spoke passionately about Hundley’s unflappable dedication to doing the right thing for the people of Seattle and reflected that the choice of this park to be Walt Hundley’s namesake was ideal: full of activity and looking out over the city he loved. The celebration concluded with Evan reading a Maya Angelou poem, When Great Trees Fall. You can read more about Walt Hundley’s life at http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=3173.

The Explorer West community congratulates our Head of School for this recognition of his father’s legacy in Seattle city government.

EW Fall Potluck: Good Food for Dedicated Parents!

We had a wonderful turnout of over 50% of our families come out this last Wednesday, Sept. 15th. It was a great opportunity for all of our families to get to know each other, just as our kids were doing the same on their outdoor education trip.

Explorer West potlucks are notorious for having the most delicious spread of food. This event was no different. I did not see a repeat item on the table.

Our class representatives led quick ten minute huddles with their respective email cluster families. This was parents' first opportunity to meet with class representatives and see the other families they'll be in communication with for the rest of the year and beyond.

It was clear our families were united in our common goal of making this school year successful for our Explorer West Middle School students. We look forward to our next gathering!

-Rinku Wheaton (Kumar, class of 2011)

Walt Hundley Playfield Naming Celebration: 2 Ex-Mayors, and More

THE FOLLOWING IS FROM 9/18/10 WEST SEATTLE BLOG. You can read the entire story, and view video clips of speakers at:

http://westseattleblog.com/2010/09/walt-hundley-playfield-naming-celebration-2-ex-mayors-and-more


Today’s semi-surprise sunshine ended right before the speeches concluded at this afternoon’s Seattle Parks celebration in honor of the newly named Walt Hundley Playfield by High Point Community Center. But the event continued with the cheery atmosphere of a family-and-friends reunion – which it was, with dozens of people on hand in addition to the official participants shown above – from left, Mr. Hundley’s son Evan, former mayors Wes Uhlman (1969-78) and Charley Royer (1978-90), former Parks superintendent Ken Bounds, Mr. Hundley’s son David, acting Parks superintendent Christopher Williams, and former Parks finance director Curt Green. Mr. Hundley had held other city roles, including budget director, and Uhlman recalled appointing him to the job in which he made history, serving 1977-88 as the city’s first African-American parks superintendent.