[see us online www.tukwilareporter.comSCHOOL CONNECTIONS: Tukwila School District update, 12-14

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2 ‹ FEBRUARY 2012 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com

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The Courtyard by Marriott parking lot was partially flooded Feb. 2 when an 8-inch feeder water pipe broke. Charles Cortes, Tukwila Reporter

BY STEVE HUNTERS H U N T E R @ T U K W I L A R E P O R T E R . C O M

An 8-inch secondary feeder water pipe broke Feb. 2 in Tukwila, causing minor fl ooding that damaged a few cars in a hotel parking lot as well as an offi ce at a nearby car wash.

A citizen noticed water bubbling out of the ground at about 3:20 a.m. in the 16200 block of the West Valley Highway and alerted a nearby Tukwila Police offi cer, said Marty Grisham, city emergency manage-ment manager. Th e offi cer reported the in-cident to the Tukwila Fire Department and Public Works Department.

“It spewed water into the (Courtyard by Marriott) parking lot and the 76 gas sta-tion,” Grisham said in a phone interview.

City crews discovered it was a break in the Seattle Public Utilities water line. Wa-

ter was shut off about 7:30 a.m. and waterstarted to subside by 9 a.m.

Initial reports indicated a break in themain 60-inch line that carries water to Se-attle from the Cedar River watershed, butthe break was in a secondary feeder linethat serves as a backup line to Tukwila, saidAndy Ryan, spokesman for Seattle PublicUtilities, in a phone interview. No one lostwater usage because of the break.

“We don’t know what caused it,” Ryan said. “We’ll dig it up in the next couple ofdays and try to fi gure it out. Sometimes wefi gure it out and sometimes we do not.”

Ryan said about three or four cars were fl ooded and damaged as well as an offi ce at a car wash next to the 76 station.

Crews closed Longacres Way for a shorttime because of water on the roadway. West Valley Highway remained open.

It was not yet known how much waterwas lost because of the break, Ryan said.

Busted water pipe causes minor flooding

REPORTER STAFF

A 44-year-old man re-ceived a maximum prison sentence in Seattle of 25 years, four months in con-nection with a 2007 Tuk-wila murder.

King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector on Jan. 27 sentenced Quy D. Nguyen for second-de-gree murder with a fi rearm enhancement and con-spiracy to commit leading organized crime, accord-ing to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s

Offi ce. Nguyen, a Seattle area gang leader, ordered the shooting death of Ho-ang Nguyen.

Quy Nguyen pleaded guilty in October to the charges.

Two men were sen-tenced last year in Se-attle in connection with the murder of Hoang Van Nguyen in a dispute among gang members.

Jerry Henry Th omas III, 25, who had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a fi rearm en-hancement, was sentenced

to 23 years, four months in prison.

Le Nhu Le, 42, who had pleaded guilty to con-spiracy to commit lead-ing organized crime, was sentenced to fi ve years in prison.

According to chargingpapers, Hogan Nguyenwas shot once in the back of the head by Th omas at about 12:30 a.m. Jan. 8, 200,7 in the parking lot ofthe Riverton View Apart-ments in Tukwila. SeattlePolice and Tukwila Policeinvestigated the case.

Man sentenced for murder

www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com » FEBRUARY 2012 › 3

4 lovebloomsPaul and Betty Gully have been married for 55 years. He brings her a bouquet of fl owers every Valentine’s Day.

5 Valentine’sDayLifting the veil of St. Valentine and discovering the history of the holiday.

6 keyprojectHighway extension project will create a route across south Renton to the Sounder Station in Tukwila.

10 fungamesTukwila Parks and Recreation Department off ers healthy and fun activities for youths and adults.

11 localfl avorIrina Turner develops a delicious diet to help her fi ght cancer.

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BY DEAN A. RADFORDD R A D F O R D @ T U K W I L A R E P O R T E R . C O M

In the year or so since it opened, the Tukwila Heritage and Cultural Center has collected an increasing number of Tukwila artifacts, organized its collection and made plans for some remodeling.

To help continue that work, the Tukwila Historical Society is planning the Second Annual Gala and Auction for 3 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday, May 19, at the Foster Golf Complex on Interurban Avenue.

A single ticket to attend the silent auc-tion and reception are $30. Th e ticket price is $100 to attend the reception, dinner and the live auction, or $75 if purchased in advance by March 1. Tickets can be pur-chased online at www.brownpapertickets.

com or at the museum, 14475 59th Ave. S.Deborah Horne with KIRO TV is emcee.

Th e historical society also is looking for donations of an auction item. More infor-mation about donating an item is availableby calling the museum at 206-244-4478.Th e museum’s email is tukwilaheritagectr@tukwilahistory.org

Contacts to donate money or memo-rabilia to the museum are Louise Jones-Brown and Pat Brodin.

Last year’s fi rst auction raised $10,000and organizers would like to raise at leastthat much this year.

A major remodel of the restroom isplanned so it will comply with the require-ments of the Americans with DisabilitiesAct. Lead was found in the paint, whichadds to the remodel cost.

Public’s support helpsmuseum collect history

Louise Jones-Brown, acting director of the Tukwila Heritage and Cultural Center, shows how a computer funded by a $4,000 grant from 4Culture will help museum catalog artifacts. Dean A. Radford/Tukwila Reporter

A voyeurism charged filed over LA Fitness photosBY STEVE HUNTERS H U N T E R @ T U K W I L A R E P O R T E R . C O M

King County prosecutors charged a 48-year-old Renton man Feb. 2 with voy-eurism aft er he allegedly took photographs inside of the women’s locker room at the Tukwila LA Fitness, 350 Baker Blvd.

David L. Cameron is scheduled to be ar-raigned on the charge Feb. 16 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Offi ce. Cameron was still in the

county jail in Kent on $20,000 bail on Feb. 10.

Tukwila Police arrested Cameron Jan. 30 for investigation of voyeurism aft er he reportedly took photos of a 32-year-old woman inside the women’s locker room. Offi cers arrested Cameron at the LA Fit-ness in Fairwood where he had checked in aft er visiting the Tukwila location. Both Cameron and the woman are members of LA Fitness.

According to charging papers, Cameron

used a cellphone to record images of the woman. Th e woman told offi cers she was the only woman in the shower area of the locker room and had covered herself from armpit to mid-thigh with a towel. When she bent over to apply lotion to her legs, she saw a man standing in the shower area with a camera phone in his hand.

When the woman yelled “Hey” at the man, he left the area. LA Fitness has photos of its customers from when they joined the club. Th e woman looked at photos of men

who had checked in that morning at theclub and recognized Cameron as the onein the shower area.

Another woman customer reportedlysaw Cameron walk out of the women’s locker room just aft er he took pictures.

Cameron has prior convictions for stalk-ing-domestic violence in 1999, fi rst-degreemalicious mischief-domestic violence in1999, violation of a no-contact order in1998 and fourth-degree assault-domesticviolence in 1998.

4 ‹ FEBRUARY 2012 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com

BY SARAH KEHOES K E H O E @ T U K W I L A R E P O R T E R . C O M

Paul Gully was eating dinner at his favorite Tukwila res-taurant 54 years ago when he spotted a pretty girl walkingthrough the door.

He got up the nerve to talk to her and was surprised at how quickly they clicked.

“I decided to just go for it with this one,” Gully recalled. “We started dating right away.”

Betty Gully said she fell for Paul immediately.

“The first thing Paul did was give me a hard time,” Betty re-called, laughing. “We have always had so much fun together.”

Paul, 86, and Betty, 73, have been married for 55 years.

“No one thought this would last,” Betty said. “Both of our fam-ilies and our friends said that we were too different, but we knew we could do it.”

Betty is Presbyterian and Paul is Catholic. Betty is 13 years younger than Paul.

“I knew she was the one for me,” Paul said. “I liked her better than any other girl I’d ever dated. She was just dif-ferent.”

Betty remembers she was mad at Paul the night he pro-posed.

“I would always come pick her up from the restaurantshe was working at and I must have been late or something

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Betty Gully plants a kiss on husband Paul’s cheek. CharlesCortes, Tukwila Reporter

Their love blooms for 55 years on fun,lots of honest talk

COVER STORY

[ more LOVE page 5 ]

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because she was so angry with me,” he said, chuckling. “She wouldn’t talk to me and I just leaned over to her and asked her to marry me.”

Betty said yes right away.“Th en I wasn’t mad at him

anymore,” she said.Th ey got married June 22,

1957, at the former old St. Th omas Catholic Church, aft er

one year of dating. Paul worked as a dye fi nisher at Boeing and Betty be-came a homemaker.

“We decided to settle in Tukwila because we both liked living in the area,” Betty said.

Th e Gullys still live in the fi rst house they moved into together on Macadam Road. Th e house was built in 1928 and features one bathroom, three bedrooms and a basement.

“We’ve lived here since 1959 be-cause when you fi nd a house and a community you love, you don’t see any reason to move,” Paul said. “We like the rural aspect of the area. We like that we can really have a voice in the City Council and see our repre-

sentatives at the grocery store.”Th e Gullys say their favorite activ-

ity to do together is garden. Th ey havesix fruit trees, vegetables, fl owers andPaul is a beekeeper.

“Paul and I go around to schools sometimes and he gives presentationson beekeeping,” Betty said.

Paul and Betty also love travel to their cabin in Marmot where they gocrabbing, take walks and pick berries.

“We’ve done a lot of great things to-gether,” Betty said, smiling. “It’s noth-

February has long been a month of romance.

It is the month asso-ciated with Valentine’s Day celebrations. We have, time and again, heard the name St. Valentine being ut-tered before us in this season of love.

But just who is this St. Valen-tine? Why is this month associated with love and romance?

Th e history of Valentine’s Day is impossible to be ob-tained from any archive and the veil of centuries gone by has made the origin behind this day more diffi cult to trace. It is only some legends that are our source for the history of Valentine’s Day.

Th e modern St. Valentine’s Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Ro-man tradition.

During the lifetime of Valentine, the golden era of Ro-man empire had almost come to an end. Th e empire had grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Over time, more and more capable men were required to be recruited as soldiers and offi cers to protect the nation from takeover.

When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that mar-ried men were more emotionally attached to their fami-lies, and thus, will not make good soldiers. Claudius be-

lieved marriage made the men weak, so he issued an edict forbidding marriage to assure quality soldiers, ac-cording to the website www.theholidayspot.com.

A bishop named Valentine was the only one who dared to go against the emperor. He secretly performed mar-riage ceremonies for people in love and was dubbed, “friend of lovers.”

Valentine was soon found out and immediately sent to prison. It was there that Val-entine fell in love himself.

Valentine was approached by his jailor who had heard Valentine had the power to heal people. Th e jailor begged Valentine to restore the sight to his blind daughter.

It was rumored that God healed the jailor’s daughter as a result of Valentine’s prayers. Valentine and the girl became close and she visited him every day.

It is said that just before his execution, Valentine asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her “From Your Valentine.”

Th us Feb. 14 became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its patron saint. It began to be annually observed by young Romans who off ered handwritten greetings of aff ection, known as Valentines, on this day to the women they admired.

With the coming of Christianity, the day came to be known as St. Valentine’s Day.

But it was only during the 14th century that St. Valen-tine’s Day became defi nitively associated with love. UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of “Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine,” credits Geoff ery Chaucer, an English poet and author of “Th e Cantebury Tales”, as the one who fi rst linked St. Valentine’s Day with romance.

Information and research for this article came from the website, www.theholidayspot.com.

Lifting the veilon St. Valentine

Tukwila: We like living hereBY SARAH KEHOES K E H O E @ T U K W I L A R E P O R T E R . C O M

COVER STORY

The modern St. Valentine’s Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition.

[ LOVE from page 4]

[ more LOVE page 6 ]

6 ‹ FEBRUARY 2012 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com

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ing outstanding we’ve done, we just really enjoy being to-gether.”

Paul and Betty both agree the secret to their long and happy marriage is constant communication.

“It’s funny how communication is never easy; but if you want a relationship to last, you have to hold back that pride and do it,” Betty said. “There’s a lot of give and take when you share your life with someone and there are big differ-ences in beliefs and ways of doing things.”

When Betty and Paul begin to argue, they will sit down and write about what they are feeling and thinking. Then they will go off alone and read what the other says before

they discuss the issue further.“Basically I am vocal and he isn’t, so we really have to do

this for us,” Betty said. Paul said this strategy has helped them over the years.“Life is always changing and you got to talk about what’s

going on with each other,” he said. “It’s a team effort and I’ve always walked away from a talk with Betty knowing she tried to understand me.”

The Gullys have always been active in their community.They worked on elections over the years, participated as

leaders in their son’s Boy Scouts, worked in schools and were a part of the annexation project occurring in the Tuk-wila area years ago.

“Doing this stuff really brought us together,” Betty said.”I think it’s easy for couples to lose touch with each other, they go off and do different things and end up meeting at the breakfast table. We didn’t want to be driven apart like that, so we made an effort to always include each other in our activities.”

The biggest challenge that Paul and Betty have faced as a couple is a difference in religion. They attended separate services but decided to raise their children Catholic until they were old enough to decide what religion they pre-ferred.

“There was a moment where I was sitting at the dinner table with the family and I realized the only Catholic feet at the table were Paul’s,” Betty said. “Partly I felt glad, but mostly it broke my heart because I knew Paul wanted them to be Catholic really badly.”

About four years ago, Paul was diagnosed with lung can-cer. Betty stayed by his side while he underwent radiation and chemotherapy.

“She takes good care of me,” Paul said, smiling at Betty. “After I got sick she read up on everything so I could get healthy. And now she always makes sure I take my medica-tions.”

Paul is now in remission, but still needs to hook up tooxygen periodically throughout the day.

“I’m grateful for her and am proud of her as a wife and a grandma,” Paul said. “She is in charge of everyone’s birth-days and get togethers. She makes everything fun.”

Betty appreciates Paul’s ability to be patient and teachothers how to build things.

“He’s been a good role model for our kids because ifthere is a task or design in front of him, he doesn’t give up until he does it right,” Betty said. “He’s taught our kids howto use tools and be beekeepers. Also, he puts up with me and I’m a lot to take on.”

Every Valentine’s Day, Paul brings Betty a bouquet offlowers.

“He’s romantic,” Betty said. “There is almost always abouquet of flowers sitting on my dining room table. He’llpick them for me from the garden when it’s nice outside orbuy them for me.”

Betty and Paul’s advice to young couples is a lesson theylearned in their marriage early on: always communicate.

“I think the biggest problem in our society is that cou-ples don’t talk to each other,” Betty said. “You have to bringsomething up when it bothers you, or it’s trouble. If you areopen to each other, there’s nothing you can’t fix.”

Reach Sarah Kehoe at skehoe@tukwilareporter.com or 253-872-6600 ext. 5056.To comment on this story go to www.tukwilareporter.com.

[ LOVE from page 5]

Every Valentine’s, Paul brings Betty a bouquetCover Story

Local, regional and state leaders broke ground recently on a critical step toward creating a new east-west route across south Renton and a connection to an improved Sounder station in Tukwila.

The project is the exten-sion of Southwest 27th Street/Strander Boulevard under the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks.

This project is a collabo-ration of Renton, Tukwila, The Boeing Co., Amtrak, BNSF Railway, Union Pa-cific Railroad, Sound Tran-sit, the State of Washington (including Transporta-tion Improvement Board, Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board, and the Washington State Depart-ment of Transportation), and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The new east-west route also will provide an alter-nate route to Interstate 405 between Interstate 5 and State Route 167. It’s also an effort to promote transit use by creating the connection to Sound Transit’s Sounder station in Tukwila.

“We’re excited about what this enhanced access to transit will do to help spark further development in the Valley, including here at Longacres,” said Renton Mayor Denis Law. “Once the full build-out is com-pleted, we will have a new

corridor for freight, which is critical to so many busi-nesses in the Green River Valley, the largest industrial area in Washington state.”

Julia Patterson, Sound Transit Board vice chair and County Council mem-ber, said the “new connec-

tion between Renton and Tukwila will provide con-venient commuter access to Sound Transit’s permanent Tukwila Sounder Station, which, when complete, will serve nearly 400 transit us-ers a day-plus King County Metro’s RapidRide F line.”

Key Strander project starts

Tukwila Mayor Jim Haggerton speaks at the groundbreaking recently for the extension of Strander Boulevard into south Renton. Charles Cortes, Tukwila Reporter

www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com » FEBRUARY 2012 › 7viewpoint

›writestaff

regional publisherpolly shepherd

publisher@tukwilareporter.com

publisherellen morrison

regional editordennis box

editor@tukwilareporter.com

editordean radford

staff writerssteve hunter › reporter

tracey compton › reportersarah kehoe › reporter

adam mcfadden › sports

photographercharles cortes

circulationjames kostoroski

253.872.6610

The Tukwila Reporter encourages reader participation in this

community newspaper.Share your thoughts in a letter to the editor (400 words or less) including your full name, address

and phone number.HERE’S HOW

To submit a letterto the editor,

EMAIL:submissions@

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EDITOR'S NOTEA story of place

I have been drawn to stories of place for some reason since I was a kid.

One of the aspects of Tukwila I have enjoyed the most over the past few months is all the stories of the recent past I have been hearing. I call them stories of place.

Many of the towns I cover have been formed within the last 15 years, like Maple Valley and Cov-ington. Th ose cities are going through a process of trying to out-line a sense of place and it is fasci-nating to watch.

Contrast that with Tukwila where the past weaves through the names of the streets tell-ing the stories of the making of town.

I’ve had the opportunity to get to know some longtime residents for a few of the sto-ries I have written and the sense of place in Tukwila is endearing and interesting.

My favorite story is the one I wrote about Mrs. Louise Strander. Th e Strander family is the story of the town in so many ways. I wished I could have met Mrs. Strander. I would have loved to talk to her about meet-ing her husband and being a part of making a town. I found out she also loved opera. How cool is that?

I have also been talking with Dean Rad-ford about his father, Arlie Radford, who

built many of the memorable homes around the town and he was member of the City Council. Arlie is spoken about today by folks as if he just left the room. Th at speaks to the impact he had on so many. Considering what I know of his son, he was both a remarkable

man and father. What makes a story of place

come alive are the people. Th ey defi ne the contours of place in the stories.

My fi rst interest in stories of place came from my dad when I was very young. He was raised in Montana.

His mother died in the 1918 Spanish infl uenza pandemic. She was 24 years old and had fi ve

children; my father was the oldest. He was about 7.

She died on Christmas Eve in Wolf Point, Mont., and on Dec. 26 the children were placed in the Montana Children’s Home or-phanage in Helena.

Th ey rode the train from Wolf Point to Helena and came to a four-story home with a basement about a 15-minute walk from the train depot.

I went there with my dad when I was about 10. The original home was and is still there. The top floor was four small rooms for the boys, connected by a crooked hall-way.

The sick kids were put in the basement, which is where my dad was at first. He spent nearly five years in the orphanage. His two

brothers and sister were adopted soon after arriving because they were younger. The fourth child, a baby girl, died shortly after arriving.

When I went there with my dad, the Sho-dair Children’s Hospital had all the old or-phanage records. My dad was looking for documentation of his birth date. He didn’t have a birth certificate and the date on the adoption papers from the orphanage was smudged. Social Security wanted better documentation.

We went into Shodair and talked to a woman. A short time later an older woman came out who remembered my dad. It had been 40 years, but she remembered those kids coming the day after Christmas.

My dad told me that his dad signed him into the orphanage and he never saw him or heard from him again.

I have been back to Helena and the or-phanage many times. I have spent time in the basement and all the upper floors where he stayed. The last time I was there a woman who lives across the street told me the old home was haunted. She heard children crying at night.

I bet I had my dad tell me the stories about coming to the orphanage and his youth in Montana a million times. I just couldn’t get enough of his stories.

The folks I have met in Tukwila, the way the talk about the town, gives me the sense of place I remember from my dad when he talked about Helena.

I like that.

DennisBoxeditor@

tukwilareporter.com

The Tukwila Historical Society is pleased to announce the Second Annual Gala and Auction to be held on May 19 at the Fos-ter Golf Complex with catering provided by Billy Baroo’s. This event is being held to honor the memory of Lou-ise M. Strander, one of our found-ing members who passed away in 2011.

Tickets may be obtained at www.brownpapertickets.com or by con-tacting the Tukwila Heritage and Cultural Center by calling 206-244-HIST (4478). The event is our organization’s next fundraising ef-fort that will allow major improvements to our building and to provide funds for the development of processes to preserve and display historic photos and artifacts that are being donated.

Our organization was established in 1975 and received non-profit status in 1990. The Tukwila Historical Society is currently an

active member of AKCHO (Association of Historical Organizations), SOCO (South County Cultural Organizations), the AASLH (American Association for State and Local History) and the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce. A major project was completed in 1993 with the publishing of the book titled “Tukwila, Community at the Crossroads” by author and histori-

an, Dr. Kay Reinartz with major funding provided by the City of Tukwila. In September 2010, a five-year lease for the former Tukwila School/City Hall build-ing was granted to the society by a unanimous vote of the Tukwila City Council. This has allowed our organization to establish a headquarters and a location to display and archive historical items which will showcase Tuk-

wila and the early King County history.The society members are working on sev-

eral events that will fund the interior re-modeling of the large restroom, which must include ADA requirements, an upgrade to the building’s security system and creation of processes to protect and display our pho-tos and artifacts. The First Annual Gala and

Auction was held June 26, 2011, and raised more than $10,000. In September 2011, a generous donation to support our projectswas made to our organization by Allied Waste in the amount of $10,000. There was a four-Culture grant approved in 2011 whichhas allowed the purchase of a computer and museum management software. The cost of our capital improvement projects has been estimated to exceed $50,000.

There have been a few unique artifactsdonated to our organization, such as a piece of water pipe from Crystal Springs, one of the original fresh water projects, a winebottle from the Carasino barn, and chairs used in the original Tukwila school andTukwila City Hall. We are encouraging localresidents to search their family photos and collections which we could share and dis-play at our Center. Please feel free to con-tact Louise Jones-Brown, acting director of the Tukwila Heritage and Cultural Center at 206-244-4478 or by email at tukwilaheri-tagectr@tukwilahistory.org.

Tukwila Historical Society gala auction

Louise Jones-Brown

comm

entary

CULTURALCENTER

8 ‹ FEBRUARY 2012 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com » FEBRUARY 2012 › 9

TUKWILA CITY PAGESMAYOR: Jim Haggerton COUNCIL PRESIDENT: Verna Seal

Meeting agendas, City programs, recreation activities, publications and more… get the most current information at TukwilaWA.gov!

Connect with your Council members at Council Chat: Saturday, March 10 at the Foster Golf Links Clubhouse

Free Financial Fitness DayWant to get your finances in shape? You’ll find many resources offered during the free Financial Fitness Day to be held on Saturday, March 31 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Rainier Community Center, 4600 - 38th Avenue South, Seattle. At this event you will be able to talk to experts in the areas of credit and debt; financial planning and investments; mortgage and foreclosure; bankruptcy and consumer rights; starting a business; social security, Medicare and Medicaid; and student loans and FAFSA.

Free workshops will take place on money management. You can have your tax return pre-pared, receive a free credit report, and open a checking or savings account. Applications will be available for public benefits, and document shredding will also be available.

To find out what to bring on that day, or if you need to register for child care, language interpretation or American Sign Language, visit www.skcabc.org/fitness_fair/default.htm.

Rent and Utilities AssistanceIndividuals receiving medical care through the Department of Social and Health Services may be eligible for financial assistance with rent or utilities. To qualify for these resources, you cannot be receiving any government cash assistance (i.e. SSI, Disability, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or ABD). You can apply if you receive food stamps. Call Catholic Community Services at 206-328-5755. You will need to provide proof-of-residency from landlord or family/friend, and a utility bill or shut-off notice.

Don’t let con artists get your hard-earned tax refundWhile honest folks look forward to getting some money back from the IRS, thieves are trying to figure out how to get your refund. Tukwila’s Crime Prevention Program offers a few tips to make sure you get your own money (and all of it!):

◗ Never give anyone your social security number. This would allow that person to file for your return.

◗ Only go to certified and verified businesses to get your taxes done. If an error is made by a tax preparer, YOU are the one who still may owe any back taxes and fines.

◗ Everyone is required to file tax forms, and most people do owe some-thing in taxes. Do not believe someone who tells you that the IRS is illegal or that only “suckers” pay taxes; these are generally scams that lead YOU to get fined by the IRS.

◗ The IRS NEVER contacts people by e-mail. Do NOT EVER open any attachments or click on any links from someone claiming to be from the IRS, it’s probably a virus or scam to get your personal information.

◗ Have the IRS deposit your tax return directly into your bank account to prevent it from being stolen from the mail. (DO double check that the account information you provide is accurate!)

◗ Send in your tax forms by mail? Only mail them from the Post Office.

Help for RentersRenters can now search for prop-erties on HousingSearchNW.org online 24 hours a day, or by call-ing a toll-free bilingual call center for assistance at 1-877-428-8844, Monday–Friday 6:00am–5:00pm. Interpretation in a number of languages is also available. Use of the website is free. Landlords may advertise properties free of charge, while renters can find rentals that fit their needs. If you have a rental property that you’d like to list, please visit the website or call the toll-free number.

Residential Rental Business LicensesAll owners of residential rental property are reminded that they must obtain an annual Residential Rental Business License and periodic in-spection. Renewal notices have been mailed to owners who submit-ted applications for 2011. Renewals were due January 31, 2012. New applicants can download and print an application form from the City’s website. For more information, please call Code Enforcement officer Kathy Stetson at 206-431-3682.

New Assistant Police Chief recognizedAt the Monday Tukwila City Council meeting of February 6, Bruce Linton was sworn in as the new Police Department Assistant Chief.

Bruce has been with the Department for 17 years, and a Com-mander for the past three years. Some of his assignments in-clude patrol, a bike officer on the Tukwila Anti-Crime Team, a member and commander on the regional valley civil distur-bance unit, and an honor guard member.

Bruce holds a Master’s degree from Chapman University in Or-ganizational Leadership, and serves in the National Guard as a Deputy Brigade Commander. His organizational skills and lead-ership will serve the Department and Tukwila’s citizens very well as he takes on this new role.

Preparation enabled City departments to deal with January stormWith the recent occurrence of sun shining on the Pacific Northwest, many have already put January’s snow storm behind them (winter, however, isn’t over yet). Thankfully, the City of Tukwila emerged unscathed from the storm that paralyzed much of the Puget Sound area, mostly due to the City’s pre-planning efforts. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) opened on Wednesday, January 18 and monitored road closures, power outages, downed trees and branches, and other factors that impacted the City.

Public Works crews stayed on top of removing snow and ice, keeping the majority of the main roads safe and open to traffic. Those same crews came to the aid of stuck drivers and Metro bus-es, helping get them back on the road. They also assisted some families that needed to get to important medical appointments.

Fire and Police Department responses remained normal, with no significant increase of requests for service.

The City’s pre-storm plan – which involved EOC activation and following emergency response and Public Works procedures – performed without incident. The January storm provided City em-ployees an opportunity to put their personal and work emergency

plans into action, and then execute and evaluate them. This “practice” helps our emergency operations staff prepare for a much larger incident such as an earthquake or major flooding.

Tukwila’s Emergency Operations staff believes it is a worthwhile exercise for you, your family, or your business to evaluate just how well-prepared you were for this past weather incident – what was a success and what could have used a little more preparation. Taking some time now to size up how ready you were for this storm event will help you improve your plans for the next snow storm… and certainly help during a larger scale disaster.

If you’d like more information, please visit the Emergency Management section of the City’s website, where you’ll find several links to help in your planning: www.TukwilaWA.gov. You can also contact our Pub-lic Educator/CERT Coordinator Kendra Kay by telephone at 206- 971-8742, or email her at CERT@TukwilaWA.gov.

TUKWILA POOL4414 S 144th St, Tukwila – 206-267-2350

Water Aerobics Classes

Join us Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9:00–10:00am for a low-impact water aerobics class with instructor Lori Williams. Stretching, strength and toning exercises are performed in chest-deep water.

Interested in a faster-paced, water aerobics experi-ence that gets your heart beating and puts a smile on your face? Join instructor Brian Gamble for GAMBA on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6:00–7:00pm.

Special Olympics

Tukwila Turtles Special Olympics Swim Team try-outs begin Friday, February 28, 2012 at the Tukwila Pool, 3:30-5 pm. Call 206-267-2350 to sign up!

Tukwila Office of Human Services – 206-433-7180

Register for a CPR class todayFebruary is American Heart Month! The City of Tukwila encourages its community to take action to reduce the risk and increase awareness of heart disease, the leading cause of death in America for both men and women. Coronary heart disease is the most common, which often appears as a heart attack. It is estimated that there is a coronary event once every 25 seconds in America, and about one every minute will die from one.

Thankfully, the chance of developing coronary heart disease can be greatly reduced by taking preventative measures and controlling factors that put people at greater risk. It is also important to know the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, as that can be crucial to the outcome.

Statistics show that quick delivery of CPR more than doubles a person’s chance of survival. This means citizen bystanders who initiate CPR at the time 911 is called are giving the person suffering a cardiac arrest incident a better chance of survival. Those who know how and are able to access an automatic external defibrillator (AED) can also increase the chance of survival even more.

King County is widely known to be the “best place to have a heart attack” for a variety of reasons, but most importantly it is due to trained citizens in the community. The Tukwila Fire Department is pleased to announce the 2012 schedule of CPR and First Aid classes. The first CPR class will be held on Tuesday, March 6 at 6:30pm. There is a $10 fee for the class, and pre-registration is required. Please call 206-971-8742 to register.

The complete schedule of classes is as follows:

Class Type Day and Date Time Cost

CPR only Tuesday, March 6 6:30pm to 8:00pm $10.00

First Aid & CPR Saturday, June 2 9:00am to 3:30pm $20.00

CPR only Thursday, September 6 6:30pm to 8:00pm $10.00

First Aid & CPR Saturday, December 1 9:00am to 3:30pm $20.00

COUNCIL CHAT

On the second Saturday of each month, from 10:00am to 12:00pm

Come join us at our new location: FOSTER GOLF LINKS CLUBHOUSE 13500 Interurban Avenue South

Council Chat is an opportunity to stop by and informally talk with a

Tukwila City Council member about anything on your mind regarding your community.

Next Chat: Saturday, March 10

Tukwila Community Center ▲ 12424-42nd Avenue S, Tukwila ▲ 206-768-2822 ▲ www.TukwilaWA.gov

Tukwila Parks and Recreation Department presents

Another great Spring Break Camp - enjoy a week’s worth of fun, including field trips, games, arts & crafts, and more! We’ll even throw in breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack. Space is limited, so sign up early!

10 ‹ FEBRUARY 2012 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com

577972

206-246-824118301 Military Rd in SeaTac

www.seattlechristian.org

Serving familiesin South King County

Fastrak Building Inspectionshas been authorized by the City of Tukwila,

Department of Community Development to performRental Housing Licensing Inspections as required by the city.

Call Leo 206-795-2499for information or appointment

Home Inspector License #245584158

tukwilasports

parks and recreation

BY ADAM MCFADDENA M C F A D D E N @

T U K W I L A R E P O R T E R . C O M

Bored in Tukwila?Th e Tukwila Parks and

Recreation Department is working hard to make sure you have plenty of oppor-tunities this spring to get healthy, learn a new sport, or just plain play.

Two new programs the department is especially excited about are adult kickball and indoor tennis.

Kickball will start the beginning of May and last eight weeks, taking place on Th ursday nights. Th e department is hoping it will be a big draw for co-work-ers and families.

“We want to appeal to those groups, families and businesses,” said Steve Batz, athletics/general pro-grams specialist for parks and recreation. “It will be pretty relaxed. … Th ere are a lot of diff erent skill levels that can come out and play kickball.”

Eric Clayton will teach groups indoor tennis, start-ing in March. Clayton has more than 20 years of ten-nis teaching experience and is a certifi ed instruc-tor. Th e class is designed to

be a great atmosphere for the entire family to learn together. Th e students will use indoor tennis balls to learn, which will slow the game down for beginners.

“It makes it fun and easy to learn the sport,” said Dave Johnson, recreation superintendent for parks and recreation. “Tennis is a lifelong sport you can play until you’re old. Kids and families can sustain it through their whole life.”

In addition to the group

events, the department also off ers a host of classes, in-cluding Zumba and Jazzer-cise. Th ere are also lunch-time classes, like a boot camp and yoga.

“People who work in the area or live close by can come in, get a quick work-out, then get back to work or whatever they have go-ing on,” Johnson said.

Th e community center has a personal trainer, rac-quetball courts, wallyball areas and a free time for se-

niors to come in and work out (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 8-11 a.m.).

Th e city is also hosting the Healthy You, Healthy Earth 5K Fun Run & Walk April 21. Aft er the event, participants will be able to plant a tree or shrub as part of a riverside restoration project. Th e event starts at 8 a.m. and has a $20 registra-tion fee. Go to active.com to register.

Much more is coming in the summer. Want a sneak

peek? Th e Summer Play-ground Program has a staff member at Cascade ViewPark four days a week, lead-ing kids in arts and craft sactivities. Plus, a sack lunch is provided. Th e best partabout this program? It’s free.

For more information oneverything the Parks andRecreation Department off ers, go to http://www.ci.tukwila.wa.us/. Th e phonenumber for the TukwilaCommunity Center is 206-768-2822.

Fun and games in Tukwila this spring

Tukwila Parks and Recreation Department is offering a wide variety of programs for youths and adults to have fun and stayhealthy this spring. Photo courtesy of the city of Tukwila

Foster girls basketball teamboys basketball team

Foster hoops playoff picture

www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com » FEBRUARY 2012 › 11

BY TRACEY COMPTONT C O M P T O N @

T U K W I L A R E P O R T E R . C O M

In the last two and a half years Irina Turner has learned to totally revamp her diet and eating habits.

Th e designer and owner of Atelie Couture in Tukwila was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer at that time, which prompted her to change her lifestyle for the better.

She read books and did Internet research to come up with healthy meals suit-able for her wellness and treatment regimen.

Th ese recipes are two of her creations, which she recommends for anyone un-dergoing chemotherapy.

Originally from Russia, Turner has loosely based her chicken plov or pilaf dish on traditional or similar dishes found in Uzbekistan, Turk-menistan or Afghanistan.

She suggests using all or-ganic ingredients for the recipes, another choice she has made to support her new lifestyle.

“So it’s very easy, very nu-tritious, very delicious and you can have it for lunch or for dinner,” Turner said.

She makes the chicken plov meal for her fam-ily, who is also starting to

change their eating habits. Turner doesn’t like to say

her family likes to eat, but she says they are creative in the kitchen, coming up with new and diff erent recipes for the holidays.

To her chicken plov she adds a side of sautéed peas, mushrooms and sauerkraut, which she said are good

for you during the winter months.

“It’s not easy to kill this sucker, so it takes some time,” Turner said of her ill-ness. “But, I know the way you eat and the way that you live life, it’s a big deal for me.”

She tries to maintain a balanced diet and avoids

bread with white fl our, ice cream and sugar.

Despite her diagnosis and treatment routine, Turner has been able to maintain her work as a designer out of her Tukwila shop.

She designs and con-structs custom wedding, pageant, quinceanera and prom gowns.

February marks the be-ginning of the wedding dress shopping season and Turner gets the most re-quests for wedding and pag-eant gowns.

She has designed dresses for the Mrs. Seattle and Mrs. Washington pageant contes-tants.

“I like to work with the Mrs. (pageants) because they have fuller fi gures and so many techniques I have to use because we have to cover something or we have to open something,” Turner said.

She has been a designer all of her life, she says, and has traveled around the world.

Her husband is a Seattle native; they moved back to the U.S. seven years ago.

For more information about Atelie Couture or for more rec-ipes contact Turner by visiting www.ateliecouture.com or call 206-575-9035. Her business is at 1035 Andover Park West, Ste. 110. Tukwila.

Designer revamps diet to fight cancer

Irina Turner has developed recipes to help change diet during cancer treatment. Tracey Compton, Tukwila Reporter

localflavor ›› THE RECIPESPLOV

- 2 cups brown rice- 4 2/4 cold water- 2 tablespoons cooking oil (peanut)- 1 teaspoon salt- 1 cup onion, chopped- 1 cup carrots, chopped- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes- 4-5 garlic cloves

In a saucepan pour 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, but not olive oil. Add chopped onions and fry a little until they are golden in color.

Add carrots and sauté.

Then add the cubes of chicken breast and sauté for seven to 10 minutes.

Next add the rice and mix everything together. Finally, add the water, but don’t mix and bring the pot to a boil.

Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 25-30 minutes. After, add raisins or dried fruit, four to fi ve garlic cloves and let stand for 10 minutes to soften the fruit.

BROKEN COOKIE CRUMBLE

- 2 organic apples, peeled and chopped- 1/2 cup rice syrup- 1 cup crispy crunchy oatmeal raisin cookies- 1/2 cup fl aked almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chopped apples in an oven-safe dish and pour syrup over them.

Wrap the cookies in a large cotton tea towel and crush them with a rolling pin.

Sprinkle the cookie crumbs over the apples and scattered the fl aked almonds on top.

Bake for 35 minutes. It stores easily for 2 days.

12 ‹ FEBRUARY 2012 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com

school connectionFebruary 2012Tukwila School District #406

Update on Curriculum DevelopmentThe Tukwila School District is committed to

helping each student reach key educational benchmarks, including the ability not only to retain educational material but also to competently apply these skills as a lifetime learner. When people use the word curriculum, they are generally referring to the content of classes to be taught. The district’s curriculum outlines what students are expected to know and be able to do. The goal of curriculum development in the Tukwila School District is to have accurate, current information for our students to learn, for it to be challenging and engaging and to include opportunities to practice real-world and problem-solving skills. The curriculum adoption process includes identifying and sequencing essential content, providing teachers with appropriate instruc-tional materials and providing professional development and support systems for teach-ers as they implement the newly adopted curriculum.

The process for adoption of new materials begins with the development of a committee that includes representation of staff who will be using the curriculum materials. The com-mittee determines the needs of the district by using student performance data and research-ing best teaching practices of the content. They then create a philosophy statement and use evaluation tools to guide the curriculum review and selection. The curriculum that best meets the screening criteria is chosen to be piloted. Teachers are selected to use the curriculum in their instruction for a minimum of twelve weeks. Parents are asked to review the materials and provide input into the pro-

cess. The recommended curriculum is pre-sented to the School Board for fi nal approval.

Tukwila school district is committed to reviewing all defi ned curriculum within a ten year cycle. During the last few years Tukwila School District has adopted an elementary reading curriculum and a 6-12 math curricu-lum and High School social studies. Tukwila School District is currently in various stages of the adoption process for a variety of curricula including:

writing curriculum

all language arts classes at Foster High School

Showalter Middle School science

starting this year. The elementary social studies curriculum committee has begun the adoption process to identify the needs with the elementary social studies cur-riculum.

The adoption, development and implemen-tation of curricula are a joint responsibility of the district’s professional staff , interested parents, community members, and adminis-tration. The Tukwila School District recognizes the need for continuing improvement and growth of educational programs. To this end, curriculum is developed on a continuing basis and in accordance with the procedures for curriculum development, adoption, implemen-tation and evaluation.

school connection is presented by the Tukwila School District

Board of Directors:Mark Wahlstrom, PresidentSteve Mullet, Vice-President

Dave Larson, 206.244.2313

Superintendent: Ethelda Burke, 206.901.8006 Assistant Superintendent:

Dr. Mellody Matthes, 206.901.8010

Tukwila School District #406

4640 South 144th Street, Tukwila, Washington 98168

developed by the State Board of Education to provide objective, systematic criteria to identify schools for recognition and for

into account fi ve outcomes, reading, writing, mathematics,

The outcomes are measured on four indicators; achieve-ment of non-low income students, achievement of low-income students, achievement of a school or district compared to the performance of similar schools in terms of demographics, and improvement from the previous year. This results in 16

Each score is then assigned an index value from 1-7 based on the level of performance as defi ned by the State Board of Educa-tion. The index values are then averaged to provide a school’s

schools went from Fair in 2009-2010 to Good in 2010-2011. Thorndyke Elementary School was the only school that scored Fair, however, they were at the high end of fair. The scores for all fi ve schools are listed below:

School 2009-2010 2010-2011Cascade View 3.47 4.93Tukwila Elementary 3.62 4.88Foster 3.9 4.6

Thorndyke 3.44 3.8

Here are the ranges:

TIER INDEX RANGE

Good 4.99 – 4.00

Struggling 2.49 – 1.00

in each category:Exemplary – 10% Very Good – 14%Good – 34% Fair – 34% Struggling – 8%

Signifi cant Improvementon State AchievementIndex

Foster High School Removedfrom Persistently Lowest Performing Schools List

The Tukwila School District is proud that for the fi rst time in three years Foster High School does

http://www.k12.wa.us/Communications/PressReleases2011/LowestAchievingSchool-List.pdf

Foster High School was identifi ed in 2009 as being among the lowest achieving fi ve percent of secondary schools in the state based on the previous three years of achievement data in the “all students” group in reading and math. Over the past three years, new curriculum has been adopted

development opportunities.We are proud of our students and our staff !

www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com » FEBRUARY 2012 › 13

Tukwila School District #406 February 2012

Teacher with Technology Profi le:

Stacey Churchill, Art teacher at Foster High School

Technology UpdateIn the spring of 2010, voters in the

Tukwila School District passed a levy to provide an update of technology that will allow the District to better address stu-dent learning needs of the 21st Century. This levy is to be collected over a period of 6 years, with the fi rst collec-tions coming to the District in the spring of 2011. In all organi-

zations, up-dates to the invisible “infra-structure” are necessary to keep up with the demands of new computer technology and the programs that run on them. Tukwila is no exception. In the past year the district has worked to update the server and network infrastructure. File servers put in place in the late 90s were replaced with up-to-date Microsoft fi le servers. Availability of services in the Internet “cloud” allowed the district to stop using it’s antique mail servers and move to Google services to provide updated email services to the district at no cost. This has greatly reduced the amount of staff time necessary to man-age these resources.With the growth of wireless devices

comes the need to expand the ability of the school district network to accommo-date their use for instruction. With this in mind a project was completed this fall that makes a robust wireless network available in all Tukwila Schools. The sys-tem is also capable of expansion from the minimal coverage we have now, to accommodating the future demands for wireless computing devices in class-rooms over the next several years.The wired network in our schools is

also in need of updating. One serious is-sue came to light in the fall when it was discovered that the fi ber optic cable pro-viding network connections to Showalter Middle School and the Administrative Center is failing. Replacement costs are very high, but the long term possibility of grant funding may make it possible to replace at a future date. Until then, a project was completed this winter that established a high capacity wireless con-nection to provide this service temporar-ily. This will meet the current need so that there is no loss of services as we work toward a permanent solution.In addition to infrastructure, we have

new computers in the district. Last sum-mer we added 426 new computers for student use. This fi rst wave of comput-ers had three main areas of focus. Recog-nizing the challenges faced by our large population of English Language Learner (ELL) students in the district, we placed 225 laptops with charging carts in ELL classrooms throughout the District. Each Elementary ELL classroom got 15 laptops and a cart, the two ELL classrooms at the middle school each got a cart of 30 lap-tops and each of the four ELL classrooms at Foster High School got carts of 30 lap-tops.One hundred and six desktop comput-

ers replaced aging computers in two computer labs and the Library at Foster High School. Those particular locations

get an enormous amount of student use so were of the highest priority.Finally, two carts of 15 laptops were

placed in fourth grade classrooms at Tuk-wila elementary. In addition to support-ing the initiative of those teachers in ap-

plying for a grant, the intent of this placement was to test the usefulness of laptop carts in an elementary classroom situa-tion. As we move into the spring, we will be getting feedback from those teachers that will be use-ful for purchases of additional stu-dent computers throughout the district.

This spring and summer there will be more computers purchased so that all students will have available modern computers in their classrooms. As we move toward the future, we are looking at other technologies that will become part of our classrooms as levy resources become available. Based on the signifi -cant amount of research indicating that students, and particularly ELL students, learn better if they can more clearly hear the teacher, we are investigating audio systems for all classrooms. We are look-ing at diff erent student response systems to provide instant feedback for teachers on how well students are learning, tablet computers, and the emerging interactive projection technology. There are lots of options that will pres-

ent themselves over the course of the next four or fi ve years. Thanks to Tuk-wila voters, if we are thoughtful custodi-ans of the levy money, as they come in we will be able to equip our classrooms with the best technology to help address our most signifi cant instructional chal-lenges.

A group of fourth grade students at Tukwila Ele-

mentary practice their English language skills

Technology, art, and creativity serve an im-

portant role in the educa-tion process in my class-room. As a recipient of The CenturyLink/OSPI Teachers & Technology Grant Pro-gram, I have been able to use the grant funds to help furnish Foster High School art students with a modern classroom that now houses new student laptops, digital cameras, and an interactive SMART Board.

Students have used this technology to take snap shots of their surroundings; manipulate photos using imaging software; create videos and photo-stories; construct a digital portfolio of their work; display these images on the school’s website; and hold interactive classroom discus-sions interpreting and analyzing artwork.

I have witnessed the powerful impact of these new tech-nology-based activities. Students have acquired knowl-edge and aptitude while increasing their ability to create

lasting artwork. They are engaged in hands-on learning, helping bring forth peer collaboration and interactivity while appealing to visual, tactile and kinesthetic learners alike. The new technol-ogy has allowed students to learn high-tech skills using equipment similar to what they would fi nd in colleges, universities, and the workforce.

Anna Tran, Foster High School senior and ad-vanced art student, says, “I look forward to using technology this semester for art because I will be able to capture pictures and fi lm videos. I want others to see the beauty in what I see through the photos.”

My goal is to create a learning environment that helps students keep up with the demands of a tech-nology driven world. With updated equipment, students have gained wider access to the options that new soft-ware provides to its users. By obtaining this necessary equipment, my classroom now has access to the type of technology that reinforces a higher level of scholarly pro-fessionalism.

For more information and to see students’ artwork is visit the website: http://swift.tukwila.wednet.edu/fh/schurchill/index.php?section=gallery

Teacher with Technology Profi le:Gladys Fox, Showalter Middle School Teacher/Librarian

“I noticed that I did a better job than the fi rst time. I have more expression. Still struggle in some words.”

“I read with expression. I read smoother.”

“I noticed that I didn’t read smoothly.”

“I read smoother and read with more expression after I remembered more words.”

These are some of the comments made by the students at Show-alter Middle School par-ticipating in a project to improve their reading fl uency. What is unique about this program is the use of Apple iPad technol-ogy. In 2011, Gladys Fox, the Teacher/Librarian at Showalter received a grant from CenturyLink (former-ly Qwest) to fund the proj- ect. In her proposal she wrote:

This will be a yearlong project with students in an English Lan-guage Learners (ELL) class. Stu-dents will be paired up to read in-teractive books that embed audio and video on an iPad. Students will record their own voices reading the books to improve their reading fl u-ency...Eventually students will be ready to create their own digital books representing themselves and their cultures….The digital books will include audio (student nar-ration), video, photographic, and written elements and will be cre-ated using various apps…

In collaboration with ELL (English Language Learner) teacher, Jennelle Si-gler, Ms. Fox works with students who are 6th through 8th graders. Students were paired up and assigned an iPad

they share for class use during the school year.

Lessons using the iPads focus on three components of reading fl uency: expression, pacing, and phrasing. One way students began their work was to listen to professionally recorded books where the text is highlighted as the

narration proceeds. Students then turn off the narration and record them-selves reading the same story. After several cycles of reading practice and self-critique, students record the book for pre-sentation to the entire class. It’s great fun and a very powerful

learning experience as well.

Students often work in pairs. They listen to each other and off er sugges-tions on ways to improve reading fl u-ency. Since the readings are recorded students are able to review their past readings and gauge their progress.

Ms. Fox believes that she hears great improvement in the student record-ings. Sometimes she even has to listen to a recording several times to confi rm it’s the same student since there is so much improvement. The ultimate test though, comes with standardized read-ing tests to be given in the next few weeks. Everyone is anxious to see if there is notable improvement in the reading scores for the students in this project.

To get more information and follow the progress of this project, go to the blog set up by Ms. Fox at: http://ipad-quest.blogspot.com

14 ‹ FEBRUARY 2012 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com

Tukwila School District #406 February 2012

Tukwila School District

Kindergarten Registration

To register your child for Kindergarten you must bring the following:

You child: for a short assessment with a Kindergarten teacher

Proof of Residency: an apartment lease or mortgage statement, electricity, water or sewer statement/bill.

Child’s Birth Certificate Child’s Immunization Records Parent/guardian picture identification (drivers license)

Wednesday May 2 & Thursday May 3, 2012

9:00AM-6:00PM

Tukwila School District Administration Building

4640 S 144th St. Tukwila, WA 98168

206-901-8000

Interpreter Schedule Interpreters will be available based on the schedule below. Please plan to come when an interpreter is available in your language or bring interpreter services with you. Spanish– available at all times Somali– Thursday May 3, 1:00-6:00PM Nepali– Thursday, May 3, 11:00AM-6:00PM Burmese– TBD Vietnamese– TBD

Questions? Call: Tracii Schmidt Cascade View Elementary 206-901-7702 Bev Miller Thorndyke Elementary 206-901-7602 Molly Newcomb Tukwila Elementary 206-901-7502 Kathleen Gantz Administration Office 206-901-8044

Remember to vote!Tukwila School District is asking voters to consider Prop-

osition 1, a Replacement of Expiring School Programs and Operation Levy, which would help fund school programs and operations, including, but not limited to, teaching, school supplies, technology, athletics, transportation and facility maintenance and operations, and other school pro-grams and operation expenses. The proposed levy will replace the District’s current levy approved by the voters in 2008 that expires in the year 2012.

Taxes collected by the proposed levy will provide ap-proximately 27% of the District’s General Fund budget, in-cluding mandated programs not funded by the state.

Passage of this proposition would authorize the collec-tion of taxes to provide $9,631,277 in 2013; $10,112,788 in 2014; $10,618,428 in 2015; and $11,149,349 in 2016. If authorized, these property taxes would be collected at an estimated tax levy rate of $3.46 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2013, increasing to an estimated $3.85 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2016.

Exemptions from taxes may be available to homeowners who are 61 or older, or disabled, and who meet certain income requirements. For more information, call the King County Department of Assessments 206.296.3920.

Same-Store Salesvs. Same –School Scores

Although public schools and businesses are very differ-ent entities, I had an “aha”

moment when reading a recent Seattle Times article on the local economy.The article said, “Results are based

on sales at stores open at least a year, known as same-store sales and considered an important mea-sure of a retailer’s health because it excludes the effect of stores’ open-ings and closings.” (“Retail sales pick up in January, with mixed re-sults at chains”, February 2, 2012)My thought was that here is an

example from the business world as to why test scores do not paint an accurate picture of the Tuk-wila School District. In addition to the challenge of integrating refugee students from around the world, we also have a very high mobility rate. We have even had classrooms

that completely turned over dur-ing the school year; none of the students in that room in June had been there for the start of school in September. This means that we are testing students who have not been in our classrooms for a full school year. We know that our stu-dents perform well if they are in our schools for several years. We need some sort of statistic that is similar to “same-store sales.”The Tukwila School District is

working hard to educate all stu-dents and to improve test scores for all. However, if the govern-ment decides to punish or close schools based on test scores, is it unreasonable to ask that they use “same-school scores”? Written by Pam Carter (Ms Carter is a long-time Tukwila resident, educator, and community activator.)

Fifth Grade Outdoor Education O.S.P.R.E.Y. Camp

The Tukwila School District is continuing the long standing tradition of offering the stu-

dents in 5th grade an opportunity for hands-on outdoor education at camp, May 22-25, 2012. For many years the students attended Camp Thunderbird just south of Olympia but when the facility decided, last fall, to discontin-ue outdoor education, we moved our program to Camp Sealth on Vashon Island. They provided an amazing week of learning opportunities for the children. This year we were presented with the

opportunity to attend a program simi-lar to Camp Thunderbird at Camp Sol-omon Schecter just south of Olympia. O.S.P.R.E.Y. Camp is being facilitated by the same individual that facilitated the programs at our previous locations through the Tahoma Audubon Society.In addition to the 5th graders, high

school students attend camp as coun-selors for the younger students. This opportunity for the high school stu-dents presents a great learning expe-rience working with the 5th graders, supporting the academic curriculum

and developing their leadership skills. Currently we are recruiting 40 high school students, freshman through se-niors to be counselors for the week. Students can get an application packet at the Foster High School Counseling office. Fifth grade parents are invited to

an informational night on March 28, 2012 at Showalter Middle School from 6:30-8:00PM. We will share more in-formation including logistics, outdoor education curriculum and answer all questions. Interpreters will be avail-able to assist families with filling out the permission forms.The Tukwila School District continues

to offer this opportunity to families free of charge. We believe that this hands-on experience is valuable for all students, both in their education and social/emotional development. If families with 5th grade students

have any questions they can see their student’s teacher or contact Kathleen Gantz, Program Coordinator for Par-ent involvement, 206-901-8044 or gantzk@tukwila.wednet.edu.

The Tukwila School District complies with all federal rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin (including language), religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation (including gender expression or identity), veteran or military status, non-program-related physi-cal, sensory or mental disabilities, 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, or in the recruitment and employment of personnel. Inquiries regard-ing compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the school district’s Title IX/RCW 28A.640 officer and/or Section 504/ADA coordinator located at 4640 South 144th Street, Tukwila, WA 98168: Nina Melencio, Title IX/RCW 28A.640 Officer (206.901.8005) and Gwen Estes-Zuehlke, Section 504/ADA Coordina-tor (206.901.8035).

The Tukwila School District will also take steps to ensure that national origin persons who lack English language skills can participate in all education programs, services and activities. For information regarding translation services or transitional bilingual education programs, contact the Student Services Department at 206-901-8025.

www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com » FEBRUARY 2012 › 15

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4

CORRECTION

Carol Kolson of HomeStreet Bank received the Outstanding Community Service Award for enhancing the community through her service and volunteerism. Sarah Kehoe, Tukwila Reporter

Lynnyetta Keller of Allied Waste was recognized for leading her team to increase Tukwila’s multifamily sector’s recycling rate to 98 percent. Submitted Photo

Th e story in January’s Tukwila Reporter includ-ed incorrect informationabout the recipients of the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce awards to outstanding localbusinesses and individuals.

BY STEVE HUNTERS H U N T E R @ T U K W I L A R E P O R T E R . C O M

Tukwila Police are trying to determine who shot and killed a 19-year-old woman Th ursday, Feb. 2, while she sat as a passen-ger in a vehicle at the intersection of Tuk-wila International Boulevard and South 116th Street.

Th e shooting, which appeared to be in-tentional, occurred at about 9:15 p.m. in Tukwila as the woman rode in a Cadillac Escalade driven by a man in his 20s from Seattle, said Tukwila Police spokesman Mike Murphy. Th e two were dating.

“It was not random,” Murphy said. “It

appears to be targeted. We don’t know the target at this point (the man or woman or both) or why they drove up and shot.”

Th e King County Medical Examiner’s Offi ce identifi ed the woman as Nykiba M. McDonald and listed the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head.

Seattle Police stopped the Escalade along Interstate 5 as the man was driving Mc-Donald to Harborview Medical Center. She was taken to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.

McDonald had been shot in the head through the passenger window, Murphy said. Several shots were fi red at the vehicle by someone in another vehicle.

Woman shot on TIB

REPORTER STAFFA Seattle gang member, arrested last

June in Tukwila, received a fi ve-year prison term Feb. 2 in U.S. District Court for being a felon in possession of a fi rearm.

Monroe Ezell, 23, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman.

Ezell was fi rst arrested for illegal gun possession by Tacoma Police offi cers on June 8 in Tukwila, according to a U.S. At-torney’s Offi ce media release.

Th e Tacoma offi cers were searching for Michael Wilson, who was later convicted of assaulting a police offi cer when he drove his car, dragging one of the offi cers, when

they tried to stop him in a Tacoma park-ing lot.

Offi cers discovered a loaded stolen Glock .45 pistol in the locked glove box of Ezell’s car. Ezell had given the offi cers permission to search the car when he was contacted about an assault suspect wanted by police.

Ezell is a member of the 74 Hoover Street gang, a gang active in South Seattle.

According to records fi led in the case, Ezell has a lengthy and violent criminal history and is therefore prohibited from possessing fi rearms. In 2010 he was con-victed of breaking into his then-girlfriend’s apartment, strangling her and threatening her with a gun.

Gang member gets five-year sentence

16 ‹ FEBRUARY 2012 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com

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