We want to thank all Tacoma voters for their support and commitment to our students and our schools. Tuesday night's election results show both of our school district ballot measures won enough YES votes to pass.

Of the 21,585 ballots cast and counted on election night, approval of the two replacement levies showed:

• Prop 1 - Educational Programs and Operations Levy
  64.1% approved
• Prop 2 - School Technology Improvement and Upgrades Levy
  63.93% approved

Both measures require a 50-percent-plus-1-vote to pass. The precinct-by-precinct results showed both measures earned better than 50 percent support in 100 out of 105 precincts.

"Thank you for renewing your commitment to our students," said Superintendent Carla Santorno when asked if she had a message for voters.

 "All across this city I have seen more and more people and organizations embracing our graduation and academic goals. We just reported to the School Board that our graduation rate has gone up for the third year in a row," Santorno said. "And the ongoing success of our students depends on a focused partnership between the community, our parents and our hardworking teachers and staff. I hope the overwhelming support we've seen on our ballot issues indicates the community's confidence in the progress we're making."

More ballots will come in over the next few days. Elections results will be updated daily by Pierce County Elections and be certified at final on Feb 25.

To learn more and view current election results, visit Pierce County Elections. 

Eighth graders Brielle Johansen and Garrett Merz tell their mythical story of what causes earthquakes through the use of a diorama in Darrick Hartman's science class at Meeker Middle School.

Meeker Middle School transitioning from a comprehensive middle school to a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) school that promotes higher level thinking.

Hartman gave his students, these Earthquake Project guidelines:

Throughout the history of human existence, people have tried to explain why things happen. Before we had a strong fundamental scientific understanding of the earth and processes that govern its actions, people would tell stories to make sense of those things they did not understand. People in many cultures believed the earth rested on the back of a massive creature whose movements caused the earth to shake.

Your mission: Either by yourself or with a partner, you must develop a  myth explaining why earthquakes happen. You may use some scientific knowledge  however, it must be explained in a way that fits within the context of the story.

Criteria:

• You must have a central character in your story.
• Your story must be a minimum of five paragraphs explaining the origin and reason behind the quakes.
• You must have a visual representation to accompany your story. This may include, but not be limited to, a picture, paintings, models or computer-generated images.

The earthquake project rolls science, literacy, writing, art, communication and technology skills into one package, using science as the base. The presenting students also receive feedback from Hartman and their classmates. Hartman encourages students to try new approaches and gives credit for trying even if it doesn't work the way the students planned, such as encountering technology glitches that didn't sync images with the stories.