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A CSCA Publication

What's HOT the week of December 13, 2021

There is a Light in Me

by Anna Swir

Whether in daytime or in nighttime

I always carry inside

a light.

In the middle of noise and turmoil

I carry silence.

Always

I carry light and silence.

New In This Week's Dragon's Fire

• Talking to Teens About Violence
• View Center School's Reflections Competition Entry

Talking to Teens About Violence

Yes, it's been a particularly tough week at TCS, in the midst of particularly hard year. While it might be tempting to see last week's threat as just one more way that school isn't working, we might all take a moment to reframe what happened last Wednesday as an example of our community working together to prevent an act of violence. We did not have a repeat of Michigan. Our students saw a problem, they reported to Dr Casey, Dr Casey called in the proper authorities, the student was removed from school and will not be returning. While we all would prefer that such threats never occurred, school violence is not a Center School problem, it is a national problem. Last week our students took action and our school remained a safe place of learning. Thank you.

That said, this was a really tough week and our kids will be feeling it. Your student might need some extra help understanding their reactions and finding ways to work through difficult feelings, and the resources below are a place to start:

• When Terrible Things Happen: For Students from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (this flyer lists a variety of normal stress reactions and things are helpful and unhelpful in dealing with stress)
• Open talk, Open Door: Helping Kids, Teens After a School Shooting from University of Michigan Health
• Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers from the National Association of School Psychologists

If you are concerned about how your student is handling stress at school, please reach out to Dr Casey at blcasey@seattleschools.org or Ms Hayes at mrhayes1@seattleschools.org for help. Our school staff are our allies in nurturing our kids into adulthood and can point your family to a variety of mental health resources to support your student.

We hope that all of our staff, students, and families are able to find some space to rest, connect, and recover over the holidays.

How You Can Support Art at TCS

Ms Janet has provided us with this message about how you can support the art program at TCS:

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the fabulous donations of found objects, which have sparked epic amounts of joy and creativity! Many of you have asked how you can further support the TCS visual art program. I have created an Amazon wish list of materials that we need for the art room. Requested items include fluorescent light filters, full-spectrum lamps, art supply upgrades, and more. The list is a work-in-progress and will be updated throughout the school year. There is no pressure to contribute, of course! If you choose, click on the link to buy items to be sent directly to TCS. Thank you!

Holiday Assistance

If you are in need of assistance this holiday season, TCS has some gift cards that may be able to help your family. Please email Ms. Hayes at mrhayes1@seattleschools.org for more information on receiving a gift card.

Additionally, please click on the links below for more comprehensive resources during the holiday season:

• Free Holiday Assistance Programs: https://ths-wa.org/general/king-county-and-seattle-free-holiday-assistance-programs/
• Holiday Resources for King County 2-1-1: https://www.resourcetalk.crisisconnections.org/search-for-holiday-resources-using-the-king-county-2-1-1-database/

SAT & PSAT Scores

12th graders who took the School Day SAT should have received their scores on CollegeBoard, Nov 4. 10th & 11th graders who took the PSAT will receive their score on December 6 or 7, 2021 on College Board. If you have not already done so, be sure to create a CollegeBoard account now. For more information about the test score please visit the CollegeBoard website. Any questions, please reach out to Mr. Rho at ewrho@seattleschools.org.

2021/22 Annual Fund Drive Update

The CSCA would like to thank all the families who have donated to the Annual Fund this year. We are at the half way point of the Annual Fund drive and we have so far received 51% of our $10,000 goal. If you haven’t contributed yet, we ask that you please consider donating now. Your contribution helps fund drama, writers in the school, guest artists and speakers, instructional materials, family support fund, senior prep consulting, teacher appreciation, school events, and much more!

You can donate now online via Paypal, where you have the option of choosing a one-time or monthly donation (you do not need a Paypal account to donate).

TCS's entry in this year's Reflections competition is "Lifeguard Not on Duty" by Valentine Wulf, 11th grade.

Artist's Statement: The people in power want us to save the world for them. Corporations push the responsibility onto consumers, and adults push it onto children, who are seen as inspirational martyrs for stopping a ticking doomsday clock they didn’t wind. In this piece, adults hide behind the single lamb they’ve pushed to the frontlines to face off against their own shadow, as their slowly sinking ship fills with water. He will save the ship. He will stop the clock. He will change the world. They think he’s doing it to save them. He’s doing it to save himself.

View the gallery of entries.

This year's virtual Reflections celebration will be on Dec 12. You can register here if you'd like to participate.

The Bulletin Board section publishes information about art, photography, film, theater, writing, and other programs and competitions outside of TCS that might be of benefit and interest to our students. If you know of an opportunity that our students might want to hear about, contact the Dragon's Fire at dfsubmitarticle1@gmail.com.

Call for Actors, Directors, Designers

On Dec 11 and 12 Penguin Productions' Bonfire Collective will be workshopping 5 brand-new plays written by our Penguin youth playwrights (one is a TCS student!) for a public performance in the Seattle Rep's Poncho Forum Sunday, Dec 12, 4 pm.

We are inviting youth ages 14-19 to register for the weekend as actors, directors, designers, etc.

Rehearsals:

Sat, Dec 11, 12-5 pm (lunch provided!)

Sun, Dec 12, 12-3:30 pm (snacks provided!)

Performances:

Sun, Dec 12, 4 pm

Registration is free, though donations are appreciated. You do have to register in order to receive up-to-date information about scheduling and to place a lunch order!

Register here.

Questions? Email Shana Bestock at shana@penguinproductionsseattle.org.

Everyday Unseen Art Exhibition

Everyday Unseen

(www.everydayunseen.com) is foundry10's annual art exhibition featuring young, emerging artists from around the United States. Each year participating artists submit 1-5 pieces of artwork of any medium that goes along with the theme. The work gets displayed collectively online and in-person with a gallery opening celebration. We are honored this year to be hosted by Museum of Museums. The show is an opportunity for young artists to express themselves, connect with each other, and experience showing work in a gallery. 100% of the sales from the work go to the youth, and we provide them with stickers, prints and business cards of their designs to sell or distribute as they see fit. We also provide them with a $50 stipend for participating, or a $50 gift card to BLICK art materials. On Feb 26 we will have a gallery opening night in-person and streaming online! Artists are welcome to socialize, network, perform, and present.

This year we are excited to announce that the Everyday Unseen Youth Leadership Council has been established to give youth direction over the gallery! The EU YLC is comprised of 3 artists between 16 and 19 who collaboratively decided the gallery theme and assisted in gallery direction.

2022 EU Theme: Find the Gap

A gap has two sides. Gaps can be spaces between identities, aspirations, histories, or expectations. To cross a gap you must work through, build over, or learn to exist within it. Find the Gap is about exploring how we interact with these rifts in our lives and beings. It is an active act of being in the present and examining the space in between us. It is time we are given space to acknowledge, reach through, and expand ourselves. Let's find our gaps."

Apply here through Dec 16.

Become a 2022 tSB Prophet!

Shred mountains, learn new things, gain friends and make an impact on your community through The Service Board’s Core Program!

Each year, tSB brings together a group of high school students and adult mentors from a diverse range of academic, racial, cultural and economic backgrounds to engage in our six-month Core Program (CP).

As a tSB Prophet, some of the fun things you’ll get to do include:

• Learn how to snowboard at resorts across the Pacific Northwest
• Participate in fun interactive workshops around social justice education and personal development
• Volunteer in your community through service learning projects that’ll count toward High School graduation requirements
• Make dozens of new friends to last a lifetime
• Learn more about yourself and your community
• Make connections with caring adult and peer mentors
• And more!

Things to Know Before You Apply

• tSB meets Wednesdays & Saturdays from Jan–Jun
• On Wednesdays, we engage in active workshops centered on our youth-led, social and environmental justice, and personal development curriculum. Some of our recent workshop topics have included: self care, food justice, gender & sexuality, art & social justice, financial literacy, and more!
• On Saturdays, we go snowboarding at some of our local mountains or participate in service learning projects across the Puget Sound!
• Come ready to participate in service. By participating in tSB, youth can receive up to 80 volunteer hours.
• We provide the gear, snowboarding lessons and transportation to the mountain. There is a small fee to participate, but nobody will be turned away for inability to pay – scholarships are available. Over 90% of tSB youth participants are on full or partial scholarship.

Apply to be a 2022 tSB Prophet now!

Centering Youth Voice: The Youth Bill of Rights Project

The Youth Bill of Rights (YBOR) is officially happening! We are excited to kickstart this youth-led project and share how young people across King County can participate and directly support the well-being, health, and happiness of their peers and communities.

Ultimately, the YBOR project will identify the wants and needs of children and youth across King County to help guide leaders as they make decisions that affect the health, happiness, and hopes of young people in our region. The idea for this project was proposed by youth leaders in 2015. We’re now ready and excited to support their vision and bring it to life!

Through our survey, we will hear directly from youth what rights they think that they should individually and collectively have as a community. After multiple rounds of engagement with youth across King County, our YBOR youth leaders, and supporting partners will create a document called the Youth Bill of Rights. This bill will be presented to our local policy decision makers, the King County Council.

There are a couple ways that youth can participate over the next couple of months:

• Declare your rights through the Youth Bill of Rights survey! If you are 24 years of age or younger and are currently living in King County, we would love to hear from you though our short survey. All participants will also be entered in a raffle for the chance to win a $100 gift card!
• Become a Youth Bill of Rights Ambassador! Our YBOR Ambassadors are critically important as they directly engage with other youth and get their community excited about centering youth voice and declaring their rights through our survey.
• Follow and share the YBOR Instagram account! Our ambassadors will continually share updates and future opportunities.

Learn more about the YBOR project.

Listings in the Bulletin Board section for any specific commercial or organizational product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by The Center School or the CSCA.

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