BHS PTSA Fundraising Gala | April 2 Block 41

It’s time to grab your tickets for the biggest BASH of the year, the Ballard High School PTSA Fundraising Gala, April 2 at Block 41. This year’s Fundraising Gala will offer loads of great items for bidding, from restaurant gift cards to amazing trips away! Everyone will enjoy games in the courtyard and "breakfast for supper" provided by FOODZ Catering. Funds raised through the BHS Fundraising Gala support teacher grants for academic materials not covered by district funding.

Tickets are $90 per person. One drink ticket is included with each ticket purchase. Add a Teacher Ticket to your cart for just $50. (Let us know if your ticket is for a specific teacher, or for the teacher community at large.)

[MORE INFO] Tickets are limited, so get yours today!

A special message from PTSA Legislative Chair Brian Duncan, bhs.ptsa.legislative@gmail.com:

There will be a WSPTA Focus Day 36th District Legislative District Delegation Meeting from 1:15-1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20 in Sen. Noel Frame's office, Legislative Building (capitol dome building) Room 411. You are invited, along with your students, to attend in person or via Zoom (link below); ask questions, give your opinions on any topic or proposed bill of concern to you.

Attending: Rep. Julia Reed; Leg Assistant Lyndea Kelleher, legislative assistant to Sen. Noel Frame; and Natalie Whitesel, legislative assistant to Rep. Liz Berry.

For those unable to attend in-person, here is the Zoom link

(Meeting ID: 958 8276 7587 | Passcode: 688367)

Here's Legislative Bill information to look up bills of interest. Some of the top issues might include these Seattle Council PTSA/Washington State PTA hot button bills.

Hope you can make it! Shout out to Beth at North Beach Elementary for arranging meeting with Rep. Reed, and allowing SCPTSA to join in!

WSPTA Focus Day is Feb. 20 at the Capitol in Olympia. Gather in the Columbia Room with other PTSA/PTA members to network and hear speakers from the WSPTA's Advocacy Committee, State Board of Education, OSPI and Gov. Inslee's office. [MORE INFO]

Ballard High School Foundation's 4th Annual Running of the Beavers is 9 a.m. Saturday, March 25 at Golden Gardens! The 5K Fun Run and Walk benefits Ballard Athletics, Cheer, Dance, Band, and ASB.

New this year is a class competition for Beaver students! The grade level with the most participants earns $250 for their class.

Senior SPREE is your all-night grad party and a BHS tradition, sponsored by the BHS PTSA! Immediately following the June 23 Graduation Ceremony, students hop onto chartered buses. Throughout the night, grads will travel to two exciting event venues and be treated to a variety of activities, food, friends, fun and a final Class of '23 memory. Look for more details on ticket sales coming soon! [MORE DETAILS]

The Golden Beavers Scholarships are one-time grants awarded to students pursuing further academic or technical education. Awards can range from $500 to $5,000. [APPLICATION]

[MORE BHSF SCHOLARSHIP INFO]

Looking for scholarships? Check the BHS Counseling Scholarship page as well as Naviance often! Here are some available options:

Seattle University's Brady Battalion Army ROTC National Scholarship application has been extended to Feb. 26! By applying, current Seniors can potentially be awarded a four-year scholarship to SU! By applying, even if a student is not awarded a four-year scholarship there are campus-based scholarship opportunities available. [MORE INFO]

Robert J. Handy/WSSR Foundation/Gene Forrester Memorial Scholarships are awarded to students who plan to pursue a career in education. Apply by March 1. [FULL DETAILS]

Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation Lotus Scholarship assists recent immigrant students who plan to continue their education after high school. Apply by March 24. [MORE INFO]

The Rotary Club of the University District will awards scholarships to graduating students from Seattle seeking to attend a college/university or vocational school. Apply by April 7. [APPLICATION]

The Southeast Chapter Blacks in Government provides outreach to the community through educational opportunities. This includes a Scholarship Program for African American youth. Apply by April 1.

Applications for the Seattle Skills Center’s School Year Courses are now available. The Seattle Skills Center prepares students for college, career, and life through advanced Career and Technical Education courses. We have classes in a wide range of career pathways at several locations around the city.

Summer Course information and application will be available around mid-March. Visit the Skills Center Information featured news on the BHS website for more details.

BHS Sophomores & Juniors Running Start Info Sessions in March: The school counselors will hold Running Start info sessions – The first four Thursdays in March: 2, 9, 16, 23, during the first half of lunch 11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. for current 10th and 11th graders who are interested in learning more about the Running Start Program for the 2023-24 school year. Interested students just need to attend one session. 

Service Learning | Emergency Preparedness

Rejuvenate the Safety Grab-n-Go Bucket for every classroom, office and/or workspace after school on Mondays and/or Tuesdays (until the project is completed). Collect buckets, inventory contents, clean and relabel buckets, replenish missing or deteriorated contents, and return updated buckets to classrooms.

For more information, check in with Kim Nickerson, Registrar/BHS Building Safety Team Member at her office in the Counselor Hallway

or email her: kdnickerson@seattleschools.org. [MORE INFO]

More information on any of the following opportunities can be found on the Service Learning page.

BHS Student volunteers are needed to assist with the Ballard Performing Arts Goodwill Fill-A-Truck Event from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 18 in the Staff Parking Lot off of Northwest 67th Street. For more information, contact BPA President Kelsey Fatland at bpabpresident@gmail.com.

Girls On The Run (GOTR) is looking for girls, ages 16-18, to apply for its Junior Coach program! This program will provide leadership opportunities, mentorship experience and service hour credits.

Students can sign up for college visits at the Counseling Center online through Naviance. Full details here.

Questions? Contact Carol Bristol, Ballard HS Counseling Secretary at chbristol@seattleschools.org.

Students, take a deep dive into a job or internship! Here are new listings on the Counseling Center's Job & Internship Board!

Kaspars Catering (3656 34th Ave. W.) has positions currently open for students for part-time jobs. They offer some flexible schedules, good pay, delicious meals, and different positions to try out! Positions available: Warehouse Assistance, Laundry, Dishwashers and Kitchen Helpers.

These positions could advance to working at events – weddings, galas, and corporate events and this is a great learning opportunity in a fun and local location. During the school year these positions are usually on Saturday and Sundays. Flexible hours available during the summer and school holidays. Please contact Lucas Weber at lucas@kaspars.com.

Teens In Public Service (TIPS) interns work with a wide array of projects with some of the most driven and inspiring nonprofit organizations in the Puget Sound area. TIPS also provides interns with a job-readiness orientation, a leadership and professional development training day, a day of service, and a celebration of service. Applications due March 3. [MORE INFO] | [FAQs]

Applications for Seattle Children's Nurse Camp 2023 are now open.

This year’s camp will be held from July 17-21. Visit the webpage for more information.

Questions? Email nursecamp@seattlechildrens.org.

Tickets are now on sale for the Spring Musical, The Secret Garden, which runs March 16-18 and 24-26. This enchanting classic, based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel, is reimagined in brilliant musical style by composer Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman.

Buy your tickets today! [MORE INFO]

Ballard Gymnastics is going to State! Fantastic District Meet for the Beavs! Alex tied for 3rd on vault, was 7th on bars, tied for 6th on beam, was 3rd all around and is the District floor co-champion! Naomi was 10th on floor, 5th on bars, 2nd on beam and 4th all around! In her first Districts, Justene was 3rd on beam! Brooke tied for 6th on beam, Caitlyn was 9th on bars, and Dylan was 9th on vault! Photo c/o and follow @ballardgymnastics. 

Congrats to Beaver wrestlers Miles, Lazlo, Jackie and Cass, who finished in the top 12 for their weight class at the Mat Classic Feb. 17-18 in the Tacoma Dome. Follow Ballard's wrestling teams @ballard_boys_wrestling and @ballard_girls_wrestling.

Congrats to Boys Swim & Dive 200 Medley Relay Swimmers Kian, Evan, Kyle and Nathan for breaking the BHS record at State Saturday with a time of 1:40.93!

Photo c/o and follow @bhsboys.swim

Registration is OPEN for Boys Lacrosse! The season begins Feb. 27 with the first game on March 14. There are scholarships for both Varsity and JV registration costs and team helmets. Fresh new uniforms will be unveiled this year and a full schedule of games that take us into May.

For more information follow @ballard_lacrosse, email info@ballardboyslacrosse.com, or go to the website ballardboyslacrosse.com. See you on the field! 

Spring Sports start Feb. 27: Baseball, Fastpitch Softball, Boys Soccer, Tennis, and Track. Coach information available here to learn more! [SIGN UP DETAILS]

All ages are welcome to a Season Kick off for BHS Fastpitch on Monday, March 6 at Ridgewood Bottle and Tap (316 N. 67th St.). This will be a fundraiser with a swag store and raffle prizes. Ticket sales will be held from 6-7 p.m. and raffle from 7-8 p.m., must be present to receive winnings. Ridgewood has pledged $1 back to BHS Softball per pint all day (noon to 11 p.m.) Big shout out to BHS's Ms. Robyn Maddess for partnering with the team on this event.

Rep Fastpitch Too! Also, if you want to purchase a Fastpitch T shirt ($20), email Coach Dale Griffith, or stop by his office at school! Season opener at Lower Woodland against Roosevelt on March 14. [MORE INFO]

PTSA UPDATES

We are looking for volunteers with a passion for our community to get involved! Whether it's one-time event support, a deeper dive onto the Board, or something in between, we want to head into the 2023-24 school year with crucial positions filled.

Here's how you can help! In order to identify the Executive Committee for the 2023-24 school year, a Nominating Committee is formed. PTSA members are sought to serve on the committee. The group's job is to identify candidates for next year's Executive Committee (President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer).

For more information, or if you are interested in serving on next year's PTSA Board or in a special committee position, please contact Gloria Kruzner at bhs.ptsa.pres@gmail.com. Training and mentorship provided, positions can be shared. [MORE INFO]

Want to learn more? Please join us at our next PTSA Board Meeting is 7 p.m. Thursday, March 2 via Teams.

We hope you will join us for Principal Abby Hunt's update, committee reports and a short presentation on SSEPTSA Special Education Guide.

Learn more on What Does the Ballard PTSA Do?

OFFICE UPDATES

Thanks for your support in making sure everyone understands the rules regarding the parking lots at Ballard High School. Please contact Assistant Principal, JaLynn Montes, at jmmontes@seattleschools.org if you have any questions.

SPS UPDATE

EQUITY CORNER

See an interesting event that celebrates Diversity, Equity, or Inclusion and you’d like to see it highlighted here? Please send it our way! DEIatBHS@gmail.com

The next DEI committee meeting date is 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28 via Zoom: meeting together with Lincoln’s DEI Committee We’d love to have you join us! Please email DEIatBHS@gmail.com for meeting links or info.

Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. (In person) put on your dancing shoes for some fusion dancing and a good cause at Greenwood Masonic Lodge: Sound Fusion 2/19/2023 Tickets, Sun, Feb 19, 2023 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite “February is Black History Month. Sound Fusion will be donating a portion of the proceeds for all events in February to Grief to Action. Grief to Action was founded to fill the needs of BIPOC in need of a place and community to facilitate healing and hope. They also take donations directly and are in need of volunteers.”  Learn more about Sound Fusion here: FAQs | Sound Fusion (soundfusionseattle.com)  

Now through Feb. 26 (Thursdays-Sundays) Black History Month Museum Offers Tours and a Close-Up Look at Local Black History | South Seattle Emerald

“One of the problems we have is our history has been taken,” said Tony Benton, curator of the “Call to Conscience – Black History Month Museum Tour,” presented by Rainier Avenue Radio. “Our identity has been strewn all over the place.” Benton hopes the museum will serve as a corrective, to bring back part of what was lost and to recall what’s been forgotten.' 

Now through Feb. 28: Visit the Seattle Center Armory for “A Seattle History Worth Preserving: Buffalo Soldiers Exhibit.” This display focuses on the immense contribution the heroic Black soldiers had serving in the United States military. With a focus on those who were stationed at Fort Lawton, now contained within Seattle’s own Discovery Park, this exhibit offers a look into often forgotten stories that are worthy of celebrating. A Seattle History Worth Preserving: Buffalo Soldiers Exhibit (seattlecenter.com)

Feb. 23 – March 5 (Virtual and In-Person) 2023 Home - Seattle Asian American Film Festival (seattleaaff.org) “We’re back in person for 2023 as part of our hybrid festival model! Watch films remotely from the comfort of your own home, or join us at Northwest Film Forum for our in-person screenings where you can attend Q&As after the films, meet filmmakers, and say hello to the SAAFF team!”

PONGO POETRY | Change | South Seattle Emerald  

Reimagining Black History Month - Front Porch (seattle.gov)  

What’s so scary about teaching racial realities in schools? | The Seattle Times  

[MORE INFO]