Author Archives: mchshp

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Middle College students honored by High Point Neighborhood Association and Keep High Point Green!

Students at Middle College High Point were honored today by the High Point Neighborhood Association and Keep High Point Green with certificates of appreciation and adoption.  The certificate of appreciation highlights the great work our students have accomplished through their service learning projects in the High Point Commons Park.  The certificate of adoption recognized the partnership between Middle College High School at the High Point Center and Keep High Point Green.  This partnership between MCHS HP and the High Point community will continue and grow in the future.

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Middle College students attend Mayor’s press conference announcing Universal Pre-K Initiative!

Middle College students had the opportunity to attend Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s press conference announcing the new Seattle pre-school program designed to make a positive and hopefully profound impact on the much discussed academic achievement gap in our city.  Among the many dignitaries attending the press conference was our own Seattle School District Superintendent Jose Banda.  After the press conference Superintendent Banda toured our Middle College Site at the High Point Center and met with some of our faculty members.

Talk about Community Engagement!

http://westseattleblog.com/2014/05/happening-now-seattle-preschool-program-announcement-high-point/

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MCHS Students adopt a P-Patch plot in effort to grow food for the High Point Food Bank.

In keeping with our commitment to social justice and community engagement, MCHS HP students have initiated a service learning project, adopting a P-Patch plot to grow food for the needy in our community.  Several students have taken the lead in planning and documenting our garden and the entire school has pitched in to help amend the soil with our own compost as we  plant our first seeds and starter plants.  The P-Patch project compliments our curriculum where we examine the need for organic gardening and sustainability as part of a solution to the injustices and inequalities that exist in our communities.  At Middle College High Point, our faculty are dedicated to developing an innovative and creative curriculum that helps our students connect their learning with real life.

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We’re serious about Bee education at MCHS HP!

Learning about Bees is an important component of our Environmental Studies/Service Learning curriculum at Middle College High Point.  We learn about Bee’s in the classroom and we interact with them at the West Seattle Bee Garden just outside our classroom doors.  We are so happy to work with our guest teachers and community volunteers who continue to play an important role in developing this exciting educational partnership at MCHS HP.  Middle College High Point senior Anisa Saadi was our first student to volunteer for bee keeper duties!  One giant step for MCHS HP!

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Middle College High Point students partner with the High Point Neighborhood Association to Keep High Point Green!

Middle College High School students at the High Point Center have adopted a garden plot at the southwest corner of Commons Park.  This project, organized as a partnership with the High Point Neighborhood Association Keep High Point Green initiative, is part of the Middle College High Point Environmental Science and Community Justice service learning curriculum.  This unique curriculum teaches Middle College students about environmental science and many interconnected social and community justice issues, allowing students to earn science, social studies and community service credits.  Today, students at Middle College High Point began what will be a 3 to 4 week project to rehabilitate and re-design their adopted garden plot.  Our students are excited to work with volunteer master gardeners and horticulturalists as they learn about how to organically and sustainably maintain green spaces for all the community to utilize and enjoy.  Part of our goal for the re-design element of the project is to add more indigenous plants that provide peak flowering for our honey bee neighbors living in the West Seattle Bee Garden also located at the Commons Park.  See coverage of our story on the West Seattle Blog!

UPDATE!!  Next week we will add new plants to our adopted garden plot in the High Point Commons Park.  This will be an important accomplishment for our students this semester as we move from rehabilitating our garden plot into our long term commitment to maintaining our adopted corner of the park.

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Here’s the before shot of our adopted garden plot. Stay tuned for the after shot!

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Even our teachers get their hands dirty!

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Double Update!!  Here are some after pictures although the work to maintain our adopted garden plot will continue year round.

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Middle College High Point Senior Chris Otey produces a powerful radio segment for KUOW 94.9 and NPR

Chris Otey is a senior at Middle College High School at the High Point Center located in West Seattle.

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One afternoon some people came to our class from KUOW to introduce the Radio Active program that teaches young people about the process of creating radio stories.  It sounded interesting so I signed up, attended some workshops and had the pleasure of creating my first radio story.  My subject was a friend of mine and fellow Middle College student, Kyra MacFarlane, who was willing to share her powerful story of her family’s struggle with poverty and homelessness.

During the interviewing process I came to realize that many people around our community and in our school face similar challenges.  Students who live in poverty struggle in our schools because it is nearly impossible to learn when you have no home or food to eat.  At Middle College High School at the High Point Center, students like Kyra get the support  they need to graduate becaues of the supportive, caring and small school environment.  At Middle College we are encouraged to dream big and see our education as part of the solution to the challenges many of us face.  For students like Kyra and many others who left the big schools looking for a challenging alternative educational experience, Middle College is the place to be.

Link to my KUOW radio story on Kyra: 

http://kuow.org/post/concerns-homeless-student-math-graduation-clean-clothes

Link to KUOW RadioActive Youth Media:

http://kuow.org/radioactive-youth-media

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First Day of the 2013-2014 School Year September 4th!

As the first day of school approaches we look forward to another successful year for Middle College High School at the High Point Center.

The 2013-2014 school year begins on September 4th. 

  • All new and returning students are required to report at 10:00 am for an all school orientation session.
  • Students interested in enrolling or learning more about our school are encouraged to attend orientation. 
  • Normal class schedules will resume the following day starting at 9:00 am.