The Bethel School District Presents Podcast

Episode 175: Cultivating curiosity in the library and the garden

On this week’s podcast, we hear about a grueling four-and-a-half-mile trek up an ash field that resulted in a mountain summit and a vow to never do it again. Plus, we learn how students are getting dirty, finding caterpillars, and taking ownership of their very own garden, as well as what books we should be reading this summer. As always, we’ve got useless trivia where we find out why you should always cite your sources, even when they come from a dusty, centuries-old book.
--TRANSCRIPT--
This transcript was automatically generated by Gemini from the original audio file. While it aims for high accuracy, it may contain minor discrepancies from the original audio.
Conor: Hey everybody, I'm Conor, that's Doug, and this is the Bethel School District presents podcast, the greatest podcast in the history of mankind. And we are on special assignment today. We're on location at beautiful Kapowsin Elementary and we're here to speak with teacher librarian Amy Dalin, who is a superstar out here, and we have a lot to talk about. But before we get into that, as we do, we always do our trivia—useless, sometimes useful, mostly useless. So Doug, you're my sidekick, why don't you start us off with some useless trivia?
Doug: Well, I'm glad I picked mine because I didn't know we were recording in the library today. We just said pick a quiet spot and turns out your classroom is a quiet spot as teacher librarian. Mine is on the history of magazine publishing in these United States. The first magazine published in the United States was in 1741. There are actually two of them. They were kind of competitive. Andrew Bradford, his debut magazine American Magazine came out first, and he beat one Benjamin Franklin to the punch. Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine—terrible titles both of them. These came out three days apart with Bradford's beating him to the punch. Of course, you haven't heard of them because they didn't last very long. And so the first mass-circulation magazine that you would have heard about is the Saturday Evening Post. That came out in 1821 and printed until 1969. That's my useless trivia, Conor. Top that one.
Conor: Yeah, I only read the National Enquirer, so I don't know about any of these other ones. But no, quality piece of useless trivia there, Douglas. Mine is animal-related. And while most people know there are packs of dogs and schools of fish, Douglas, did you know that a group of lemurs is officially known as a conspiracy, or a group of ferrets is a business? How about a parliament of owls or a flamboyance of flamingos? Yes, I could go on and on, and I will as a matter of fact. How about a bloat of hippos or an ambush of tigers, a shrewdness of apes? And you might be wondering who comes up with these wacky names?
Doug: Who does make these up, Conor?
Conor: Well, many of them can be traced back to 1480 from a book called The Book of Saint Albans, which was a landmark English book covering hawking, hunting, and heraldry. Source on that one is Mental Floss.
Doug: Just a fantastic bit of alliteration at the end. Do you, Amy, in the Kapowsin library here have a copy of The Book of Saint Albans?
Amy: I do not. I don't think we do.
Doug: Oh, bummer. We gotta get you a copy. We gotta write off for one.
Amy: I bet it's a great beach read. I'm sure the elementary kids will really love that.
Conor: Well, Amy, thanks for joining us first, and let's hear your little bit of useless trivia.
Amy: Okay, when I read the email, I really thought it was useless trivia about myself.
Conor: That works too. There are no wrong answers.
Amy: So, I'm really double-jointed in my elbows. So like, my elbows like, just completely bend inwards.
Conor: So for our listeners, I'm gonna have to have you show us and then... oh my god, that is frightening. I wasn't gonna go that far, but... is it painful?
Amy: No, it looks like it should be, but no, it's not. It's just the way that it works.
Doug: I love—well, that's your source. I didn't give my source actually, my source was Texas A&M by the way for my magazine trivia. We do like to source our useless trivia, and that's our contribution for the kids out there. Always cite your sources.
Doug: So Amy, driving into Kapowsin Elementary, if people haven't been out here, it's right out on Meridian. You take a left on 264th, which is much farther than most people go, and there's the little Kapowsin Elementary school here that does amazing things for kids each and every day. And I pulled into my parking spot and Mount Rainier is basically sitting on my dashboard. It is beautiful today. It's blue skies, a couple of clouds just over the mountain. I had to take a picture, which is why I was late coming in, sorry about that. Appreciate Conor setting up everything in my absence. So our first question for you, when's the last time you've been to Mount Rainier and have you ever summited it?
Amy: I have never summited Mount Rainier. I have been—we went a few months ago. We go to Mount Rainier a lot. We have a pass, and that was one of the first things that I noticed when I came to Kapowsin was just the view. Like, it is absolutely stunning here. I have summited Mount Saint Helens, and we summited that last year, last summer.
Doug: Really?
Amy: Yes, and I don't think I'll ever summit a mountain again.
Conor: So, I have never summited a mountain and I hope I can say that for the rest of my life. For our listeners, what was so difficult about it? What made you not want to do it anymore?
Amy: I definitely think we should have prepared more. I was like, oh, it's four and a half miles, like, we can do it.
Doug: That sounds like just a hike. Sounds easy.
Amy: Yeah, and I was like, that sounds easy enough. And then we get up and the last like two miles is all like ash fields. And so then you take one step forward and you slide three steps back, and it's just the entire way up. And then we got up to the crater and I was so excited, and of course it's like clouded. Like, we were like in a cloud. So you just like look in front of you and there's nothing. Like, and I was like, I'm so glad I did this today. Totally worth it.
Doug: You got a good podcast story out of it.
Amy: We do.
Doug: It absolutely was. Well, Amy, you are a teacher librarian here at Kapowsin. How long have you been here in this role, and have you taught anywhere else in the district?
Amy: This is my second year here as a teacher librarian. It's my second year as a librarian in total. I did teach in a different district, and I was actually a high school science teacher for three years before I made the transition to the library, which...
Conor: To the greatest district of all time.
Amy: In a great district. I really enjoyed it.
Conor: I love the job of librarian. You're—one, you're around books obviously, which is a great benefit. One of the cool things about your job is you get to lead your school's Battle of the Books. Can you tell us what that's like?
Amy: Yes, we actually this morning had our school battle. We had three really amazing teams. The kids did such a good job. And it's fun because yes, I have these kids in class, but it's fun to like get to see them outside of class and know their personality a little bit differently. And it's incredible to see these kids grow and get excited about books. That's why I became a librarian is I just, I saw a lot of kids just not being excited about books, and I was like, that's what I want to do.
Doug: That is fantastic motivation. So at what point in your life did you get inspired to get into the field of teaching and librarianship?
Amy: Yeah, I went to WSU and I got a degree in biology, and it was my senior year and I was like, what am I gonna do with a biology degree? And I had become a nursing assistant and I was thinking I was gonna go that track, and then I just really did not like it. And my grandmother was a teacher and I've done all these things growing up, and I had a wonderful high school social studies teacher, Mr. Hodis, who has now since passed. He really just inspired me to go into education. He was a rock during some really hard times in high school, and I wanted to be that for other kids. So I got to teach for three years for a high school and I loved every minute of it, and now I'm here and I've loved every minute of that too. So, I love education and I think it's a great field.
Conor: That's amazing, and we love having people who love education being in our district and the ones leading our students.
Conor: And I can only assume as someone who's chosen profession is to be among books that you love books. I'm gonna put you on the spot, what's your favorite book of all time? Children's or otherwise.
Amy: A book that I constantly go back and reread would probably be Pride and Prejudice. I just love, love, love that story. Like, I could read it over and over again. It is just... I'm such a sucker for romance books. So...
Doug: That's one I've never tackled even when Pride and Prejudice and Zombies came out, I still didn't... it still didn't get me. So, Conor you a Jane Austen fan?
Conor: I've never read any Jane Austen books. I've seen lots of adaptations. I should read it. So Doug, while we're talking books, let's go around the horn. What's your favorite book of all time?
Doug: The first one that comes to mind is John Steinbeck's Cannery Row. I love the scene that he sets and the characters and just the whole idea of that row, which is still there, I guess in Monterey you can visit it, but it's now changed from an old cannery at the end of the road to the aquarium. So that's a place I still want to go. I love Doc and all the different characters. Great book, great read.
Conor: Yeah, I know you're a Steinbeck head because you've also—you've name-dropped him a couple of times on the pod.
Doug: I have, because Travels with Charley is also one of my—one of my favorites. Yeah.
Conor: Conor, over to you. You started this mess, now you gotta finish it. What's your favorite book of all time off the top of your head?
Conor: I'm going to—it changes constantly, but since we've got kind of semi-problematic old white guys, I will go with Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast. I've read it many, many times and as anyone who has visited Paris or wants to visit Paris, it's a very romantic idea of what that city is all about in a very romantic time. So I'll go with A Moveable Feast.
Doug: That's a pretty good pick. I just read that last year actually, and I will say it's aiight.
Conor: Okay, so not really the Doug endorsement on that one. The review is in.
Doug: Well, Amy back over to you. It is getting to be the end of the school year here. We're not going to count the days, but what is it like for a teacher at the end of the school year? The kids I'm sure are getting squirrelly, the teachers are getting excited, and you still got stuff to teach. Like, what—what is that like for you here in the library?
Amy: Yeah, I always like to say my classroom management style is like controlled chaos. Like, we teach little humans and they are hyper, like all the time. And I think that was a big adjustment from high school where the kids like don't talk to you and they're just like on their phones like heads down, but then you come here and they like want to be with you all the time and that was like a huge adjustment. And so I just love to say like controlled chaos. Like, we will be doing activities, but it'll probably be loud, and it'll probably get a little crazy. We like to take the kids outside to read sometimes, like when it's really beautiful. Just like, we have bins of books and I'm like, let's just go out, sit down on the grass and enjoy some sunshine and read some books.
Doug: And put a book in your hand. That's—there's nothing better than that.
Conor: Well, as if you didn't have enough to do, you are also in charge of running this school's very cool garden and the garden club. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Amy: Yeah, we have a really unique opportunity here. We have this beautiful garden out there, I don't know if you guys saw it when you guys drove in, and it was taken care of by a former employee who had retired and there just was an adjustment and a movement, and I have a science background and they were like, "What do you think if you started a gardening club?" And I was like, "Yeah, that sounds so fun," thinking like 10, 15 kids would like want to go out there. And then more and more and more permission slips got turned in and I was like, "Oh no." Now we have 70 amazing kiddos who joined gardening club. We had gardening club yesterday. Talk about controlled chaos, that is a great group of kiddos who are just really passionate and like... but they sometimes they finish so fast and they're like, "What's next? What's next?" And I just love that they like want to be outside. And I love that they want to be outside, they want to get dirty, they love finding bugs. Like, that is their favorite things. Yesterday they found caterpillars and they thought that was like the coolest thing they'd ever seen in their whole life.
Amy: And so it's been great. We've had lots of community outreach. We've had, you know, people donate soil and seeds and their time. We've had lots of family volunteers. Yesterday the kids made seed bombs that are currently drying over there for our staff appreciation. Like I said, we're just taking it one day at a time. I think it's a little chaotic out there, and they planted yesterday for the first time, the seed starters that we did and we'll see if they survive, but they did it on their own and that's what's really important is that that is their garden, that is the Kapowsin students' garden, and I'm just more here to make sure we're all safe.
Doug: I love—I mean what a great hands-on opportunity for the kids to get out there and you said get dirty and just get some of that energy out and then also learn about how how nature works and finding those different bugs and all those seed—seed bombs did you call them?
Amy: Yeah, they're called seed bombs. They're literally paper, like wet paper, and you put seeds in them and mold them, and then you let them dry and then you can literally like chuck them in your yard and they grow great plants.
Doug: That's awesome. So it's like wildflowers and things like that?
Amy: Yeah, wildflowers. The different colors are different seeds, cause I didn't want staff members to be like guessing what's going to grow in their yard.
Doug: I was wondering about that. Yeah, so for our listeners we're looking at a table over there's a—there's a white sheet down for the drying and then just pink and blue and purple and green and yellow. I mean honestly Conor it looks like spitballs from when I was in school.
Amy: They really do. Just add some seeds to it and look what you can grow.
Conor: Exactly. Well that's very cool. And to wrap things up today since we rarely have the chance to speak with a real-life librarian, can you give us a couple summer reading recommendations either for kids or for adults, whatever strikes your fancy?
Amy: Ooh, okay. For little kids, our Children's Choice Award books are being voted on this year, but The Bakery Dragon is probably one of like my top favorites. It is so beautiful. The artwork in it is beautiful. Great for young kids. For like middle-aged kids, Four Eyes is a graphic novel that is amazing and that's actually one of our battle books. And for adults, I just think if you have a book that you want to read, just read. I am a firm believer in reading what you want. Project Hail Mary just came out in theaters and that is an excellent book. I would recommend that one.
Doug: I—I can also recommend that one. Fantastic book. And we'll go around the table again here real quick. What is a book, Conor we'll start with you, that you saw yourself in as a young lad?
Conor: So I didn't get serious about reading until I was in my late teens, early twenties, kind of college age. And the first book I remember reading where it wasn't that I saw myself but it kind of inspired me was Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon. And it's about a young—an older writer and a younger writer. I identified with the younger writer at the time, now I identify more with the older writer when I read it. But lovely book and it definitely sparked my interest in reading and writing.
Doug: Interesting. That's—that's a good pick. Amy how about you?
Amy: I don't know if I necessarily like always see myself in her, but I like destroyed reading the Nancy Drew series. Like all of them. And she's you know, this young girl that's like blonde and just smart and funny and very nosey I think. And so I definitely saw myself in Nancy Drew a bit growing up.
Doug: Fantastic. I read a lot as a—as a young kid. We—my mom used to take us to the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh and we'd get out whatever 10, 15, however many the max books you could get and I would have them all done in a week over the summer and really like that. So the ones that really I saw myself in was Encyclopedia Brown was a big one, and then Ramona and Beezus had a friend whose name was Henry Huggins, and I saw myself in him too, which is a—that's a deep cut for the Ramona and Beezus fans out there.
Conor: Well this has been a really fun conversation. Thank you so much again to Amy Dalin for joining us today, teacher librarian extraordinaire over at Kapowsin Elementary school. And we are going to be back next week with another great episode. Thanks for joining us.

Episode 174: Freshmen mentors, budget battles, and AI

On this week’s podcast, a freshman tells us how a 9th Grade Success program changed her first year in high school. She also shares how she’s paying the impact of that program forward. We also dive into some sobering news regarding legislative budget cuts that could impact the district by nearly $30 million over the next three years. Plus we talk tech and learn about the future of AI in our schools. As always we've got useless trivia where we'll find out which iconic children's author coined a common insult.
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Doug: Hey everybody, I’m Doug, that’s Conor, and you’re listening to—and I just fact-checked this with both ChatGPT and Google's Gemini and a couple other off-brand AIs, but we are, in fact, the greatest popfast in the history of the world. That’s what they told me. It sounds fantastic. You’re listening to the Bethel School District Presents Podcast and we will be talking about artificial intelligence—and no, I’m not just talking about Conor here—but later in the show, we’ll be talking about AI and how it’s impacting our staff and students. We’re also going to be talking about a unique way that Graham-Kapowsin High School is welcoming freshmen; we’ll be hearing from one of those freshmen later in the show also. And before that, we will talk about some legislative changes that are really muddying the waters for the future of our district. But first... boy, that was dire. We do have to do useless trivia because we are contractually obligated to do that. So Conor, let me kick it to you with all those words from that intro.
Conor: All right, Doug. I fell asleep in that intro. And let me just tell you, my intelligence is real and it’s spectacular. So, Douglas, did you know that we owe the word "nerd" to Dr. Seuss?
Doug: Really?
Conor: Don’t answer that. It’s true. Just let me tell you.
Doug: It was a rhetorical question.
Conor: I didn’t want you to actually answer. The first documented appearance of the word "nerd" was in Seuss's 1950 book, If I Ran the Zoo, describing a small, grumpy-looking creature. Before that, if you were a bookish, nerdish-type person like Doug, people would just call you a square.
Doug: Oh no, that’s worse.
Conor: It’s much worse. And my source on that is the American Heritage Dictionary.
Doug: That’s a great piece of trivia. I love If I Ran the Zoo. Read that to the kids growing up. "If I ran the zoo," said young Gerald McGrew, "I'd make a few changes, that’s just what I’d do." And you can verify for our audience, off the top of my head.
Conor: He was not reading that. I don’t know if that’s good or bad that he knows it that well, but... Well, my useless trivia goes back a little bit farther than yours. We’re heading back to 1776, Conor, and settle in because it’s another long piece of useless trivia from me this week. The short version, if you want to listen to that and then skip ahead, is as the American Revolution was getting underway, a lead statue of King George III in New York City was melted down to produce bullets for the Continental Army.
Conor: Well, that’s pretty cool. Fitting.
Doug: Well, the story goes back to July 9th, 1776, and a group of 40 soldiers tore down a statue of King George III. And this is no small feat, mind you. This is a 4,000-pound statue of King George on horseback, mind you. They pulled it to the ground, broke it into pieces with the intent of taking it up to Connecticut and turning it into musket balls. They made it most of the way and then they were attacked by British loyalists who stole about half of the statue and buried the pieces so they couldn’t be used. Now, the other half did make it to Connecticut, it was melted down, and it made 42,088 musket balls that the Continental Army definitely used in the American Revolution because archaeologists have found the musket balls and compared them to pieces of the statue—the ones that were stolen and buried—that are in museums now. And the chemical makeup is exactly the same. If you want to see one of those pieces for yourself, the New York Historical Society has the tail; it weighs 200 pounds. There’s another piece, a left hand and forearm fragment, that actually sold at auction for $207,000. And that is my useless trivia.
Conor: Wow, that is fascinating. And you may have beat your own record for the longest bit of trivia, so congratulations on that, Doug. And who might your sources be on this little nugget?
Doug: Well, this nugget comes to you from a number of different places, obviously: Mental Floss, the Gotham Center for New York City History, and the Fraunces Tavern Museum, which is a pretty cool one.
Conor: Well, thank you again, Doug. Great piece of trivia. And if we have any time left in the show...
Doug: And we actually do have a jam-packed show today. We’re going to be talking about our budget, we’re going to be talking about AI, we’re going to be talking about what it’s like to be a ninth grader in our district right now. But let’s get going first with budget talk. So, as we all know, we recently passed our two very, very important, much-needed levies: the Educational Programs and Operations levy and our Tech levy. So with those passages, you may have thought, "Okay, everything’s going pretty smoothly with our budget." That’s not exactly the case, and Doug’s going to tell us more about that.
Doug: Yeah, the levy money’s actually okay, but as we talked about as we were running those informational campaigns, one thing our community benefits from with the passage of a levy is called Local Effort Assistance. And for property-poor districts like Bethel, LEA is really important. It’s designed to help us keep up with property-rich districts, and we get more than $12 million in annual state funding that only triggers when local voters approve district levies. So, like we always say, thank you voters. But unfortunately—I should have said that in the past tense—because $12 million is what we used to get. The legislature has made some changes and is cutting back on the very assistance that we rely on. And it is going to be a really big deal. Here’s Christine Donnelly, our Chief Financial Officer.
Christine Donnelly: There is an impact into the future years as well, up to about almost $30 million over the next three years.
Doug: So that is obviously sobering news, but the good news is we’re not standing still, neither are the other districts in our area. But Doug, what can people do if they want to make their voices heard in this situation?
Conor: Well, one thing they can do is contact their legislators in Olympia. That’s who has changed the budget and that’s who needs to hear from you if this is something that you want to see changed back to the way it was. There is a website; there’s too many slashes and dots and all that kind of stuff to put it here, but if you go to bethelsd.org/news, you can find the story. Just look for the picture of the capitol in Olympia, click on that, and you’ll find the link right in there. Or if you know who your legislators are, send them an email, give them a call, light up the phones, because they need to hear from you.
Doug: Well, moving on to our next big topic today, we’re talking about what it’s like to be a ninth grader in our school district right now. And I know things are a lot different from when we grew up, Doug. I can picture you now in ninth grade: a long glorious mullet, black Van Halen shirt on, and I’m sure things were very easy for you back then. That’s not always the case today, though. Times are a lot different and our ninth graders have a lot more challenges than we did. Isn't that right, Doug?
Conor: Yeah, it sure is. You’re halfway right, and I’m going to let listeners figure out which part of the mullet or the Van Halen t-shirt was correct. But for freshmen today, they are facing a different set of challenges, and that’s why schools like Graham-Kapowsin High School have a Ninth Grade Success program that is really making changes, especially for freshmen like Ever. For her, the backbone of her high school experience was programs like the Study Support.
Ever: Study Support was very helpful. I was able to go in the morning because some kids aren’t able to go after school. So having these things during school are like very helpful for many students.
Doug: Absolutely. And Study Support is just one of the many, many programs that GK has put in place recently to help ninth graders thrive. Here’s Ever again.
Ever: There’s after-school ELA help, and math help, and science, and it’s like... it’s really helpful because you’re able to focus on that certain subject and you’re really able to talk to the teacher personally instead of doing it in front of a whole class, because I know some kids, they’re scared to talk in front of a whole class.
Doug: The goal of this Ninth Grade Success program is simple but essential: it’s to keep students on track to graduate. Principal Kevin Zamira said that ninth grade is the foundation for everything that follows.
Kevin Zamira: So it starts at ninth grade. You have to keep them on track. It’s easily the most pivotal year of their high school career.
Doug: So the really good news here is that appears to be working. The 2023-2024 school year, only 57.5% of freshmen were on track to graduate. That number has skyrocketed. By the second trimester of this school year, it’s reached 79%. Now, this Ninth Grade Success program is doing amazing things because of amazing people at the building. A team of 20 teachers at Graham-Kapowsin High School is tirelessly working to help students master the real-life skills that they’re going to need once they cross that graduation stage. These are skills like communication, confidence, and critical thinking. In fact, the same ones you’ll see highlighted in our district’s Portrait of a Graduate. Let’s hear from Ever again.
Ever: All these things, all these resources, have helped me prepare for 10th grade and all the grades going on to that.
Doug: So what I really love about this story is that Ever is kind of paying it forward. Not only is she taking advantage of these programs as a student herself, but she recently went over to Frontier Middle School to help eighth graders there prepare for their own leap into high school this coming fall. She and other freshmen showed them how to manage Gradebook and use all the other resources that are available to them. Here’s Ever one more time.
Ever: The teachers are very welcoming to if you need help in any class; you can just always talk to them. And my communication skills have really improved.
Conor: Well, I love the change this has made for Ever and a lot of other freshmen, and it’s because of the hard work of teachers and staff members at GK that care about the students and they’re willing to change and evolve to make sure students are headed in the right direction. And this program is evolving, too, and it’ll soon be moving on to the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. So we’re going to wrap up this episode by talking AI and tech, which is on the forefront of everyone’s mind these days. And we are thrilled to be in a district where we’re able to offer students one-to-one iPad use—thank you voters for that tech levy support—but with all that technology comes some potential problems, and one of those is security.
Doug: It sure is. We live in a time where cyberattacks are not only frequent, they’re a multi-billion dollar industry in themselves. Our technology department isn’t just managing devices; they’re literally building a digital fortress so our students and staff can operate safely online. Here’s Chief Technology Officer Mike Christianson.
Mike Christianson: The weakest link—and this is why we’re focusing on people—is humans. So we could be Microsoft with as much money possible to build cybersecurity systems and the right person clicks on the right link and data is lost, right? So we have to try to close that loop on having people make good decisions with their internet usage and checking our email.
Doug: And it’s not just a kid problem—not at all. Adults can make mistakes too, which we both know because we were actually the victims of a little friendly phishing campaign that our sneaky tech department recently sent out. And so Doug, as you probably remember, we get these emails and they say, "Hey, you’re a pretty swell guy. Here’s a free Starbucks card. Go get yourself a coffee." Now, I don’t know about you, Doug. I like free coffee. It was awfully hard not to hit that link and collect it, but I didn’t, because I’m a genius.
Conor: Well, I’m proud of you. I will say it was extra devious that they sent that at 3:00 PM right when I needed an afternoon pick-me-up. That said, that’s one cool thing they’re doing. We also have new MDR systems that detect and shut down malicious activity the moment it appears, and we even hired a white-hat hacking company to try and break into our system and they couldn’t do it; the digital deadbolts were locked. So it wouldn’t be a tech talk if we didn’t talk about AI, artificial intelligence, and the question remains: how are we as a school district going to use AI now and in the future? Here’s Mike Christianson.
Mike Christianson: To AI or to not AI? And that’s probably the wrong question. It’s more of like, when to AI, not if to AI. We also know that AI can’t replace a teacher. It doesn’t replace good instruction. It’s not going to replace critical thinking, right? So we want a responsible, ethical, and intentional use of AI.
Doug: Mike also told us that staff will be getting more training on AI in the very near future.
Mike Christianson: We’re working with teaching and learning to develop a PD plan. It’ll be rolled out with guidance for students, staff, and teachers for summer training in August. We’re also going to be utilizing these late starts to continue that learning throughout the year and providing guidance on how we use it as a tool again. An intentional tool when it’s necessary to make sure that it’s enhancing instruction or learning. We feel it's an essential tool for folks to learn, our students to learn, but in a way that’s responsible, safe. We also have a deep concern for student data protection, and so we’re working within our Google for Education ecosystem, which we have signed contracts, data privacy... our data doesn’t get used for their learning model. So we’re really going to be focused on Gemini as our main tool for our folks here, so we can make sure we continue to keep everyone in a spot and we can stay out of the "any new tool that just pops up and please us the best" and as soon as you put your name in there, it's already sold your data to someone else.
Doug: Obviously, we live in a very complex digital world, and our tech team’s making decisions that will help ensure that technology remains a tool for growth, not distraction. And this work, as we’ve mentioned many, many times, is only possible thanks to our technology levy. So thank you once again, voters.
[Outro Music]
Doug: Well, thank you everyone for listening. As always, you can find more information about all these topics at bethelsd.org. And if you like what you heard, even if you didn’t, be sure and share the show with a friend. We’ll be back next week.

Episode 173: How students are giving back to staff

This week we witness the incredible impact of student leaders at Spanaway Lake High School. From launching inclusive Unified social events to honoring teachers with year-round appreciation events, they are redefining school spirit through service. Along with these inspiring stories, we also dive into a wild Useless Trivia segment featuring Air Force One and a 25-foot wave of molasses.
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This transcript was automatically generated by Gemini from the original audio file. While it aims for high accuracy, it may contain minor discrepancies from the original audio.
Conor: Hey everybody. I’m Conor, that’s Doug and this is the Bethel School District presents podcast, the greatest podcast in the history of mankind. And we have a wonderful, wonderful show for you as per usual, but before we get into all that, it wouldn’t be our show if we didn’t give you a little useless trivia. So Doug I know you got a good one there, why don’t you get us started?
Doug: I do have a good one this week and I’ve been sitting on this for a couple of weeks kind of fleshing it out because the first piece of it I’ve had for a while and then I kind of dug into it with a little bit of vertical curiosity if you will. So this is Air Force One trivia and also some presidential trivia all wrapped into one and here we go.
Doug: So the very first president to fly ever, to fly to leave the earth is none other than Teddy "Bully" Roosevelt and he flew in 1910. The first president and I know all you historians out there are saying, "Well he wasn't president at the time, he was a former president Conor." So the first former president to fly in 1910, he flew a Wright Model B and that is like the Wright brothers plane, feet dangling, that kind of plane. Three minutes and 20 seconds above the earth. The bulliest experience he ever had.
Conor: Well that doesn’t actually surprise me. I think of Teddy as being a bit of a risk taker, a bit of an adventure junkie, so that actually tracks.
Doug: Absolutely, he lived that strenuous life and would it surprise you to know that the first president to fly when they were in office was also a Roosevelt? FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the first to fly in office and one of his first flights to keep with that strenuous life was over a U-boat infested Atlantic Ocean to go and meet Winston Churchill at Casablanca. That's not a bad itinerary. Now his flight time was definitely a little bit longer. Four days Conor, of flying. That is 44 to 55 hours inside of a plane with at least three, it might have been four stops along the way for fuel.
Conor: Well that actually does surprise me. I would have thought that there would have been presidential flights long before that, but that just shows you how relatively new all this flight technology actually is.
Doug: It absolutely is and my last fun facts for you today are about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike has two presidential firsts when it comes to flying. He was the first president to have his pilot’s license and the first to fly under the call sign Air Force One. Conor, I’m going to need you to ask me why that is.
Conor: Now, why is that Doug?
Doug: Well done. So at this time the president flew under whatever flight number the Air Force called it. So he was actually flying on Air Force 8610 over, I think it was Richmond, Virginia, and Eastern Airlines 8610 was in the same airspace and the tower gave them a call and just said "8610, you’re cleared to land" and two of them responded. So almost a crash and after that, Air Force One became Air Force One so this would never happen again. And I have a lot of sources for all of this information. A few of them are the FAA historical archive, the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, the New York Times, White House Historical Association, and Popular Mechanics.
Conor: Well that’s, those are all great Doug. And I gotta say, Air Force One has a much better ring to it than Air Force 8610 so I’m glad they went with that.
Doug: Absolutely. Well I think it’s time for your useless trivia sir, what do you got for us?
Conor: So my trivia is ground level this week. So Douglas, did you know that in 1919 a giant storage tank full of molasses burst open on the streets of Boston sending a 25-foot wave of molasses pouring through the streets at 35 miles per hour? The tragic event came to be known as the Great Molasses Flood or in some wittier circles, the Boston Molassacre.
Conor: Sadly, stop laughing Doug, 21 people were killed.
Doug: Oh man, you couldn't have led with that instead of the Molassacre? Geez.
Conor: So these poor 21 souls were killed, 150 more were injured. Residents actually claimed that on hot summer days even decades later, you could still smell syrup in the air. And my source on that one, which I can't believe I didn’t know this, this feels like it should be common knowledge, the Molassacre, is boston.gov, the city's website.
Doug: Man, that is a wild story. And you certainly have a penchant lately for bringing us stories of things exploding all over cities. Thinking back to the whale in Oregon that blew blubber chunks, your phrasing.
Conor: Raining blubber chunks. I’ve got a niche. Thank you for bringing that to our listeners' attention. I love the Molassacre, very sad that people were killed though, hate that part. And let’s turn to the business of the day Conor. I am forever seeing on Facebook the leadership students over at Spanaway Lake High School doing all kinds of cool stuff even towards the beginning of the school year as the weather was turning cold. They had hot cocoa out for the bus drivers, just all kinds of giving back and I love that about their group. And you actually headed over there intrepid reporter that you are to interview Anthony, Felicia, and Millicent more about what the leadership folks do.
Conor: So Anthony, you are the ASB president here at Spanaway Lake High School. So I figure you’re as good a person to ask as anyone. For people who aren’t familiar with leadership class, can you give us a little rundown on some of the things you all do here?
Anthony: Well, in leadership you kind of lead the entire school in a way by planning all of these school-oriented events. Anything like spirit days or fundraisers or anything that kind of involves the students, we’re the face behind that. If you ever want to be within a community, leadership is definitely a great place for you.
Conor: Well Felicia, leadership class involves a lot of behind-the-scenes grunt work. Setting up chairs before events, cleaning up after events. What makes you want to keep doing all this stuff and showing up for your peers?
Felicia: Well that part is definitely not pretty and not fun, but it’s definitely worth it when you see people who actually enjoy being here and kind of appreciate the work that we put into all of this because yes, sometimes the posters will get torn down or assemblies won’t go as well as we would like them to, but there’s always people who walk out of here thinking "that was really fun" and as long as we touch someone, that’s one more person who enjoys it here at Spanaway Lake.
Conor: That’s such a fantastic attitude and yeah, I’m sure a lot of times that work does go unnoticed, but not always. I’m sure people do notice it. Millicent, for those who have been listeners to the podcast, this will be a very familiar guest because she’s had her own podcast, she’s been a guest on our podcast. One of the great things you guys have been doing is called the gratitude cart. You wheel it around school giving staff members snacks and coffee. So where did that idea come from and why do you think it’s so important that you’re able to show staff members that you appreciate them?
Millicent: So essentially the gratitude cart was something that culminated through one of our squads in leadership. We have several different squads that focus on improving different aspects of the school and one of those is the faculty squad. And basically we just thought that teachers deserve to be recognized more than just the one week of the year during May which is teacher appreciation week. It should be something that’s year-round. So sprinkling in things like the gratitude cart or like staff lounge takeovers and other fun things like that show the staff that we’re thinking about them throughout the year consistently and not just once every single year.
Conor: And I know they absolutely appreciate it. I’ve heard that actually from staff members here, so another place where your work is not going unnoticed. So Anthony what out of all the events you guys have worked on your time here, what’s been the most fun thing that you’ve either worked on or planned or been a part of?
Anthony: My personal favorite event is one that I actually founded here at the school is the Fall Festival. Once every year we invite communities and small businesses, either student-owned or just owned from the community, a chance to come in and kind of cultivate an audience with others and a chance to raise money and just generally get out. A lot of our clubs will struggle with funding, so offering a lot of these students chances to see each other or third space and raise money at the same time is a great opportunity. And on top of that, you get to do a whole bunch of fun stuff. Last year I got pied I think 27 times in the space of two hours which was pretty fun.
Conor: Wow, that sounds incredible. It sounds like a fun event. Felicia, what about you? What’s been your favorite one?
Felicia: For me, I would say it’s been S-Lake's Got Talent. It’s our very own talent show that we host here where we have our very own students audition and show off their talents so that they could kind of flex on all of our students and show how cool they are. And I think that it’s really awesome and I was lucky enough to be able to co-host with Eliza this year. And it’s just really nice to see our students break out of their shell and kind of put themselves in the public eye even though usually it’s the popular people who are there, so they get a chance to be on stage, have a mic and just show off.
Conor: All right, what was the most memorable performance that day?
Felicia: The most memorable performance that day, hands down, was our very own local rapper here at Spanaway Lake, Inspector Goofy. He had his crew come onto the stage and it was just very hype and it felt very community. Our leadership also did a surprise sing-along and that just really touched my heart because it felt like we were really connecting with the audience this year.
Conor: Very cool and shout out Inspector Goofy, I’m sure he was on fire that day. Millicent, what’s been your favorite thing?
Millicent: Oh so personally my favorite event that we worked on is our Unified Prom. This is an event that started within leadership and has now expanded to be more staff-involved as well. And essentially for this event, what we do is we partner up with our unified students and give them the prom experience that some of them might not be able to get like we would. We decorate the commons, we bring food, we dress up nicely as we would for any other event and we just have a good time with them and honestly I found that that event was more fun than some of our own dances. And it also gives us a way to show our unified students that we see them and think about them in ways that other schools might not always. So yeah, I think it’s just overall just a really good event. It’s also good for making connections with the unified students since often times they’re off on one side of the building and we don’t really see them interacting with the general student population. So yeah, I think it was just really fun and yeah.
Conor: Yeah and I’ve definitely seen the photos from that from last year and it’s such a cool an event. It’s so cool that you guys are able to help with that. So we always like to ask seniors and and anyone in high school really what your plans are after school. So I’ve got three very talented students here, I’m sure you all have big plans. So I’m going to go around the horn again and ask you, Anthony start with you, what are your plans next year and what do you want to be when you grow up?
Anthony: Next year I plan on being in Seattle with a few roommates in an apartment. I’ll be going to Seattle Community College and transferring to UW Seattle. I’ll be double majoring in Business Analytics and Communication as well as minoring in Music Education to continue to let students know that they can express themselves through music. It’s something that I grew up with and I think it’s really important that other people can grow up with it as well. And in the future I want to be able to own a cafe where others can create these like connections and friendships and find each other through it while also just enjoying a third space because it’s not really common to have those anymore.
Conor: That’s a really great point, we’re severely lacking in third spaces here in this country. So that’s good on you for trying with that. Felicia, you’re only a junior here so you have a little more time, but I’m sure you’ve been thinking about it a little bit. What do you want to do when you get out of these hallowed halls of Spanaway Lake High School?
Felicia: Um, I’ve always grown up thinking that I would go into the medical field and follow in my sister’s footsteps, but as of recently I found interest in doing things that kind of associate with cosmetology. So I’ve enjoyed doing other people’s hair, cutting my own hair, I don’t know if you guys know, but I’ve also done our president’s hair most recently and I’ve also learned to do my own nails. And once I get out of here I’m hoping that I could start up a little mini business on the side so that I could make some money while also trying to become a CNA.
Conor: Nice, that’s those are all great plans. Millicent, we’ve talked a little bit about what you want to do, but remind our audience what your plans are for after high school.
Millicent: Uh yeah, I plan to attend WSU Pullman and study multimedia journalism. Um, I haven’t exactly decided what I want to pursue a minor in, but I’m deciding between political science and creative writing because journalism is something that’s important to me and I believe that the people deserve to be informed about what’s going on in the world, but to have it done so in a way that is factual and transparent and yeah.
Conor: Love it. Well those are all amazing plans. Well thank you all for joining us and we appreciate having you on the show.
Leadership Students: Thank you.
Doug: Well thanks again to Conor for the fieldwork and especially to Anthony, Felicia and Millicent for chatting with us today. We’re going to be back next week with another great show. Thanks for listening.

Episode 172: 76 Languages, 1 Community

This week, we discover the hidden strengths of our multilingual students as we explore how speaking multiple languages builds powerful neural pathways for academic success. We discuss how our district supports over 76 languages and celebrates the cultural diversity each student brings from home. We also get the details on our upcoming Family Fun Night at Spanaway Lake High School, and we tackle some useless animal trivia, from bird to buffalo! 
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Conor: Hey everybody, I'm Conor, that's Doug, and this is the Bethel School District presents podcast, the greatest podcast ever invented, bar none. And as usual, we have a fantastic show for you. We're talking all things languages today, and Doug, I'm going to kick it over to you for useless trivia because I know you got a banger.
Doug: I've got a really fun one, and I know you have one that's about language. So we'll get mine out of the way first. I was actually just with my parents at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, one of my favorite places on this earth. A wonderful place to take a walk. And if you're a birder, photographer, you just like looking at birds, you like looking at nature, it's a great place to go. When we were there we did see a great blue heron which is my favorite bird, so seeing my favorite bird in my favorite place was really fun. And it got me thinking about their neck, because they have this gigantic neck, they curve it into this S shape when they're flying which is cool, and we got to watch one hunt pretty close up. And they stand very still in the water and then their neck shoots out like a spear gun. And I was wondering if there was anything special about their neck. So Conor, on this very podcast, and I'm getting to my useless trivia, stop pointing at your watch. One of our useless trivia was before was how giraffes and humans have the same number of neck vertebrae. It's just a mammalian rule. So great blue heron ignores those rules, of course, because they're a bird. They have twenty neck vertebrae. And that allows them to tuck their neck into that signature S shape when they're flying. But their real secret is their sixth vertebra. It's specially elongated and hinged so it acts like a cocked spring. So that allows the heron when it's fishing, it doesn't just reach out, it launches its head forward like a harpoon at speeds the human eye can barely track. And that my friend, is my useless trivia for today.
Conor: That is useless. I'm just going to leave it there.
Doug: My sources are the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Veterinary Information Network, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Journal of Zoology. Beat that, sir.
Conor: Okay, well I will do my best. And as I mentioned we are talking languages this week, so I figured I'd get a little useless trivia in there as well. So Douglas, did you know that the sentence "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" is actually grammatically correct?
Doug: I felt like I needed to smack you on the head there like a skipping turntable. I did not know that. That makes no sense.
Conor: Okay, well it makes sense, actually, sir, because it uses buffalo as a place, a noun, and a verb. So Buffalo with a capital B is the city of Buffalo in New York. buffalo lowercase, the noun, is an animal like bison. And buffalo also lowercase is a verb, to bully, to confuse, to intimidate. So bison from Buffalo that are bullied by other bison from Buffalo also bully bison from Buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
Doug: I think when we're done we're going to have to go to the old chalkboard and diagram this sentence. You got a source on this piece of weirdness?
Conor: It wouldn't be me if I didn't have an air-tight source, and my source this week is Dr. William Billy J. Rappaport. And he is a professor of language at University of, you guessed it, Buffalo.
Doug: Well that is a fantastic, really great piece of trivia, fantastic source also, I love the extra buffalo there on the end. And our very special guest joining us in studio is Carla Louck, secondary MLE TOSA. And Carla, before we go any farther, we're going to have to define what that actually means. TOSA, as regular listeners know, is Teachers On Special Assignment, and MLE, not Major League Eating, Conor, it is Multi-Lingual Education. So Carla, MLE used to be ELL, used to be ESL, English as a Second Language, which a lot of people might be more familiar with. But we're talking about MLE. Who are these students?
Carla Louck: So multilingual students are students who are speaking more than one language. They come to our schools and some of them have been speaking both English and another language at home and so sometimes they're arriving right at kindergarten and they just have more than one language spoken at home. Traditionally we think about multilingual learners coming from other countries, but actually more than, well probably about 40% of our multilingual students are born right here. They have homes that speak more than one language, so they arrive with that skill. And because they do have more than one language, sometimes one language can be more predominant than the other. So in our program a priority is learning the academic side of English, especially if the previous experience they've had has been more conversational English.
Doug: Right. Yeah, and I think that'd be really important especially just being in school talking to friends in English is very different than learning some math terms in English and things like that. That's not something that would just float around the home, even in one that you know, maybe spoke Spanish primarily and a little bit of English, they might not be talking about fractions and things like that.
Carla Louck: Mm-hmm. Yep. One thing though, because that can be complicated, one thing that they have found with our multilingual learners outside of just in education is that when you are having to think in more than one language and when our students are coming and they're they maybe have a more predominant home language than English, they're hearing instruction in English, their brains are constantly like making those neural pathways. And so what happens is multilingual students just have these really strong pathways for learning. Also, side note, sometimes those alternate pathways help in other areas, so for example, they have found sometimes that people who have Alzheimer's, they might have the markers of it but they don't have the symptoms because their brains have all these different ways that they access information. So multilingualism in general is just such a strong skill to have to be able to think and talk in more than one language has a lot of great benefits. I love that our school district has a dual language program so that you know, we really thinking about how that can impact student learning. Also in our other buildings that do not have that program we do have the opportunity to have diverse learners who speak more than one language.
Doug: Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that because we recently did a video about our dual language program and Principal Arturo Gonzalez told us about that study and the impact on dementia later in life of just being bilingual. That's that's really amazing. So speaking of multilingual and knowing lots of languages, a little birdie told us that you have a pretty impressive history of language, not only in your academic career, which I want to hear about, but also prior to that you made up your own languages as a kid. Tell us about that.
Carla Louck: I did. I thought everyone did. Did you not make up your own languages as a kid?
Doug: I didn't do that. I had a hard enough time with English.
Carla Louck: I don't know, I just would decide that some as I was playing, I don't know, I'm very verbal, would just decide that something had a different name and I'd just make up my own language for it, make up my own words and then I would of course try to say these words to my mom who didn't exactly understand the language that I had made up in my head. Yeah, from a young age I was always fascinated with other languages.
Doug: And do you remember any of your made up words?
Carla Louck: Oh, I wish I did.
Doug: Should have wrote those down. I love that. I just have a visual of these notebooks full of this, it says dictionary on the front in crayon and that's fantastic. Well as you headed on to high school, most of us had to learn language, I took a couple years of Spanish. You took more than a couple years of a couple different things. Tell us about that.
Carla Louck: I did. Initially Spanish was the language I wanted to learn. However, I did ninth grade at the junior high and they did not offer Spanish, they offered French so I'm like okay well I'll try French for a year and switch when I move to the high school. I really liked learning French. It was it was fun. So year two I was in French and Spanish, and then my geometry teacher was like "you're taking two languages, I teach Japanese, you should add that one on". So I ended up with three years of French, three years of Spanish and two years of Japanese. So eight years of foreign language in high school.
Conor: And so how much of that have you been able to retain over the years?
Carla Louck: Mostly Spanish, partly because I lived in the Yakima Valley and I utilized that language the most. I still, okay, I wish I was completely like qualify as bilingual in Spanish, but I'm still working on it. Last summer I went to Costa Rica for three weeks. Two weeks I was in a Spanish immersion program for two reasons. One, I would love to improve my Spanish skills. I'm really good at understanding, like most multilingual learners, we can hear a lot, I can read pretty well in Spanish and comprehend, speaking is always an issue. The other part is that because I'm an MLE TOSA, I'm working with multilingual learners and I really wanted to understand what it was like to be completely in an immersion program where everything being taught was in Spanish with no translations, just learn because I just really wanted to experience what that felt like as a student as I support teachers and students in that program here.
Conor: And we we are in a diverse district and a district where we have students speaking a whole lot of languages. Off the top of your head do you know how many languages are spoken in our district?
Carla Louck: I think 76.
Conor: Isn't that incredible?
Doug: 76.
Conor: I love that, I love that diversity. And one of the ways we celebrate all those languages and all those cultures is our annual Family Fun Night. And I go to this event every year, not just because I'm getting paid to be there but because it's a lot of fun actually. It's believe it or not the third largest event that our district hosts every year. This is a huge event, widely attended. Can you tell the people who maybe haven't been there what they could expect from Family Fun Night?
Carla Louck: My favorite part of the evening though, because we have performances that showcase the various cultures and languages that we have represented in our district. We had a Filipino dance troupe that came in and watched and so I can also say it was multi-generational. So watching our various cultures connect like across cultures and across age groups, and seeing them connect, so the performers were performing and then they came back and they were hanging out and talking and talking about collaborating and we like just watching how everyone is connecting across cultures was like my most favorite part of the night. And then okay so the whole night itself, we have booths from communities resources, we also have a lot of heritage booths from the various high schools. We have performances from a lot of our heritage clubs here within our district, for example Asian American Club, we also have Liberty had their step team perform. Just various grade levels, elementary, middle school, high school performances along with a few outside of our Bethel well part of our Bethel community but not part of our schools. We have food, Karma has been amazing and a big donor to our evening, they have provided food every year for us and they'll be here again this year. So that's pretty awesome. Activities for kids, make and takes that represent the various cultures that are here. Overall it's just a super fun night and as a former secondary teacher, it's I guess my push was to get some more of our secondary schools and students involved and last year it was really great just to see students volunteering as well as participating and you know, I love a bit of karaoke, we had a karaoke booth, so we had a lot of students performing there songs that I would say are pop songs, also songs that represent their own culture and language too. It was pretty cool to walk down the hallway and hear the different types of music that kids were performing. So yeah, overall it was just such a fun night. There's always lots of things that we plan and then unexpected things that happen like someone bringing their guitar and serenading us during our dinner, awesome GK student who's very talented. He started taking requests as well. So it is May 1st at Spanaway Lake High School from 5:30 to 7:30.
Conor: Yeah, you really don't want to miss it. The name is very befitting of the event, it is fun, it is family, and it is at night.
Doug: Well thank you once again to Carla Louck, our secondary MLE TOSA for joining us this week and we hope to see everybody at Family Fun Night, May 1st at Spanaway Lake High School. And we'll be back next week with another great show.

Episode 171: Graduation is just the beginning

This week we tackle the tough question of, "What happens after graduation?" We dive into the data, including a statistic that shows that 72% of future jobs will require more education than just a high school diploma. We learn why 7th grade is a pivotal time for students, and hear how our district is building student maturity, confidence, and giving them the skills they need to pursue any path they choose.
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Doug: Hey everyone, I'm Doug. That's Conor. And you're listening to the greatest school district podcast of all time. That's right, the Bethel School District Presents podcast is back from spring break. We are suntanned and rested and ready to go, Conor. We have a great show ahead. We're going to be talking about post-graduation plans for our seniors and what that means for our staff—what work goes in behind the scenes to make sure seniors are ready for their futures once they cross that graduation stage. But before we get there, Conor, as you like to say, and I think this is trademarked, you know how we do it. It's time for useless trivia. Hit us up.
Conor: It is indeed, and I’ve got a good one to bring us back from the break in case everyone was Jonesing for their useless trivia. So Douglas, did you know the world's longest officially released song is called "The Rise and Fall of Bossanova" by a group called PC3 and it is over 13 hours long? And before you chime in there with your witty bon mots, I'm going to add a little bonus and that the shortest song ever recorded is called "You Suffer" by Napalm Death, which comes in at just 1.316 seconds long.
Doug: I got nothing. That's amazing. I really question the definition of the word "song" with a 13-hour whatever that is.
Conor: Or a one-second—that's really not much of a song either.
Doug: I suppose that's true, but I'd more likely listen to the one-second than the 13-hour. Not too bad, I like that useless trivia. And Conor, you're not going to beat mine because mine was pretty darn good. But let's hear what you got. Well, I'm definitely not because mine actually has to do with today's topic, so it is—
Conor: Boring.
Doug: I'll take it, but Conor, did you know in the early 1900s, graduating high school wasn't just about walking across the stage? It was a public performance, and my sources before I even say this: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, and the New York Public Library Digital Collections—some heavy hitters. They told me that every single graduating senior was required to stand on stage and deliver an original oration or essay to the public.
Conor: Well, that is fascinating. I didn't know that and I'm glad they did away with that. I don't think I would have done well. And imagine how long you and I both cover graduation ceremonies—just reading the names, imagine how long that ceremony would take.
Doug: Well, back in this day, there were kind of like 12 graduating seniors so it was probably still a lengthy event, but it was definitely more manageable if everybody was given a speech. Some ceremonies were even structured like variety shows, so it was common to have a class prophet who predicted people's futures, a class historian, and a class poet. And Conor, I believe you would have been the class poet over there in Masula.
Conor: And I think you would have been a class clown. Zing.
Doug: Well, our school board has been holding public study sessions this year on a variety of topics and that includes the work of our behavior task force, math achievement, student safety of course, our levies, and right before spring break they held another one, and this was on college and career readiness.
Conor: Yeah, students, teachers, administrators, they all engage in conversation with the school board about this topic and they covered a ton of ground actually. They talked about why post-secondary pathways matter for Bethel students and the community, where our students are today in terms of readiness and engagement, and what Bethel schools are doing to expand opportunities after graduation.
Doug: So with all that in mind, Deputy Superintendent Dr. David Hammond said the vision for him was clear, even though it sounded a little like a greeting card.
Dr. David Hammond: Part of the vision I've been working with this over the last two days to try to figure out how to say this without sounding like a Hallmark card, but there's really no way to do it. So, graduation is an end and it's also a beginning. So there's your Hallmark card. It's an end for us in that the students leave, but it's a beginning for our students. But in the last five years, it hasn't been an end for the district. We've been able to gather more information, more data about students and how they're doing beyond and using that data to inform what we're doing in the schoolhouse while they're with us.
Doug: Now we're actually tracking and learning about our students after they leave Bethel, and we're seeing where we can replicate that success and uncover things that we might need to change.
Conor: Now, we have strong graduation rates here in Bethel—over 90%—but we don't have strong numbers when it comes to meaningful post-secondary learning. So our goal needs to be focused on making sure our graduates have the tools they need to leave school with confidence and are ready for whatever road lies ahead.
Doug: Absolutely, and School Board Director Terrence Mayers agreed with that.
Terrence Mayers: Did we give you what you needed while you were here so that when you're not here you're capable of pursuing whatever it is that you want to pursue or have the ability to adjust when things don't work your way, when life changes? Did you get enough skills from us so that you can make those decisions? I guess that's from my perspective, that's what I want.
Doug: After graduation, students can go in a lot of different directions, either enrolling in a two or four-year college or university, enlisting in the military, getting apprenticeships, or employment right out of high school.
Conor: And our Superintendent Brian Lowney said it's that last one—employment—that he's thought a lot about.
Brian Lowney: Employed for me, I've had to kind of change my thinking on that. It's employed in a way where there's room to grow in the career that they're moving. So that they're not bottomed out in a way that they won't have a family earning wage. You have to see a future in what you're employed in because going straight to work has to mean you're on a path.
Doug: School Board Director Roseanna Camacho said that path can lead anywhere and she wants the world to be wide open with opportunities for each and every graduate.
Roseanna Camacho: Even though we come from a small town in Washington, that they can go anywhere in the country and anywhere in the world and be who they want to be. That there are opportunities that they're not afraid to go out and actually grasp those things and give it their best. Just knowing that no matter what it is that they decide to do, whether it is enlisting in the military, going out into the workforce and beginning that world, or going on to further education, you're not pigeonholed. You don't have to do it in a specific order and that it doesn't have to end with just one of those things. There are people who become policemen, then go to college and become lawyers, and then decide, you know, I'm going to be a business owner—that there's not a specific order and there's not any one that trumps the other and that you can do anything that you want to do and that they have the confidence not to be afraid to do so.
Doug: So now let's take a look at some data, and Matt Yarkosky, our Executive Director of Student Engagement and Safety, has a key piece from a recent study done about the very topic.
Matt Yarkosky: We looked at a 2023 study from Georgetown and they forecasted by 2031, so which is five years from now, which is our current seventh graders, they're the class of 2031, that 72% of jobs available will require some sort of post-secondary education. So whether it's college, a trade school, apprenticeship, some sort of post-secondary education.
Doug: Let's reiterate that number. 72% of jobs by 2031 will require some form of education after graduation. Now that can be military, college, university, vocational or trade school, or apprenticeship.
Conor: 2031. So that means we're talking about our seventh graders right now. They'll be in high school before we know it. So what responsibility does this put on us as a district?
Doug: That's a great question, and the board weighed in on it. Board President Marcus Young kicked that off.
Marcus Young: What I envision is that we have given our students so much confidence within themselves that if they had to go and work for three years, they are not intimidated to go back to school. My era coming up, if you didn't go to school right after high school, then you almost felt like there was no way to go back because you lost all of these skills, this book, the routine, all of that. And then you end up what, 5-10 years later going back and you're like, oh it wasn't that bad, right? So when I say that we have given them the confidence, it's if I gotta work and help out the family for five years and then I gotta go back to school, I know I can handle it because I had the routines down, I had the encouragement from my teachers and from the counselors and the understanding that the decision that I had to make coming out of high school was not one that ruined my life. And so we're so confident that I've given you everything. It's a toolbox and you don't have to use a butter knife when you need a flathead. You have that flathead in there. You might not know what you're going to use it for, but when it's time to use it, hey, I got something that'll work for that.
Conor: Absolutely love that butter knife analogy. Doug, I thought of you when he said that because I've seen your toolbox and it's a grocery bag filled with a hammer, maybe a half-eaten pretzel, a broken scissor half, flashlights, jelly beans—it's a mess.
Doug: It is, and the jelly beans I keep in the flashlight for safekeeping. Yes, I am a very mature adult, and maturity is actually a quality that Board Director John Manning is looking for us to instill in our grads.
John Manning: I'd like to be able to see that in addition to the confidence and the tools that we've given them some level of maturity to be able to fall back and say, okay my first goal is unattainable, I can't do that, so what else can I do? But you have to be able to fall back and adapt and be—have that maturity to know I haven't failed, it just isn't available at this time. And I'd like to have them see that, recognize it, and accept it.
Conor: So we've got maturity, tools, and confidence. What else we need?
Doug: Director Marcus Young had another one, and it's one that we've talked about here on the podcast before, especially when it comes to safety and security, and that is relationships. It's getting to know each and every student.
Marcus Young: Developing relationships with them early so that we can get them thinking about what next looks like. That it's not too early at seventh grade to be thinking about what next is.
Conor: Building those relationships is key, and Spanaway High School senior Autumn Humbert shared her views on why.
Autumn Humbert: Most of our students, they don't feel that sense of accomplishment because they don't have the relationship with either the higher-ups or the teachers or have that sense of knowledge that they can push forward or that they can do greater things. So that accountability on the higher-ups of people thinking of what to do next starts with that relationship.
Doug: So here's a sobering number. Our students who are enrolled in a two or four-year college the first year after graduating high school—the number is only 45% of our grads, and that is lower than the state average.
Conor: And that number is just enrolled in year one. It doesn't mean 45% are completing college and going on to well-paying jobs. And if that's 45%, that means we don't know what 55% of those kids are doing. Of course, there are some military enlistments and apprenticeships, but not 55% worth.
Doug: Good points, but let's remember there is nothing wrong with graduating and going to work.
Conor: Exactly, and Director Manning agreed with that point.
John Manning: I'm a trade school kind of person. I've been around the world a little bit and I've seen that and the United States is sadly lacking in that perspective. It is okay to get out of high school and go to work for Boeing or Toray Composites or any other place that you can find a job that you're happy. That is not a failure. There are people, I think everybody here would agree, who don't want to go or would not succeed in higher education. It's just not for them. And I think that's what we have to recognize and be able to offer paths and direction and support for those individuals.
Doug: Brian Lowney is passionate about this topic and he said even if a graduate doesn't see college in their future, that doesn't mean we don't need to push them in high school to try hard classes.
Brian Lowney: Every piece of data out there right now shows that the skills that it takes to be successful taking an academic course load are the same skills they're going to need in an apprenticeship to advance and become a journeyman. Are the same skills that kiddo at the shop at JBLM is going to need to go beyond private and work in the shop to become advanced in rank.
Doug: Now there's a lot of work going on in our high schools and our middle schools to push more on this, to get kids ready for great careers. Absolutely, and we're building student success skills and challenging them to increase their academic intensity and even using the high school and beyond plan for career exploration. And believe it or not, that begins in seventh grade and it can change with the student as their interest change over time.
Conor: That's awesome because we all know this isn't a one-size-fits-all type of deal. Now let's get back to Autumn, if you remember she's the senior from Spanaway High School. She spoke earlier about Running Start and she said Bethel really stands out when you look at other districts.
Autumn Humbert: For my cousins and my family, they live in the East Coast. They don't have the other opportunities that we have. I mention Running Start—what's that? I mention skill center—what's that? What do you mean you have this extra opportunity of going to college early? What's that, you know? So you guys especially listening to what we have to say and you guys making that change then our students are making more of those numbers and more of those rates come up than what we've seen probably since Bethel School District has even started.
Doug: I really love Autumn's perspective on this, and to wrap things up we're going to hear again from Director Roseanna Camacho. She kind of closed out the study session talking about what she saw as the critical piece in all of this.
Roseanna Camacho: Whenever I see interviews of adults being asked: what got you to where you are today? What was that spark? You always hear it go back to a teacher. Someone in third grade, kindergarten, high school that just really understood them, really connected with them on a different level that maybe no other adult person in their life had. And that they also have the tools and they have the support and they have everything that they need to make sure that we achieve the things that we want to as far as our vision is for our school district. And so I just wanted to circle back to that and thank our educators and everyone that is a part of this system.
Doug: Well, to echo Director Roseanna Camacho, thank you to our educators, thank you to our teachers, and thank you to our listeners. We'll be back next week with another great show.

Episode 170: Meet our Daffodil Princesses

As Spring Break approaches, we sit down with our district's three Daffodil Princesses to hear about their favorite teachers, plans for the future, and much more! We also feature one of our most surprising Useless Trivia segments to date! 
--TRANSCRIPT--
Conor: Hey everybody, I’m Conor. That’s Doug. And this is the Bethel School District Presents podcast. And as usual, we have a fantastic show for you. I will be our intrepid reporter going to all three of our comprehensive high schools to speak with this year’s amazing Daffodil Princesses. But before that, Doug, it wouldn’t be our show if we didn’t kick things off with a little bit of useless trivia. You look like you got a good one primed up. What do you got?
Doug: I did find something very useless but very interesting. This is from Business Insider. For a brief moment in 1989, PepsiCo, Pepsi, possessed one of the largest military naval fleets in the entire world.
Conor: Why would they have this and how did they procure it?
Doug: These are fantastic questions. This is the 80s, you know Russia’s involved. So, in 1989, the USSR traded Pepsi a fleet of, get this, 17 submarines, a cruiser, a frigate, and a destroyer just to keep Pepsi flowing into Russia.
Conor: Wow.
Doug: So this collection of—my math is over 20 vessels—technically gave Pepsi the sixth largest navy in the world at the time before they sold the fleet for scrap value.
Conor: So all that and they still couldn’t overtake Coca-Cola. Wow, that’s—yeah. It was a rough decade for Pepsi. Conor, I challenge you to beat my useless trivia.
Conor: Well, I won’t because that’s an all-timer. But mine’s not bad either. So Doug, did you know that in 1970, the government in Oregon decided to remove a whale from the beach using dynamite?
Doug: I did not know this. This—sounds like it would have made the news, I bet.
Conor: I’m sure it did make the news. But so here’s the background. A 45-foot sperm whale carcass washed up in Florence, Oregon, and to get rid of it, the highway division used a half a ton of dynamite. So their rationale was, bizarrely, that the whale would just kind of disintegrate into the ether. And in fact, it didn’t. And in fact, it just blew blubber chunks—
Doug: Oh my god.
Conor: —raining down onto passersby. Blubber chunks everywhere, folks.
Doug: This is—such a disturbing image.
Conor: To make it even more disturbing—
Doug: It gets worse.
Conor: Those thunderous chunks of flying blubber actually destroyed parked cars up to a half mile away. My source on that is the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Doug: Well, I love that piece of trivia. That is also an all-timer. We’re starting out real strong here. Well, Conor, I look forward to this particular show every single year. You venture out to all of our comprehensive high schools, find the Daffodil Princesses, and find out more about them. And that’s really awesome. I love that we put this show up before the Daffodil Parade in Puyallup. So, let’s kick things off with your visit to Spanaway Lake High School and Princess Zoey.
Conor: So Zoey, what made you want to become a Daffodil Princess?
Zoey: Something that made me want to become a Daffodil Princess is in elementary school I always saw the Daffodil Princesses come, and it just seemed like such a fun thing to be a part of. And I’ve had past princesses as friends and they tell me all about the scholarship program and how it’s really helped them after their high school plans. So yeah.
Conor: It’s definitely an awesome program. And who at this school or any of the schools you’ve attended along the way has inspired you?
Zoey: I would say specifically at Spanaway Lake, Miss Bonner. She was the past coordinator for princesses. She definitely helped push me to be able to do this. And then my two advisors, they were also so, so helpful in the whole process of encouraging me and making me stay strong. But outside of this, Princess Clara from Graham-Kapowsin High School really helped me with knowing what to do and what to say and how—what to expect from every day.
Conor: That’s awesome to get help from someone who’s been there. What’s your favorite thing about Spanaway Lake High School?
Zoey: I would say the culture and just overall how diverse our school is. It really helps everybody come together and have a real sense of community, which I think the Daffodil Festival is all about.
Conor: Very cool. And what are your post-graduation plans?
Zoey: After graduation, I plan on attending Boise State University and I’ll be in the honors program on a four-year scholarship. And I’ll be pursuing early elementary education.
Conor: Wow, that’s awesome and congratulations. So, we’re moving on to the lightning round. What is your least favorite food?
Zoey: Hmm. I really, really dislike raw tomatoes. They’re disgusting. Other than that, I would just say, yeah, anything with raw tomatoes or raw onions is just not for me.
Conor: Tomatoes, that’s a take. I haven’t heard that one. Any pets?
Zoey: No, I used to have two dogs, but then when I moved to Spanaway we had to get rid of them. So no pets.
Conor: All right. What books, if any, are you reading right now?
Zoey: I’m not reading any books, but as far as like media in general, I’m into Grey’s Anatomy right now.
Conor: Fantastic. What is your dream spring break travel destination?
Zoey: Greece, completely—like all the way. I love Italy and Greece and everything about it.
Conor: Yeah, those do look amazing. Okay, what YouTube or podcast series are you watching or listening to?
Zoey: Hmm. I don’t really listen to podcasts or anything. As far as like music, I listen to a lot of like Harry Styles or SZA, just stuff like that, but not really podcasts.
Conor: Except for the Bethel School District Presents podcast.
Zoey: Oh, of course, of course, totally.
Conor: I knew you were forgetting that one. What’s one thing that is definitely on your bucket list?
Zoey: Just to travel the world. I’ve already been to Europe, and so traveling as much as I can is the biggest thing for me and getting to experience those types of experiences.
Conor: Absolutely. So, here’s the last one. If you had to sing karaoke in front of the entire school, what song would you pick?
Zoey: Oh, easy question. Super Bass by Nicki Minaj. That’s my go-to karaoke song.
Conor: Very bold. I love it. Well, thank you Zoey and good luck in the future.
Zoey: Thank you.
Doug: Well done, Conor. I love the addition of asking them those lightning round questions. I think you and I should participate.
Conor: Yeah, that was fun, right? So let me hit you with the lightning round since I’m the lightning master apparently. So Doug, what’s your least favorite food?
Doug: I don’t like this question because there’s not a food I’ve met that I don’t like. Brussels sprouts used to be on the list, but I’ve had them recently—love them, especially when they’re roasted.
Conor: Do you have any pets? I know you do. Tell us about your pets, I should say.
Doug: I do. Pancake the wonder dog. Also have Louie the cat and Meep the cat.
Conor: What book are you reading right now?
Doug: I’m reading Winston Churchill in 100 Objects. Really cool book that shows artifacts and has a story that goes along and the whole thing is told in the progression of his birth to his death.
Conor: Sounds fascinating. What is your dream spring break travel destination?
Doug: I would go to Ireland right now if you let me.
Conor: What TV, YouTube, podcast series are you watching or listening to?
Doug: Oh man, and you’ve heard me talk about this and I can’t get into it right now on this podcast because there’s not enough time, but my wife and I are watching Cheers for the first time. Man, it is not great.
Conor: It didn’t age well, Doug said.
Doug: But we’re in season five and there’s still more to go.
Conor: What’s one thing left on your bucket list?
Doug: One thing left on my bucket list is actually flying in a seaplane and flying in a hot air balloon. Two things I’ve never done.
Conor: And if you had to sing karaoke in front of everyone at the entire admin retreat this summer, what song would you pick?
Doug: If I could bring my wife along, we do a dynamite version of Love Shack.
Conor: And I have heard that version several times actually, and I gotta say, it’s better than the original.
Doug: Well, thank you, that’s—that’s very kind. Bethel High School is up next with Princess Mya. Conor, take us away.
Conor: So Mya, what made you want to become a Daffodil Princess?
Mya: That’s a really good question. I would say just being around Pierce County. I’ve been a part of the Bethel School District my entire life, so it’s just been super great to represent my high school and the Bethel School District as a whole as a Daffodil Princess.
Conor: Fantastic. And has there been a teacher or teachers along the way, whether here at Bethel High or anywhere in your scholastic career, who’s been especially inspiring for you?
Mya: Yeah, I would definitely say my science teacher, Miss Jennifer Morrison. She is just absolutely amazing and her science program is what truly has really led my future in healthcare.
Conor: Great shoutout, Miss Morrison. What’s your favorite thing about Bethel High School?
Mya: I really like just the community that we’ve made at Bethel. I feel like it’s just a really tight-knit community and everybody’s really friendly with one another and it’s just a great school to be a part of.
Conor: Absolutely, I can attest to that. And what are you going to do after you graduate? You got any big plans?
Mya: I do. So, I will be graduating high school with my medical assistant certification through my schooling at the Pierce County Skill Center. So, I will be working as a medical assistant while attending school part-time to pursue nursing.
Conor: That is really, really cool. We’re going to move on to our favorite part, lightning round. So Mya, what is your least favorite food?
Mya: I don’t like meatloaf.
Conor: Do you have any pets?
Mya: I do. I have two dogs, Rocky and Reese.
Conor: Awesome. And what book are you reading right now?
Mya: Uh—I’m not a very great reader, but the last book I read was probably Harry Potter around Christmas time.
Conor: You can’t beat that, it’s a classic. Okay, what’s your dream spring break travel destination?
Mya: Probably the Mall of America in Minnesota because I love shopping and I love giant malls.
Conor: Very cool. You got both covered there. What TV show, YouTube show, podcast series are you watching right now?
Mya: I’m watching the MrBeast Beast Games right now and it’s actually very interesting.
Conor: All right. What’s one thing on your bucket list that you want to get accomplished?
Mya: I think I would just like to be able to talk to more people and just be around a more diverse demographic of people.
Conor: Very cool. Okay, this is a tough one. If you had to sing karaoke in front of the entire school, what song you going to pick?
Mya: I would sing Fight Song by Rachel Platten. I think that’s her last name. I don’t know, I just used to sing that a lot when I was little and I feel like that’s the song I would be least likely to mess up.
Conor: Awesome Mya, well good luck in the future.
Mya: Thank you so much.
Doug: Well, that was awesome. Love hearing from Princess Mya. And Conor, you’re up for the lightning round. Let’s go. What is your least favorite food?
Conor: I might have mentioned this before. I just don’t like the texture of mushrooms.
Doug: I think that’s fair. Do you have any pets?
Conor: Not at the moment. RIP my boy Cooper.
Doug: We loved Cooper. What book are you reading right now?
Conor: I am reading a fascinating book called Poems of the Night by Jorge Luis Borges.
Doug: What is your dream spring break travel destination?
Conor: I’m going with Ireland. I’m leaving right now if you say it’s okay, and you’re my boss, so this is binding.
Doug: Then I will remain silent on the issue, though it does sound like a great idea. What TV, YouTube, podcast series are you watching right now?
Conor: It’s not a series, but I am watching March Madness NCAA basketball.
Doug: What is one thing left on your bucket list?
Conor: Well, thankfully I’ve been able to knock off a lot of things on my bucket list already, but one thing I haven’t done yet that I would love to do is drive across the country and see all of this beautiful country of ours.
Doug: All right, final question. If you had to sing karaoke in front of a large group of folks that you personally know and work with, what song would you sing?
Conor: As it happens, I have done that, and the song I did sing to much acclaim was Wicked Game by Chris Isaak.
Doug: Our final princess today is Abby over at Graham-Kapowsin High School. Conor, take it away.
Conor: So Abby, what made you want to become a Daffodil Princess?
Abby: Well, you know, there were a lot of different things that made me want to become the Daffodil Princess, but mainly, I am a Running Start student, and so as a Running Start student I don’t get to be at my school as much and so it’s harder to connect with my community. So Daffodil was kind of my way of reconnecting and getting back involved with my community.
Conor: Has there been a teacher at this school or any of the schools you’ve gone to that has especially inspired you in your journey?
Abby: Um, definitely. I would say there has been a lot. I would say specifically Miss Fuller, Mr. Ledbetter, and Miss Sinnis from Liberty.
Conor: Nice, shoutout to those guys. What’s your favorite thing about this school?
Abby: I love our diversity here. A lot of the times GK tends to get kids from all around the area, not just from specific middle schools. So, I love that we get a bunch of different people here.
Conor: Nice. And what are your plans after graduation?
Abby: I would like to go study at a four-year university somewhere preferably out of Washington, and then I hope to study abroad for a couple of years.
Conor: So, this is lightning round, so this is—this is when it gets real. All right Abby, what’s your least favorite food?
Abby: I don’t know if I have one. I think maybe like anchovies?
Conor: Any pets?
Abby: I have two cats, Ichigo and Yuzu.
Conor: What book are you reading right now?
Abby: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
Conor: What is your dream spring break travel destination?
Abby: Thailand.
Conor: What TV show, YouTube show, podcast series are you watching or listening to right now?
Abby: Recently, I have been watching New Girl.
Conor: What’s one thing that you just know that’s on your bucket list that you have to accomplish at some point?
Abby: I want to visit all the countries.
Conor: If you had to sing karaoke in front of the entire school, what song would you choose?
Abby: I would sing Valerie.
Conor: Thank you so much and good luck in the future.
Abby: Of course, thank you so much.
Doug: Well, this has been a really fun show. Great to hear from all the princesses and I hope this year’s Daffodil Parade is outstanding and the weather is fantastic for it. We will be back in two weeks after spring break with another great episode.

Episode 169: Middle schoolers making a difference

On this week's show we take a field trip to meet some budding middle school scientists and their teacher who's been leading the school's Science Club for over a decade! We talk salmon dissection, tree planting, and even find out how they are making the world a better place for generations to come. All that plus useless trivia, in less than 15 minutes.

Episode 168: Mechanical horses in the White House and the new BHS

This week we hear from a variety of voices, from an amazing senior, all the way to the Superintendent. We dive into our Special Services program and discuss Unified Sports, co-teaching, and what we're doing to support non-verbal and medically-complex students. We also rundown our 2019 bond projects and give you the latest on the construction of the new Bethel High School and the new Cedarcrest Middle School. All that, plus useless trivia involving a secret mechanical horse in the White House, and the world's first computer bug!

Episode 167: Little voices, big ideas

On this week’s episode, we’re visiting Elk Plain School of Choice to explore their unique K-8 program and its specialized emphasis on the arts and sciences. We hear from a kindergartener and her older brother as they share what it’s like to learn in an environment where dance, theater, and science are part of the daily adventure. You’ll learn, laugh, and definitely say “awww” a few times as you hear from our youngest podcast guest ever. Plus, our weekly useless trivia features some high-flying facts about airports and the fascinating world of cloud science.

Episode 166: Shifting Gears

This week we’re introducing you to an automotive student from the Pierce County Skills Center who has already received over 20 job offers … before she’s even graduated! We then shift gears to address some concerning news from Olympia. Recent legislative developments could have a devastating impact on our district's budget, potentially costing us millions of dollars each year. We break down what this means for our students and discuss what steps are being taken to advocate for fair funding. On a brighter note, we're excited to share why researchers from Johns Hopkins University are making their way to our district, and we also dive into a remarkable success story: how some of our schools have reduced suspensions by an impressive 75%! 

Episode 165: Dungeons & Dragons

On this week’s show, we're diving into one of the most creative approaches to social-emotional learning we've ever seen: a Dungeons & Dragons club where epic quests meet real-world character development. We sit down with a middle school counselor (and Price is Right contestant) who's brilliantly blending curriculum with campaigns, teaching students essential life lessons before they roll the dice. Students then put those skills into practice in fantastical worlds filled with dungeons, dragons, and difficult decisions. You'll also hear from one of his students who shares stories about the friendships forged and skeletons scattered. Along with all that we've got our weekly useless trivia segment featuring some perfectly "middle school" facts from our two guests, along with a surprising bit of U.S. history involving none other than Honest Abe himself. 

Episode 164: The power of paraeducators

On this week's show, our useless trivia this week spans recorded history, from dinosaurs to the death of Abraham Lincoln! Then we'll cover the results of our replacement levy election, and hear from our School Board President and Superintendent as they discuss our district's budget. One of our Student School Board Representatives shares their perspective on what matters most, and we sit down with a paraeducator and teacher team to learn about the vital role paras play in creating inclusive classrooms and supporting every student's success. New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Check us out wherever you listen to podcasts and be sure to like, comment, subscribe, and share with a friend! bethelsd.org/podcast

Episode 163: Field goals, fin facts, and Challenger's finest

On this week's show, we kick things off with some Super Bowl trivia before we sit down with one of our dedicated paraeducators who works behind the scenes to support student success every single day. We’ll also introduce you to one of our superstar seniors whose achievements and story will motivate listeners of all ages. Plus, we'll take you on a tour of Challenger Middle and High School, where you'll discover what makes this learning community so special, from innovative programs to the incredible staff and students who bring it to life. 

Episode 162: Seahawks, secret swimming pools and other Bethel myths

This week we bust some Bethel myths, including rumors of secret swimming pools and what really happens on late-start Mondays. We also find out how many gallons of gas our buses use each year, and unpack a bizarre piece of Seahawks trivia just in time for the Super Bowl! Election Day is February 10! Don't forget to VOTE!

Episode 161: Don’t forget to VOTE!

On this week’s show, we hear from one of our Student School Board Representatives as we explore the vital role of music, sports, clubs, and other levy-funded activities in our schools. We also dive deep into our two replacement levies and discuss the incredible impact of voting in local elections. You'll also hear from an eighth-grade student musician who shares how music and jazz have transformed her life. And we’ll touch base with some teachers and coaches on how all these programs shape student success. And of course we’ll share some useless trivia from across the USA, and discuss an exciting and unique opportunity for you to join our School Board. 

Episode 160: A spoonful of hot sauce

This week we welcome Superintendent Brian Lowney, who shares his passionate perspective on how the upcoming levy renewals directly impact our students. Before diving into the serious stuff, we kick around some bizarre NFL history and surprising prohibition-era facts that will make you the star of your next dinner party. Then we pull back the curtain on our viral "Levy Hot Seat" video, and get some heartfelt insights about how local levy funding directly impacts classroom resources, student programs, and the overall educational experience we can provide to every child in our district. 

Episode 159: Your levy dollars at work … plus microwave mysteries

Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes to keep our schools connected, secure, and ready for whatever the future holds? This week, we're taking you on a deep dive to see the Technology Levy in action. From cybersecurity that’s protecting students and staff, to the iPads transforming how students learn and create, to the infrastructure humming quietly in the background that makes it all possible, you'll find out how technology is preparing our students for careers and challenges that don't even exist yet. Plus, we're spotlighting some seriously cool innovations, like the new tablets on school buses that help drivers navigate their routes while allowing students to check themselves on and off the bus. It’s a game-changer for student safety that ensures every child starts and ends their school day exactly where they should be. All that, along with our usual dose of useless trivia, in under 15 minutes. New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Check us out wherever you listen to podcasts and be sure to like, comment, subscribe, and share with a friend! bethelsd.org/podcast

Episode 158: From high school to $45/hour

Forget everything you think you know about shop class! The Pierce County Skills Center's Machining program is preparing students for high-paying careers right out of high school. We sit down with instructor Evan Thomas and senior Waylon to explore how students master everything from Computer-Aided Design and 3D printing to welding and sheet metal fabrication, creating a skill set that employers desperately need. 

Episode 157: Cell phones in schools

On this week’s show we're featuring the work of our student producer, Millicent! You heard from her last week, and now we're excited to share her produced piece on cell phones in schools. In this episode, you'll hear how mobile devices are impacting education, candid interviews with teachers about how these devices affect their classrooms, and important discussions on screen time and cyberbullying. 

Episode 156: Pyramids, Elevators, A.I. and Alaska

This week we have a third co-host join the show! Get ready to meet Millicent, one of the seniors in our district who is pursuing a career in journalism. We chat with her about a wide variety of topics, from Sudanese pyramids to artificial intelligence. We also learn about a podcast segment she's producing that we'll debut on our show next week! All that as well as useless trivia in this jam packed episode! 

Episode 155: Grad rates, construction updates, and odd military history

On this week's episode we learn a strange piece of military history, dig into our students' test scores, and reveal our district's highest graduation rate ever! We also get updates on all of our bond projects (thank you, voters!) and we even discuss the meaning of time itself. Check us out wherever you listen to podcasts and be sure to like, comment, subscribe, and share with a friend!

Episode 154: Breaking levy news, Native American Heritage Month, and a Kit Kat world tour

This week, we break the internet with some HUGE news about our two replacement levies, before embarking on an exploration of Kit Kat flavors around the world. We also learn all about our Native American Education program that is helping students feel connected and seen in our schools.

Episode 153: Presidents, preschool, and Disney debates

This week we find out how many presidents were born in Illinois, which Disney character was Walt's favorite, and we'll dive deep into our early learning program to learn about all the ways we support our youngest learners and their families. 

Episode 152: Frisbee funerals, blue whales, and school safety

This week we dig into safety and security in our district. First we hear from two school board members about the importance of emotional safety of our students. Then we chat with school staff that deal with safety and security day in and day out. We also make a little time for useless trivia about blue whales and Frisbee funerals. 

Episode 151: Headless chickens, pointy porcupines, and online learning

This week we ask some pointed questions about porcupines, ponder the plausibility of poultry pioneer Mike the Headless Chicken, and log on to a host of information about the Bethel Virtual Academy with one of our amazing teachers. By the end, you'll know more than you did at the beginning, and you'll finally know why one should NOT mess with Texas.

Episode 150: Poutine, pigskins, and levy-funded music

This week we learn all about our levy-funded music programs and discuss the wide variety of benefits students are getting from music education, including the feeling of "ensemble," opportunities for college scholarships and public performance, and much more. We also find out which of our co-hosts can be bribed with poutine, discover the oddities of Canadian football, and learn some very useless trivia that includes a story about the quietest room in the world. All that, plus a special message from one of our football coaches, in less than 15 minutes.

Episode 149: The Great Bethel Bake Off

This week, we’re serving up a wild mix of flamingo facts, discussing rampant rhinos in eastern Washington, and learning about a middle school baking club that might just launch the legendary Great Bethel Bake Off! Plus, our very special guest discusses her visit to the Oval Office, and we uncover one of the most unsettling Guinness World Records to date. Spoiler: you will be uncomfortable.

Episode 148: The biggest restaurant in Pierce County

This week we talk bubble wrap wallpaper, find out how many foods you can put peanut butter on, and discover which member of Team Bethel is fantasizing about fondue. We also go behind the scenes and learn about the hard work that went into getting free meals for ALL students in our district, and what families need to do to make sure it continues for years to come! (Hint: Fill out the form at bethelsd.org/meals)

Episode 147: Immortal jellyfish, playground referees, and hallway goats

This week we sit down with the principal of one of our award-winning schools to learn about lavender snakes and immortal jellyfish, before discussing the behind-the-scenes work that is elevating student voice at her school. We also chat about our district's upcoming renewal levies, and find out how our 2019 school construction bond projects are coming along.

Episode 146: She walked miles to school in Namibia, now she’s teaching Washington State History and giving back

This week, we'll hear the powerful story of a teacher who turned her early struggles into a lifelong mission to educate and uplift others. Growing up in Namibia, she explains how poverty was her greatest motivator, and how she walked miles each day just to get to school. Her teaching career began when she created a school at a border crossing in southern Africa, and today she brings that same passion to her classroom here in Bethel where she teaches Washington State History and ELA. Even more inspiring, she spends her summers back in Namibia, giving back to the village that raised her. That inspiring story, plus useless trivia, all in under 15 minutes!
 
 
 

Episode 145: Hot dog combos, Bethel's budget, and sloth trivia

This week we discuss classroom behavior, Bethel's budget, and $1.99 hot dog combos. We also learn whether sloths or dolphins would win in a very specific competition, and we find out which Pierce County school district was named one of Forbes best companies (hint ... it's us!).

Episode 144: From the graduation stage to the proverbial Pringles can

This week we'll find out what Adam Sandler, Otis Redding and Colonel Sanders have in common before venturing into the world of getting students ready for life after high school. We'll do a deep dive into all the opportunities our students have to challenge themselves academically, with a few options that might surprise you! Before our 15 minutes are up you'll also figure out what the title of this episode means.

Episode 143: Old sharks, martial arts, and how we bus 16K students

This week we're finding out which member of Team Bethel has a secret blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We'll also discuss the first coin minted in the USA, whether sharks are older than trees, and we'll learn all about our Community Connections program. To finish it off, our very special guest will reveal their identity, their martial arts mojo, and much much more!

Episode 142: Octopus hearts, NFL alum, and the first day of school

This week, on a jam-packed, first-day-of-school episode, we ponder the muscles of mollusks, get the latest on some Bethel alum playing in the NFL, and hear about an upcoming opportunity for you to have coffee with our Superintendent! We also dive into the many ways Bethel prioritizes school safety and security, and we finally answer the age-old question: Why are school buses yellow?

Episode 141: Phishing for rented pineapples

This week we're venturing back to a time when pineapples were so expensive, they had to be rented! After more useless trivia, we'll be talking all things tech with our Chief Technology Officer. We'll discuss how cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are impacting education, and we'll also learn all about our Technology Capital Levy, which funds some critical things in our district ... thank you, voters!

Episode 140: Illegal Guinea pigs and the rise of the New Bethel High School

On this week's episode we're chatting about a bizarre law on the books in Switzerland that dictates the number of Guinea pigs one can legally own. After some more useless trivia, we'll learn all about the projects funded by the 2019 voter-approved school construction bond, and the three big projects it is currently funding. Along the way we'll chat with our director of construction and planning, and the principal of a recently remodeled school that's opening this fall. New episodes drop every Wednesday wherever you listen to podcasts. bethelsd.org/podcast 

Episode 139: Potty-mouthed parrots, and positive paraeducators

​The longest running school district podcast in the Puget Sound is back for a brand new season! Along with the news and interviews you've come to expect, this season we're debuting a brand new segment. Hosts Conor and Doug will surprise each other each week with a bizarre bit of trivia in "Useless Trivia of the Week." So grab your earbuds and get ready to laugh, learn, and get to know and love the amazing Bethel School District! 
This week we're sitting down with two young paraeducators and their assistant principal ... a trio who was, just a few years ago, two middle school kids and a coach!

Episode 138: Lessons that last

In the final episode of Season 3, we sit down with three members of the Class of 2025 to talk about what lies ahead, and how their time in school has shaped their goals, values, and confidence. These students open up about the teachers who believed in them, the classes that challenged them, and the moments that made them feel ready to take the next step. We also debut a new element we're excited about for our upcoming fourth season: Useless Trivia of the Week! Season 4 begins on August 6, 2025.

Episode 137: Memories, Milestones, and Minecraft?

This week, we sit down with a group of seniors as they reflect on the moments that shaped their high school journey. From unforgettable friendships to proud accomplishments, they share their favorite memories and look ahead to the future. But it's not all about nostalgia — we also ask the big question: If you could spend 24 hours in any fictional universe, where would you go? 

Episode 136: From freshmen to the finish line

The Class of 2025 is getting ready to graduate! This week we sit down with some seniors as they reflect on their most memorable moments, from standout classes and unforgettable teachers to the friendships and challenges that shaped their experience. We also talk about their hopes and dreams for the future—whether it's college, careers, or adventures yet to come!

Episode 135: Planting seeds of success with Agricultural Science and FFA

This week, we dig into the world of agricultural science with some high school students and their dedicated teacher. Join us to hear about hands-on learning in the classroom and the exciting ways these students are cultivating their futures. 

Episode 134: Bilingual and Beyond (Bethel's Dual Language program)

This week, we sit down with a Spanish Dual Language teacher and three of her students to hear firsthand how being bilingual and biliterate has shaped their identities, opened doors to new opportunities, and inspired future career dreams. From navigating two languages at home and school to dreaming big in both English and Spanish, this conversation dives deep into the real-world impact Bethel's Dual Language program is having on students.

Episode 133: Advanced placement with a British accent (Bethel's Cambridge Program)

Nobody is going to confuse Bethel High School with the University of Cambridge. One is an 800-year-old English institution of higher education, and the other is a 70-plus-year-old high school in Spanaway, Washington. But the two schools do share some similarities on the inside. Bethel’s Cambridge program offers local students a unique educational experience that prepares them for college-level coursework. On this week's show, we sit down with three Cambridge students and learn all about it.

Episode 132: Supporting military students; high school robotics

This week we talk with some championship robotics students and their coach. We also discuss the ways our district supports military-connected students, addressing the unique educational, social, and emotional challenges they face.

Episode 131: Local taxes support local kids

Thank you, voters! This week we learn how local tax dollars support local students through our two voter-approved levies. We also discuss the district's ongoing bond projects with our Director of Construction and the principal of one of our schools that will soon be rebuilt from the ground up!

Episode 130: Behind the scenes at an elementary school

In this episode we go beyond the classroom to learn more about how teachers and staff work to support students before school and after the school bell rings. Learn what happens during late start Mondays and much more on this week's show!

Episode 129: Spring Break!

It's Spring Break! On this week's episode, we check out some never-before-broadcast travel stories from some of our favorite guests of 2025. 

Episode 128: Meet our 2025 Daffodil Princesses!

This week we chat with all three of our district's Daffodil Princesses to learn more about their dreams for the future, staff that inspired them, and a whole lot more!

Episode 127: Students lead the charge with YMCA's Youth and Government program

Middle school students will soon be debating on the floor of the Washington State Legislature thanks to the YMCA's Youth and Government program. This week we sit down with two of those students, check in with program leaders, and chat with one of our teachers to get the full picture of this unique opportunity. 

Episode 126: Small engine repair and welding in class

This week we sit down with one of our CTE teachers to discuss small engine repair, power sports, and the future of welding in class. We also dive into how these hands-on skills are preparing students for exciting career opportunities in the trades!