Is that Eric Garner worked

for some time for the Parks and Rec.

Horticultural Department, which means,

perhaps, that with his very large hands,

perhaps, in all likelihood,

he put gently into the earth

some plants which, most likely,

some of them, in all likelihood,

continue to grow, continue

to do what such plants do, like house

and feed small and necessary creatures,

like being pleasant to touch and smell,

like converting sunlight

into food, like making it easier

for us to breathe.

New in this week's Dragon's Fire

We invite all of our families and their students to join us on Tue, Apr 27 from 6:30–8 pm for an evening of celebration and solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ students! We’ll have a presentation from Seattle Public School’s health education manager, Lisa Love, on the making of the book Our Students: Their Stories as well as presenters from our Center School community and Q&A with Brandon Knox, Program Director at Lambert House.

Join Zoom Meeting:

Meeting ID: 889 2846 5317

Passcode: 699527

One tap mobile

+12532158782,,88928465317#,,,,*699527# US (Tacoma)

+16699006833,,88928465317#,,,,*699527# US (San Jose)

Hi TCS Community,

Mr. Alex here, visual arts teacher who first started teaching art from room 362 in The Center School four years ago. Later this year, in June, I will teach from this tiny, cozy classroom as the TCS visual arts teacher for the last time. Then, I will say my goodbyes.

In late March I applied for a newly opened visual arts position at Franklin High School. In mid-April I interviewed, was offered, and accepted the position. Franklin HS created and funded this position with the intent of the new hire melding visual arts and social justice in their classes. I cannot imagine a better mix of my skillset and passions than what this position is calling for. For those of you who don't know, I graduated from FHS in 2006, student-taught there, and taught there for my first year in Seattle Public Schools. In a sense, I am going home.

This news may be unexpected, but I will do my part to make sure TCS is set up for a smooth transition to whoever the new art teacher will be. Things will be different, but different doesn't mean worse and change is inevitable. The next art teacher will bring a new voice, fresh set of ideas, and different ways of teaching to TCS.

I will save my goodbyes for another day. I am sharing this news with all of you today simply to keep you informed. My time at TCS has meant more to me than I can put into words ... warts and all. Saying goodbye to our students later this school year will be one of the hardest things I'll ever do as a teacher. I will leave TCS a far, far better educator than when I first arrived four years ago. For this, and the incredible students I've been blessed to teach, I am deeply appreciative.

Thank you for reading this lengthy message!

If you missed Dr. Casey's robocall last week, you can read all the details here including information on graduation, the college and career info session, the LGBTQIA+ celebration, CSCA board recruitment, and appeals to in-person learning.

Congratulations to seniors, class of 2021. You will be the first TCS class graduating at Memorial Stadium at 2 pm on Jun 15. We are working to have an all school attendance to celebrate you. Thank you for your hard work in completing your senior year with senior projects and academic coursework. We am proud of your focus and your tenacity in keeping the dream alive towards graduation and next steps beyond The Center School. Graduation planning is beginning this week. Seniors, it’s your graduation, so create a memorable and fun celebration day of activities.

As we head into our second week, please make sure your students are following the safety protocols for in-person school.

Students who have opted out of the hybrid model will continue with asynchronous learning on Mon and Tue afternoons, but please do note the timing changes on the schedule below for synchronous classes on those days.

You can view the current bell schedule any time using the Bell Schedule link in the sidebar at the top of the newsletter.

From Mon, Apr 12 through Fri, Apr 30, Seattle Center Monorail will be closed during high impact phase of construction. Read more and get alternate routes.

Is one of these critical positions a good fit for you? Please reach out to Erika Borges at erikaborges@me.com for interest or more information.

What a fantastic Auction Week we had! Because of generous folks like you, we were able to raise $26,690. We anticipate receiving another $2750 in company matching gifts!

Thank You: Thank you to everyone who helped make our 2 auctions so successful! The volunteers, donors, attendees, bidders, students, teachers, and staff. So many came together to make it all happen. Thank you!

Pick Up: If you need to pick up your prize(s), please contact Angie Johnson at angiejohnson@usa.net to make arrangements.

Matching Gifts: If you contributed to one of our auctions please ask your HR Department and let us know if your company has a matching gifts program. Email Rosina at RosinaAuction@gmail.com to make arrangments. Some companies who have participated in the past are: Starbucks, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, Boeing, Paccar, QuoteWizard, Liberty Mutual Group, and Alaska Airlines.

Thanks everyone for supporting our students at TCS!

These are tough times for teens. If your student needs extra support as navigate this phase of the pandemic and contemplate reentry into live school, these resources might help:

Join TCS Career Center coordinator and college counselor, Mr. Rho, for an informative meeting on attending junior college after high school. Tue, Apr 27, 7–8 pm via Teams (https://tinyurl.com/274uurwv).

Check the Career Center page for more information. Questions? Contact Mr. Rho at ewrho@seattleschools.org.

Three artists will be commissioned to create three artworks, each unique to one of the new RapidRide Expansion lines and featured on a series of limited-edition ORCA cards to be released at the inauguration of each new line.

Young people (ages 16–25) residing in King, Kitsap, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston and Whatcom Counties of Washington State and who identify as visual or graphic artists are eligible to apply. Applicants may be pursuing education and/or a career in the arts, but this is not a requirement. In fact, artists with non-traditional and out-of-school training are encouraged to apply. Artists must be able to share a portfolio of 6 work samples created in the last three years in order to be considered.

Finalists will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:

May 5

The 2021 Leaders of Today competition is centered on exploring the evolution of youth perspectives during the pandemic. We will be accepting 1–2 minute creative video submissions or 500-word writing pieces in response to the following prompt:

Ever since we can remember, adults have been asking us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This leaves the impression that we don’t have the ability to create change now. So let’s ask ourselves, “What is one specific change you want to enact in your category as a Leader of Today? Why?"

Participants may respond to the prompt within the context of one of the following three categories (our judges strongly encourage students to choose the category that they are most passionate about):

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Reward: Winners will get the unique opportunity to gain advice and collaborate with adult ambassadors in their respective categories. More details about the reward can be found here.

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Please ensure that your submission adheres to the competition guidelines.

Deadline is May 2, 11:59 pm. Sign up now.