Highline High School’s Jazz Band will be holding a fundraiser dinner and silent auction from 7pm to 10pm on Saturday, Feb. 20th at the Highline High cafeteria.

Tickets are just $7 and will be available at the door or can be purchased from a band student.

The band will be playing old jazz and swing favorites such as “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “String of Pearls” and many others.

There is plenty of space to dance and the silent auction will be going on while the band plays.

Desserts will be available also.

Money raised will go towards helping fund a trip to Vancouver, B.C. for band members (jazz and symphonic), with 100% of the proceeds going to the band.

More information on the band and its activities is available at this website.

The 2nd Annual Scholarship Benefit Soccer Game for the Andy MacDonald EMT Scholarship Fund at Puget Sound Skills Center will be held Sunday, Nov. 29th beginning at 11am at Highline Memorial Stadium.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Benefit Soccer Game for the Andy MacDonald EMT Scholarship Fund – Boys vs. Girls! There will also be a Raffle drawing for great prizes afterwards at Mick Kelly’s.

WHEN: Sunday, November 29, 2009; Gates open at 10:30am; Game begins at 11:00am.

WHERE: Highline Memorial Stadium

COST: Admission by donation accepted at the stadium and after the game where the gathering will continue at Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub (435 SW 152nd, Burien)

INFO: Here’s info on Andy MacDonald:

Just over three years ago, a torrential storm hit, causing the Cowlitz River near Mt. Rainier to overflow and sweep Highline High ‘05 graduate Andy MacDonald away to a tragic death at age 19.

Andy was hunting elk with his family, and the truck he was in fell into the raging river after the bank gave way underneath it.

He was a popular high-school athlete with a great sense of humor, as well as an aspiring firefighter and a friend with “the best hug in the world.” He played soccer, wrestled, was president of his junior class as well as homecoming king. He was known at Highline as a kid who was kind to all, friends said.

Out of tragedy something good can be born; Andy’s family and close friends set up a scholarship in his name. Each November, in honor of Andy’s birthday and untimely passing a soccer game is held known as the “Boys vs. Girls” game. All of his old teammates and friends come out to play a friendly game, and the public is invited to attend.  Afterwards the team holds a raffle at a local restaurant. This consists of items donated from local business and personal items contributed by Andy’s family.

Last year over 200 people attended the game, which was held at Highline Stadium, and we raised more than $4,500.  All of the money is donated to the scholarship. The Andy MacDonald EMT Scholarship is set up at the Puget Sound Skills center where Andy received his firefighting training. This scholarship will assist future Cadets in the Puget Sound Skills Center Fire Services class to help send them to an Emergency Medical Technician class. This year we anticipate sending four to six Cadets to the EMT class and this will aid in covering lab fees, required equipment, travel expenses, etc. Andy’s passion in life was to help those in need and this is our way of assisting others with the same life goal.

For more information on Andy MacDonald, here’s a link to a Facebook tribute page, chock full of great photos that will soon make those who didn’t know him feel like they actually did.

If you can’t make it to the game, you can also donate directly to:

Puget Sound Skills Center
“Explorer Post-24” in care of Andy MacDonald
18010 8th Avenue South
Burien, WA 98148

To donate prizes for raffle or for more info please contact Becky MacDonald at 206-439-0745.

BTB Advertiser Vision Collision is sponsoring a car wash this Saturday and Sunday to help raise funds for Robin Hoof, a local teacher who is fighting breast cancer.

The event takes place on both this Saturday (Oct. 10th) and Sunday (Oct. 11th) from 11am to 5pm at Vision Collision, located at 803 SW 154th Street in Burien.

Robin Hoof has been a teacher and swim coach with the Highline School District for 20 years. At Evergreen High School she is a French teacher, and also serves as swim coach for the boys and girls teams at Highline High School.

In April 2007, Robin was diagnosed with breast cancer. After undergoing chemo and a mastectomy, she was considered in remission. In early 2009 she noticed a lump in her neck and was diagnosed for the second time in February. She again underwent chemo and then in the Spring she took her students to Europe. When she got back from that trip, she noticed she had a rather bad cough. Then in August she was admitted to Swedish Hospital where she continued chemo treatments, but her health was rapidly declining. Due to her compromised immune system, the doctors gave her the last chemo treatment on September 18th and told she and her mother, “any day now.”

That day has come and gone, and Robin is still fighting, but she needs your help (and you need a car wash, so this is a perfect match!).

Alternative forms of treatment are now being explored by her family, as those closest to her refuse to give up. Robin’s words to her mother at Swedish were, “I’m not going to let this get me Mom.” She’s in the fight of her life, and wants to beat this disease.

Here are some pertinent website links:

• Facebook Group: “Hope for Robin”
• Facebook page for Vision Collision’s car wash
• A local AVON representative is giving 30% of total sales to Robin’s cause

Here’s more info:

Amy Driscoll and her husband are graciously opening their doors on the weekend to help Robin. We need volunteers to hold signs and draw people in off the road, wash cars, and talk to the public about what’s going on with Hope for Robin. We are doing this BOTH days! Misty will be there with her laptop to push the AVON site. Get in touch with Kristina Todd (on my friends list) if you’re willing to volunteer. I will be visiting both Evergreen and Highline high schools Friday October 2nd to rally for business and volunteers. Thanks everyone

Car washes to be held at different times through out the year by the Driscoll family at Vision Collision.

And the big Kahuna…a charity climb in her honor to the summit of Mt. Rainier Summer ‘10.

Many have rallied around Robin by way of well wishes, donations, and offerings of volunteer work for her. But it’s not enough. More people are needed. Her medical bills are through the roof already, and as a person who’s touched as many people as she has, don’t we owe it to her? Isn’t it our job to give back. And giving Robin hope, is the best gift any human being can give to another.

Because 1 car, and $1 can make all the difference! And because ONE person can make a difference! Be a part of the Army of HOPE!

by Mark Neuman

We sat down recently for a talk with King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg.

Dan joked while recollecting his days playing both offense and defense for Highline High School’s football team in the late 1970’s.

“We were a small team, but we were slow.”

The Pirates won, perhaps, four games during the three years Dan was there.

“But really, I have to say that learning to lose and learning to do so with some grace and class is part of learning to live,” he said. “I think I may have learned more by being on a losing team than I would have being on a state championship team.”

Dan went on to the University of Washington for his BA in Political Science and a law degree.

“My favorite professor in law school was the one that scared me the most. His name was Arval Morris, a constitutional law professor. He was an intellectual giant,” Dan said. “I was in awe of him because of his ability to analyze and his depth of knowledge.

“He taught us so much about constitutional law and the rules of criminal law and how the government interacts with its citizens. The contract between government and citizens is the Constitution.

“It’s a fascinating area because we continue to define what we mean by that contract. The Constitution is a living, breathing document in my office because we look at Fourth and Fifth and Sixth Amendment issues every day as we analyze cases.

“I love the law, and I see those years in law school as formative years,” Dan added. “The prosecutor has a significant role in moving law in new directions. A prosecutor can actually direct traffic.”

JUVENILES WITH GUNS
One area where Dan is directing traffic deals with attempting to separate kids from gang activity before they fire a weapon in commission of a crime.

“You would think that when a 16 or 17 year-old youth is caught with a handgun that we would bring to bear all of our resources because this is a giant red flag. ‘We better pay attention to this kid,’” Dan said. “But the truth is that current state law builds in a tolerance where literally nothing happens until (there are) five felony convictions.

“And only then the kid, by law, would go to a Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration facility, let’s say Echo Glen, for a period of time.

“So the message that we send to a kid is that gun possession is not a big deal.”

Dan Satterberg and The State Prosecutors Association want to change that. They are pressing the Washington State Legislature to make changes to the law during the upcoming legislative session such that a juvenile found in illegal possession of a handgun will “get an immediate response from the system. We don’t wait. The kid gets removed from the community and put into Echo Glen,” he said.

“And while there the juvenile can get help with tried and true programs such as Moral Recognition Therapy which helps him understand his options and the potential consequences of his future actions.”

CANINE COMPANION PROGRAM
Dan spoke about the relatively new Canine Companion Program which involves having a dog in the courthouse to help calm the nerves of those going through the legal process.

“We have a dog in our office. Her name is Ellie, a six year-old Golden Lab. Ellie’s full time job is to come in and lay on the floor and look up at you with doe eyes. She puts kids at ease. We use her with our elder abuse cases as well.

“Once we got Ellie on board we realized this is an essential part of what we need to do to put witnesses and victims at ease. We have a lot of children who come into our office to talk about sexual abuse that happened to them or some scary moment, and when they see the dog all of a sudden everything’s okay. And they want to come back to see Ellie again.

“We even bring the dog up to drug court. Ellie will put her head in the lap of someone who may be heading to prison because they screwed up.

“Ellie doesn’t discriminate. Ellie loves everybody.”

NORM MALENG AND THE JOB OF PROSECUTOR
The duties of King County Prosecutor involve overseeing a staff of about 500, including 220 attorneys. The Office of the Prosecutor has an annual budget of $56 million.

Those duties fell on Dan’s shoulders quite unexpectedly in the spring of 2007 when long time Prosecutor Norm Maleng died suddenly at the age of 68.

Dan was appointed by the King County Council to serve as prosecutor and subsequently won election to serve the remainder of the full term.

“It was a great honor for me to work with Norm Maleng for 17 years. I was just 29-years old when he selected me to be his chief of staff.

“What I learned from Norm was not so much about the law as about life in general. I started with him shortly after he’d lost his daughter in a tragic sledding accident. So he was in many stages of grief and I learned an awful lot about dealing with people in grief.

“One of the things that he taught me was that every one of the thousands of felony cases we deal with involves a human tragedy, a story of someone’s hurt or loss or suffering.

“Norm would always start out a meeting with a homicide victim’s family by reaching out and saying how sorry he was that this happened to their family. He would say ‘Tell me about your son or daughter.’ To make that case and that person alive. The case wasn’t just a file full of papers.

“I try to keep that practice alive. What makes this job so meaningful is the ability to reach out and talk to victims and their families.”

THE FAMILY AND THE BAND
Dan and his wife, Linda, have two children and live in Normandy Park.

When he finds the time, Dan loves rocking out with his pals in their band The Approximations. Here’s info from their website:

Organized by bass player and singer Dan Satterberg (aka the King County Prosecutor), the band includes harmonica player and vocalist Bill Mattocks leader of the Bill Mattocks Band, keyboardist and vocalist Michael Hepburn from the nationally known 80’s R&B group Pleasure; drummer and vocalist Rusty Fallis, guitarist Tom Pratt, guitarist and vocalist John Rankin, percussionist and drummer Fred Staples, vocalists Linda Norman and Michelle Purnell-Hepburn. Tom, Rusty, Dan and John also play and record original songs as the Treehouse Dreamers.  With such a large band and wide array of musical backgrounds, the Approximations are likely to play songs by Smokey Robinson, the Beatles, AC/DC, Savoy Brown, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Fleetwood Mac and Kings of Leon all in the same set.

The Approximations have played their full, multi-faceted, danceable rock sets in Seattle venues such as the Showbox, Showbox Sodo, Mountaineers Club, and the Highway 99 Blues Club entertaining for private functions, special occasions, and benefits for the Domestic Violence Coalition, and the American Cancer society among others.

The band’s website is here, and you can view videos of the band in action here.

You can catch The Approximations at Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub (located at 435 SW 152nd Street in Burien), this Friday night, Sept. 18th:

They had their CD Release Party here on July 2nd, then played at the Tree Tree Point 4th of July party, and now Highline High School grad Trevor Rasmussen’s band, Boomerang Summer, is returning to Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub this Thursday, Sept. 3rd.

Rasmussen attended Sylvester Middle School, graduated from Highline High School and spent the better part of his childhood running around Burien – his mother was a P.E. teacher at Sylvester for 25 years. He moved back to Seattle two years ago after pursuing a full-time music career in Portland, and then L.A. where his dream was cut short when he broke his neck while surfing. After two years of rehab and a complete change of perspective he is now recovered, working fulltime as a publicist in his hometown and part-time as lead singer, saxophonist and songwriter for Boomerang Summer – something he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to do again.

It’s even more special that he serendipitously connected with Highline High School grads and Burien natives Ian McKamey, guitar, and Ben Johnston, drums, to form the new band over the past year. All three attended HHS, played in the jazz and symphonic band.

On Thursday, Sept. 3rd the band will bring their infectious live show back to Burien’s Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub, which is located at 435 SW 152nd Street.

For more information, read our July profile of the band here, or visit::

• www.boomerangsummer.com
• www.reverbnation.com/boomerangsummer
• www.myspace.com/boomerangsummer
• Facebook

Here are some tracks from Boomerang Summer to whet your musical appetite:

Highline High School grad Trevor Rasmussen’s band, Boomerang Summer, is holding a CD release party for their debut EP “Breathe” at Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub (BTB Advertiser) on Thursday, July 2nd.

Rasmussen attended Sylvester Middle School, graduated from Highline High and spent the better part of his childhood running around Burien – his mother was a P.E. teacher at Sylvester for 25 years. He moved back to Seattle two years ago after pursuing a full-time music career in Portland, and then L.A. where his dream was cut short when he broke his neck while surfing. After two years of rehab and a complete change of perspective he is now recovered, working fulltime as a publicist in his hometown and part-time as lead singer, saxophonist and songwriter for Boomerang Summer – something he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to do again.

“I’m as lucky as they come, because I could just as easily be in a very worse situation,“ says Trevor. “We named the band Boomerang Summer, as it represents the way things come back around if you let them. For me, getting a second chance at something like this makes it that much more special.”

It’s even more special that he serendipitously connected with Highline High School grads and Burien natives Ian McKamey, guitar, and Ben Johnston, drums, to form the new band over the past year. All three attended HHS, played in the jazz and symphonic band.

He has no delusions of grandeur, however, and he’s not quitting his day job. His band’s debut five-song EP is not flashy, nor does it shoot for that big radio single – it does, however, give a proper introduction to their musical outlook – diverse arrangements, thoughtful songwriting and great playing mixed with a hummable simplicity.

From the smart pop-blues of “Simple” and the lighthearted political swing of “Save” to the blast of saxophones and fast paced Latin sojourns of the title track, “Breathe,” the music moves seamlessly through several genres and styles. And whether it’s the epic Jimi Hendrix style solo that erupts from the “live in the moment” anthem “Say Goodbye” or the hushed melodic questions asked in “The Game,” the EP makes one thing clear – these guys are bringing it back to playing music for music’s sake.

All veterans of the regional musical landscape, Trevor has made sure the group has had one thing in mind since they kicked off their first rehearsal in guitarist Ian McKamey’s leaky basement.

“Let it happen,” he says. “We weren’t worried about the length of the tunes, sticking to a particular style or getting jammed up in trying to fit into a particular genre. The guys put their hearts and souls into the music and took each song to where they thought it wanted to go. Everything else has followed from there.”

From the live show to the record, the synergy of the group has surprised even them.

“We all have arrived from such different places musically,” says Ian McKamey, whose professional music career started at age 15 opening for Pat Travers. “Amazingly, we’re almost always on the same page and somehow, it all works.”

The band has had an impressive response at its first few debut shows and is quickly building on the respective member’s longtime fan bases in both the Seattle and Portland areas. The aptly titled Breathe will be available online and in NW stores July 24, just in time to heat up summer.

“The most important thing to us is that we go out there, play great music and make sure everyone present has a good time.”

Thus, he guarantees three things at a Boomerang Summer show – good vibes, great songs and a soulful explosion of musical diversity – so far, so good. Perspective has its perks.

And while this may be another CD release party for most, for Highline High grad and lead singer/songwriter Trevor Rasmussen it is something very special.

On Thursday, July 2nd the band will bring their infectious live show to Burien’s Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub (located at 435 SW 152nd Street) to offer the CD – before its July 24th release – to their neighborhood fans.

For more information, visit:

• www.boomerangsummer.com
• www.reverbnation.com/boomerangsummer
• www.myspace.com/boomerangsummer
• Facebook

Here are some tracks from Boomerang Summer to whet your musical appetite:

We first reported on the locally-made short comedy film “The Day My Parents Became Cool” last June when we posted a call for extras needed for scenes being filmed at Highline High School.

We reported from the set, showcased photos of the action, produced a video on the first sneak peek screening, interviewed Writer/Director Steve Edmiston as well wrote about the film’s first showing in various festivals (can you tell we love to see creative success?), and heck – we even proclaimed it as the #10 Top Burien-area story for 2008!

Well now we’ve got more exciting news about this B-Town Baby, including the Burien-area premiere date, time and place:

WHAT: Outdoor screening and Burien “public” premiere at the “Music and Movies In The Park“

WHEN: Friday, August 21st starting around 8:30pm, just before the outdoor showing of “Freaky Friday“

WHERE: Lake Burien School Park

Here’s a letter from Writer/Director Steve Edmiston on what else has been going on with this film:

Friends!

So much exciting news to share!

After our debut in February/March at Sedona, and the “Best Comedy Short” award in LA at the International Family Film Festival, The Day My Parents Became Cool will finally be screening in Seattle! We are an official selection of the 35th Seattle International Film Festival! You can see us in the press release at http://www.seattlefilm.com/about/news/detail.aspx?NID=158&year=2009.

Specific dates and times are TBD, but we will be screening on weekend of May 29-31, 2009. We will screen in the new state-of-the-art SIFF Cinema at Seattle Center, where all formats are brilliantly projected.

SIFF is an Oscar-eligibility-nominating festival (winning films become eligible for Academy voting) – so hopefully we’ll fill the house with motivated Parents’ fans! SIFF is the largest and most well-attended film festival in the United States with 150,000 attendees expected in 2009. With extensive local, national and international media coverage, SIFF is frequently included among the top 10 film festivals in the world.

We will organize event(s) around our Seattle premier, and keep you posted! (Please contact me if you wish to help!)

But wait, there’s more…

Big Island Film Festival Festival dates: May 14-17, 2009 Parents screening date: Saturday, May 16
BIFF is one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “Twenty Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.” Please let me know if you might wish to attend this outdoor fest! We need a representative to talk up the film during Q&A! Doesn’t get any better than this – big screens and palm trees, tropical beaches and celebrities! http://www.bigislandfilmfestival.com/

Prescott Film Festival and Series Parents screening date: May 13, 2009
This is a brand new festival and film series (the festival directors saw us at Sedona), and we have been invited us to be the opening night short film (so, does that mean “we’re number one?”). http://www.prescottfilmfestival.com/

A very special treat – the Seattle True Independent Film Festival Festival dates: June 5-14, 2009
Parents screening dates: June 8, 2009
This festival is the ultimate in cool, eclecticism, and fun. Last year, Moby (yes, Moby) was the special guest. We love this fest. Check us out at http://stiff.bside.com/2009/films/thedaymyparentsbecamecool_stiff2009.

A truly big, truly outdoor screening – Burien Strawberry Festival Parents screening date: Friday, August 21, 2009
Once again, thank you Burien! We are a special screening before Freaky Friday.

Thanks for all of your support – our Parents team is phenomenal, and we’re about to have a bunch of fun – thanks!

- Steve

www.thedaymyparentsbecamecool.com

And, in case you haven’t seen it yet, the sharply-edited trailer:

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• UPDATE: “The Day My Parents Became Cool” LA Screening
• VIDEO:”The Day My Parents Became Cool” Trailer + News
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Sneak Peeks
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Production Update
• Report & Photos From Highline High Movie Set
• Your Chance To Be In A Movie This Saturday

The Seattle P-I is reporting about an impending lawsuit against the Highline School District over what the mother of a deceased boy alleges as a flourishing “handgun trade” at Highline High School.

Here are some snippets from the story, which you can read in full here:

The mother of a 17-year-old Seattle boy shot to death by his stepbrother has filed suit against the shooter’s family and the Highline School District, where she alleges school officials negligently allowed a handgun trade to “flourish” — a charge attorneys for the district strenuously deny.

In court papers, Lucero’s suit follows the gun used to kill her son and argues that those who failed to stop its movement — including Tautua-Jantoc — should be held responsible for Michael Miller’s death.

According to police reports filed following the shooting, Tautua-Jantoc took a Glock pistol from his father’s collection of weapons some time prior to the shooting. Thomas Baisch, an attorney for Lucero, now contends that the boy kept the gun at Highline High School for weeks before he traded it for the gun that killed Michael Miller.

Highline School District attorney Jerry Moberg disputed Baisch’s claim, saying he’s seen no evidence to support either the allegation that Tautua-Jantoc acquired the gun at the school or that school officials allowed a gun trade to “flourish.”

Aviation High School, currently housed at the former Olympic Elementary School building in Des Moines, has received a private donation of $4 million, moving it well on its path to flying and landing at the Museum of Flight in south Seattle.

According to Catherine Carbone-Rogers, director of communications for the Highline School District, Aviation High School will continue to be managed by Highline; the Seattle School Board has approved an interlocal agreement with Highline to locate the school within Seattle’s boundaries.

The identity of the donor will be revealed at a press conference this Thursday (March 26th), where “he will accept naming rights”; here’s more info from a press release:

Local officials, students, parents, school administrators, and general aviation advocates will join Highline Superintendent John Welch and Aviation High School Principal and CEO Reba Gilman as they announce the first major private donor investment in the relocation of Aviation High School to The Museum of Flight in South Seattle.

Aviation High School has adopted an ambitious plan to relocate to the Museum of Flight by 2012. Construction costs for the new facility are $43.5 million, of which about $20 million has been raised from public and private sources.

This announcement of a major anchor private donor is the first of what is expected to be several other major contributions from individuals and businesses prominent in the aviation, engineering, and technology sectors of the Pacific Northwest.

The major donor will be in attendance to be acknowledged for his sizable gift, and to accept the naming rights to this unique high school.

Aviation High School’s mission and vision is:

To prepare all students for college, career and citizenship through a personalized, rigorous and relevant learning experience that is facilitated in the context of aviation and aerospace.

To be the premier public high school of choice for students in King County and the region who wish to pursue their passion for aviation and aerospace in a learning environment that prepares them for higher education, citizenship, and work.

The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 East Marginal Way South in Seattle, near Boeing Field, and Aviation High School is currently located at 615 South 200th Street in Des Moines – an 11.6 mile flight:

View Larger Map

We first broke the news about an original short comedy film being made in the area last June, then did reports from the set, at the sneak peek screening, and now we get official word that the world premiere for “The Day My Parents Became Cool” is set for the Sedona International Film Festival on Wednesday, February 25.

A second showing—on the festival’s biggest day—will be Saturday, February 28.

The film was written and directed by local filmmaker Steve Edmiston, a lawyer-turned-filmmaker, and here’s the well-produced trailer – see if you recognize any of the locations used:

The short has also been selected by the International Family Film Festival, and will play there on Thursday, Feb. 26th and Sunday March 1st in Hollywood.

“The Day My Parents Became Cool” is a comedic short about a group of teenagers who wake up one morning to find that adults have adopted teen fashion, complete with tattoos, body piercings, sagging jeans and lots of ‘tude. Edmiston describes the film as “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

Patrick Schweiss, Executive Director of the Sedona International Film Festival, says “I was HOWLING through it (especially having an 11-year-old and 7-year-old myself)…I could totally relate.”

Some other reviews of the film we found on the film’s website (including our very own…):

“… a slick-looking comedy that goes beyond image and explores how parents and their kids relate..”
- Richard Seven, The Seattle Times

“…a cute, family-safe comedy about high school students’ reactions when all grown-ups (including parents and teachers) suddenly change their looks and personalities to rival that of the most outrageously-dressed teen. Solidly acted and directed, with a fun script, great original music, all beautifully shot in HD…”
- Scott Schaefer, B-Town Blog

“… a bizarre world where all of the adults on the entire planet have literally “become cool” and desire to look and act just like their teenage kids, which provides both comedy and horror.”
- Steve Clare, Prost Amerika Film

“…the story of a cosmic catastrophe that causes all adults on the planet to become “cool,” adopting teen fashion and body image… high school students are more than just another brick in the wall.”
- Lynsi Burton, Seattle Post Intelligencer

More than 100 students from Highline, Mount Rainier, and Federal Way high schools were involved with the movie as extras, script consultants, and production assistants. A band formed by Federal Way high school students composed and recorded music for the movie’s soundtrack.

The movie was shot at Highline High School in Burien and a home in Normandy Park.

The Day My Parents Became Cool was made on an extremely low budget, funded by contributions from community members and grants from King County 4Culture, the City of Burien and the Federal Way Arts Commission.

“This film literally started out as an idea for a neighborhood home movie for my daughters, but the script quickly turned into a much larger idea,” says Edmiston.  “We couldn’t have stepped up to a project of this size without the support of the schools, the cities, and local arts community.”

Other films written by Steve Edmiston include The Spy and the Sparrow and A Relative Thing. For more information about The Day My Parents Became Cool, go to www.thedaymyparentsbecamecool.com.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Sneak Peeks
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Production Update
• Report & Photos From Highline High Movie Set
• Your Chance To Be In A Movie This Saturday

Highline High School’s Drama Club is performing “Clue the Musical” at the Highline Performing Arts Center, located at 401 S 152nd Street, from Wednesday, Jan. 28 through Saturday, Jan. 31 at 7pm.

Tickets are FREE, (oops…we misread: tickets are $20 general admission and $16 for Seniors/ASB Students) and the show sounds even more fun and interesting than say, Col. Mustard in the Kitchen with a Lead Pipe.

Here’s a blurb from the creators of the play’s website:

Based on the popular board game…this rousing, fun-filled musical brings the world’s best-known mystery suspects to life on the stage, and invites the audience to play along to solve a mystery.

CLUE The Musical is an international theatrical sensation, wowing both audiences and press.

View Larger Map

Locally-shot and produced short film “The Day My Parents Became Cool,” which we first reported on during its filming at Highline High School in late June had a sneak preview on Sunday, Dec. 7th and the B-Town Blog was there, along with nearly 300 other invited guests (including cast members, parents, production crew and more):

Our review of the 16-minute film is positive – it’s a cute, family-safe comedy about high school students’ reactions when all grown-ups (including parents and teachers) suddenly change their looks and personalities to rival that of the most outrageously-dressed teen.

Solidly acted and directed, with a fun script, great original music, all beautifully shot in HD mostly in and around Highline High School and a home in Normandy Park, “The Day My Parents Became Cool” has the potential to not only make it to several short film festivals, but to possibly be optioned (and re-made) into a feature-length motion picture.

If you’re wondering when and where you can see it, be patient – the goal now is to get it into as many film festivals as possible, which means it can’t be shown locally until then. Rest assured, The B-Town Blog will keep you updated as to its progress in 2009, and we’re certain there will be a screening in the Burien area sometime soon.

Written and Directed by area resident Steve Edmiston, the film’s plot is (according to its website):

The Day My Parents Became Cool is a short comedy that arises from the battleground conflict between parents and their rebellious teenaged children everywhere — fashion and body image.

The Day My Parents Became Cool is a modern, comic, costume drama — and every teen’s worst nightmare — creating a brave new world where adults, for inexplicable, perhaps cosmic, reasons, simultaneously adopt every teen trend in attire and body image.

The Day My Parents Became Cool tells the story of what one small group of teenagers do when every outward manifestation of their “rebelliousness” has been co-opted by . . . the enemy.

High School student Paige and her middle-school sister Madison drift off to sleep one night after being chastised by their conservative parents for staying up late on a school night, completely mesmerized by the classic film, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

The next day, Paige discovers the horror: inexplicably, both her parents are dressing for the day in clothing identical to that she sees in school. Her mother has super-tight jeans, with a thong extending up over her hips; her father pulls his suit pants down below his butt, exposing his white boxers. What Paige thinks is a lame Dr. Phil reverse-psychology stunt turns out to be a much bigger problem. At school, every adult — every teacher, coach and even the principal are in full-on teenage apparel mode. Hip hop, Goth, Emo, Gangster, Preppy — tattoos, piercings, thongs, sagging jeans. And acting like nothing is out of the ordinary.

When Paige and her friends learn the problem is worldwide, they band together and begin to fight back. First they try their own brand of reverse psychology; then they try to lead the adults down a completely alternative path of “cool.” Nothing works.

When Paige learns the REAL reason that the adults have suddenly lost all sense of taste and conservatism, it becomes clear that there is only one course of action.

Abandon all forms of manifested rebelliousness and individuality to the adults.

And start anew.

Just over two years ago, a torrential storm hit, causing the Cowlitz River near Mt. Rainier to overflow and sweep Highline High ‘05 graduate Andy MacDonald away to a tragic death at age 19.

Andy was hunting elk with his family, and the truck he was in fell into the raging river after the bank gave way underneath it.

He was a popular high-school athlete with a great sense of humor, as well as an aspiring firefighter and a friend with “the best hug in the world.” He played soccer, wrestled, was president of his junior class as well as homecoming king. He was known at Highline as a kid who was kind to all, friends said.

His family established a scholarship fund for Occupational Skill Center’s Firefighting program in Andy’s name, and they’re holding a special soccer match between Andy’s ‘pink shirt boys’ rec team and alumni of Highline’s girls’ soccer team on Saturday Nov. 29th at Highline’s Memorial Field, from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

Admission is by donation, and all proceeds will go to Andy’s scholarship fund.

So come down to Memorial Field and join Andy’s friends in this high-energy tribute to his memory.

For more information on Andy MacDonald, here’s a link to a Facebook tribute page, chock full of great photos that will soon make those who didn’t know him feel like they actually did.

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Some scenes from Saturday’s Highline Homecoming Parade and “Boo In Burien,” which goes until 5pm (we’ll post more pics & video later so check back):

We just got word that the Seattle Seafair Pirates will be raiding Highline High School’s Homecoming Parade in downtown Burien on Saturday, October 25th starting at 11am!

If all goes well, it may look something like this (only not a sunny summer day and in B-Town and not West Seattle):

During the off season, the Seafair Pirates attend numerous charity events each month in support of families and children as well as to aid local charitable organizations in their fundraising efforts. Unfortunately, as their popularity has grown, they have been required to make many difficult choices regarding the groups that they are able to assist due to the time constraints of being an all volunteer organization.

This was the situation when the organizer of Highline High School’s Homecoming Parade contacted the Seafair Pirates and requested an appearance.  The official mascot of Highline High School is a Pirate, so it seemed a natural fit to have the Pirates attend this event.  The Seafair Pirates attended this parade in 2007, but had five other events scheduled for the same weekend in 2008 so they regretfully declined to attend.

In a show of resourcefulness, the students of Highline High School logged on to the Seafair Pirates web site (www.seafairpirates.org) and expressed their disappointment and one senior student stated that “having you guys at our Homecoming Parade last year pretty much made the whole thing, seeing your pirate ship and exploding cannons was really an experience like no other! I couldn’t imagine another Homecoming parade being as much of a success without you guys.”

They once again petitioned the Seafair Pirates to attend this important event for the benefit of the school and the community of Burien. The Seafair Pirates were impressed by the initiative of the student body and they will show the students of Highline that determination is an important skill for their future and support the same by rearranging their schedule in order to attend their Parade and share in “PIRATE POWER”.

So come out and join the Seafair Pirates and show your support of the Highline Pirates – this years’ Homecoming parade will start at 11am on the corner of 4th and SW 153rd (near Vince’s Italian Restaurant) and head to 6th Ave SW (near Sal’s Deli), and then march west on SW 152nd, ending up around 12 Noon in the heart of Olde Burien:

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Photos and Story by Janet Grella

You may have noticed that many Burien businesses are lending their storefront windows to students of Highline High School to promote this years’ Homecoming game, parade and dance.

The B-Town Blog caught up with HHS students Kady and Aljiggs late this afternoon as they painted some windows in Olde Burien:

This years’ Homecoming parade will start at 11am on the corner of 4th and SW 153rd (near Vince’s Italian Restaurant) and head to 6th Ave SW (near Sal’s Deli), and then march west on SW 152nd, ending up around 12 Noon in the heart of Olde Burien.

Senior cheerleaders Kady and Aljiggs told BTB that there will be a cheer and drill demonstration in Olde Burien. Expect the Highline High School Marching Band, the cheer and drill squads and a few special surprises.

The Mark Restaurant will be having a breakfast buffet starting at 9am Saturday and going to 2pm; cost is $12 for adults and $10 for seniors & kids.

The Pirates will meet Foster High School at Highline Stadium for the annual homecoming football game on Thursday, Oct. 23rd at 7pm.

‘A Knight with the Stars” annual homecoming dance is this Saturday, Oct. 25th at 8pm.

Quick update from area resident Steve Edmiston, the Writer/Director behind “The Day My Parents Became Cool,” which we reported on during its filming at Highline High School in late June:

“We’re about one week from being ready to begin the film festival submission process.  Of course, we (as everyone in this business is compelled to do, down to our DNA) will send the film to Sundance!  Of course, our festival strategy does not plan on Sundance, and we anticipate that in 2009 we will screen at as many as 30 festivals around the world.  In Washington, we will seek to share the film at terrific festivals in Port Townsend, Bainbridge Island, Tacoma, Olympia, and of course, the Seattle International Film Festival.

It’s cool!

We WILL be scheduling some free test screenings in the Burien/Des Moines/Federal Way areas.  I will keep YOU posted!

Now, you know that I’m biased, but I think the film turned out wonderfully!  One of the fun things (strangely) is the credit roll, because it is LONG – and what I mean by that, it reflects a huge outpouring of support from our local communities – including the City of Burien, Highline Public Schools, Highline High School, Federal Way Arts Commission, King County 4Culture, Des Moines Rotary, local businesses, 150 high school and middle school kids, parents, volunteers – it just goes on and on.”

As always, we’ll keep you posted on the progress of this locally-created and produced film, so stay tuned!

by Mark Neuman

Matt Hale has been starting early and thinking big since his early days here in Burien, and he’s still tackling early and big things today.

The 1998 graduate of Highline High School, who was already taking college courses at age 17, is running for a seat on the King County Superior Court.

He’s wasting little time pursing his longtime dream.

“I’ve always wanted to serve on the bench. I was talking with a friend about my goals and he said ‘Well, why don’t you run now?’ And I decided ‘I’ll do it.’”

You may have seen his orange and blue yard signs around town recently.

He’s taking on two-term incumbent Laura Gene Middaugh, wife of State Senator Adam Kline.

Matt is currently an attorney at Wiener, Lambka & Deutscher, a Seattle-based personal injury firm.

He earned an academic scholarship that helped pay his tuition at Gonzaga University Law School. He earned his BA in Political Science at Gonzaga. Before that, he pursued writing and public speaking while earning his AA at Highline Community College.

His work experience has included employment at local hardware stores. In Spokane, Matt helped counsel people in crisis, answering an emergency telephone hotline.

He feels one change the court might look at is the role played by the citizen juror.

“A friend of mine was called and he told the judge that to serve might literally cost him his house. He was living from check to check,” Matt says.

“Perhaps there might be a way in the future for the court system to ease the burden of jury duty.”

The mere process of running for office has been a learning experience.

“Campaigning has helped me more fully realize how wonderful not only Burien is, but what great people the residents of King County really are.”

“I am moved by the importance of the service to the community that judges provide from the bench. That knowledge and awareness, in itself, is humbling,” he said.

You can meet Matt, his wife Nicole, and his team at a campaign fundraiser this Sunday afternoon, July 20, at HiLine Lanes, 15733 Ambaum Blvd SW, in Burien. It runs from 1 to 4pm.

Find more info go to: www.peopleformatthewrhale.com

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Just got back from spending a couple of hours on the shooting set of “The Day My Parents Became Cool,” which (as we first reported here) is filming all weekend at Highline High School.

The film is sponsored by the City of Burien, 4culture, the City of Federal Way, and many others, and has been fully approved by the Highline School District as well as Highline High School.

On set, we saw:

• Several scenes being shot (and re-shot)
• Numerous extras in wild costumes from various high schools in the area
• Actual teachers and staff
• A few real, paid actors and actresses
• And in what is sure to be a massive career change, even Highline Schools Superintendent John Welch as a high school principal gone nutty:

All under the supervision of local Writer/Director Steve Edmiston, who’s doing a heckuva job.

If you’ve ever been on an active movie set, you know that the combined collaborative creativity makes it one of the most enjoyable “jobs” in the world. Being a show biz vet ourselves, we appreciate what it takes to get to the point that Steve and Co. are at this weekend – hours and hours of writing, re-writing, pre-production, fundraising, phone calls, meetings, making deals with School Superintendents, Teachers, managers, staff, students, hiring an entire film crew, getting props, costumes and more, as well as unpredictable variables like whether the weather will cooperate or not (BTW, today’s light overcast is ideal for film lighting so here’s one reason to hope the sun does not come out today).

Below are some photos we took as we silently lurked during actual production:

You can still help support this film by buying t-shirts and other swag here!

by Dan Wright

Burien native and long-time resident Dr. James Rice was honored as Highline High School Alumni Association’s 2008 “Alumnus of the Year” during Highline’s annual Senior Celebration at the Cove in Normandy Park on Thursday June 12.

The award was presented by the Alumni Association in recognition of Dr. Rice’s 23 years as football team physician, assistant wrestling coach and many other volunteer roles.

Dr. Rice, well known in the community as Jim, was born and raised in Burien and was a 1963 graduate of Highline. After medical school at Tufts University, and medical residency in California, he returned to work at the Emergency Room at Highline Hospital. Eventually logging in 25 years at the hospital, he emerged as one of the leading physicians in the department.

Jim is the son of prominent Burien residents Donna and James Rice, Sr., also longtime contributors to the community. The late James Sr. was a Highline School District Board member for 26 years (1952-1978), while Donna was a long-time member of the Highline High School Parent-Teacher Association, and was active in many other community volunteer roles.

Always a family man first and foremost, Jim was congratulated at a brief celebration at  home by his wife Nancy Pazareskis Rice, sons James, Chad, Brad and Casey, and daughter Christina.  Daughter Brianna lives in California and was not able to attend.

At the ceremony, Jim was also presented with the Highline High School Booster Club’s Pirate Award for his tireless efforts to benefit Highline athletics. Highline student athletes and the entire community of Burien have benefitted substantially from Jim’s work through the years, and with these awards they said a hearty, “Thanks, Jim!”

Local resident Steve Edmiston is Writing and Directing a short comedy film in Burien this coming weekend (6/20-23), and he’s still seeking some extras for an all-day Saturday shoot at Highline High School.

The film is called The Day My Parents Became Cool, and is sponsored by the City of Burien, 4culture, the City of Federal Way, and many others. It has been fully approved by the Highline School District as well as Highline High School.

Steve is a local lawyer and gamemaker whose true passion is filmmaking. He has written several feature films before, and this will be his first time Directing.

The B-Town Blog plans to be on set Saturday, so expect a full report (with photos and perhaps video) early next week.

This is a not-for-profit production meant to entertain, educate and inspire through humor, along the lines of comedic role reversal films like Freaky Friday and Big:

The Day My Parents Became Cool is a short comedy that arises from the battleground conflict between parents and their rebellious teenaged children everywhere — fashion and body image.

The Day My Parents Became Cool is a modern, comic, costume drama — and every teen’s worst nightmare — creating a brave new world where adults, for inexplicable, perhaps cosmic, reasons, simultaneously adopt every teen trend in attire and body image.

The Day My Parents Became Cool tells the story of what one small group of teenagers do when every outward manifestation of their “rebelliousness” has been co-opted by . . . the enemy.

High School student Paige and her middle-school sister Madison drift off to sleep one night after being chastised by their conservative parents for staying up late on a school night, completely mesmerized by the classic film, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

The next day, Paige discovers the horror: inexplicably, both her parents are dressing for the day in clothing identical to that she sees in school. Her mother has super-tight jeans, with a thong extending up over her hips; her father pulls his suit pants down below his butt, exposing his white boxers. What Paige thinks is a lame Dr. Phil reverse-psychology stunt turns out to be a much bigger problem. At school, every adult — every teacher, coach and even the principal are in full-on teenage apparel mode. Hip hop, Goth, Emo, Gangster, Preppy — tattoos, piercings, thongs, sagging jeans. And acting like nothing is out of the ordinary.

When Paige and her friends learn the problem is worldwide, they band together and begin to fight back. First they try their own brand of reverse psychology; then they try to lead the adults down a completely alternative path of “cool.” Nothing works.

When Paige learns the REAL reason that the adults have suddenly lost all sense of taste and conservatism, it becomes clear that there is only one course of action.

Abandon all forms of manifested rebelliousness and individuality to the adults.

And start anew.

The film is being produced with the cooperation of two Washington State school districts and three high schools, and is providing an opportunity for over 100 high school students to work with filmmaking professionals.

This is a project of the Northwest Film Forum (NWFF), and donations are tax-deductible to the extent the law allows (click here to donate and “Become Cool”).

If you are in High School or look like it, Steve invites you to take advantage of this opportunity to be in a short film that will have you, your friends and your parents laughing all the way out of the theater.

Extras need to be on set at Highline High School, in Burien, the whole morning of Saturday, June 21st, and according to Steve, calltime is 7am!

Extras will get food and film credit (but no pay), as well as the close-up experience of seeing how a professional film is made.

NOTE: To sign up as an Extra, you must first register online, so please click here.

To donate, and “Become Cool,” please click here.

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Friday night the infamous “Birthday Bus” was unveiled and lit up at the Discover Burien Dinner/Auction, and the B-Town Blog was there:

 

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If you have any photos or videos of the festivities, please email us and let us know!

We’d love to post more…