Today though, we decided to try and capture what a lone student might be going through as he prepares to board a bus and head off to school after a busy, but, as usual, too-short summer – here’s a pic Scott Schaefer took of an 8th grader as he waited on his own for the bus to Sylvester Middle School from Burien’s Three Tree Point neighborhood:

For the complete HSD school calendar, click here (PDF file).

This week, John F. Kennedy Catholic High School senior Nicholas Griebel (pictured, right) will be attending the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security with other outstanding students from across the country in Washington, D.C.

Griebel will join others from around the country to share a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be enlightened in the fields of American defense, intelligence, and diplomacy.”

Griebel said in an email:

During my six days spent in Washington D.C I will be using leadership qualities in certain situations along with fellow colleagues to expand my knowledge of national security and hopefully path my future to help participate in our nations Government.

“Imagine being 16 or 17 years old and the responsibility of securing the United States at home and abroad rests on your shoulders. Through specialized simulations, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security strives to put students in the driver’s seat of building a strategy that will uphold our national security,” said Marguerite Regan, Dean of Academic Affairs for NYLF. “The combination of interacting with professionals and with other students in this setting ensures that leaders are being developed so the future of our country will remain very bright.”

The curriculum for the Forum on National Security is based on actual world events. Throughout the program, students use critical thinking, leadership and public speaking skills to tackle the complexity of national decision-making as they examine how the U.S. plans for peace and prepares for crisis. They employ a crisis decision-making process similar to that employed by the nation’s top policy makers.

Students also participate in thought-provoking question and answer sessions with highly respected, internationally recognized civilian policy makers and senior military. In addition, leading institutions open their doors to NYLF/NS students, where they are educated in diplomacy, international affairs and military strategy. Past programs have included visits to several government institutions and military installations, such as the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Quantico, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Naval Academy, a variety of embassies and many others.

Founded in 1992, the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) is an educational organization established to help prepare extraordinary young people for their professional careers. Forums are offered in 11 cities across the United States in a wide variety of career fields, such as national security, law and medicine. Over 50,000 young people have attended NYLF programs.

For additional information, visit www.nylf.org.

Johnson Huynh, a student from SeaTac’s Global Connections High School, won a filmmaking contest sponsored by The Choices Program, with his class assignment entry “Be the Change.”

Johnson worked on the video as part of teacher Valerie Anderson’s media class.

“Good things have been happening to me since I came to Global Connections High School,” Johnson said. “I am glad I chose this school. Sometimes I think I was destined to attend here!”

First prize in the “Be the Change” contest was a camera – which Johnson will put to good use.

The contest had as its basic rule the following statement:

“Create a two minute video about what you are doing to address a global issue that matters to you.”

According to their website, The Choices Program “seeks to empower young people with the skills, knowledge, and participatory habits to be engaged citizens who are capable of addressing international issues through thoughtful public discourse and informed decision making.”

Here’s Huynh’s film:

Amanda Schiripo (in red) presents the 1st place prize to Jagger's human.

Story & Photos by Michael Brunk

Last Thursday’s Farmers Market saw Burien’s sexiest new models strut their stuff in Town Square Park. Sleek, sensual, and um… furry. With four legs. That’s right; it was a doggie fashion show!

The brainchild of Puget Sound Skills Center student Amanda Schiripo, the event was the culmination of her senior project. Amanda worked with local businesses to obtain prizes for the winners, and money raised through her effort went to benefit three local non-profits; Puget Sound Rescue, Seattle Humane Society and Animals First Foundation.

When the competition was over, Jagger came out on top with Riley and Rusty taking second and third place honors.

Amanda said she chose this project because, “I like animals and it sounded like fun!” That seemed just as true for the dogs and their owners who participated.

Here are additional photos taken by B-Town Blog photographer Michael Brunk.

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

Don’t forget – the Burien Farmers Market continues on Thursday, May 13th from 11am – 6pm; come on by, find our booth and say hi!

Burien CHOICE Academy senior Megan Johnson, 18, won a Prudential Spirit of Community Award for serving as the “top role model for community service among Washington’s high school students.”

Megan initiated several programs over the past eight years that raise money to provide homeless people, hospitalized children, and drug-addicted babies with things that make their lives a little easier.

Megan, who has had 26 surgeries to correct a facial disorder, knows the pain of being unaccepted.

“I was harassed in school,” she said. “The kids made me feel worthless and I was so lonely. So when I saw a video about street people, I could feel their loneliness too.”

Determined to show the homeless that somebody cared, Megan began making blankets and soliciting donations to buy them personal items. Then, in the following years, she started making blankets for infants born of drug-addicted mothers, and collecting DVDs for five children’s hospitals. She also has raised money to help four families get off the streets and into their own homes, and to make a large contribution to Shriners Hospitals, which asked her to become a national patient ambassador. To support her projects, Megan sells hot cider at Christmastime; writes and illustrates children’s books; sends letters to corporations; and sells homemade necklaces, ink pens, and silicone wristbands. In addition, her projects have received support from schools, churches, community organizations, a network of 50 individual volunteers, and inmates at a local prison (who knit caps for her to give to the homeless).

“My dream is for others to see that even if you are different, you can make a huge difference,” said Megan.

Megan is pictured with her parents, Rory and Jill Johnson, and Prudential Financial Service Associate Manpreet Waden.

Now in its 15th year, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is a nationwide program honoring young people for their commitment to making a difference through their exemplary acts of volunteerism.  This year 102 state honorees will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.  While in D.C, the students will tour the capital’s landmarks, visit their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill and attend a gala awards ceremony where 10 of the nominees will be named National Honorees.  These honorees will receive an additional $5,000, gold medallions, trophies and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for the nonprofit, charitable organization of their choice.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. The program was created in 1995 by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to honor middle level and high school students for outstanding service to others at the local, state, and national level.

The program’s goals are to applaud young people who already are making a positive difference in their towns and neighborhoods, and to inspire others to think about how they might contribute to their communities. Over the past 15 years, more than 280,000 young Americans have participated in the program, and more than 90,000 of them have been officially recognized for their volunteer work.

Tune in and see if Megan will be amongst the top ten honorees on Monday, May 3 at 12:45pm during a live webcast from Washington D.C.  To watch live simply visit http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=67402 to sign up.

Today is not only a huge day in the history of the City of Burien, with Annexation officially taking place – it’s also a big day in the history of The B-Town Blog, as today (Thursday, April 1st) marks the very first day in the 2+ year history of the website that an Editor other than Scott Schaefer will be at the helm.

Meet our newest Intern Editor, Robb Patrickson (pictured, left).

Patrickson, 19, is a student at Cascadian Provincial College, located up north in Kelowna, B.C.

Aside from pursuing a career as a hip-hop/graffiti artist and amateur cheese maker, Patrickson recently overcame a serious bout with Lyme Disease, which affected his “critical thinking” and reasoning skills, especially the ability to discern the truth from fiction. He’s been receiving experimental treatment at a local hospital for the last two months, where he met Schaefer during a routine female examination.

“I’m honored that Scottso is trusting me with da keys to deser here blogs, eh?” Patrickson said in a strange, clipped accent. “I just hope I can deliver da caliber of journalism that’s expected here, oh ya oh eh?”

Patrickson will be serving as temporary Eh?-ditor for just today (April 1st), as Schaefer will spend the day traveling cross-country to Pennsylvania, where he’ll tend to some family issues.

So say hello to your temp Editor in Chief for the day, and wish him da best!

Our

As we mentioned before, Bryan is a budding young artist/animator, has a passion for comics, cartoons and humor, and his storytelling and Flash skills are coming along quite well.

Here’s what he has to say about this week’s “3 Frog Bros. Movie Trailer 3,” for which he does all the writing, animation and editing, in, as he says, “over 43,000 frames of animation”:

“This is the second to final trailer for my fantastic Flash movie, which has been 95% scripted and planned out.

I hope this trailer will tide my fans over…”

- Bryan Charles
Writer/Animator/Actor

Click here to view the embedded video.

To see more of Bryan’s work, click here.

During the month of February, all students are eligible for reduced ticket prices of just $10 for Burien Little Theatre’s production of Arne Zaslove’s 1950’s Rock ‘n’ Roll version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Recently the City of Burien and the Arts Commission awarded Burien Little Theatre a grant, which will be used to reduce student ticket prices during the first three weeks of BLT’s latest show. Students can expect to pay just $10 per ticket on the weekends of Feb. 12-14; Feb.19- 21; and Feb. 26-28 (in March student ticket prices go back up to $17 at the door.)

Last fall, BLT applied for and received a 2010 Arts & Culture grant worth $20,000 from the City of Burien.

From the city’s website:

“The purpose of the City’s Arts and Culture Fund is to support both arts and heritage organizations as well as artists who will enhance cultural opportunities for City residents while also attracting regional artists and audiences that can contribute to Burien’s identity as an arts and culture-oriented City.”

Burien Little Theatre applied for funding for its production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” This musical comedy with a live rock n’ roll band and 22 fun songs from the 50s is blast for the whole family. No student should miss this very accessible version of a classic romantic comedy!

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is set in a 1950s gymnasium at Athens High School on graduation day 1957, and in a neighboring forest. A group of magical fairies intervene and meddle with the lives of two young couples for whom “the course of true love never did run smooth.” Botched love spells, hilarious characters and 1950s rock ‘n’ roll make this show a treat for young and old, those in love and those between love.

Midsummer opens Feb. 12th and runs through March 21st. Shows are Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm.

Show Dates & Times:

• February 12 at 8:00 p.m.     Friday
• February 13 at 8:00 p.m.     Saturday
• February 14 at 2:00 p.m.     Sunday Matinee - Seven Dollar Sunday
• February 19 at 8:00 p.m.    Friday
• February 20 at 8:00 p.m.   Saturday
• February 21 at 2:00 p.m.    Sunday Matinee
• February 26 at 8:00 p.m.   Friday
• February 27 at 8:00 p.m.   Saturday
• February 28 at 2:00 p.m.   Sunday Matinee
• March 5 at 8:00 p.m.          Friday
• March 6 at 8:00 p.m.          Saturday
• March 7 at 2:00 p.m.          Sunday Matinee
• March 12 at 8:00 p.m.        Friday
• March 13 at 8:00 p.m.        Saturday
• March 14 at 2:00 p.m.        Sunday Matinee
• March 19 at 8:00 p.m.        Friday
• March 20 at 8:00 p.m.       Saturday
• March 21 at 2:00 p.m.        Sunday Matinee

Email or call for a reservation at tickets@burienlittletheatre.org, or via phone at (206) 242-5180.

For more information about BLT please visit www.burienlittletheatre.com.

Burien native and current University of Washington freshman Ellen Van Wyk was digging in the dirt to prepare for planting grapes at the campus greenhouse on Oct. 22nd when she uncovered something very unusual.

That “something” turned out to be a historic 4,000 to 7,000-year-old Native American spear tip, making this one of the most significant on-campus finds in 90 years.

Experts from the UW’s Burke Museum have since dug three test pits near the discovery site and have uncovered two more stone tool fragments. They will most likely display the historic spear tip and the other newly uncovered artifacts, but no date has been set.

According to her Mother, Meg:

Ellen has lived in Burien since she was 3 years old and attended Highline Public schools. She graduated in 2009 from MRHS. She is attending the honors college at U of W. She has a very strong interest in organic, sustainable farming, which is why she is active at the farm at the UW. At the time of discovery, the students were preparing the soil for planting a row of grapes. Ellen happened to be at the right spot at the right time and was able to determine she had something of interest.

Last year Ellen won 1st place in the state PTA Reflections contest for her art work. She placed as an honorable mention, nationally. She was also one of the local student artists featured in the 20/20 night event in Burien.

We caught up with Ellen, a freshman at the UW, and asked her some questions:

Ellen Van Wyk, left, shows the Native American spear tip she found to Laura Phillips of the Burke Museum. Photo by Mary Levin, University of Washington.

A: Correct. I went to Sunnydale, Shorewood, Sylvester and Mount Rainier High School.

Q: What are you studying at the UW? When do you graduate, etc.?

A: I’m not quite sure yet, but probably either art or plant biology.  I’m scheduled to graduate in 2013.

Q: Tell us what you found at the UW campus?

A: I found a spearhead that was created 4-7 thousand years ago..

Q: How did you find it? What specifically were you doing?

A: I was helping out at the farm, preparing the soil for grapes. This involves sorting through the soil for rocks.

Q: Have you dug around campus before? Ever find anything else?

A: haha no.

The 4,000 to 7,000-year-old Spear Tip found by Van Wyk. Photo courtesy The Ruke Museum.

A: I knew it was a projectile, but since it was under a foot of soil I didn’t think it had much significance.

Q: Have you ever found anything historic like this before?

A: No.

Q: When you found out what you had uncovered, what did you think?

A: It made me realize that our country is really a blip on the history of this land.

Q: Does finding this make you consider changing your major?

A: Although it’s been interesting, no.

For more information on Ellen’s historic find, read these articles:

• Pointing to the past (UW Daily)
  
• Student uncovers ancient Native American artifact on UW campus (UW News)

Please welcome the latest addition to The B-Town Blog – our newest intern, Bryan Charles, of Big Picture High School!

Bryan is a budding artist, and has a passion for comics, cartoons and even creating his own Flash animations.

We’re very happy to have him on board, so be sure to look for more of his work soon.

In the meantime, here’s his debut comic “3 Frog Bros.,“, perfect for this Election Day:

This is our second year serving as mentors to a student from Big Picture High School, part of the Highline School District, and described as such on their website:

At Big Picture, we believe we are doing our best work when each student is an active participant in his or her education, when his or her course of study is personalized by teachers, parents and mentors who know him or her well, and when school-based learning is blended with outside experiences that heighten the student’s interest.

By these means we help students take responsibility for their own learning and prepare for success in college and beyond.