International Community School (Kirkland, Washington)
| International Community School | |
|---|---|
| File:International Community School Logo.gif | |
| Location | |
 | |
11133 NE 65th ST, Kirkland, WA, 98033 United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | Forever We Rise |
| Established | 1997 |
| School district | Lake Washington School District |
| Principal | Cindy Duenas |
| Faculty | 17 |
| Grades | 7-12 |
| Enrollment | 380 |
| Color(s) | Crimson, Gold, Black |
| Mascot | Phoenix |
| Website | ICS |
International Community School (ICS) is a small 7-12th grade public school in the Lake Washington School District. It is part of a series of schools founded by Dr. Bruce Saari. Unlike other "International" schools, "International" in the school's name simply reflects an international focus in curriculmn. It is not an International school. Additionally, unlike other high school/middle schools in the area, it is not the home school for any students. Instead, it is a choice school, for which an application must be submitted. All students in the Lake Washington School District may apply, as may students in other districts, though in-district students have priority. Because of overwhelming demand, no out-of-district students have yet been admitted.
The school offers a special six year Humanities/International Studies/Arts core curriculum, instead of the regular no art/LASS(Language Arts and Social Studies). Additionally, students study a foreign language, generally Spanish, for four years, with the intention of achieving fluency. Every year, students from the school go on Focus Week, leaving "the confines of the classroom to expand their knowledge". [1]
Location
The school is located in Kirkland, Washington and serves all students from the Lake Washington School District, which covers eastern King County, Washington.
History
The school was proposed to the Lake Washington school district by parents in 1997 and its program and policies were developed by Dr. Bruce Saari who modeled it after his first school, the International School in the nearby Bellevue School District, where he had been program developer the previous six years. In every year since it was founded, ICS students have achieved scores on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) test ranked among the top few schools in Washington. In 2005, it was selected as a No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon School. [2] Cindy Duenas is the current principal of ICS, as well as Environmental Adventure School.
As of 2006, ICS had an enrollment of 380 students. Because of the limited enrollment, students are chosen from applicants from Lake Washington School District's 6th grade class by lottery. The school has a grandfather clause allowing for students who are members of founding families or who had sibling in the first class of the school to be admitted without going through the lottery. As almost all of the families who are eligible for this exception no longer have children of the eligible ages, the lottery is effectively the only way to enroll in the school.
The mascot is the Phoenix, and the motto is "Forever We Rise".
Controversy
There are claims that the school, in recent years, has lost some of its former glory. Almost all of the original faculty has left the school, as of 2007, only John Heil is left of the founding faculty[3] Additionally, some of the founding families feel that under Cindy Duenas, the school has shifted away from its focus on creating a positive environment in which to nurture all type of growth to a college-prep environment. They point towards the original vision as evidence of the early ideals:
ICS graduates have the skills to become active participants in a global community. Teachers, students, and the parent community cultivate intellectual growth, creativity, and problem solving skills in a respectful school environment where students are valued as unique individuals. [4]
It is widely acknowledged that there has been a shift in the school away from this early vision. While some claim that it is natural as the school matures, others point to policies that have been implemented as creating this negative environment. The recent school-wide policy banning the rounding of grades is often pointed to as a tangible example of the policies Cindy Duenas has implemented, which, by reducing teacher discretion, negatively affects student-teacher interaction. Furthermore, because her time is split between two schools, students claim that her first response is always no, something that alumni cite as creating a negative environment in the school.
References
- ^ "Focus Week". International Community School. Retrieved July 9.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Selected 2005 Schools". No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved February 2.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Contact". International Community School. Retrieved April 26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "History and Vision". International Community School. Retrieved April 26.
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