We were recently given a date of August 20 or 21 for the delivery of yearbooks. Our yearbook team did an amazing job completing and submitting the yearbook on time for publication. The pandemic caused delays first in printing, but ultimately in shipping.  At this time, we are not doing refunds as the yearbooks are already paid for, printed, and in process of shipping. We are developing a distribution plan aligned with current Snohomish County Health guidelines for social distancing. Therefore, we will likely implement a “drive through” system by assigned waves with a make-up session time. Students will show their ID, sign for their book, and we will the pass the yearbook through the window. The timing of that distribution is still in the works in coordination with Back to School Days and distribution of materials for Fall 2020 Opening. Thank you, like everything else, for your patience!

Dear Kamiak Community,

For the last 10 years, I have served as an assistant principal at Kamiak. It has been such a joy returning to my alma mater and hometown where every ounce of devotion goes back to the community where I was raised. These past 10 years of my career have been my favorite by far! Still, when I accepted the principal position at Kamiak, I knew the best was yet to come.

I have enjoyed kind words and congratulations from so many – thank you for the encouragement. I am humbled. And, while I am more than a little uncomfortable with so much attention, I am thrilled at the opportunity to serve in this new role.

Like so many of you, I am restless to know exactly what the next year will bring for us in public education. My wife (who also graduated with me in Kamiak’s first class) is a second-grade teacher and we have two school-aged children. Our home is abuzz every day with talk about the fall. While we wait for that picture to become clearer, let me share some of what you can expect of me, as Kamiak’s principal, and our school.

Firstly, Kamiak has long been recognized as a top-tier school where our students have the most and best opportunities to learn and grow. That is something that will continue. Our students will still have stories of reaching for the highest levels of academic rigor and launching to the futures of their choice. Our students will continue having stories of overcoming significant struggles and opening doors to opportunity. Our students will continue setting records and receiving accolades. And, our students will continue finding vibrant and invigorating ways to express their skills, talents and interests.

Our pursuit of equity – opportunities, outcomes, and school culture – will continue to expand. Last year we watched with pride as Kamiak grew to a nationally-recognized leader in inclusion with Special Olympics Unified Sports. This year, team-teaching will take inclusion further giving students great new ways to learn and grow. For several years, our School Improvement Plan has focused on ensuring success for every student. Our Kamiak Equity Committee will guide as we make shifts so that when we say, “every student,” we mean it. Two new courses will launch this year – Ethnic Studies and AVID – each playing an important role in our shared vision.

Our staff will remain thoroughly devoted to all our students. The best of our energies has always been reserved for helping students reach their goals and pursue their dreams. These past 10 years at Kamiak, one of my greatest sources of pride has been hearing students tell me about a staff member who made a special effort to invest in them. Anyone who knows me well knows that I owe a debt of gratitude to the high school teachers kind enough to see potential in me when I couldn’t yet see it myself. Regardless of what the future holds for education, it’s those connections and relationships that will serve as the foundations of our success at Kamiak.

As we plan for the fall, my hope is that all our staff, students, and families are well and recharging to meet the demands of the new school year. My wife frequently reminds me of this: School will be there but summer won’t. Relax and enjoy this time and take care of one another.

My best to you all – always,

Stephen Shurtleff

Hello, Kamiak Community, 

We are reaching out to you because many of our staff were made aware this weekend of some Instagram accounts that were created in order to spread hate speech and disunity in our school and community.  You may have heard information that those involved are possibly upcoming freshmen.

Please know that we are working with local law enforcement and district administration on this issue.  Additionally, the social media accounts and hate speech were reported to Instagram and these accounts were removed. 

Thank you to all of you who reached out to us to report these messages.  We are proud to be part of community that does not tolerate this type of talk and behavior, nor stands by idly as our neighbors and friends are disrespected and demeaned. 

As educators and community members we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to help lead and educate our students around the importance of demonstrating empathy, compassion, kindness, generosity, love, and truth to our fellow humans. Recent events in our nation have made clear the need for a continuing focus on equity, equality, justice, and the role of race in America.  Our school and district are committed to this, and we welcome your partnership  in continually standing up for every student, every family, and every neighbor.

Finally, in the event you receive additional information that might help us in our investigation of this issue, please do not hesitate to contact our school administrative team.

Yours,

The Kamiak Admin Team: Sean, Stephen, Kimberly, and BT

Congratulations to the Class of 2020! 

The virtual graduation video can be viewed by clicking this link.

• Farewell Assembly Video

• A Farewell to Graduates from Your Teachers and Admins (a video montage)

Click here for enhanced presentation (version by Adobe Spark)

To Print Senior Recognition 2020 presentation click on this link: Printable Senior Recognition Publication

Attention students interested in taking Running Start for the 2020-2021 school year.  

You need to fill out a Verification Form with your counselor before you can register for fall quarter classes. Please email your counselor asap with a list of the classes you wish to take through Running Start and Kamiak (if any) for Fall Quarter. Your counselor will fill out the verification form and send it back to you electronically. Please check the specific college’s Fall catalog for course options.  

If you want to take Running Start classes but do not know where to begin, see information on the Kamiak Counseling website.

There is support and community resources available to help ease the hardships that are being experienced due to Covid-19. Please reach out to Student Support Advocate, Kendra Glass, with any questions or if you would like assistance navigating any of these programs.

The High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) has gone digital with portfolio instructions!

Our Spring HSBP visits were scheduled to begin in March, but as you may have noticed we have had to change our plans. Although we will not be able to visit students in their English classes this Spring, students can still work on updating their HSBP portfolio. The HSBP Office has created and invited students to join HSBP Google Classrooms. Students, should log in to their Mukilteo School District Google Classroom account and join our class! Just in case students cannot find their invite, our HBSP Google Classroom codes are:

Grade 11 (Class of 2021): tsteovy

Grade 10 (Class of 2022): nhnpc47

Grade 09 (Class of 2023): ogzbbjo

In place of in person lessons the HSBP office will create activities in our Google Classroom to guide students through an HSBP portfolio update. We recognize that students and parents are juggling many activities and class assignments during this time. If completing HSBP activities seems overwhelming, do not worry, students can take from now until August to get tasks done. We are hoping all students will accept the invitation to our Google Classroom as we will continue to use this as a resource in the future.

For an update on HSBP and Spring HSBP activities, please check out our Spring 2020 Newsletters for:

Grade 11: https://www.smore.com/78xhw (Español / Українська)

Grade 10: https://www.smore.com/zk9hg (Español / Українська)

Grade 09: https://www.smore.com/eqfr9 (Español / Українська)