Your bids are welcome right now in the 11th annual auction to benefit two local nonprofit bilingual preschools on Delridge, Southwest Early Learning and the Refugee and Immigrant Family Center. Here’s the announcement we were asked to share: For the past 15 years, RIFC & SWEL Bilingual Preschools have provided high-quality, culturally enriching preschools, serving families in and around our West Seattle community. Many of the children we serve come from lower-income families that do not have the resources to go on field trips, learn a second language, or explore their interests. The money ..read more

11:08 AM: That was the scene a short time ago outside the north side of West Seattle High School as more than 50 students gathered for what social-media announcements declared as a statewide student walkout supporting Palestinians affected by the Hamas-Israel war, now in its seventh month. They headed out to California SW shortly thereafter, walking south. We have not heard of any other schools in West Seattle participating. 11:32 AM: Walking off campus, the group crossed California and passed the McDonald’s across the street, chanting an accusation that the company supports genocide, a disp ..read more

(Photos courtesy CSIHS Athletics) Tonight is Senior Night for Chief Sealth International High School‘s baseball team, playing Cleveland at 7 pm at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle). The players in the photo above are seniors Noah Tewolde, Gavin Brown, and Isaac Martinez, and as CSIHS athletic director Ernest Policarpio recounts below, the team scored this year’s “Best in the West” crosstown-rivalry win over West Seattle High School on Friday night: Both teams were strong on the mound on Friday, but Chief Sealth defeated West Seattle Varsity Wildcats 2-1. Isaac Martinez ..read more

As school fun(draising) season continue, tomorrow’s your last chance to get a ticket to Prom Through the Ages, an April 27 celebration benefiting cooperative elementary The Bridge School! Here’s the announcement we were asked to share with you: Step back in time and dance through the decades with us at The Bridge School Auction: Prom Through the Ages! Grab your tickets now for an unforgettable evening of nostalgia, fun, and philanthropy. (Ticket sales close this Friday, April 19th at 12 pm) Your ticket includes: -Admission to the event -A delectable dinner from Centro Neighborhood Kitchen, fe ..read more

By Tracy Record West Seattle Blog editor “All these changes are good, but where is the student voice in this?” That was said by one of the few students at tonight’s community-safety forum at Chief Sealth International High School, three months after a student’s shooting death at nearby Southwest Pool/Teen Life Center. “There needs to be more communication with the students …we’ve been kind of left in the dark,” continued the student, Satomi. “We need to hear ‘we understand that this is tough’ … even for a middle-schooler, they understand the loss, that a sibling or friend could be gone at any ..read more

Tomorrow is the night for the long-planned community-safety forum at Chief Sealth International High School, organized by the CSIHS PTSA and newly formed Campus Safety Team after the January shooting death of Chief Sealth student Mobarak Adam at nearby Southwest Pool/Teen Center. The meeting will be held in the school auditorium 6:30-8 pm and will include not only principal Ray Morales and other school administrators, but also officials from the school district and city – Seattle Police, Seattle Parks, Seattle City Council, Seattle Housing Authority, all of which have been asked to provide an ..read more

Just out of the WSB inbox, from West Seattle/South Park school-board director Gina Topp: “Regrettably, I must cancel Saturday’s community meeting due to unforeseen illness. We will promptly reschedule. Apologies for the short notice; unforeseen circumstances necessitate this change.” Share This ..read more

(Photo courtesy Arbor Heights Elementary PTSA) Even if you don’t attend the gala dinner/auction events that benefit local nonprofits, you often can help their fundraising anyway by bidding in the online auctions that precede the galas. Right now, the Arbor Heights Elementary PTSA is welcoming your participation in theirs, for items from local-business gift cards to the superstar-autographed musical instrument shown above! Here’s the announcement: It’s that time of year again – the Arbor Heights Elementary PTSA‘s online silent auction is officially underway! From now until April 19th, you have ..read more

Dream Dinners West Seattle (WSB sponsor) can help you get dinner on the table this month and next while lending a hand to the South Seattle College Cooperative Preschools around West Seattle! Anyone can support the preschools – just place an order of at least 3 dinners. Can order either April or May. All orders must be placed by May 10th. Put the code word “CO-OP” in the special instructions so we can keep track of everyone that orders. Call/text 206-938-5999 for questions. Here’s the link to the local store, which is on the north side of outer Jefferson Square (41st/Alaska). Share This ..read more

By Sean Golonka Reporting for West Seattle Blog The sounds of Bob Marley’s “Buffalo Soldier” intermingled with the chatter of more than two dozen 7th-graders as students in Alan Blackman’s Washington state history class filed into the library at Denny International Middle School today. At the front of the room stood Lenard Howze, whose grandfather was a Buffalo Soldier and whose father founded the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle, a regional nonprofit dedicated to community outreach and youth engagement. Blackman had previously spent time in class teaching his students about the Buffalo Soldiers ..read more