Dear Kang Families,

This has been a whirlwind of a quarter. It is hard to believe that we are already in the midst of mid-winter break. At the change in semester our Dean of Student Success, Mr. Joe Joss, and our Associate Principal, Mrs. Super-Greene, held a 9th grade assembly. In that assembly they provided a Roo-set. This was an opportunity to highlight expectations for our freshmen and to remind them that soon they will be sophomores. Overall, we are pleased to announce that our discipline concerns are WAY down from last year, mostly due to students spending less time in the halls. It seems as though the post-Covid malaise is finally wearing off. 

Our 10th grade English team once again hosted a Virtual Holocaust Tour in our Theatre last week. This is an annual event. If you have a 10th grader at home you likely heard about it, and our hope is that it led to enriching discussion. 

On a lighter note, we have some exciting events coming up and will have even more as we head toward summer. 

LW is looking forward to our first dance of the spring—Tolo. The Tolo dance is scheduled for March 2nd, and it will be held in the HS Commons/Gym. What is exciting about this year, is that for the first time ever we will host laser tag in the gym during the dance. Tickets will go on sale after mid-winter break and will cost $10 without ASB/$7 with ASB.  

I also want to highlight the LWSD College Nights that will happen in early March. You can attend the college night that is planned at the CWU Sammamish campus on March 5th, or come to LWHS on Thursday, March 7th to visit with more than fifty colleges. This is a well-attended event that is great for students grades 8-12. If you have any questions about this event, please contact our College and Career Center. It is open during school hours to serve you and your family. You can also access this information on our school website. I encourage you to come. 

Our post-season winter activities and athletics are also an exciting highlight for us. Our flag football season was a huge success. They won the inaugural championship. Just to name a few more, our choir and band programs sent students to State, as did boys' swim and dive, and wrestling. Gymnastics and basketball teams are working to return to State. Cheer is travelling to Anaheim for the National Championships. Spring sports start February 26th and registration is open now through February 22nd. This spring we will offer Unified Soccer as well. 

Here's hoping for a bright and early spring. Go Kangs!

Christine Bell

Principal, Lake Washington High School

Connect with Mrs. Bell at cbell@lwsd.org

Upcoming College and Career Events:

3/4     12:00pm          PedalHeads Summer Job Lunch Table/Info

3/6     Full Day           The Evergreen State College Field Trip

3/7     4:30pm            College Fair @ LWHS (see below)

3/21    5:00pm           WANIC Open House at LW Tech

Kirkland Rotary Scholarships

The Kirkland Rotary Club Scholarship applications are now open! Apply to scholarships in a variety of categories. All applications are due April 19th. Find out how to apply on the Kirkland Rotary Club website.

For More Scholarship Opportunities. . .

The College and Career Center has a live calendar of upcoming scholarship deadlines. Check it out and click each scholarship listed for a drop down menu of more information. Click here to see the calendar!

WANIC 2024-2025 Registration Now Open; Open House: March 21st

The Washington Network for Innovative Careers (WANIC) registration for the 2024/25 school year is now open. WANIC offers preparatory college and careers programs for 11th and 12th graders in a variety of CTE fields. From Fire and EMS to Music and Sound Design, to Medical Careers or Automotive Tech, as well as many others, WANIC is a great option for students to get a head start in the career field of their choice. Find out more here.

Furthermore, WANIC will be hosting an Open House on Thursday, March 21st from 5:00-7:00pm at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, 11605 132nd AVE NE Kirkland 98034. Presentación en Espanol 5:30-6:00pm.

College Night 2024 - March 7th, 4:30pm – 7:20pm @ LWHS

Get ready for an informative and exciting College Night hosted by Lake Washington HS and Eastlake HS/Tesla STEM HS. This is your chance to explore college options and gain valuable insights into the college admissions process. Choose the night and location that suits you best! This is a great night for rising seniors and their families to investigate colleges and attend information sessions; however, all grades are welcome!

Agenda:

College Fair: 4:30 to 6:00pm - Main Gym

Breakout Session A: 6:05 – 6:40pm

Breakout Session B: 6:45 – 7:20pm

Breakout Options:

Applying to Selective College; Exploring 2-Year & Certificate Programs; Connecting with Admissions; Finding Your Best Fit; Applying to UW; Financial Aid Basics; Writing College Essays; Why Go Out of State & WUE; Applying to International Colleges; Military Careers & ROTC

For a list of colleges attending and breakout session updates, click here.

Congratulations to Our Finalists for the National Merit Scholarship Program!

Questions regarding LW's College and Career Centre? Contact Alex McGlenn

From your PTSA Staff Appreciation Chairs: Beatrice Joe, Susan Davis and Brandi Comstock:

Thank you to everyone who donated food items and time to make our Staff Appreciation Valentine’s Shortcake Bar a success!!

Let’s Celebrate the "Luck ‘O the Kangs” on Wednesday, March 13th with a Soup and Salad Luncheon for our Staff and Teachers! We would greatly appreciate donations of food to help show our staff how lucky we are to have them!

SignUp here. Questions? Contact Beatrice Joe.

Show pride for your graduating senior by purchasing a personalized yard sign and/or decal for your car! Order now through April 30th.

• Custom Yard Signs for Class of 2024: Signs are 18" x 24" in size with an H-stake and cost $20. Please enter the name of the student as you wish it to appear on the sign. Sign can only accommodate a FIRST name or a nickname.
• Car Decal: Decals are 8" round and cost $15. There is no name on the car decal.
• Combined purchase of sign and decal will be $30.

Please go lwhsptsa.org -> Seniors -> Senior Signs to order, or click here. All proceeds fund the Senior Party!

The Senior Party on the night of June 14th is a safe and fun-filled post-graduation all-night party presented by the LWHS PTSA. We provide transportation to two venues (new this year!), entertainment, food and a memorable end-of-the year experience.

The planning committee is looking for these volunteers:

• Communications Lead - Create and manage a communications plan for email, website and social media. Other volunteers will execute these communications.  
• Volunteer Recruitment - Recruit the parent volunteers for the night of the event. 
• Parent Volunteers - You can volunteer for the entire night or a portion of it. It is a great opportunity to pay it forward (as a parent of a freshman, sophomore or junior), and to find out what Senior Party is all about! 

For more information or to sign up, email seniorparty@lwhsptsa.org.

Thank you!

Michael Claiborne

LWHS PTSA Senior Party Co-Chair

Interested in Traveling in 2025??!!

So are we!

Come join us for an informational meeting about the travel opportunities LW Teachers will be offering to students in 2025 (*please note, these are not sponsored by LWHS or PTSA).

Where are we going?

Spring 2025

Join us “Down Under” in New Zealand!

Explore LOTS of Biology, beautiful sceneries (including parts of the filming for location for LOTR!), fjords, and end in Sydney, Australia!

Contact: PalmerScienceTravel@gmail.com

Spring 2025

Want to take your Spanish fluency to the next level? Come join us as we encounter the wildlife, culture and beautiful vistas of Costa Rica, all while practicing Spanish.

This Spanish immersion trip is open to students enrolled in Spanish 4 or AP for 2024-2025!

Contact: spanishviajes@gmail.com

Summer 2025

For history buffs, follow the path of major WWII sites! See battlegrounds, learn about the history of WWII, and learn about the impacts of the War on the local cultures.

Contact: KandGEduTravel@gmail.com

Meeting Date: Monday, March 4th

Time: 6:00pm

Location: LWHS, 1West Pod

Time to start that spring cleaning! LWHS Theatre Boosters is hosting a clothing, textile and book drive fundraiser on two upcoming Saturdays:

Dates: March 9th and March 16th

Time: 11:00am to 3:00pm

Location: In the LWHS student parking lot

Learn more about what we are collecting.

Questions? Contact fundraising@theatre.lwhsboosters.org.