MISD “Did You Know” Spotlight Series Finishes with April, May & June Stories

(Left to right) MIHS alumnus Hayley Nguyen, Paloma "Lola" Melian Lafinur, and IMS language arts teachers Whitney Swope in the KMIH 88.9 studio.

Mercer Island, WA, August 26, 2025 - In the fourth and final installment of our “Did You Know” Summer Spotlight series we are looking back at student, school, and district stories from the last three months of the 2024-25 school year, April, May and June.

We hope you have been enjoying this series which highlights stories about our students and staff that you might have missed during a busy school year.

Let’s find out what happened in the last three months of the 2024-25 school year now!

The annual Fine Art showcase on April 1 and 2 was a huge hit. From sixth grade orchestra and band performances to seventh and eighth grade choir performances to student artwork displayed in the MIHS Commons and hallways, it was a magical evening celebrating our students.

On April 2, Steve Summers, former Lord Mayor of the City of Westminster and current Chairman of the London Mayors’ Association, formally invited the MIHS Marching Band to perform in the London Parade on New Year’s Day.

IMS eighth grader Paloma “Lola” Melian Lafinur received an Honorable Mention Award in the third annual New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest.  To celebrate Lola’s accomplishment she visited MIHS where she was interviewed by MIHS senior Hayley Nguyen for a segment on Breakfast on the Bridge, which was broadcast on KMIH 88.9 The Bridge, and by The Current on MIHS.tv. In both interviews Lola read “Mi Nombre”, her memoir. Joining Lola and her language arts teacher Whitney Swope at MIHS for the interviews was eighth grade leadership student Ellie Turba who documented the visit to MIHS on the District’s Instagram Stories. Lola and Swope were also recognized at the Board Meeting on April 24.

The MIHS Coding Club competed at the Technical Student Association (TSA) Washington State Competition April 2 to April 5 at the Spokane Convention Center, participating in four events, making it to the semifinal round in three of the events, Coding, Video Game Production, and Webmaster–Web Design.

On April 8 Island Park alumnus and MIHS Class of 2018 graduate Arwa Mokdad returned to Island Park for a Middle East Culture Lesson presentation for third, fourth and fifth graders at the school. Arwa is a Middle East analyst who is working on her doctorate at Oxford. It’s so great to see a former student giving back to current students.

MISD held its first Where Are They Now? How Were They Prepared? College Transition webinar on April 9. Seven recent MIHS graduates took part in the webinar and spoke about how MISD prepared them for college and university and their post MIHS life. The webinar is a great resource for students and families as they prepare for their post-secondary journey.

26 MIHS track and field athletes competed at the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field in Euguene, Oregon the first weekend in April. Islanders delivered impressive performances, setting personal records and season bests in hurdles, throws, high jump, pole vault, sprints, and distance events.

Cindi Pacecca’s first grade class at Island Park formed “music bands” as a part of their physical science unit on Light and Sound. In this unit, students explored light and sound by discovering how light helps us see, how light travels, how sound is made, and how sound travels. Students then combined both light and sound to find out about the ways people use light and sound to send messages and communicate.

MISD was pleased to present its 10th annual Pathfinder Award to 1999 MIHS graduate Katie-Jay Scott Stauring whose achievements, strength of character, and citizenship inspire and challenge today’s youth to make significant contributions to humankind. Sadly, this was a posthumous presentation of the award as Katie-Jay passed away in a tragic car accident in November 2021. Wendy Dubrow, who nominated Katie-Jay for the award, spoke to the School Board on April 24 with classmate Amelia Winslow about Katie-Jay and why she is so deserving of the Pathfinder recognition.

The Lakeridge PTA held their annual Science Fair on April 10 the school. The Science Fair is a non-competitive event designed to encourage students to experience the fun true nature of science: to ask questions and find the answers yourself! We really appreciate the support of all our PTAs.

The MIHS orchestra performed at Carnegie Hall in New York on April 19. The opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall came about as a part of the National Band and Orchestra Festival and was the result of a competitive application process. Recordings of the MIHS Orchestras were submitted,

and after thorough review the MIHS ensembles were selected to perform alongside other high-achieving programs from around the country. This was quite the honor and the performance was excellent.

In late April we published a story about Instructional Tech Coach Kara Millsap teaching code to second graders at Island Park. This five-week unit is presented annually to second graders and is an educational and fun unit for them made possible by our elementary instructional tech team.

MISD and the MIPD partnered on a E-Bike safety assembly for seventh and eighth graders on April 25 in the school’s gym.

The MIHS DECA chapter sent 19 students to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Orlando, from April 26-30.

Superintendent Rundle highlighted all the great things happening in MISD at the MISF Breakfast of Champions on April 29.

MIHS Class of 2020 alumnus Zitong Wang invited MIHS science teacher Shannon Sue to join her at a luncheon at the end of April at Stanford University for the top 5% of graduating students in the School of Engineering. This is a neat award where these high achieving students get to pick one secondary teacher they felt was most influential on their development and invite them to speak on their behalf at an intimate luncheon. There were about 25 Stanford students in total, and they paid for their teachers to fly in from all over the world.

On May 1 teachers and paraeducators from Island Park and Lakeridge visited West Mercer for a cross school collaboration to learn more about Wolfpack Block, West Mercer’s small group instruction initiative, which we highlighted in a story in January. It’s great to see how our teachers and paraeducators are so dedicated and always looking to improve their practice and instruction. It’s one of the things that makes MISD so great!

Lakeridge third grader Adrit Pradeepkumar took first place in the Outstanding Interpretation for Music Composition category at the US National PTA Reflections for his piece titled “Stars and Scribbles”. This is a really big honor. Congratulations Adrit!

At the start of May third graders at West Mercer were examining Burke Boxes. The boxes, provided by the Burke Museum, have information and items on mammals and fossils and students had a unit culminating activity examining historical artifacts in the boxes.

MISD was very pleased to announce on May 2 that we were the third, and at that time, the largest school district in Washington to achieve full compliance with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard across all our buildings.

Lakeridge third graders were at Camp Colman for two days in the first week of May. The 10th annual overnight visit to Camp Colman is tied to TCI Science curriculum for Environments and Living Things.

MISD hosted second annual PTA Special Services and Learning Differences (SSALD) Community Day of Inclusion on May 3 at Northwood. The Community Day was so awesome we posted about it twice on our social platforms. Once to highlight all the groups taking part and a second time to show all the fun activities happening at the community celebration. Our favorite photos are the ones of MIPD officers creating giant bubbles with some of the kids in attendance. SSALD won the Outstanding Program Award at the PTA Council Awards on May 16 for the Community Day of Inclusion and other community initiatives that benefit Mercer Island families. Way to go SSALD!  

Northwood student Mikhail Zulaev competed in the 10-year-old division in the 84-pound weight class at the Washington Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship on May 3 & 4 in Spokane and won a bronze medal in Freestyle wrestling and an impressive gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. Congratulations Mikhail!

All four elementary schools were recognized on May 6 by the Washington School Recognition Program for supporting students' growth and academic achievement as measured by the schools Washington School Improvement Framework (WSIF) performance during the 2023-2024 school year. We are very proud of this honor and all the hard work of our teachers, paraeducators, staff, and administrators undertook for this recognition.

On May 9 we announced MIHS cross country athletes Owen Powell and Sophia Rodriguez were named the 2024-25 Gatorade Washington Boys and Girls Cross Country Players of the Year. Both Powell and Rodriguez are the first MIHS cross country athletes to be selected as either the boys or girls Washington Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year.

MIHS cross country head coach Susan Empey was named the 2024 Washington Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

For Staff Appreciation Week at Northwood, the PTA did a great job with their “Wicked” theme, delivering specially ordered snacks for Northwood staff. It was a pleasure for our staff to have PTA members light up Northwood hallways with treats and snacks. Thank you, Northwood PTA, for appreciating the hardworking team at Northwood!

It was an awesome evening at Lakeridge’s Culture Night put on by their PTA on May 7. The evening brings together all Lakeridge families to share and celebrate the many cultures at the school. The event celebrates all the different food we eat, the games we play, the languages we speak, the music we listen to, and so much more.

City of Mercer Island Capital Parks Manager Shelby Perrault visited Lakeridge on May 12 to get student feedback about what updates they would like to see at Deane’s Children’s Park, also known as Dragon Park. Shelby visited all four elementary schools to get student feedback on the park.

On May 13 at Islander Stadium the Islanders defeated the Interlake Saints 9-7 in a Unified Soccer game. Let’s Go Islanders!

MIHS ninth graders Calla Youssefieh and Lila Peters and MIHS broadcast media teacher Natalie Woods were guests on Studio 13 Live on May 20. Calla and Lila are the hosts of Passion For Fashion, which airs on KMIH 88.9 The Bridge on Tuesdays at 3pm and can be found on Spotify. Studio 13 Live hosts Carly Henderson and Mireya Garcia spoke to Calla and Lila about what inspired them to create the podcast, who their dream guests for the podcast are, recent topics the podcast has covered, and what they want listeners to take away from listening to the podcast.

MIHS senior girls’ lacrosse player Chelsea Cho was featured on the Prep Zone on KING 5 Sports by Sports Reporter Chris Egan on May 20. Earlier in the year Chelsea played for Team Korea at a international lacrosse competition.

MIHS senior Marley MacDonald interviewed Amanda Knox on May 20 for a Breakfast on the Bridge interview that aired on KMIH 88.9 The Bridge.

SSALD and MISD partnered to create the ‘Access For All’ pilot reading program that was introduced at Northwood and Island Park this year. The efforts of both groups spawned a program that has been unprecedently successful. We so appreciate our partnership with SSALD. 

There are always a few leftover plants and flowers from the annual Crest Horticulture Sale. This year, the Lakeridge PTA helped students plant these leftover flowers and plants in the Lakeridge Learning Garden.

The MIHS Choir attended the World Strides Heritage Choral Festival in Vancouver, BC, the weekend of May 24-25. The Choir had a great weekend of music enrichment, sightseeing, and the celebration of earning a Silver rating!

Three MIHS Media Technology and Filmmaking  students works were named Best Student Works in the 46th Annual Telly Awards. Seniors Hannah Moeller, Minh Luu, and Hadley Holtzclaw were honored for their excellence in video storytelling.

On May 28 we celebrated and recognized our Certificated and Classified Employees of the Year in the Northwood Commons. It was a fun celebration and so great to hear why these six staff members were named Employees of the Year.

For the third consecutive year MISD had a clean federal and financial audit. Way to go MISD Business/Finance team!

MIHS announced on May 30 seven juniors completed the Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) 5-month WAS online curriculum.

First graders in Beth Christofferson's class at Northwood turned into entrepreneurs on May 30 by wrapping up a hands-on Goods & Services Market Day unit where they all shined like mini CEOs! Through this project, students learned: The difference between goods & services; How supply & demand works — what happens when everyone wants the same item; How to create, design & market their product or service; Used their best communication skills to advertise and persuade; Practiced real-life math by buying, selling & making change. From handmade books to paper airplanes, these little learners showed big creativity and confidence!

The MI Community Scholarship, administered by the PTA Council, presented scholarships to 29 MIHS seniors on May 30 at the Community Scholarship Awards Night. Awarded since 1976, the scholarships demonstrate our community’s appreciation of, and support for, island students. Each scholarship recognizes outstanding attitude, effort, and a student’s positive contribution to classroom and community. Mercer Island Community Scholarship Areas: College and Career Readiness (CCR), Crest Learning Center, English, Math, Multi Language Learner, Performing Arts, Science, Social Studies, Visual Arts, World Language, and Principal Award. Thank you PTA Council and congratulations to all 29 recipients!

MIHS Track and Field athletes shined at the 3A State Championship May 28-30 at Mount Tahoma High. Sophomore Sarina Swahney won three 3A State Championships! Sarina took first in Wheelchair Javelin, Discus, and Shotput and set both school and state meet records! Senior Owen Powell won two 3A State Championships, taking first in the 800 and 1600. Owen set a new state meet record in the 800. Sophomore Sophia Rodriguez won two 3A State Championships, winning the 1600 and 3200. Junior Aaliyah Khan won the 3A State Championship in the Long Jump with a jump of 19’4. The MIHS girls track and field team won the 3A State Championship. It was an impressive haul by our Islanders! Let’s Go Islanders!

The MIHS boys soccer team won the 3A State Championship on May 31 with a 3-2 win over Shorewood at Sparks Stadium. Let’s Go Islanders!

26 MIHS student athletes signed National Letters of Intent on June 4 in the MIHS gym to play collegiate and university sports in 2025-26. The 26 students have a combined GPA of 3.73 are attending 24 different colleges or universities.

Nine MISD Destination Imagination teams participated in the Global Finals Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri, and performed extremely well. All the teams put on outstanding presentations that included excellent technical elements that put STEM learning into practice. Global Finals was the conclusion to a great year for our Destination Imagination program. This year 133 students from 4th-12th grade participated in 21 teams. Students spent 1-3 hours a week for 20 weeks getting ready for the first competition and then worked even more if they moved on to the State and Global Finals competitions

On June 3, the 95 Percent Group, started in 2005 with a vision to help schools and districts provide every child with the literacy instruction they deserve, highlighted the tools used by MISD, and the educators that implemented the tools, in our Access For All pilot reading program. The pilot reading program came about through a partnership between the PTA Special Services and Learning Differences (SSALD) Group and MISD.

Some of our Community Preschoolers took an exciting first bus ride to Northwood on June 10 for a special visit to Mrs. Sundholm’s kindergarten class! As part of our kindergarten readiness, students enjoyed a morning message, a fun Pigeon-directed drawing activity, and everyone’s favorite—Choice Time! Another great step in helping our rising kindergarteners feel confident and excited for what’s ahead.

The School Board recognized Senior Student Representative to the Board Ava Zhang on June 11 for her dedication as a Student Representative to the Board for the 2023-2025 term. Thank you, Ava, for your service to our community representing student voice. We wish you the best of success as you start your college journey in the fall.

Island Park first graders heard from local child and teen author and Island Park parent Clelia Castro-Malaspina on June 12. Clelia spoke to the first graders about the book writing and publishing process and her new book “Girls with Goals: How Women’s Soccer Took Over The World”.

Crest Learning Center graduation was June 13. Crest had a celebratory barbecue after the graduation ceremony that was attended by families, teachers, and alumni.

It was so cool to see 8 MIHS seniors who are alumni of West Mercer, return to their elementary school to visit their fifth grader teachers in the morning of their high school graduation.

The Class of 2025 graduation took place at McCaw Hall on June 16. It was an awesome night celebrating our graduates.

It was great to see so many MIHS groups and staff taking part in the Juneteenth Celebration at Mercerdale Park on June 19.

We were notified in late June that six KMIH broadcasting students had received honors in the 8^th annual New York Times Student Podcast Contest. The story we published on July 7 linked to each of the podcasts, which after listening to them, you will know why our broadcast media students and teachers continue to win awards and recognition. 

On June 16 third graders at Lakeridge held a carnival to show off the science they learned in a Forces & Motion for TCI science unit.

We hope you have enjoyed this Did You Know series and hopefully, you saw a story you didn’t know about.

We’re looking forward to the start of school tomorrow!