The Rotary Club of Kirkland held its regular weekly meeting online on September 21, 2020.
Attending were James Nevers, Dave Aubry, Gary Cohn, Dan Bartel, Joanne Primavera, Terry Cole, Rich Bergdahl, John Pruitt, John Woodbery, Joe Getzendanner, Darcia Tudor, Tricia Stromberg, Brandon Honcoop, Bob Auslander, Gail Auslander, Mike Hunter, Don Dicks, Bella Chaffey, Dave Debois, George Anderson, Rick Walter, Amy Mutal, and Monica Fratiti. Let me know if I missed anyone.
President James Nevers rang the bell at 6:15 p.m.
Mike Hunter recited the Pledge of Allegiance, while the rest of us stood, mostly mute, in order to avoid ‘out-of-sync-problems’ with our audio.
Guests were Jessica Nevers, Becca Honcoop, Nanette Bergdahl.
We next had a break-out session to reconnect and discuss various issues, including back-to-school [virtual at this point]. It has proven difficult for all involved – there are apparently a number of bugs in the system organizationally. Some local private schools are back full-time, but not public schools. We also discussed how glad we were to have most of the wildfire smoke gone, thanks to recent wind and rain.
After breakout, we had a Happy Dollars session – many folks were happy!
Our speaker for the evening was Dr. Jon Holmen, new superintendent of the Lake Washington School District. His theme was back-to-school with its many new challenges in the era of COVID-19. He also spoke about rededicating all staff to the mission of graduating every student with the tools to become a contributing, successful member of society. Students need to have the tools to make informed decisions about their futures. We need to ensure there is equity for all students, so we need to close the opportunity gaps for students.
He gave us an overview of the district – the geographic reach and size, and the fact that LWSD is growing rapidly and is now the second-largest in the state. He gave us an overview of how the district prepared to open and function with mostly a remote-learning model. K-1 will transition in October to in-person instruction, which everyone agrees is the best way to teach.
There were a number of informed questions from members regarding the specific challenges of on-line learning, especially for very young children. Apparently, no district in the state is fully implementing on-site learning in Washington right now. According to a Seattle Times article on this date, Washington may have the most stringent return-to-school regulations in the country.
In keeping with our education theme this month, next week’s speaker will be Dr. Amy Morrison, president of the Lake Washington Institute of Technology.
We adjourned at about 7:47 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
David Aubry - Acting Scribe