Aki Kurose Middle School Academy

Last updated
Aki Kurose Middle School
Aki Kurose Middle School Academy 2024.jpg
Address
Aki Kurose Middle School Academy
3928 S Graham Street

Seattle
,
Washington
98118

United States
Coordinates 47°32′46″N122°16′57″W / 47.546131°N 122.282561°W / 47.546131; -122.282561
Information
School type Public, Middle School
Opened1952
StatusOpen
School district Seattle Public Schools
PrincipalCaine Lowery
Grades 6-8
GenderCoed
Number of students748
 •  Grade 6 232
 •  Grade 7 252
 •  Grade 8 264
Language English
Color(s)Blue and Gold   
MascotPeace Cranes
Feeder to Rainier Beach High School
Website kurosems.seattleschools.org

Aki Kurose Middle School is a public secondary school in Seattle, Washington, part of the Seattle Public Schools. Located in the Rainier Valley in southeast Seattle, it serves students in grades 6-8. The school is one of the most racially diverse schools in Seattle, with 97% of its student body being of color. A high proportion of its students are also recent immigrants, and 42% of the students are non-English speakers. The school emphasizes development of relationships between the community and the school, and establishing respect between students and teachers. [1]

Contents

Aki Kurose

Aki Kurose was a teacher who inspired many by advocating for peace. She taught in the Seattle Public Schools for 25 years, and helped bring Head Start programs to Seattle schools. Mrs. Kurose would often care for students who needed food or shelter or other kinds of help. [2] She died in 1998. [3] Aki Kurose Middle School was the first Seattle public school to be named after a teacher. [4]

History

Aki Kurose is a relatively new middle school in an old building. It first opened as Casper W. Sharples Junior High School in 1952. The nearby South Shore Middle School opened in 1973, but afterward enrollment at both schools declined. In 1981 the district closed Sharples and re-opened it as Sharples Alternative Secondary School, to accommodate students who had dropped out or had been expelled and could not re-enter a regular high school. [5] The middle school students moved to South Shore.

In 1999, the alternative program moved to the South Shore building and became South Lake Alternative High School. South Shore's middle school students moved back into the Sharples building, which was renamed Aki Kurose Middle School.

Demographics

Of all Seattle's middle schools, Aki Kurose has the highest percentage of non-white students at 97.2%. African American students are 42.2% of the total, Asian Americans 41.1%, and Hispanics 11.8%. Whites and Native Americans account for less than 3% each. 42.4% of students are non-English speakers and 18.3% are bilingual. [6] Aki Kurose houses the school district's Bilingual Family Center, an office that helps students and their families whose home language is not English. On June 22, 2010 the Bilingual Family Center will move to the SPS headquarters building. [7]

Academic programs

English as a second language is taught at the school. Spanish is taught as a foreign language.

Spectrum students study at about one year above their grade level. The school also offers a rigorous honors program in all grade levels. Honors classes are offered in Language Arts, Reading and Math.

Many students from Aki Kurose attend Rainier Beach High School or Franklin High School, which are nearby.

Special Needs

Aki Kurose Middle School offers special education services to about 100 of its students. They have 6 classes that offer modified curriculum, services for autistic students and/of self-containment for students with emotional/behavior disabilities. In the self-contained special education program, special needs students stay together in one class most of the day and receive individual help.

Academic Performance

Aki Kurose lags behind the Seattle Public Schools and Washington State averages in WASL testing. In 2008, 50.3% of 8th graders passed Reading, 51.5% passed Math and 47.9% passed Science. 22.7% of students who were tested passed all three subjects. From 2005 to 2008, pass rates rose by an average of 2% to 5%. [8] The school has failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act for every student category in Math, and every category in Reading except Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics. [9]

Creative Arts

The school offers classes in drawing and painting, journalism/yearbook. There are drama and band/orchestra, guitar, and choir music classes. Manufacturing technology students work with wood, metal, plastics and robotics. The City of Seattle Parks and Recreation department oversees the after school activities for the school offering extracurricular activities like hip-hop dance, drumline, cooking, gardening and art.

Sports

Aki Kurose offers boys basketball and soccer, and girls volleyball, soccer and basketball. Students also can compete in co-ed activities like track and Ultimate Frisbee. [10]

Safety

In June 2008, a class aide was charged with third degree child molestation. In June 2007, a girl reported being sexually assaulted in a school bathroom. [11]

According to Aki Kurose's 2009 annual report, student suspensions were more than four times the district average in 2006-07, when approximately 25% of students were suspended. In 2008-09, suspensions were more than three times the district average and approximately 20% of students were suspended.

Partnerships

Aki Kurose Middle School has partnerships with Diplomas Now, Communities In Schools, City Year, TreeHouse and the City of Seattle. Through their partnerships with Diplomas Now they were participants of the "Be Here, Get There" attendance challenge during the 2012-13. The attendance at the school rose to 95%, which allowed R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo to be principal for a day during the 2012-13 school year. Aki Kurose Middle School won the Communities In School-School of Excellence award in 2013. They also won the Diplomas Now Road Map Project school award in 2014. They have also had visits from Seattle Seahawks players, including Marshawn Lynch during the 2014-15 school year. They were also awarded the School of Excellence award

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Public Schools</span> Public school system of Seattle, Washington. U.S.

Seattle Public Schools is the largest public school district in the state of Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Park and Tukwila. As of the 2021-2022 academic year, 106 schools are operated by the district, which serve 51,650 students throughout the city.

Hazel Dell is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Washington, United States, located north and west of Vancouver. As of the 2010 census the population was 19,435. Previous censuses divided the community into two areas, Hazel Dell North and Hazel Dell South.

The Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) was a standardized educational assessment system given as the primary assessment in the state of Washington from spring 1997 to summer 2009. The WASL was also used as a high school graduation examination beginning in the spring of 2006 and ending in 2009. It has been replaced by the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE), the Measurements of Students Progress (MSP) for grades 3–8, and later the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC). The WASL assessment consisted of examinations over four subjects with four different types of questions. It was given to students from third through eighth grades and tenth grade. Third and sixth graders were tested in reading and math; fourth and seventh graders in math, reading and writing. Fifth and eighth graders were tested in reading, math and science. The high school assessment, given during a student's tenth grade year, contained all four subjects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clover Park High School</span> High school in Washington, United States

Clover Park High School (CPHS), located in Lakewood, Washington, is one of two secondary schools within the Clover Park School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Issaquah High School</span> Public four-year educational institution in Washington, United States

Issaquah High School is a four-year public secondary school in Issaquah, Washington, United States, a suburb east of Seattle. It is one of three high schools in the Issaquah School District and serves students in grades 9–12 from the central portion of the district. Issaquah High serves the cities of Issaquah, Sammamish, and Bellevue.

Decatur High School is an American secondary school teaching grades nine through twelve. A part of the Federal Way Public Schools, it was founded in 1971 in Federal Way, Washington.The graduating classes of 1973-1976 were schooled in the Illahee Middle School building. The school was built in 1976, renovated in 1987, then again remodeled in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shorewood High School (Washington)</span> Public school

Shorewood High School is one of two public high schools in the Shoreline School District in Shoreline, Washington, United States. The school originally opened in 1975 and is the largest high school in the district. It serves students in grades nine through twelve. Shorewood accepts students west of Interstate 5 (I-5), and is fed students from Einstein Middle School and local private schools. As of 2014, approximately 53% of students are White and 47% are visible minorities. The school mascot is the Stormray, chosen in 2021 to replace the Thunderbird after the decision to retire that mascot in an effort to be more respectful of Native Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Sealth International High School</span> High school in Seattle, Washington

Chief Sealth International High School (CSIHS) is a public high school in the Seattle Public Schools district of Seattle, Washington. Opened in 1957 in southern West Seattle, Chief Sealth students comprise one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse student bodies in Washington State. The school is named for Chief Seattle, a Duwamish chief and a recognized leader amongst the local peoples at the time of the arrival of European American settlers in the area. The school shares a campus with Denny International Middle School (DIMS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camas School District</span> School district in Washington, U.S.

Camas School District No. 117 is a public school district in Clark County, Washington and serves the city of Camas. As of October 2018, the district had a total enrollment of 6,903 total students Camas School District is rated #9 out of 205 of Washington's districts as rated by SchoolDigger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sehome High School</span> Public school in Bellingham, Washington, United States

Sehome High School is a public school in Bellingham, Washington, located approximately 90 miles (140 km) north of Seattle and 52 miles (84 km) south of Vancouver, British Columbia. The school serves students mainly from the western and southwestern sections of the City of Bellingham and is a part of the Bellingham School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Jefferson High School (Auburn, Washington)</span> High school in Auburn, Washington, United States

Thomas Jefferson High School is a public high school located in Auburn, Washington. It is the largest enrolled high school in the Federal Way School District and one of the largest in the State of Washington. The school is a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools, an organization whose guiding principles are intended to bolster student achievement. The mascot of Thomas Jefferson is the Raiders. A rebuilding of the school started in winter 2020, the new campus opened in the fall of 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Hale High School (Washington)</span> Public school in Seattle, Washington, United States

Nathan Hale High School is a public high school in Seattle, Washington, United States, operated by Seattle Public Schools. It was a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools and uses a project-based learning curriculum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denny International Middle School</span> Middle school in Seattle, WA

Denny International Middle School (DIMS) is a middle school in West Seattle, the southwest portion of Seattle, Washington. Operated by Seattle Public Schools. It is named for David T. Denny, one of Seattle’s early settlers and an early member of the Seattle School Board. The school shares a campus with Chief Sealth International High School (CSIHS) which together provide a joint facility for students in grades 6-12. The school's student population is racially and culturally diverse and the programs offered reflect this.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelsen Middle School</span> Public middle school in the United States

Nelsen Middle School, is located in Renton, Washington, USA, a suburb of Seattle, and is in Renton School District 403. It is a middle school that educates around 1,010 students in grades 6–8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainier Beach High School</span> Public high school in Seattle, Washington, United States

Rainier Beach High School is a public secondary school in the Seattle Public Schools system. It is located in the Rainier Beach area, in the southeastern part of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. The school historically has had a strong emphasis on team sports, and many championship teams. The building has a capacity of 1,200 students, but enrollment has declined greatly in recent years. In 2006, 1,302 of the 1,600 high school students living in the Rainier Beach neighborhood traveled out of the area each morning to attend other high schools. In 2008–09, Rainier Beach began the year with 453 students and ended with about 295, giving an average monthly enrollment of 374. Sixty students chose it as their first choice. In 2013 the school began offering an International Baccalaureate program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarkston High School (Washington)</span> School in Clarkston, Washington, United States

Charles Francis Adams High School, locally referred to as Clarkston High School or CHS, is a four-year public high school located near downtown Clarkston, Washington. The school has a population of 800-850 students in grades 9–12, with over 100 staff members. CHS's mascot is the mighty Bantam, and the school colors are red, black, and white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedro-Woolley High School</span> Public secondary school

Sedro-Woolley High School is a public high school in the city of Sedro-Woolley, Washington. The school enrolls about 1394 in grades 9-12. Its colors are blue and white and the school mascot is the bear cub. It is the primary high school for the Sedro-Woolley School District, with State Street High School being the alternative school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Chow</span>

Cheryl Chow was an American educator and politician.

Aki Kurose was an American teacher and social-justice activist who helped establish Washington state's first Head Start program and worked to increase access to education and affordable housing, particularly among low-income and minority families.

Alan T. Sugiyama High School at South Lake (ATS) aims to offer a learning environment dedicated to helping their students realize their full potential. ATS states that they value youth culture and voice, and claim to offer a family atmosphere that connects students with real world opportunities.

References

  1. ↑ "Aki Kurose Middle School Annual Report, 2007". Seattle Public Schools. 22 Oct 2008. <http://www.seattleschools.org/area/siso/test/anrep/anrep_2007/130.pdf%5B%5D>
  2. ↑ Gail, M. ""Peace Empowers": The Testimony of Aki Kurose, a Woman of Color in the Pacific Northwest." 2001. Frontiers. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3687/is_200101/ai_n8945330>.
  3. ↑ "Local News - Sharples School May Be Renamed After Aki Kurose - Seattle Times Newspaper". nwsource.com. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  4. ↑ Gail, M. ""Peace Empowers": The Testimony of Aki Kurose, a Woman of Color in the Pacific Northwest." 2001. Frontiers. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3687/is_200101/ai_n8945330>.
  5. ↑ "Kurose." Seattle Public School Histories <http://www.seattleschools.org/area/historybook/kurose.pdf Archived 2008-12-09 at the Wayback Machine >.
  6. ↑ "Aki Kurose 2006-2007 Demographic Summary." Seattle Schools. 1 Oct. 2007. Seattle School District. 21 Oct. 2008 <http://www.seattleschools.org/area/siso/test/demographic/2007/130.pdf%5B%5D>.
  7. ↑ "Seattle Public Schools: Bilingual Family Center." Seattle Public Schools. 4 June 2010. http://www.seattleschools.org/area/bfc/%5B%5D
  8. ↑ "Washington State Report Card." Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 26 Aug 2008. 21 Oct 2008. <http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/wasltrend.aspx?groupLevel=District&schoolId=1124&reportLevel=School&orgLinkId=1124&yrs=&gradeLevelId=8&waslCategory=1&chartType=1>
  9. ↑ Washington State Report Card." Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 26 Aug 2008. 21 Oct 2008. <http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ayp.aspx?schoolId=1124&OrgType=4&reportLevel=School&year=2007-08>
  10. ↑ "Education". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  11. ↑ Blanchard, Jessica. "School staff failed to act on alleged sexual assault." Seattle Post Intelligencer 25 Sept. 2008. Seattle P.I. 21 Oct. 2008 <http://www.seattlepi.com/local/380680_rainierbeach26.html.>
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.