On the last day of Jump Start Kindergarten, families and staff at Hilltop Elementary School celebrated with a ribbon cutting for their new kindergarten building, rain garden, grass field and outdoor learning spaces.
John Erickson said goodbye on his last day as principal and welcomed interim principal Corbin Busby, formerly the assistant principal. Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta, and kindergarten dual language teacher Yazmin Gil spoke, as well as representatives of EarthGen, RAVE Foundation and Highline's Operations departments.
Kindergarten students enjoyed popsicles, new soccer balls and doing what kindergartners do best... moving and playing. A few adults showed off their soccer skills! And we took a peek inside the brand new kindergarten building.
The kindergarten-sized soccer balls were courtesy of RAVE Foundation. College volunteers from the Seattle Project got us ready for the celebration with an end-of-summer weeding of the rain garden and outdoor classroom areas.
The four-classroom kindergarten building is one of three elementary classroom buildings in Highline funded by a state grant to lower K-3 class sizes.
The extensive rain garden and natural spaces were installed by EarthGen with volunteer helpers from Seattle Sounders FC, RAVE Foundation and Abbott Construction. The Hilltop rain garden also was made possible with support from Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), The Boeing Company, and Port of Seattle.
Hilltop Interim Principal Corbin Busby thanks former Principal John Erickson for his years of service at Hilltop on John's last day as principal.
A representative of the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) tours the new Kindergarten building.
In August, college-aged volunteers from the Seattle Project donated their time to do a thorough weeding of the rain garden and natural spaces.
