Students, staff, veterans, first responders, and community members gathered to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

This year’s ceremony held special significance as the first event hosted at Casey Crate Memorial Plaza at the new Bethel High School. The plaza honors Air Force Staff Sergeant Casey Crate, a Bethel High graduate killed in Iraq in 2005, along with all Bethel alumni who have served in the armed forces.

A joint JROTC color guard from Bethel, Graham-Kapowsin and Spanaway Lake high schools presented the colors and brought dignity and honor to the ceremony.

“As a generation that had not seen the day itself, we make the promise to never forget and to keep the memory alive for those lost on that fateful day,” Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Sandoval said. “Remembering September 11 is not simply about looking backward. It is about understanding our responsibility moving forward.” 

The ceremony honored the victims whose lives were taken, the families who were forever changed, and the countless individuals who answered the call to help. 

“For many of us who served after September 11, the events of that day didn't last for one day. They became years of deployments, missed family events, missed birthdays, holidays, and watching children grow up through photos and videos and phone calls,” Keynote Speaker Major General Tim McGuire, U.S. Army (ret.) said. “Some of us came home changed, and some of us didn't come home at all. But we did this with pride and a fierce sense of purpose to protect our country, our family, and friends, and our fellow Americans.” 

McGuire told the assembled students that sense of purpose and duty wasn’t restricted to those in uniform. “You don't have to be a soldier or airman to serve. You don't have to be a firefighter or a police officer,” he said. “Do the right thing when nobody is watching. Be the person who runs towards a problem rather than away from it. Those choices may seem small, but that's how character is built. And character is what carries people and countries through difficult times.”

Forget tuning into The Pitt for high stakes medical drama. Right here in our district, four Bethel High School seniors are getting a front row seat to the healthcare world. And they’re taking the state by storm!

HOSA is basically the Olympics for future healthcare professionals. And these students recently swept top three spots in Washington state in their respective events.

Seniors Madelynn and Joon competed in “Health Career Display” with a focus on forensic pathology. When it came to research, they went right to the source. During an after-school study session, Joon cold-called the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, who routed her to the Medical Examiner’s Office. Days later, they were collaborating directly with Sierra Plush, Pierce County's Medicolegal Death Investigations Supervisor.

"I feel like forensics usually gets a bad reputation due to it being so taboo, but me and Joon, honestly, we're really interested in forensics and death investigation as a whole to give clarification to grieving families and allow them to mourn in a positive way," Madelynn said. "Even if it's such a morbid thing, I would say it's a really beautiful thing because we're able to bring our community together."

Joon credits HOSA with helping her step out of her shell. "I was always interested in forensics and being a part of the medical field and just helping people out," she said. "When I saw something that gave me an outlet and gave me connections and opportunities to network with people in my local area and compete and show off what I know and what I'm capable of, I thought, 'I really, really want to do this.'"

For Kaydence, HOSA provided a hands-on spark that completely shifted her career goals toward respiratory therapy. "I was really kind of bored with studying books,” she said. “Getting to do the procedures in person and hands-on was definitely so fun for me."

Meanwhile, Marcella took her experience managing the boys basketball team and translated it into a top state finish in life support skills. "Part of the life skill support was stuff similar to what I did in basketball,” she said. “The CPR and the taping. So I had an idea of what I was doing.”

None of these real-world experiences would be possible without the voters of Bethel, who passed the Educational Programs & Operations Levy in February. That community support directly funds district after-school programs like HOSA, alongside athletics, music, and the arts. Thanks to our community, students have the tools and opportunities to chase their biggest dreams.

Across our district, classrooms are moving away from traditional, reactive punishments. Instead, teachers and administrators are working side-by-side to help every student thrive by building real-life skills, teaching them how to navigate conflicts, and creating a sense of belonging in our schools.

The results of this shift speak for themselves: an impressive 70 percent reduction in elementary suspensions districtwide.

A huge part of that success comes down to educators supporting educators.

"At the Behavior Task Force level last year, we started going out to schools to see how it was going in buildings," said teacher and BEA Vice President Traci Overstreet. "So it was teachers checking in on teachers, and we plan on growing that this year.”

That spirit of collaboration has created a momentum that is hard to miss.

"Wow. I'm so inspired," said Jessica Hannigan, a national expert in student behavior systems. "I was getting actually a little emotional just seeing the growth from year one.”

This is the third year Hannigan has been directly involved with our district’s behavior teams.

“They're passionate about it, and they have created amazing systems on their campuses with huge outcomes for students and staff,” she said.

The ultimate goal is to make sure that every student gets exactly what they need, when they need it. That means clearer expectations in hallways, targeted small-group coaching, and specialized lifelines for individual needs. 

School buses are heading back out on the roads, which means it is time for a quick refresher on when to stop for those red flashing lights!

Washington state law (RCW 46.61.370) outlines when drivers must stop for school buses. On a two-lane road, drivers traveling in both directions must stop when the bus’s flashing red lights or retractable stop sign are activated. 

On roads with three or more marked lanes, drivers traveling in the opposite direction are not required to stop. The same exception applies to highways divided into separate roadways. However, drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus must always stop. 

Drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus face a mandatory $500 fine that cannot be waived, reduced, or suspended. 

The Washington state Department of Licensing's Driver Guide reminds drivers to continue watching for children along the roadway even after a bus's red lights stop flashing and its stop sign is retracted. 

Always keep an eye out for yellow buses, slow down in school zones, and remember: when in doubt about whether to stop, play it safe and bring your vehicle to a full stop!

Our bus drivers work hard to get our students to and from school safely each day. Let's help them out by staying alert and driving with caution!

Mornings are hard. Between lost shoes, missed alarms, and the constant race against the clock, just getting your kids out the door can feel like a victory. But every single day your child makes it into the classroom matters more than you might think.

It’s easy to view an absence here and there as no big deal. But missing just two days a month adds up fast. That’s 20 days, or a full month of missed school, in a single year.

When kids miss school, it’s tough for them to catch up when the class has already moved on to the next topic. Missing days also makes kids feel left out of classroom friendships and daily routines.

State data shows that kids with regular attendance find reading and math much easier because they aren't constantly trying to play catch-up.

We know that real life can get in the way of smooth mornings. Sickness, car trouble, stress, and family emergencies are real. If attendance is becoming an issue at your house, please reach out to your school directly. We can work together to tackle whatever barrier you're facing.

Every single morning you get your child to school, you are setting them up to succeed. We know it isn’t always easy, but their learning, sense of belonging, and future will thank you.

At 300,000 square feet and stretching an eighth of a mile door to door, the new Bethel High School is an enormous building. But it wasn't built just to look impressive. It was designed from the ground up for the students who will use it for generations to come.

“What I appreciate most is that the building was designed around how students learn and how they will use the school every day,” Director of Construction Sara Coccia said. “There are flexible learning spaces, collaborative areas, Career and Technical Education opportunities, athletics and performing arts spaces, and places throughout the building where students can gather, connect, and belong.”

But long before construction crews broke ground, this land was already a place of gathering and education.

“This location where the school was built is on the sacred lands of the Puyallup and the Nisqually people,” said Brandon Reynon, Director of Tribal Historic Preservation for the Puyallup Tribe. “That is where our people gathered, where our youth would follow their fathers, and young women would follow their mothers, and gather, and hunt. In those places, they would share their stories. This is where our history was taught. This is where our lessons were taught.” 

The district worked alongside their tribal partners and a mural honoring that history is now located just inside the main entrance of the building. 

The land also carries another local connection. The district acquired part of the property from the Crate family, whose son, Air Force Staff Sergeant Casey Crate, a Bethel High graduate, was killed in Iraq in 2005. Today, at the front of the building, the Casey Crate Memorial Plaza honors him and other Bethel graduates who served.

Getting the new Bethel High School constructed was no small feat. Just starting the project meant pushing through state and county land-use requirements, legislative hurdles, and court challenges. Former Superintendent Tom Seigel, who served Bethel for 23 years, knows that history better than anyone.

“The team at Bethel did not quit, and as a result, we have this beautiful facility today,” said Seigel. “I want to especially recognize the members of the Bethel community who trusted us and supported the 2019 bond measure to make this project a reality. Your trust will be kept, and new Bethel High will be a truly magnificent place for students to learn.”

Inside, the school features a dedicated welding classroom, a gigantic industrial kitchen for culinary students, and a 500-seat auditorium complete with an orchestra pit.

Incoming freshman Kekoa felt the impact right away. “Walking into this building for the first time, everything felt big, modern, and full of possibility,” Kekoa said. “I'm especially excited about joining the band. The new practice rooms, the equipment, and the space built for music makes me feel proud to be part of something that's growing. And beyond band, there are so many activities, clubs, and opportunities here for every student to find their place.”

Everything comes back to students here in Bethel. And everything done here was done with them in mind.

“School is a place where a student discovers something they didn't know they could do,” Coccia said. “It is where a teacher changes the direction of a young person's life. It's where friendships are made. It is where students learn to work together, to overcome setbacks, celebrate successes, and begin to imagine what comes next.”

For generations of students to come, this building will be where those moments happen.

Come Tour the Building! 

Everyone wants to live a longer, healthier life, but figuring out how to actually do it -- and then sticking to it -- can be much harder. A transformative new initiative is trying to remove that guesswork entirely by building wellness directly into the daily environment.

Rather than asking individuals to rely on willpower alone, the Blue Zones Project targets the surroundings people navigate every day. Many people recognize the concept from the Netflix documentary series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, which explores regions around the world where people naturally live longer, healthier lives. 

The Blue Zones Project brings those proven principles directly to local neighborhoods. When researchers first evaluated health metrics across Pierce County, they uncovered a stark reality about our home.

"When Blue Zones came into the area and did a discovery of Pierce County, it was discovered that Parkland and Spanaway had the lowest life expectancy than anywhere else in the county," said Queena Tupou, Executive Director of Blue Zones Project Parkland-Spanaway. "And so from there, that was how Parkland and Spanaway was selected as the community."

To change our community's narrative, Tupou and her team came together with community leaders to build a roadmap for real, lasting change. By partnering with schools, local businesses, grocery stores, faith-based organizations, and workplaces, the project shapes surroundings so healthy options feel natural and accessible.

So what that looks like in practice in Parkland-Spanaway: "We take the four core values—which are eating wisely, moving, connecting, and purpose—and we apply that into the community through three pillars: people, places, and policy," Tupou said.

Whether it is improving local park trails to encourage movement, enhancing school nutrition, or strengthening municipal policy to support pedestrian safety, these environmental tweaks add up. Healthy surroundings naturally strengthen social ties and foster civic pride across our district.

As local partners hit their targets, Parkland-Spanaway edges closer to a historic milestone.

"That has been the ultimate goal, and we have to show that through meeting all of our individual goals that were set locally with our partners and with Blue Zones National," Tupou said. "We will be successful because that's just how my team works, and we'll be the first Blue Zone of Pierce County."

More than a dozen Bethel School District seniors walked across the graduation stage in August to receive their diplomas, proving that hard work pays off, no matter the timeline.

The students were graduates of Bethel, Challenger, Graham-Kapowsin, and Spanaway Lake high schools. 

For these students, achieving their goals meant putting in extra time, pushing through obstacles, and refusing to step back when the road got tough.

"We talk about persistence and grit mattering. That resilience matters," Superintendent Brian Lowney told the graduates. "That when things get tough, people bounce back, persevere, work through things. You've done that."

These students never gave up on themselves, and Team Bethel never gave up on them.

A high school diploma is far more than a piece of paper. It opens doors to college, trade school, and great careers. Every late hour and extra assignment brought these students to this stage, building real confidence along the way.

"You've worked," Lowney added. "So when the question comes for you later in life about whether you can get through hard things, and finish things, and persevere, that's what you've done."

As these newest graduates look toward the future, they carry more than just their diplomas. They carry the confidence of knowing they can finish what they start, and build the future they want.

Through careful planning, efficient staffing, and prudent financial management, Bethel has successfully delivered a balanced budget for the upcoming school year. The budget reflects our commitment to delivering a high-quality education for every student while being careful stewards of local tax dollars.

However, as district leaders look toward the future, significant state-level funding gaps threaten to pull resources away from our classrooms. 

As one of the biggest employers in Pierce County, the majority of our budget goes to paying the staff who work with students every day. While official budget categories report that 78.3% of expenditures go directly toward salaries and benefits, Superintendent Brian Lowney pointed out that the real investment is even higher.

"In Purchased Services, we’re also paying for people," Lowney said. Purchased Services is a budget category that pays for contracted specialized services for students. "I would tell you that it’s usually closer to 85% of our budget that is going to pay people to do the work of educating our students and taking care of them."

The district has worked hard to streamline administration, keeping district-level operational support to just 4.3% of the total budget. And nearly half of that small percentage is consumed by mandatory fixed expenses, like insurance.

Despite our careful local management, public schools across Washington are facing systemic funding shortfalls from the state government.

One of the largest pressures on our budget is the state’s underfunding of Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOC). These are the basic essentials required to keep school buildings open and safe. The state’s current funding formula leaves us with a $21.5 million annual gap between what the state provides and what it actually costs to operate our schools. To keep our facilities running, local levy dollars are used to cover the difference.

Compounding this issue are recent legislative changes to Local Effort Assistance (LEA), a state program designed to help property-poor districts like Bethel. Recent adjustments to state funding formulas have triggered a steep decline in LEA to the tune of $10 million in future years.

"Even though we're anticipating that change in revenue, we did find savings through the budget, resulting in a balanced budget this year," Chief Financial Officer Christine Donnelly said. That’s this year. Next year will be different. "I cannot sit here and say that we can have a balanced budget when we're going to be down $10 million based on the current legislative numbers." she said.

Closing these multi-million-dollar gaps requires legislative action in Olympia. You can find out who represents you and contact them at https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder

For many of our students, graduation day is more than a ceremony. It is the culmination of years of quiet resilience, hard work, and relentless community support.

This year, our McKinney-Vento students -- those experiencing homelessness -- achieved an 84% graduation rate, up from 79% last year. Those are certainly impressive numbers, but behind those statistics are real students overcoming extraordinary circumstances.

Navigating high school while facing housing instability requires deep connection and personalized support. Darius Alexander, our Director of Equity, Access, and Community Engagement, said building trust is the foundational step.

"We work with kids and their families to try to figure out what they need versus what we think they need," Alexander said. "We're super intentional about getting out to schools to really try to work with our students, just building those relationships and making those connections with kids, and then also being intentional about inviting them to programs and educating them about our school system and our school district."

That relational approach is matched by a dedicated network of district staff who walk alongside students every step of the way. Unaccompanied Youth Navigator Tammi Booth said the success comes down to a united front.

"Really, what it comes down to is Team Bethel," Booth said. "So, I'm there, yes, working with the students one-on-one, but it takes a team behind them. And I'm there to help staff use more of our trauma-informed care with our students, so that way they can feel seen and supported."