Founded 1909 Weekly News and Highlights April 8th, 2022
NEXT WEEK'S MEETING
Wednesday, April 13 Zoom Only 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Can Democracy Survive the Loss of Our Local Free Press System?
Speaker: Frank Blethen
Frank Blethen is publisher of The Seattle Times/seattletimes.com, the second-largest newspaper on the West Coast and the most-visited digital information source in the state. The Seattle Times is known for its strong local coverage and in-depth investigative reporting. The Seattle Times has won 11 Pulitzer Prizes – most recently, the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and has been a Pulitzer finalist 14 other times since 1982.
The Seattle Times is one of the last independent and locally owned newspapers in the United States, in its 125th year of public-service journalism and Blethen family stewardship. Frank is a member of the fourth family generation. Currently, there are nine members of the family’s fourth and fifth generations active in The Seattle Times management and governance.
Frank is a strong advocate for preserving the local free press system and active in pursuing public policy. He remains steadfast in his commitment to independent journalism and family-owned businesses and is a longtime participant in the national grassroots movement opposing newspaper and media ownership consolidation. Frank is also a longtime passionate advocate for high-quality public education for all school children, across income and racial barriers.
The Blethen family, The Seattle Times, and Frank Blethen are known as strong advocates for diversity, inclusion, and gender equity and have consistently received significant local and national recognition for their commitment and leadership.
Jon Bridge introduced the day’s featured program speaker, Don Nielson, as an alumnus of Ballard HS, UW, Harvard MBA, an author, UW lecturer, and committed advocate for focusing on student outcomes in public education.
Don Nielsen knows a thing or two about public education, having served on the Seattle School Board for eight years, he traveled the U.S. studying America’s public education system and now is a Senior Fellow of Discovery Institute http://www.discovery.org/and Chair of the Institute's program on public education reform. Don is a former Seattle #4 member, who may be rejoining in the future.
Why it is time to rethink school? “The education system in the U.S. is broken,” he began, “with COVID as a disaster for the economy and certainly a disaster for our children as the achievement gap has grown as a result of two years’ essentially on hiatus.” Suspension of school during the pandemic has increased mental illness, teen suicide, with drop-outs up, attendance down, and crime is up.
He said the education system was broken long before COVID, and that the education system was really never designed to educate every child. “Although the U.S. produces some of the most educated students in the world, 25% of children in high school will drop out before graduation, and many could not qualify for community college or the military,” he said, “with 70% of our children not getting the education they need and that’s been going on for decades – making the U.S. 23rd for education worldwide.” The outdated school calendar has become part of the culture of American society.
The common school education system started in the 1800s when the U.S. was an agrarian society. The school system aimed to educate students 6-14 years of age in the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, with an academic year of about 180 days – children worked on farms during the summer months. The system hasn’t changed much since then.
Don't miss the Rotary International Convention in Houston!! Click HERE for information and registration.
CLUB EVENTS AND SERVICE ACTIVITIES
Tuesday, April 12
3:30 - 5:00 PM
1416 SW 151st Street
Burien, WA
CHOOSE 180 Volunteer Reception and Tour
Join CHOOSE 180 for a short program, tour, and reception to celebrate their new renovation which Seattle 4 Rotary members helped with last July. Register HERE.
The Seattle Rotary Mariners Invite You to Visit Antarctica via Zoom
Member Kathy Williams has agreed to tell us all about her recent trip to Antarctica via Zoom. Her presentation will include stunningly beautiful pictures of the icebergs and wildlife. Contact member Alan Bergen for a Zoom login at alanrbergen@gmail.com.
Volunteer Opportunity
Sunday, April 17
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
(3rd Sunday of each month)
Build Tiny Houses
The Hope Factory
5 South Nevada Street
14 volunteers maximum per event - first come, first served. Volunteer form needs to be completed for each volunteer.
Rotarians and their families, and friends of Rotarians are all welcome.
Rotary Boys & Girls Club
Maintenance Day 201 19th Ave
Join Seattle 4 Rotary members, family, and friends to spruce up the club by cleaning inside and outside. Bring your favorite tools and spend three hours of fun and service at your Rotary Boys & Girls Club. Sign up by emailing Jon Zetlmaier at jon@jzwealth.net.
Seattle 4 Fellowship
Thursday, April 28
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
The Rainier Tower
1301 5th Avenue - 12th Floor
Sea4s Happy Hour - All Welcome!
We can't wait to see you! All members are welcome to attend.
Saturday, May 7
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Pilchuck Glass School
Stanwood, WA
Campus Tour and Happy Hour
Sign up today for a special tour of the iconic glass art school founded by Dale Chihuly. We'll get a tour of campus, watch live glassblowing, and enjoy some Happy Hour libations. This special tour is $50 per person and will likely sell out fast, so click HERE to reserve your spot today. Make sure you select the correct day and time (Saturday, May 7th Happy Hour Tour).
Volunteer Opportunity
Saturday, May 14
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Salvation Army Work Party for Homeless Shelter
Help pack sack lunches at the Salvation Army's SODO Homeless Shelter. Volunteers will be preparing sack lunches then distributing to clients in the shelter. Space is limited - reserve your spot with Lisa Borders at lisa.borders@usw.salvationarmy.org.
We love to see our Rotary members promoting good works in our community and abroad! If you have a project or fundraiser that you are excited about and would like to promote to your fellow club members, please check in with our Executive Director, Caroline Bobanick, or Membership and Communication Manager, Fiona Ronyai, before distributing information or invitations through our email roster. We value the privacy of our members’ contact information and can let you know the appropriate ways to reach out to folks in our club. Thank you!!
4. Invite your connections to a weekly meeting, and let caroline@seattlerotary.org know so they may be introduced.
If you don't already have a LinkedIn profile, CLICK HERE to learn how to get started.
SEATTLE 4 ROTARY AUDIO VISUAL SPONSORS
Video of Seattle 4 Rotary Programs are available online thanks to the generous support of our Seattle Rotary Audio Visual Sponsors.
Special thanks to our Gold Level Sponsor, Bob Alexander.
In addition to supporting our club, becoming a Seattle 4 Rotary Audio Visual Sponsor brings many benefits. To learn more, click here, or contact Caroline for more details at Caroline@seattlerotary.org.
SPONSORS
Do You Have Any Musical Instruments to Donate to Students in Need?
Music4Life is a non-profit and project of Rotary District 5030 that distributes musical instruments to public school students in need.
We welcome any gently used musical instruments you wish to donate. They can be delivered directly to these local music stores that are now open: American Music in Phinney Ridge and Kennelly Keys Music in Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Everett.
Please accompany your instrument with the PDF donation form, linked below.
Our Rotary Cares team is ready to listen and to support you. One of the wonderful things about our club is that you have many friends --you just need to reach out to tap into our amazing network of caring people. Please contact our Rotary Cares Committee Co-Chairs are listed below to let us know how we can help.
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