Tyee Educational Complex is a public high school campus located in SeaTac, Washington, and is part of the Highline School District. It contains three small schools, the Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment, Global Connections High School, and Odyssey — The Essential School. Each school serves between 300 and 400 students.
Small schools
During the 2004–05 school year, Tyee High School received a $600,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in order to convert to small schools to provide a better learning experience for students in the future[1]. The schools began separate operations in 2005, but were not recognized as separate schools by the state until the next year. Many school databases used for college admissions still list only Tyee High School, requiring students to either list it as their graduating high school, or to fill in their real school as a separate school.
Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment
| Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | "Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuher!." — Gandhi |
| Established | 2005 |
| School district | Highline School District |
| Principal | Stacy Spector |
| Faculty | 33 |
| Color(s) | Navy blue and white |
| Mascot | Percy the gnome |
| Information | (206) 433-2342 |
The Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment (A.C.E.) is a small, public college-preparatory school located on the Tyee Educational Complex campus in SeaTac, Washington. The Academy's declared mission is to "empower all students for leadership and post-secondary education by improving and learning." The school operates on a set of six core values, which are
- a commitment to justice,
- a respect for democracy,
- a commitment to communication,
- a commitment to growth,
- a respect for humanity and diversity, and
- a commitment to life-long learning.
The Academy's curriculum is described as "rigorous", with emphasis on "student-centered teaching and learning". The school's principal is Stacy Spector[2].
Global Connections High School
| Global Connections High School | |
|---|---|
| | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | Achieving Success in the Global Society. |
| Established | 2005 |
| School district | Highline School District |
| Principal | Rick Harwood |
| Faculty | 23 |
| Information | (206) 433-2343 |
Global Connections High School is a small, public school located on the Tyee Educational Complex campus in SeaTac, Washington.
Mission "to prepare all students to thrive as world citizens who actively contribute to the global community."[3]
Vision
- Inspiring Academic Excellence
- Prepare students for college.
- Connect courses together around big ideas.
- Meet individual needs by personalized learning.
- Encourage students to do their individual best.
- Building Relationships
- All students known well by all teachers, especially Connections (Advisory) Teacher.
- Learn from our diversity.
- Involve parents, community and business members in helping students achieve personal goals.
- Promote respect and responsibility for self, family, community, and all cultures.
- Making Connections
- Provide opportunities for real world contacts through work experiences, internships, and community service.
- Involve students in important decisions regarding their school.
- Connect students to other cultures, environments, and the global community.[4]
Odyssey — The Essential School
| Odyssey — The Essential School | |
|---|---|
| | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 2005 |
| School district | Highline School District |
| Principal | Joan Ferrigno |
| Faculty | 26 |
| Information | (206) 433-2344 |
Odyssey — The Essential School is a small, public school located on the Tyee Educational Complex campus in SeaTac, Washington.
Mission
The mission of Odyssey - The Essential School, is to cultivate a safe, supportive, and equitable community of learners. The Odyssey Community is committed to a challenging and thorough, student-centered education that prepares the whole student (body, mind and spirit) to participate willingly, confidently, and competently in all aspects of life.[5]
Statistics
Test scores
The following table illustrates campus-wide WASL scores for the years 2004 through 2006. The percentages indicate the number of students who met standards in each section of testing. It should be noted that separate school scores were not made public for 2006, the first year in which the school were separate[6].
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | % point change
2004–2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 47% | 57% | 64% | +17 |
| Writing | 48% | 54% | 49% | +1 |
| Math | 23% | 22% | 24% | +1 |
| Science | 14% | 14% | 12% | -2 |
| Met standards, all three (reading, writing, math) | 19% | 19% | 20% | +1 |
Ethnicity
The following table illustrates the diversity of the campus[7].
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| African American | 17% |
| Asian American | 23% |
| Hispanic | 22% |
| Multiracial | 0% |
| Native American | 1% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% |
| White | 34% |
| Not provided | 0% |
Athletics
Tyee athletic teams fashion themselves the Totems, after totem poles, represented heavily on the campus before the conversion in 2005. The teams retain this designation despite the separation of the schools, as the size of each respective school would create difficulties in maintaining teams separately.
In 2006, Tyee hired Nyka Long to coach the football team. Long took Lindbergh High School to the State Playoffs in 2005. Long was fired later on in the year for allegations on forgery of checks.
References
- ^ "Coalition of Essential Schools Begins Rolling Out Nationwide Network of Small High Schools". Retrieved 2006-09-19.
- ^ Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment.
- ^ "Global Connections Website". Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ "Global Connections Website". Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ "Odyssey - The Essential School Website". Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ "The Seattle Times: School Guide". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
- ^ "The Seattle Times: School Guide". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-04-13.