What is Connect Tri-Cities? It’s a job fair. A STEM competition. Veterans outreach. Retirement planning. Networking. Interactive exhibits. Job skills preparation. Guest speakers. Connect Tri-Cities will be a resource for the Tri-Cities community, employers and job seekers, sponsored by Hanford contractor Mission Support Alliance and their corporate partners, Leidos, Jacobs and Centerra Group.
Connect Tri-Cities seeks to collaborate with community and nation-wide stakeholders to support an effective transfer of knowledge and recruit job seekers in collaboration with STEM, trade/craft and apprenticeship organizations.
Thank you for joining our seventh annual LEV Breakfast on Thursday, March 30, a celebration of Washington’s teachers and an engaging conversation on how we can advocate to put great teachers in front of our kids who need them most. We featured LEV President Chris Korsmo and an inspirational talk with 2017 Regional Teacher of the Year recipients Kendra Yamamoto and Elizabeth Loftus on how great teachers are the key to student success.
Special thanks to Workhouse Creative for this amazing film, featuring 2017 Washington state Teacher of the Year Camille Jones, teachers Jamilla Norris and Donte Felder, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee:
Watch the keynote presentation featuring 2017 Washington state Regional Teachers of the Year Elizabeth Loftus and Kendra Yamamoto, moderated by Daniel Zavala, LEV Director of Policy and Government Relations:
Here are a few photos from the event:
LEV Director of Policy and Government Relations Daniel Zavala moderates the discussion with 2017 Washington Regional Teachers of the Year Elizabeth Loftus and Kendra Yamamoto
LEV President and CEO Chris Korsmo front and center
LEV Board Member and Teacher Cate Simmers (2nd from R) and her table mates
LEV Board Member Bob O’Hara (R) and former Board Member Thelma Jackson with guests Lyle Quasim (L) and Mark Jones
The interactive exhibit in the Sheraton Seattle Lobby
From left: 2017 Washington state Teacher of the Year Camille Jones with 2017 Regional Teachers of the Year Kendra Yamamoto and Elizabeth Loftus
Thank You to Our 2017 Sponsors
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LEV FOUNDATION is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that provides strategic, accurate, and timely information to citizens, educators, policymakers, and the media; highlights research-driven educational practices that prepare all students to reach their full potential; and advocates for reforms and revenue to implement the research-based practices in Washington. Donations are tax-deductible.
OUR VISION is that every student in Washington state receives an excellent public education that provides the opportunity for success.
From the keynote panel on Education Advocacy for Black Students: “We’ve had the research that tells us how to engage students of color and help them succeed. We just need to put it into practice.”
Thank you for making the 2016 Annual Breakfast a success!
We enjoyed a thoughtful conversation about helping our kids create personal pathways for success with Lake Washington Institute of Technology President Dr. Amy Morrison Goings, Will Sarett, Director of the NewTech Skill Center, and Mike Sotelo, Co-Founder of the Combined Ethnic Chamber, moderated by Washington Business Alliance President Colleen McAleer.
The panel emphasized the need for preparation, support and high expectation for our kids. Dr. Amy Morrison Goings said, “Two-thirds of all jobs will require a certificate or degree. We need to ensure that our kids are ready.”
LEV believes in providing supports for our kids to graduate from high school ready for college and career. As aging workers retire, there will soon be tens of thousands of opportunities available in the trades. We need to make sure our kids see the relevance and excitement of their coursework so they can enroll in and complete two- and four-year degrees and certificates, which will give them more options for a prosperous future.
Here are the questions the League of Education Voters is grappling with:
– How should we work to expand rigorous Career and Technical Education (CTE)?
– How do we help our kids get to and complete higher education?
This is an ongoing national conversation. Career and Technical Education (CTE) is the new “Race to the Top” in education circles, highlighting great opportunities and the challenges of meeting students where they are.
Our rockstar panelists (l-r): Will Sarett, Dr. Amy Morrison Goings, Mike Sotelo and moderator Colleen McAleerLEV Board Member Thelma Jackson greets guestsLEV staff members Jene Jones and Cindy Raffety at the check-in tableSenator Mark Mullet was among many elected officials from all levels of local and state government95-year-old Georgie Kunkle was a Rosie the Riveter during WWII and landed helicopters on school playgrounds to show girls they could flyLEV State Field Director Kelly Munn in actionLEV Communications Director Arik Korman served as MC, asking guests to share thoughts on our strategic planning processLEV CEO Chris Korsmo emphasizes the importance of helping kids build a bridge from high school to college and careerLEV Board Secretary Vange Ocasio shares her personal education journey
Thank you to everyone who attended our 2016 Parent and Community Training! We couldn’t have done it without you.
Check out the slides here by Duncan Taylor, who led a workshop called The Dollar Dance on education funding.
See LEV Field Director Kelly Munn’s Advocacy 101 presentation here.
LEV Senior Policy Analyst Jolenta Coleman’s excellent Financial Aid 101 slides are here.
View the Education Funding presentation slides from LEV Senior Policy Analyst Julia Warth and Policy Analyst Jake Vela here.
We will add more presentation slides as soon as we get them. In the meantime, here are a few photos:
Beyond High School: A Panel on Career Technical Education featuring Jene Jones of LEV Government Relations, Dave Gering of the Manufacturing Industry Council, Thomas Mosby of Highline Public Schools Career Pathways and Partnerships, Chance Gower of Highline Public Schools Career Technical Education, and Highline CTE student Kyla, who is taking dental assistant classes
Robin Tatsuda, Program Supervisor of the Arc of King County’s Parent to Parent Support program, leads a workshop on how to advocate for your special needs child
Senator Joe Fain (center) is joined by parents and students from Excel and Rainier Prep charter schools for a roundtable on how charter schools have impacted their lives
Parent Organizing Groups panel featuring LEV Field Director Kelly Munn with parent organizers Margarita, BJ and Fatima
Financial Aid 101 workshop presented by LEV senior policy analyst Jolenta Coleman
Colorado State Senator Mike Johnston is a rising political star and an education inspiration, and he’s coming to speak at our 2013 LEV Breakfast. Here are five reasons why we can’t wait to hear from him:
He’s lived what he’s talking about.Sen. Johnston was a high school English teacher in Greenville, Mississippi with the Teach for America program. After earning a master’s degree in education and a law degree, he returned to Colorado and started his career as a principal. There he lead two alternative high schools serving Colorado students held in state custody or living in group homes and detention centers.
He’s committed to supporting great school leaders.Sen. Johnston is co-founder of New Leaders for New Schools, a national non-profit that recruits and trains urban principals.
His work speaks for itself.His hard work in education and politics have earned him well-deserved accolades. In 2011, TIME Magazine ranked Mike among the “Top 40 Under 40 Rising Political Stars,” and Forbes Magazine listed him as one of the “7 Most Influential Educators” in 2010.
He believes truth and hope go together.During his first year in office, Sen. Johnston championed the Great Teachers and Leaders Law, groundbreaking legislation that alters teacher evaluations by measuring student growth.
He knows change is possible.In 2005, Sen. Johnston became the founding principal of MESA (Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts), a redesigned urban high school in the Mapleton Public Schools that made Colorado history by becoming the first public high school in which 100 percent of seniors were admitted to four-year colleges.
And if you need one more reason to come hear him speak at the 2013 LEV Breakfast, look forward to hearing inspirational lines like this:
Thank you to all who came to support LEV at our Second Annual Breakfast: Schools That Work! We had such a fabulous time talking with you about your passion and dedication to making schools great for every student in Washington state. We heard talented students on the steel drums, thanked our excellent elected officials, passed our pop quiz, saw the debut of the A+ Washington video, and heard from teachers, principals and other education professionals about the wonderful work they’re doing to ensure our kids succeed in school and in life. We raised about $136,000 at this year’s breakfast. With these resources we’ll be able to continue to fight to make every school a School That Works. Thank you for your continued support and for all you do for kids!
Here are some photos from the breakfast. Thank you again to all who came!
Thank you to everyone who attended LEV’s 7th Annual Parent & Community Training!
