Public invited to share ideas with School Board May 12

The public is invited to provide information about educational programs on Mercer Island at a special study session with the Mercer Island School Board on Thursday, May 12.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Mercer Island City Hall, 9611 SE 36th St.

“This is an opportunity for our Island community and local taxpayers to connect with the board outside of a regular meeting,” said Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano in a release.

There will be information provided to the public about the scoping and timelines for 2017-2022 capital facilities projects, including field upgrades and improvements.

Drinking water in district facilities to be tested for lead as a precaution

The Mercer Island School District will be voluntarily testing its facilities’ drinking water for lead this month as a precaution.

“The health and safety of our students and staff is one of our top priorities,” Plano said. “While we have no reason to believe the testing will show any problems, recent reports from Tacoma Public Schools highlight a need to take this next step.”

Neither OSPI nor federal regulations require school districts to conduct water sampling on a scheduled basis. Nonetheless, an outside testing firm will perform random testing at each district-owned facility with notification to the public around results.

MIHS student places third in accounting at international DECA conference

Mercer Island High School student Grace Hunter placed third overall in her event – accounting – at the recent International DECA conference in Nashville.

“Congratulations to Grace Hunter on her wonderful achievement, and to all of her teammates for how well they represented MIHS at the international level,” said Principal Vicki Puckett.

Twenty MIHS DECA students and their teacher Jennifer McLellan joined more than 18,000 from around the world at the International Conference.

DECA helps students to develop skills for successful business careers, build self-esteem, experience leadership and practice community service.