Title IX report

The final Title IX compliance review, submitted to the School Board on March 4, revealed a number of inequities between the Mercer Island High School girls and boys athletic program. Namely, the poor state of the girls softball play fields and safety equipment. Athletic Director Craig Olson has since made a number of changes to improve equity between girls and boys sports. Inadequate girls sporting equipment has been replaced and practice facilities improved. The district is planning to introduce more female sports teams.

The Class of ‘08

A record number of seniors graduated as the Class of 2008 in June, with nearly 380 students total. This group was also the first class in Island history to complete the Senior Culminating Project and three WASL tests — math, reading and writing — as a state graduation requirement. Despite their heavy load, nearly every senior graduated on time.

“We’ve been through a lot and this group has succeeded in ways that exceed our expectations,” class speaker John O’Meara said during the June 6 ceremony. “We’re spontaneous. We think outside the box, and we’re hard to define.”

Bomb scare

A Mercer Island High School sophomore girl was arrested on Feb. 27, along with a 16-year-old boy from Redmond, for calling in a hoax bomb-threat the day before. The call, which was made to an MIHS secretary at 8:10 a.m. on Feb. 26, resulted in a school-wide evacuation. Both juveniles confessed to the felony. The sophomore avoided prosecution with 40 hours of community service as punishment and was permanently suspended from school.