Cassius Requa

LAMENT. Commuters who wish to do Running Start stand in front of VHS and wave. These students have to choose between their lives on Vashon and the benefits of Running Start. Photo courtesy of Gloria Erickson. Since 2018, Vashon Island School District (VISD) has had a policy that prohibits commuter students from participating in running start unless they transfer to their home district and away from Vashon. This includes students who want to do a hybrid of running start and high school. The...

BUILD. The entrance to McMurray Middle School. Students have been educated in this building for nearly 55 years, giving the building several generations of history. Photo courtesy of Mele Nelson. A recent report on the health of all VISD buildings revealed that some of the buildings, specifically McMurray Middle School and the Link buildings, are in need of updates. The report was conducted by a team of three groups: Integrus Architecture, who focuses on structural soundness of buildings,...

SWITCH. A screenshot of the new version of Skyward which will be implemented next year. Questions remain about how the new Skyward will affect grading. Photo courtesy of Noah Read. If you go to Vashon Island High School, chances are you've heard of standards based grading (SBG). SBG is responsible for the untraditional 0 through 4 grading scale, the learning standards in the gradebook, and the notorious Skyward trend line. These grading concepts shape how our grading system works, so it's...