NEWS GLEAMS | Southeast Seattle Schools Launch Fundraiser; Local Authors Featured in Short Story Dispenser

A roundup of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

✨Gleaming This Week✨

• WA State House Passes Bill to Eliminate Juvenile Points From Adult Sentencing Calculations
• Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraiser Expands to 17 Public Schools to Raise Critical Funds
• Local Authors Featured in Short Story Dispenser at Central Library and The Station Coffee Shop

WA State House Passes Bill to Eliminate Juvenile Points From Adult Sentencing Calculations

The Washington State House of Representatives passed HB-1324 on the evening of March 6, which makes updates to Washington's sentencing systems, so that adults cannot be punished twice for crimes they committed as children. Among the goals of the bill are to promote rehabilitation and reintegration, to bring Washington State in line with other states which do not consider prior juvenile offenses when sentencing adults, and to "recognize how grave disproportionality within the juvenile legal system may subsequently impact sentencing ranges in adult court."

According to a press release from the ACLU, "This change would bring Washington in line with most other states regarding the scoring of prior juvenile offenses. Eliminating the use of juvenile records to automatically give people longer sentences will reduce racial disparities, account for discoveries in developmental brain science, and stop punishing people twice by no longer counting juvenile points in adult sentencing calculations."

Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraiser Expands to 17 Public Schools to Raise Critical Funds

Throughout the month of March, a collaborative fundraising effort led by Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraising Alliance, hopes to raise $500,000 for approximately 7,000 students in 17 elementary, K—8 and middle schools in Seattle Public Schools' District 7. The fundraiser is a collaboration of 17 PTA and family-teacher groups — which began in 2021 and are now in their second year of fundraising together — in acknowledgment that not all schools have the capacity to fundraise equally.

Similar to last year, which raised $400,000, this year's fundraiser will also use a move-a-thon — with events mostly between March 6 to 17 — which will encourage dancing, navigating obstacle courses, and other fun activities. PTAs at individual schools may also plan one-off events of their own, including pep rallies, weekend family gatherings, and more.

Participating schools include:

• Elementary: Beacon Hill International Elementary, Dearborn Park International Elementary, Emerson Elementary, Dunlap Elementary, Graham Hill Elementary, Hawthorne Elementary, Kimball Elementary, John Muir Elementary, Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary, Maple Elementary, Rainier View Elementary, Rising Star Academy, and Wing Luke Elementary
• Middle: Aki Kurose Middle School and Mercer Middle School
• K—8: Orca K—8 and Southshore Pre-K—8

One change from the previous year is the addition of two new schools and an update in the way that funds are divided between schools, taking into account the student populations in each.

Students are encouraged to get others to sponsor them as they complete various events related to the move-a-thon. Visit the Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraising Alliance website to donate, become a sponsor and participate in the move-a-thon. Or Text D7Moves to 44-321.

Local Authors Featured in Short Story Dispenser at Central Library and The Station Coffee Shop

The Seattle Public Library's short story dispensers have returned to the Central Library (1000 4th Ave.) and Beacon Hill coffee shop, The Station (1600 S Roberto Maestas Festival St.), to provide a new slate of short stories written by Seattle-area authors. The collection has been curated by Short Edition, a French publishing company, which has more than 300 dispensers installed worldwide.

When one visits each of these locations, they can select "Local Writers" from the dispensers, and choose between one-minute or three-minute stories. Stories will be printed on a long stip of paper. According to a press release from The Seattle Public Library, "Since the installation of story dispensers in January 2020, more than 14,000 short stories have been printed." The ones installed by The Seattle Public Library are the first and only in Washington State, according to Short Edition's website.

The Seattle Public Library plans to expand the dispensers to other locations later this year.

Writers can submit stories for consideration on Short Edition's website at Short-Edition.com/en.

The following works by local authors will be featured in the short story dispensers:

• Alicia Bones: "Everybody Wants an Uncomplicated Life" and "Scissor to Strand Salonspa"
• Alina Rios: "Seeking Ore" and "Woven"
• Andrea Eaker: "The Build of a Siren"
• Angie McCullagh: "The Whole Flow" and "Green Freak"
• Caitlin Andrews: "Color Me Blue"
• Carol Roscoe: "Ruby's First Novel" and "Transplants"
• Carolyn Abram: "Nostalgia"
• Ching-In Chen: "Tree Skin" and "Leaving the Desert (story in reverse)"
• David Drury: "When the Lights Came Up" and "The House Lamps"
• Hillary Behrman: "Rocks" and "The Lost and Found"
• Jennifer Fliss: "Handprints" and "For the Dachshund Enthusiast"
• Jessica Duling: "Santa's Helpers" and "The Days I Hope For"
• Johan Liedgren: "Legs About Love"
• John Whittier Treat: "Almost"
• Kate Williams: "Doors Swing Both Ways"
• Katie Kurtz: "Session" and "The Book"
• Kristen Millares Young: "Try Saying Yes"
• Lindy Thompson: "Bugging Out" and "The Ice Storm"
• Matthew Simmons: "We Posted Through It"
• Michael Bracy: "Granny Earlene"
• Michelle Templeton: "Reading Emily Bronte" and "Burn"
• Rita Grace Atmajian: "Natural Wonders" and "Three Little Birds"
• Ruthie Nicklaus: "Just the Groceries, Please"
• Stephanie Barb Hammer: "Island Story" and "The Beautiful Pilot"
• Sudeshna Sen: "Tagebuch"
• Suzanne Morrison: "The Mother's Portion"
• William Gallien: "A Bunny Rabbit Eats Tea Leaves On TV"

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