Grad Requirements Translated

The Center for the Improvement for Student Learning (CISL) just completed its translation of the Washington State High School Graduation Requirements into nine different languages, including:

• Spanish
• Tagalog
• Cambodian
• Russian
• Vietnamese
• Korean
• Somali
• Ukrainian

The documents are all available as PDFs that can easily be printed and reproduced.

Commencing with Commencement

Here's a humorous read from a community columnist at the Kitsap Sun newspaper in Bremerton. Guest blogger Rob Woutat delivers a pragmatic virtual commencement address to students in Kitsap County high schools. Among the advice offered:

The further you drift from the protective arms of your parents and your school, the more you’ll have to jack up your skepticism, and the more you’ll recognize that skepticism is a basic survival tool.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt may have had the best approach to giving speeches: "Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated."

Since it's that time of year, tell us what you think makes a great graduation address (high school or college)?

How do you select the speakers at your high school? And for middle and elementary schools: do you hold commencement or transition ceremonies?

At Least They Spelled It Correctly

(Punctuation is another matter.)

Apparently someone walking by the AWSP office in Olympia last night felt strongly about Ms. Hilton's plight. This is the backside of our office sign, which we discovered first thing this morning.

Although the celebrity was released today from the L.A. County jail, I'm not sure we can count on the same person returning to restore our sign to its original condition.