![West Seattle High School’s (WSHS) Chinese program is closing down and teachers in the program are informed to transfer to a different high school. At WSHS, 475 both former and current students have signed a petition to help teacher Ying Yu continue her Chinese program. She shares that initially, the program offered only four classes with 90 students but with her initiatives, the program grew to be full-time with 154 students and 137 students on the waiting list. (Seattle Public Schools Board Meeting YouTube Channel: Seattle Schools Board Meeting May 8, 2024, [58:25])](https://ballardtalisman.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-14-134038.png)
![“Link Crew is meant to be a way for [upperclassmen] to help ninth graders with the transition to high school,” Laura Lehni, language arts teacher, ASB advisor and Link coordinator, said](https://ballardtalisman.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_4601-1200x800.jpg)
![Henry Willy [pictured left] taking the field with his teammates in a 10-11 loss vs. Saas.](https://ballardtalisman.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_2431.jpg)
Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Week, which takes place the week of January 8, is a time to honor and celebrate the life and achievements of Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. It has different themes every year. The 2024 theme is: “Living the Dream: It Starts with Me – Spreading Hope, Courage and Unity“.
MLK Week is a time when schools and universities come together to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement. It’s a week filled with events and activities that promote equality, justice and peace. It’s an opportunity to learn more about his legacy and the ongoing fights for social justice.
This year, Ballard High School did an MLK activity every day for the first 10 minutes of the third period, to honor MLK. According to Black Student UnionPresident, Semai Hagos, “We wanted to do something different with the slides this year, so we made separate topics for each day. By having discussions, students are able to reflect on what they’ve been taught and how MLK’s dream relates to us today. We thought hearing some of Dr. King’s speeches are a great way to, and the discussion.”
“MLK Week is a huge part of the Black Experience in America, which was the reason for Dr. King’s efforts and impact. His work is still relevant today, which I think is the best reason to show,” Hagos said.
According to the Multilingual Dept. Chair Christina Russell, “The most powerful day was Thursday when we watched and reflected on MLK’s speech, ‘Your Life’s Blueprint,” Russellsaid. “It is meaningful that our BSU students put together these slides so we could center the voices of our students of color and learn from and with each other.”
King’s birthday was finally approved as a federal holiday in 1983, and all 50 states made it a state government holiday by 2000. Officially, King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, but the holiday is marked every year on the third Monday in January.
