Blog
Using Project-Based Learning to Build a Culture of Trust in the Classroom
By Georgia Chehade. Middle school is an interesting time. Not only are students expected to adapt to a new school, expectations, and social scene, they are experiencing profound changes within themselves. Many adults who learn that I am a Middle School teacher admit...
It’s Kindness Week at WSA! Join in and plan your own act of kindness.
By Barrie Hillman. NPR reported on February 8th that 2020 has started off as the third wettest year on record! As good Pacific Northwesterners, we should be used to the winter liquid sunshine. More importantly, we should be practiced in counteracting the very real...
West Sound Theatre Company Presents “The Importance of Being Earnest” in February
By Gretchen Nordleaf. The West Sound Theatre Company (West Sound Academy) will present Oscar Wilde’s endlessly entertaining comedy The Importance of Being Earnestjust in time for Valentine’s Day! Gretchen Nordleaf will direct West Sound Academy’s handsome production...
6th and 7th Grade students plan and create projects for their final exam.
By Georgia Chehade. This year in 6th and 7th Humanities students have dedicated time to exploring their own creative spark. Their final, instead of focusing on specific content from the course, was focused on their ability to plan and orchestrate their own project in...
WSA Robotics team finishes the season at Tesla Interleague Championship playoffs.
By Lionel Pummell. WSA’s Robotics team competed in the Tesla Interleague championship event of the FIRST Tech Challenge on January 11 at Baker Middle School in Tacoma. Thirty-four schools from the Puget Sound area competed in the event. After a long day of intense...
Open yourself up to be ready to learn…
By Lisa Gsellman On Thursday, December 19th, West Sound Academy Alumni from the Classes of 2018 and 2019 joined our current juniors and seniors for an informal talk on what to expect with their future college life. It is such a joy having them return to us on their...
Lean Into the Light
By Barrie Hillman. Last week, I had the great privilege of attending the annual TEDWomen conference in Palm Springs. My first intention in going was to help support WSA’s work to host our own TEDx conference this spring, but as soon as I stepped foot into the theater,...
West Sound Academy Robotics places second in the FTC regional qualifier
By Lionel Pummell. The WSA group arrived at King's Schools Campus in Shoreline at 9:30 a.m. for the First Tech Challenge regional competition on December 8 - the second regional qualifier of the season. West Sound Academy is only one of two Kitsap Peninsula teams that...
WSA Robotics takes their tech on the road to Silverwood School
By Susan Trower. WSA's Robotics team packed up their robots and took them for a visit to Silverwood School in Poulsbo on December 4. Co-captains Aidan Phelan and Emma Longworth and team members Luke Rielly, Will Stone, Alex Prasch, Nick Bradford and Caleb Phelan came...
What is Knowledge Bowl, and is it fun?
By Susan Trower. West Sound Academy has a Knowledge Bowl team that holds practices twice a week. The goal of these practices is to help the team get ready for the three regional competitions organized each year by the Olympic ESD. What is Knowledge Bowl? What...
Financial Aid is giving way to Sliding Scale
By Barrie Hillman. In every professional development opportunity I have participated in over the last two years, the prevailing message has been about innovation and implementing progressive ideas in the education world. Change is always intimidating, especially in...
West Sound Academy Robotics Club Placed Second in the First FTC Regional Qualifier
By Jen David. It was an early rise for our West Sound Robotics Club last Saturday! Our group arrived at King’s Schools Campus in Shoreline at 9:30 a.m. for the First Tech Challenge regional competition on November 2. WSA is only one of two Kitsap Peninsula teams...
Get plugged in…..the right way!
By Lisa Gsellman. This past weekend I had 16 kids in my 1000 square foot house. Full size kids that take up a lot of space. The massive pile of shoes by the door… I wish I’d taken a photo for this post. It was impossible to not bump into each other but there was not...
IB Students Read Spanish Children’s Books, Then Create Their Own
By Jessica Outlaw This week IB Spanish students enjoyed reading some children's books. They analyzed what verb tenses were used and found three new vocabulary words per book. They were transported back in time with some classics that they were familiar with in their...
West Sound Theatre Company Opens “She Kills Monsters” this November
Join West Sound Academy students as they present She Kills Monsters: Young Adventures Edition, November 15-17 at the William D. Harvey Theatre, Olympic College - Bremerton, Washington. She Kills Monsters is a contemporary dramatic comedy centered around Agnes Evans, a...
WSA Hawks and Safire Phoenix Robotics Team Practice ‘Coopertition’
By Lionel Pummell West Sound Academy’s First Tech Challenge Robotics team is busy as they race to build and program a robot that can execute the challenging maneuvers and build requirements prior to our first regional competition November 2, 2019 at Kings Schools in...
Collaborating and Strategizing: WSA Robotics Meets Up with Girl Scout Team
By Jen David October is a busy time for First Tech Robotics teams all around the country as they race to build and program a robot that can execute challenging maneuver and build requirements prior to regional competitions starting the first week of November. Last...
WSA Thespians & Student Council Ask for Food Donations, not Candy, in October
By Grace Schmitt '20 and Phillip Cox '20 The West Sound Academy Drama Club and Thespian Troupe #8175, in cooperation with WSA Student Council, will be collecting non-perishable food donations for North Kitsap Fishline as part of the Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat...
Parents Walk the Learner’s Journey on Curriculum Night
By Barrie Hillman On September 10, 2019, WSA staff and faculty welcomed parents to campus for Curriculum Night which provided an opportunity for parents to experience the Learner’s Journey. Connecting in-person to the school and other people in it is one of the best...
New, new and more new!
By Barrie Hillman It's a new school year and WSA is kicking it off with lots of new things! The most exciting change is our new logo, designed by our very own Front Desk Coordinator, Brandie Robbins. The logo captures the essence of a student's experience as a...