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Washington Unified highlights summer programs; 916 Inc. publishes student books cataloged by Library of Congress
Summary
District staff and nonprofit 916 Inc. described summer learning and expanded learning activities. Expanded learning served more than 1,000 students across sites; 916 Inc. published hundreds of student books this past year, and district summer programs included Freedom Schools and credit recovery at high schools.
District staff and a Sacramento nonprofit told the Washington Unified School District board on Sept. 11 that summer programs served a range of students with enrichment, literacy and credit recovery opportunities.
At the meeting, Ryan Carroll, coordinator of expanded learning programs, described a partnership with 916 Inc., a Sacramento nonprofit that runs creative writing and publishing workshops. Angela (last name not specified in the meeting transcript) of 916 Inc. said the organization published about 350 books across 50 schools in the past five months and has published work by more than 7,000 student authors overall. She said students who participate receive a real book with an ISBN and are cataloged in the Library of Congress.
Carroll said 916 Inc. programming emphasizes student voice and culturally relevant creative writing, beginning with drawing and character creation for younger students and moving to revision and editing with professional editors later in the workshop series. Participating schools in Washington Unified included Bridge Island, Elkhorn, Riverbank, Stonegate, Westfield Village and Westmore Oaks. Carroll said students receive copies of their books and that each participating school site gets signed posters and five copies for the school library.
As part of the district’s formal summer program update, Assistant Superintendent Audrey Streak and Director of Compliance and Accountability Stephanie (last name redacted in transcript) presented enrollment and outcome figures for several programs: - English Learner and Dual Immersion Institute: 153 students enrolled; 17 teachers from six schools participated. - Extended School Year: 187 students enrolled with co‑teaching and paraeducator support. - Camp Yampa (Bridal campus): 55 campers and 6 interns. - Freedom Schools (year two in district): 81 scholars participated, with weekly parent workshops, daily read‑aloud guests and field trips; staff said the program emphasizes engagement to accelerate learning. - Expanded learning (after‑school summer): the district reported serving more than 1,000 students across four school sites. - High school credit recovery: River City High School reported nearly 1,722.5 credits completed across in‑person and virtual offerings; Washington Middle College and another site reported additional credits completed by dozens of students.
District staff highlighted workforce and volunteer support during summer operations: more than 122 classified staff and many substitute teachers supported programming across seven school sites. The district also noted partnerships with college volunteers and community organizations that helped run culminating activities such as art galleries, performances and a Ninja Warrior obstacle course.
Board members praised the programs and asked staff to continue outreach to families so more parents learn about summer options. Several trustees highlighted the newcomer and English learner supports and what they called strong professional development opportunities embedded in summer programming.
