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Lake Stevens board swears in new student advisors and hears school improvement plans
Summary
At its Sept. 10 meeting the Lake Stevens School District board administered oaths to four new Student Advisory Council members and received detailed school improvement plans from Highland, Cavelero and Glenwood focusing on higher SBA proficiency, attendance and SEL supports.
The Lake Stevens School District Board of Directors on Sept. 10 administered the Oath of Office to four new Student Advisory Council members and spent the evening hearing building-level improvement plans aimed at boosting academic proficiency and social-emotional supports.
Tavisha Srivastava, Jane Vellinga, Ritisha Srivastava and Lael Kim were sworn in as new SACo members. Superintendent Dr. Mary Templeton administered the oath and thanked the students, saying she is committed to ensuring “SACo continues to provide a strong student voice in the district.”
Highland Principal Ryan Henderson outlined the school’s “Academic Promises of Progress,” presenting a target that 80% or more of students in grades 3–5 meet or exceed the spring SBA standards in English language arts and math, up from a current average the minutes list as 67%. Henderson described a set of classroom- and school-level strategies to reach that target: strengthening professional learning community (PLC) processes in 2025–26, continuing i-Ready individualized pathways with active teacher involvement, using student goal-setting folders, implementing WIN-time classroom interventions, and aligning Tier 1 instruction across classrooms. He also proposed SEL actions to raise regular attendance from 85% to 90% and to increase students’ sense of belonging to 95% (the minutes do not specify the starting percentage for the belonging metric).
Henderson recognized School Improvement TOSA Sonja Abels and Associate Principal Heidi Christensen for instructional leadership work. Abels said her next focus will be math, with expanded leadership roles for paraeducators and targeted interventions; Christensen emphasized building inclusion, expanding the SLC program and examining the impact of interventions on student learning.
Cavelero Principal Shannon Tarrach reviewed goals around SBA, WCAS and Panorama indicators and noted a spring 2025 ninth-grade on-track rate of 87% with a goal of 90% by spring 2026. Tarrach highlighted family engagement (an 8th Grade/Family Night) and teacher leadership as levers for improving outcomes and described steps to deepen PLC implementation and MTSS practices.
Glenwood Principal Jen Johnson presented a plan titled “Gatorific Together: Kindness in Action!” to pursue at least 80% proficiency in reading/ELA through use of UFLI and targeted paraeducator support. Assistant Principal Usa Sanchez and SIP TOSA Naomi Baker described daily affirmations, goal-setting, and a new Gator Kindness Club intended to reinforce social-emotional learning. Glenwood also announced a Unity Day & Family Night on Oct. 21 featuring speaker Brian Williams.
During public comment, community member Tom Glynn, a grandparent of district students, urged attention to student wellness and mental health supports.
Board members welcomed the new student advisors and praised school staff for their planning. President Mari Taylor closed by emphasizing the board’s role, saying the board is “here to address every issue — even the difficult ones.” The meeting adjourned at 8:41 p.m.
