Henderson Bay receives accreditation, accolades

Award is for continuation of School Improvement Process

Nate Hulings

of the Gateway

Gig Harbor’s Henderson Bay High School is a lot of things: alternative, accomplished and, now, accredited.

The Association of Educational Service Districts recently accredited Henderson Bay, something not many alternative schools even attempt, HBHS Principal Dan Gregory said.

The AESD is one of two bodies that accredit schools in the state. State law does not require schools to be accredited.

But Gregory said Henderson Bay had something to prove through the process.

“It was to let people know that just because we are an alternative school doesn’t mean our students receive an inferior education,” he said.

For the past year, the AESD gathered data on student achievement and made site visits to interview students and staff. More than 40 students were interviewed about the school’s participation in the School Improvement Process, a three-year program through the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Claudia Thompson, a Peninsula School District assistant superintendent, remembers a time when Henderson Bay didn’t know how to be part of the district. The teachers didn’t adopt district-wide materials, and they seemed distant, she said.

Thompson calls the growth and accreditation “revolutionary.”

“This is a big deal,” Thompson said. “If they (the accreditation board) didn’t feel it was up to par, they wouldn’t have accredited Henderson Bay.”

The plan began last June at a Spokane airport. The topic of accreditation came up when PSD Superintendent Terry Bouck and Gregory were sitting in the airport discussing the School Improvement Process. Henderson Bay was two years into the OSPI program at the time.

Bouck remembers Gregory being hesitant about the process, but only because he wanted to have a “calculated attack.”

“As the world evolves, we really had to evolve also,” Gregory told the school board about the decision to go for accreditation.

The School Improvement Process took three years and focused the school’s identity and educational practices, Gregory said. Year one involves school-improvement planning and a performance agreement audit, where needs are assessed and students are evaluated. Years two and three focus on implementing new tools and resources based on goals in the year-one agreement.

The implementation phase of the School Improvement Process included new program offerings in math and science, working more closely with the district and professional development, Gregory said.

Marlene Fuson, assistant superintendent for Puget Sound ESD, led the evaluation process of Henderson Bay’s implementation of the School Improvement Process.

“I was really impressed with the process they used and how focused they were to create high standards for their students,” Fuson said.

The end of the three-year program topped with AESD accreditation speaks volumes as to how far the alternative high school has come. But the journey of Henderson Bay High School has been long and oftentimes bitter.

At last week’s school board meeting, Bouck spoke about much of the negative flak the alternative high school has received over the years.

“Some made the assumption it was the step-child of the district,” Bouck said.

Bouck’s response?

“Not at all.”

School Board Director Jill Johnson still harbors disappointment about community response during discussions about the location of an alternative high school.

“People stand up and say they aren’t worthy of a building,” Johnson said.

“Not in our neighborhood,” Johnson recalled them saying.

Johnson is proud to see the school thrive and reach accreditation. The next challenge is to sustain its momentum.

Gone is the grant from the OSPI, which ran in correlation with the three-year School Improvement Process. And despite losing the funds, Gregory remains optimistic that Henderson Bay is on the right track and can sustain its success for years to come.

“We’re a smaller school, but what we do offer, we try to do it well,” Gregory said.

The accreditation lasts until 2015.

Reach Reporter Nate Hulings at 253-853-9243 or by e-mail at nate.hulings@gateline.com.