Happy Friday! 

This was a great week of celebration. We welcomed our sister school students and staff to Nathan Hale from Naha, Okinawa, Japan. Students from our Japanese classes and Naha Club did an excellent job with the 50th Anniversary Celebration Assembly on Wednesday. Students from our Native Club welcomed our visitors and special guests by singing a native welcome song with Mr. Harter. It was amazing and set the tone for the assembly. Mayor Bruce Harrell gave an amazing speech drawing from his own Japanese heritage. The Japanese Consul General Makoto Iyori and Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones also attended and gave brief speeches commemorating this special milestone. We were honored to have these dignitaries and other special guests in attendance.  

I am very proud of our student leaders who orchestrated the 50th celebration assembly and utilized their leadership and Japanese language skills to plan and execute such a great assembly for their peers and school community. Our Japanese classes and Naha Club students are putting their learning to great use with our visiting students and guests enjoying homestays with Nathan Hale students and families. This week students wrapped up our Black Lives Matter and Black History Month activities. I was very proud of all the hard work and effort students from our Black Student Union put into planning and organizing diverse activities for our school community to participate in throughout the month of February. Hats off to student leaders. Student leadership at Nathan Hale is a priority and when students are given the opportunity to lead, they do not disappoint. Their work is evident in how the leadership class and club activities are helping our young people step out front and display their skill set as honorable, skillful, thinking, global citizens. I enjoyed ending my day, today, observing students in the advance drawing class practice their drawing skills using music and adverse drawing techniques to capture objects during a timed draw making creative art pieces. 

We had our Winter Sports Dessert on Wednesday evening. What a great season for all our student athletes and coaches! Our Boys Basketball team won the Metro 2A title. Our Bowling team won 2A Districts and went to State. Wrestling and Boys Swim also went to State this year. We appreciate all the support we get from our Hale families. Go Raiders! PE Waivers for winter sports are due in the main office by Friday, March 7th. Spring sports start Monday, March 3rd. To be eligible for tryouts/practices, please make sure you have registered in Final Forms and uploaded a copy of your physical before tryouts/practices begin. Find Athletics and Final Forms information here. Visit the Metro League website for upcoming game or meet information.  

Unity in the Community is this coming Wednesday, March 5th. This student-led and organized day is a regular school day for students. We look forward to this day at Hale.  

We hope you and your family will join us for the Bite of Hale on Wednesday, March 12th from 7:00 to 9:00pm. It’s an evening of food, culture and community. There will be tables of food representing our diverse community. Bites are small delights of food: 8 to 10 bites are a small meal. Try a few things for $2 or fill a plate-full of food for $10. All new this year is Hale Hall with gift baskets for sale. All proceeds support our ASB programs.  

Class of 2025 grad ads are now on sale through March 24th! A senior grad ad is an opportunity for senior families to choose photos and a personal message for your graduating senior to be printed in the Nathan Hale High School yearbook. The last day to purchase and submit a grad ad is March 24. See the SchoolPay link for more info about ad costs and how to make and submit your ad: https://www.schoolpay.com/pay/for/2425-NHHS-Yearbook–Senior-Grad-Ads/ScHwfl0. This is an optional item and is not required for your student to graduate or be included in the yearbook. 

Talkspace is a new virtual mental health resource for residents in the City of Seattle ages 13-24 that includes 1:1 therapy with a dedicated, licensed therapist, wellness related self-guided content and live workshops. Students can sign up to access mental health support. Students should not utilize Talkspace at school or during school hours.    

May everyone have a great weekend. Enjoy the sun while it is out.  

In Partnership,  

Jolene Grimes 
Proud Principal