Happy Friday, Nathan Hale,  

Wow, NHHS never sleeps. On Wednesday students and staff enjoyed Unity in the Community learning sessions. The cultural fashion show and parade participants beamed with pride as they showcased the diversity in our school community. One of my favorite sessions was hearing from Mr. Chris Coon, current Seattle Firefighter and former Nathan Hale graduate. He spoke about fire safety and his pride in serving in his own Lake City neighborhood. I was one happy principal watching and hearing him speak to students and share his passion for his work. Our goal at Nathan Hale is that every student has a plan to graduate and has multiple opportunities to engage with community members to see and hear all the possibilities afforded to them as SPS students.  

We are still enjoying our Naha High School students visiting Nathan Hale. They will be here for another week. The Naha 50^th Welcome Ceremony held last week was featured in the SPS School Beat that came out this week and includes photos of the event. Check it out!

The Bite of Hale is this Wednesday, March12th, 7-9pm! Please join us for this incredible evening of culture, food, entertainment, and community! Bites are 3 for $2 or 16 for $10, plus we’ll have themed gift baskets available for our first annual Hale Hall. Bring your whole family! Proceeds from the evening support ASB programming including Unity, the Sentinel, Cheer, and Athletics. Bite tickets will be sold at the door. We’ve moved the Bite to 7pm so our Muslim families can participate during Ramadan and share an iftar together. See you there! 

This week I had the opportunity to invite Ms. Elissa Farmer, SPS math specialist to join me and the admin team on a learning walk. We enjoyed visiting most of our math classes and seeing students solving problems using understanding of how to find the volume of a cone in geometry. We saw students learning how to solve equations using logarithms in Algebra 2. We saw students learning exponential decay using an equation to measure the height of a bouncing ball with their peers. It was nice to get out into classes and see so many great teaching and learning strategies coming together to engage students using the new Illustrative mathematics curriculum.  

Do not miss out. Come enjoy the sounds of the Jazz Band, Concert Orchestra, and Symphonic Band and the upcoming Instrumental Music Concert. The performance is Friday, March 14th at 7pm in the PAC. Mark your calendars.  

“Spring Into Auction! The Nathan Hale Foundation is hosting our online auction May 1st – 11th and is seeking donations from our generous community. Together with the Fall Annual Campaign, this event raises vital funds for our school. Do you have tickets to a local sporting event or concert? Interested in hosting a party (craft night, game night, movie night?) to connect with the Hale community, or maybe you have a vacation or second home we can create a memorable experience with? If you would like to contribute items or experiences that can be auctioned, go to HaleYes! 2025 – Auction Procurement Page or send an email to hale-yes@nathanhalehsfoundation.org. For more information on how donors to the NHHS Foundation provide support for our school, see Nathan Hale High School Foundation. 

Spring sports began this week! Over 300 Raiders turned out for the spring sport season. It is great to see so many students participating in a sport and activity at Hale. Please check your student’s 3rd quarter grades. Grade checks are happening next week. If your student is struggling to find something to participate in, please reach out to your student’s mentorship teacher, school counselor, or school administrator for support. We would like to have our students involved in at least one activity, with two activities being ideal. The more students belong to something the more likely they are to have a sense of belonging in school.  

Have a great weekend. Don’t forget that this weekend Daylight Savings Time starts – turn your clocks one hour ahead on Sunday morning. Be safe and see you at some of our upcoming events at Nathan Hale. Go Raiders! 

In Partnership,  

Ms. Jolene Grimes Edward
Proud Principal