Beloved Community

Happy first week of June! The NHHS Climate Day of Action on Wednesday was a great success! Many thanks to the students who worked so hard planning and facilitating the day, the staff who supported them, our community workshop presenters and the Nathan Hale Community Organization who hosted lunch for the presenters. Also, to be thanked are our students, who attended workshops such as Water Bottle Life Cycle, Ocean Acidification, Forest Fire Safety and Prevention, Nuclear Fission and more. The day culminated in all participating in a human mural on the football field spelling out Climate Action Now. Next steps? We take what we learned as a call to action to go out and make our world a better place.

This June, we celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month, celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride. Historically, Pride Month began after the Stonewall Riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969, and has since spread outside of the United States. Notably, Nathan Hale flies the Black Lives Matter and Pride flags adjacent to celebrate the many activists on which our rights are reliant and affirm the identities of our students and community members.

Pride Month Events

June is Pride Month, honoring the trans, black and brown activists who threw the bricks in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. It is a month to celebrate who has paved our path, hold memorial for the many friends and loved ones we have lost, and look towards our future.

Next week, Pride Club will host a virtual ‘assembly’ and forum during mentorship. More details to come soon. Students are focused on the central questions:

• What is positive representation?
• Where do you find positive representation?
• Who is your positive representation?
• How do you feel about cishet (cisgender and heterosexual) actors playing trans and queer roles?

Resources to explore:

• Library of Congress, History of Pride Month
• PFLAG, LGBTQ+ family and ally organization. The Seattle Chapter
• The Trevor Project, organization with goal of ending suicide amongst LGBTQ+ youth
• A quick timeline of LGBTQ+ history/milestones

Provide Feedback on Creating a Safe and Distraction-Free School Community

A recent report on the impact of social media on teenagers’ mental health has prompted Nathan Hale High School to address the issue and establish guidelines for mobile device usage at school with concern for individual well-being and community safety. The report, endorsed by the US Surgeon General, highlights concerns about the negative effects of excessive social media use, such as depression, anxiety, and body image issues. Additionally, we’ve seen an uptick in social media driven physical altercations and property vandalism. As parents and guardians, it is essential to be aware of the potential impact of social media on your teenager’s well-being. The school urges parents and guardians to have open conversations with their teenagers, set clear boundaries, and monitor their social media use to protect them from harmful content. Tips for Healthy Social Media: Teens and Families A working group is developing a proposal on device usage expectations, aiming to create a distraction-free learning environment that promotes students’ success and well-being.

The school welcomes survey & feedback from parents and guardians through a provided feedback form.

Senior Info

Senior Breakfast is Tuesday, June 6th from 9:00am to 11:00am at the Mountaineers Clubhouse. Tickets ($12 with ASB card and $15 without) are available for purchase senior breakfast tickets online via Schoolpay or during lunch in the AC. This is a catered breakfast to make it a special event for seniors!

A special senior yearbook distribution will coincide with cap and gown distribution in the Commons after school on Wednesday, June 7th. Read information below regarding important things to know for yearbook pick up.

Spring Music Department Events!

Join the Nathan Hale Music Department for some of their final performances of the school year. Come hear the Concert Choir, Concert Orchestra, and Symphonic Band perform their concert which will feature some student composed pieces, some student conducted pieces, and ensemble collaborations, and more! Thursday, June 8th at 7:00pm in our Performing Arts Center. 

Come hear the Jazz Band and Vocal Jazz perform a dynamic set of dance tunes at the Swing Dance. Get dressed up, learn some swing moves and dance along to live music. Friday, June 9th in the Commons. Dance lesson will be at 7:00pm, live music starts at 7:30pm.

Featured Volunteer Opportunity – New Family Night Pasta Dinner

New Family Night Pasta Dinner – Tradition!  Family traditions. Our NHHS family values the tradition of providing a pasta meal for families attending the New Family Night on Thursday, June 15th. To carry on this tradition however, we need your help. Your past donations to NHCO fund the meal but we need volunteers to put together and serve the fun and easy meal.  Please email Katie Fleming nhcoconnections@gmail.com for details and to volunteer.

Yearbook Distribution

Yearbook day is on the way! All students will have a designated time slot between 2:00 and 3:00pm on Thursday, June 8th to pick up their copy of the Heritage Yearbook in the Activity Center. Here are a few things to know before picking up a yearbook: 

• Photo identification is required for yearbook pick-up, no exceptions. Photo identification can include any kind of government-issued ID or passport, a school ID, or you can show us the picture that appears on your Source account. 
• Students are not allowed to pick up yearbooks on behalf of friends or siblings 
• The Heritage staff will not replace lost or stolen yearbooks 

We look forward to sharing our hard work with you! Please direct your questions to yearbooknathanhale@gmail.com.

Enjoy the sun this weekend. Summer is on the way!

With love,

William Jackson, Ed.D. (he, him)
Principal