Kids and the Teachers' Strike: Staying Busy

Phyllis Fletcher
09/10/2008

The start of high school football practice is usually a sign that summer break is coming to an end. But not in Bellevue this year. Classes are still postponed today (Wednesday) on day seven of the Bellevue teachers' strike. But sports and other activities are on for high schoolers. And younger kids who can't stay home are in day camp. KUOW's Phyllis Fletcher has more.

TRANSCRIPT

FOR ALL YOU GUYS OUT THERE WHO DID FOOTBALL IN HIGH SCHOOL, THIS MIGHT BRING BACK SOME MEMORIES:

COACH: "Get your butt movin'! If you're not gonna move, get out of the drill!"

THE NEWPORT HIGH KNIGHTS DRILL ON ONE OF THREE FOOTBALL FIELDS AT THE SCHOOL. GIRLS IN RUNNING GEAR IMITATE THEIR MOVES, AND SAY "WHAT'S SO HARD ABOUT THAT?" THEN GO FOR A LAP ON THE TRACK. CHEERLEADING, CROSS COUNTRY, AND GIRLS' SOCCER ALL GO ON AS PLANNED, SO THEY'LL BE READY FOR COMPETITION WITH OTHER DISTRICTS. SOME CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES ARE HAPPENING AT NEWPORT, TOO. CHELSEA ELKINS IS A SENIOR. SHE'S IN A CLASS CALLED ASPEN:

ELKINS: "ASPEN stands for AIDS Student Peer Educators at Newport.

CHELSEA AND HER "ASPEN CLASSMATES" TEACH AIDS AWARENESS AND H.I.V. PREVENTION IN THE BELLEVUE SCHOOL DISTRICT. RIGHT NOW THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT, OR ANY OTHER CLASSWORK. BUT THEY ARE SCHEDULED TO DELIVER FOOD TO PEOPLE LIVING WITH H.I.V..

ELKINS: "People still need to get their food. It doesn't matter that the strike's going on."

SO CHELSEA'S TEACHER EMAILED HER TO ASK IF SHE COULD HELP OUT. SHE'S GOING TO MEET A CLASSMATE AND DELIVER GROCERIES TOMORROW.

CHELSEA IS ONE OF JUST TWO STUDENTS WHO ARE ALREADY "ASPEN–TRAINED" FROM LAST YEAR, AND WHO AREN'T BUSY WITH FALL SPORTS.

ELKINS: "I'm really dedicated to this program in general. Like, I can really step up and do that where maybe not everybody else can."

CHELSEA AND HER CLASSMATES ARE STAYING BUSY. BUT PARENTS OF YOUNGER KIDS HAVE TO FIND THINGS TO FILL THE TIME. KENNEDY SOUZA–WICKHAM AND JORDAN CRANDALL ARE NINE AND TEN. GOING INTO FIFTH GRADE AT ENATAI AND MEDINA ELEMENTARIES. THEY'RE ALREADY DREADING WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF THE STRIKE CONTINUES: SATURDAY SCHOOL.

KENNEDY: "Which isn't really good. Saturdays are our chilling out time, so, yeah."

JORDAN: "That will not work for me."

KENNEDY: "Yeah."

AND WHY NOT?

JORDAN: "Like, on Saturdays, that's, like, my busiest day of the weekend. Because I have my soccer game, cheerleading, and my sister's soccer game, so. Busy day."

KENNEDY: "Very busy."

JORDAN: "I know."

JORDAN AND KENNEDY ARE SPENDING THEIR WEEKDAYS AT THE BELLEVUE BOYS' AND GIRLS' CLUB. THEY SAY IT'S FUN, BUT THEY WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL.

KENNEDY: "Yeah."

JORDAN and KENNEDY: "Right now."

JORDAN: "It's just, like, 'let's leave this place. I want to go back to school.'"

KENNEDY: "I mean, I really wanna meet my teacher. I would really like to go back to school. This is, like, the first time I'm saying it."

BY NOW, A GROUP OF KIDS HAVE JOINED THE CHORUS. THEY WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL. NOBODY ROLLS AN EYE OR SAYS "SHE'S LYING."

THEIR PARENTS PROBABLY WANT THEM TO GO BACK, TOO. DAY CAMP COSTS 40 BUCKS A DAY.

SO, HOW MUCH MORE DOWN TIME WILL THE KIDS HAVE? THE BELLEVUE SCHOOL BOARD PLANS TO MEET TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT POSSIBLY ORDERING TEACHERS BACK TO WORK. A NEW MEDIATOR IS WORKING WITH THE DISTRICT AND TEACHERS. PHYLLIS FLETCHER, KUOW NEWS.

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