One of the Top 100 Communities for Youth

Out of the thousands of communities across the nation, for the first time Kent has been nominated as one of the top one hundred communities for young people.

To celebrate this accomplishment, on February 18, 2011 the community gathered at the ShoWare Center in Kent where they watched performances, visited booths and got involved in different activities. These were all put on by different community members of Kent.

Kent-Meridian High School, Kentridge High School and Mill Creek Middle School performed several different styles of dance, including Tahitian, Bollywood and Rockette style. In addition to dancing, students from Kent- Meridian showed off their vocal talents. Several prominent members of Kent spoke, such as the mayor, Suzette Cooke, Chief Student Achievement Officer Dr. Merri Rieger and students of the Institute for Community Leadership.

Coming together as one, different corners of the community came together and proved why Kent earned this great recognition. Containing such a broad spectrum of diversity, the youth of Kent teach each other the concept of acceptance, creating a respectful environment. Not only do the community members accept one another, but they celebrate the variety of people within Kent, making Kent a comfortable place for the youth to live.

Communications Intern Michayla Tompson

Introducing Families to the Technological World

There is no I in team. This cliché held true for the members of the Student Technology Education Partnerships (STEP) Program and over 50 volunteers this past Saturday, February 12, 2011. The students and community members of Kent joined together to bridge the digital divide at the Bridging the Gap deployment, an event where refurbished computers are distributed to Kent families who cannot afford one.

The members of the STEP Program led groups of Kent School District students and community members in order to make the deployment successful. There were several different stations that the students and community members worked at which all linked to each other. Without one of these stations, all of the others would fail. Everyone did a great job at working together for a greater cause.

After four hours of lifting, cleaning, organizing and packaging computers, 97computers were granted to families in need, affecting 189 students in grades K-12 in the Kent School District. Thanks to Bridging the Gap, these families will now have a computer and an equal opportunity to access technology as other students do. And this is just the beginning! The next Bridging the Gap deployment will happen on June 4, 2011, so more families can catch up with the technological world.

Want to help? You can print off a Bridging the Gap Volunteer form at http://www1.kent.k12.wa.us/ksd/it/btg/volunteer.htm and also find more information on the event in general on Bridging the Gap at www.ksdbtg.org.

Student Writer Michayla Tompson

Visit STEP on Facebook!

You can now visit the STEP program's facebook by clicking here!