Creators of Their Future World: June 2023 Highlights

International School Sixth Grader Wins National Doodle for Google Contest

Congratulations to the 2023 Doodle for Google National Winner, Rebecca Wu! Rebecca, a sixth grader from International School, won the Google for Doodle contest this year with her Doodle titled, “My Sweetest Memories.” Google is generously awarding Rebecca with a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology award for International School!

Rebecca’s Doodle was featured on the Google homepage on June 6. For this year’s prompt, Google asked students across the United States to illustrate their answers to their prompt, “I am grateful for…” Rebecca’s written statement that accompanies her Doodle reads:

Rebecca’s Doodle was featured on the Google homepage on June 6. For this year’s prompt, Google asked students across the United States to illustrate their answers to their prompt, “I am grateful for…” Rebecca’s written statement that accompanies her Doodle reads:

My Sweetest Memories
Sometimes I love them, and sometimes I dislike them very much, but I can’t imagine my life without my sisters. I have learned to be a little bit more patient with them, and they have had an enormous impact on me. We help to inspire each other and to help each other grow like the vines and flowers in my picture. I am never lonely with them, and they can cheer me up. I am grateful for them and all that they have done for me. In this drawing, we are having a fun time drinking hot chocolate, which is one of my fondest memories. The rainbow in the background symbolizes one of the first things I helped one of my sisters draw. In one of my family pictures, my sisters (sitting next to me) and I (the one in the middle) are sitting in flowers with a background that I drew, so I thought it would be fun to reference that by drawing us sitting in flowers here. The word “Google” is related with the stems of flowers and vines, also following the flower/garden theme. My drawing is composed of all our happiest memories to show just how grateful I am for them.

Congratulations to Rebecca for this huge accomplishment and for sharing your phenomenal artwork with the entire country! And thank you, Google, for supporting the arts and technology in the International School community!

Watch Rebecca’s appearance on the Today Show, where she revealed her winning drawing and gave an interview alongside her family.

Learn more about this year’s Doodle for Google contest.

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Bellevue Digital Discovery Eighth Grader and Golfer Qualifies for U.S. Women’s Open

Angela Zhang, an eighth grader at Bellevue Digital Discovery, is being hailed as golf’s newest prodigy! Despite her young age, Zhang has already accomplished notable feats in the amateur golf scene. Last year, at age 13, she emerged victorious in both the Washington State Women’s Amateur and Junior titles. Additionally, she showcased her talent by reaching the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship semifinals alongside her partner, Alice Zhou. And July 5-9, she’s headed to Pebble Beach to play in the U.S. Women’s Open. This competition will mark her first appearance in a professional event, signaling an important milestone in her burgeoning career.

Alongside her dedication to golf, Zhang remains committed to her education. In the fall, she will join the Bellevue High School golf team, furthering her passion for the sport. With her impressive track record and unwavering determination, Angela Zhang is ready to continue making strides on and off the golf course.

The BSD community will be cheering for Angela as she competes with the greatest players in the world at the U.S. Women’s Open this summer!

Read more about Angela’s inspiring story in the Seattle Times.

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Bellevue High School Student Earns Statewide Honors 50th Annual Art Show

Every year, high school artists across Washington state create works of art that showcase their creativity and skill. In May, three BSD students were honored for their artwork in Puget Sound Educational Service District’s Regional High School Art Show. Entries by Rachel Jang, sophomore at Bellevue High School, Dahyun Jung, sophomore at Newport High School, and Rachel Han, sophomore at Newport High School, advanced to the Annual State High School Art Show through the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

On May 30, OSPI announced its statewide winners at the annual awards ceremony. Congratulations to Rachel Jang, whose work titled, “Serenity,” received the ArtsEd Washington Award!

The Superintendent’s High School Art Show is the culmination of a process that begins in classrooms across the state. According to State Superintendent, Chris Reykdal,

“The art produced by our students each year provides a window into what’s going on in their lives and in our world. It’s an immense honor to participate in recognizing 50 years of this powerful celebration.”

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Forming Connections at Sixth Grade Camp

For several years, BSD middle schools have provided outdoor science education to sixth graders in a camp setting. This has offered a wonderful experience for students in previous years, allowing them to learn about Pacific Northwest forests, marine life, pond ecosystems, and other outdoor education topics.

This year, sixth graders at Tillicum Middle School attended Outdoor Education Camp at Camp Sealth on Vashon Island. Students had three fun-filled days and two nights of learning and connecting with other students, staff, and high school counselors. Not only did Tillicum take the opportunity to teach students about the environment and science using hands-on learning, but they were also able to build in social emotional learning, leadership skills, and cultural awareness. Staff noted that Tillicum was also fortunate to welcome a guest of Tlingit ancestry, a group of Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. They joined the group at camp to teach staff and students about the land, values, and even the language and how it relates to the environment.

For several years, BSD middle schools have provided outdoor science education to sixth graders in a camp setting. This has offered a wonderful experience for students in previous years, allowing them to learn about Pacific Northwest forests, marine life, pond ecosystems, and other outdoor education topics.

This year, sixth graders at Tillicum Middle School attended Outdoor Education Camp at Camp Sealth on Vashon Island. Students had three fun-filled days and two nights of learning and connecting with other students, staff, and high school counselors. Not only did Tillicum take the opportunity to teach students about the environment and science using hands-on learning, but they were also able to build in social emotional learning, leadership skills, and cultural awareness. Staff noted that Tillicum was also fortunate to welcome a guest of Tlingit ancestry, a group of indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. They joined the group at camp to teach staff and students about the land, values, and even the language and how it relates to the environment.

Students who attended camp shared:

“Camp was a lot of fun with my classmates. I got to meet new people I didn’t know before camp. My counselor was amazing. Going to camp was the highlight of sixth grade for me!” -Michael Metcalf-Winslow

“Camp was really fun! It was awesome and I’d do it again anytime! It’s hard to pick the best part because it was all so good. The classes were pretty fun because they were interactive, and I didn’t have to sit — I got to ‘do’ stuff. We got to move and run around and talk. My counselors were incredible! I loved my counselors because they were super nice and funny, and they always had time to hang out with us. Camp was a really important part of sixth grade for me!” -Nina Coelho

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Woodridge Students Participate in BizTown Financial Literacy Event

Woodridge Elementary recently welcomed esteemed BSD leaders to conduct fifth grade interviews, as part of the BizTown Junior Achievement unit. The BizTown unit is centered around financial literacy. After the event at Woodridge, students had the opportunity to visit Auburn to run their businesses based on the interviews they completed at Woodridge. Great job to the students who presented their projects, and thank you to the district leaders who supported this endeavor!

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Newport Junior Wins Back-to-Back Tennis Titles

Valerie Glozman, a talented tennis player and junior from Newport High School, has captured the hearts of tennis enthusiasts across the nation with her remarkable achievements. With an athletic journey that began at the tender age of 4, Valerie’s passion for sports blossomed as she transitioned from gymnastics to her true love, tennis.

Among numerous accolades, Valerie recently demonstrated her incredible skill and determination by clinching back-to-back wins in the prestigious Easter Bowl national championship. Valerie is the first-ever Washington junior to achieve such a remarkable feat.

Valerie’s exceptional skills on the court have earned her a coveted five-star recruit status, currently ranking her as the second-best player in the country for her age group. Her achievements extend beyond the Easter Bowl, including a notable round win at the U.S. Open qualifying tournament last year. Additionally, Valerie played a pivotal role in Team USA’s triumph in the 2022 Billie Jean Cup, where they emerged victorious against the Czech Republic.

Valerie has the potential to secure her place as the most accomplished player in Washington state history. As she prepares for the upcoming U.S. Open qualifying tournament, she eagerly anticipates the opportunity to display her skills on the grand stage once again. Should Valerie emerge victorious in the U.S. National Junior Hard Court Championships, she would earn an automatic bid into the U.S. Open main draw, cementing her status as a rising star in the tennis world.

Read the King 5 article highlighting Valerie’s recent accomplishments.

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Ninth Graders Win at Destination Imagination Global Finals

A team of two ninth graders, Sanjana Ramesh Babu of Interlake High School, and Alina Sycz, of Bellevue High School, competed in the Destination Imagination Global Finals held May 20-23, winning the prestigious High Instant Challenge Award with an incredible score of 95.22 out of 100 in the Secondary Level Service-Learning Challenge.

Destination Imagination is an educational academic program that helps students to be top innovators, problem solvers, storytellers, collaborators, critical thinkers and project managers through different competitive, STEAM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) challenges.

As part of this challenge, they designed and conducted a service project where they taught engineering and health science workshops to kids ages 7-11. Fun and interactive sessions as well as hands-on activities kept kids coming back for more workshops. Their service project, creative costumes, larger than life pop-up book, and impressive technical elements were some of the highlights of their presentation that wowed the judges and audience. Throughout the competition, their resilience and problem-solving skills also impressed the judges. Congratulations Sanjana and Alina — you are creators of your future world!

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Two Somerset Students Perform at Carnegie Hall!

Two Somerset Elementary students recently had the opportunity to give piano performances at Carnegie Hall in New York City! Sara Raza, a kindergartener, and Sofia Raza, a second grader, placed first and second, respectively, in a competition that earned them invitations to perform in New York City. Congratulations to both young performers. We can’t wait to see where your talents take you next!