Independent report faults Mount Si High School administrators for their handling of student assault
June 9, 2010
Assault came when a freshman objected to targeted harassment of his friend
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
A student walks into the front doors of Mount Si High School. A private investigator recently released a report about how school administrators handled a student assault that happened in November. Photo by Laura Geggel
A former Mount Si High School sophomore is facing assault charges in King County Juvenile Court in connection with a locker room incident that put a freshman student in the hospital. The freshman and his friend, who had been the target of ongoing harassment at school, have both left Mount Si and will likely have to repeat the ninth grade.
Community rallies around teenager injured in crash
June 9, 2010
Hendrik Koopman is so dedicated to dirt biking, he saved his own money to buy a bright red one he could ride on the hills east of the Cascade Mountains.
“He’s a real outdoor kind of guy,” Terri Koopman said of her 16-year-old son. “He loves dirt biking. He got involved with it when he was in seventh grade, when we were living in Arizona.”
When the family of five moved to North Bend in 2008, Hendrik kept up with his dirt biking, as well as other hobbies, including tennis, soccer and fly fishing.
Hendrik Koopman saved his own money so he could buy this dirt bike, the one he was on when he had an accident near Ronald. Photo by Shannon Zinc
Conner Martin, a sophomore at Mount Si High School, said he and Hendrik go dirt biking about twice a month and they like biking near Roslyn.
“It’s a nice place to ride,” Martin said. “It has nice scenery, good hill climbs.”
On May 15, Koopman, Martin and three friends drove near Ronald, just south of Cle Elum Lake, to go dirt biking. At about 5 p.m., Koopman had a head-on collision with another biker. Although he was wearing a helmet, Koopman had not secured his chinstrap, and he suffered a major head injury.
The other biker, a 22-year-old man from North Bend, had minor injuries.
Student-administrator forum reveals bullying culture at Mount Si
June 9, 2010
Much of Mount Si High School was abuzz last week after reading a Seattle Times article about a freshman who was assaulted after he stood up for a friend who was being bullied about his alleged sexual orientation.
That night, students made a Facebook group, Students Against MSHS Beating Cover-Up, which had 495 members as of June 8.
Teacher Eric Goldhammer said he was disappointed the Times article didn’t address Mount Si’s “awesome” Gay Straight Alliance Club, and that students and teachers had worked to make the school safer since the protests held by the Rev. Ken Hutcherson during the 2008 Day of Silence.
Students at Mount Si High School raise their hands when administrators asked if they had ever been bullied at school, during a forum addressing the climate at the high school. Photo by Laura Geggel
Senior Morgan Myers said students were frustrated, shocked and disappointed after reading about the incident. Many felt passionately about wanting to change Mount Si’s reputation for intolerance, he said.
At an invite-only student forum June 7, Mount Si Principal Randy Taylor and several administrators invited about a dozen students to talk about the school’s climate. Taylor wanted to know how much bullying happens, whether teachers are proactive in stopping it and what the school could do to better promote respect.
College Bound Scholarship applications are due June 30
June 9, 2010
Eighth-graders from low-income families must submit College Bound Scholarship applications by June 30.
The College Bound program is an incentive scholarship for children to graduate high school and enroll in college. The scholarship, administered through the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board, pays college tuition and provides a $500 book allowance.
Students must be in seventh or eighth grade to sign up for the program. Eligible students must also meet income requirements for free and reduced-price meals programs, receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits or be a child in the foster care system.
North Bend man pleads not guilty to child pornography charges
June 9, 2010
A North Bend man pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges at his arraignment May 27 in King County Superior Court.
King County prosecutors charged Jayson Todd Lottermoser with one count of possessing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
When asked about the charges, Lottermoser said he had no comment. He added that he had been unable to contact his assigned public defender and was looking for a lawyer.
Prosecutors say the 25-year-old man asked a Bellevue computer store to recover data from his computer, which had crashed, according to charging documents.
Letters, June 9
June 9, 2010
Mount Si High School
Protect all students from abuse
We are writing this letter to address the immense hatred we heard about regarding a student being beaten severely for protecting his allegedly gay friend. As alumni of Mount Si High School, we have had the unfortunate experience of having to view hatred against those who are “different” throughout the halls on an extremely frequent basis.
After the Day of Silence 2008 debacle, we both had hoped that the negative attention that had been brought to Mount Si would have been enough to inflict some sort of change.
Unfortunately, in light of the recent event that is now in the news, clearly that is not the case. It is extremely evident to both of us that something drastic needs to be done to protect all students.
School is supposed to be a place of learning, nurturing, friendship, and should be a safe place to be yourself and find out who you are.
UW scraps rolling admissions process for pooling approach
June 9, 2010
High school seniors applying for admission to the University of Washington for fall 2011 will face a new admissions process.
Right now, the university processes applications to its school on a rolling admissions basis.
A rolling admissions process review and assess applications as they are received. If admissions officers feel the applicant falls in line with what the university is looking for an offer of enrollment is made, a press release from the university said.
Starting with freshman seeking admittance to the university for fall 2011, admissions officers will begin using a pooling admissions process.
A pooling admissions process holds all decisions until all applications have been received and assessed.
Snoqualmie city officials, residents discuss state of infrastructure
June 9, 2010
Snoqualmie city officials and residents met June 2 and 3 to discuss the state of the city’s infrastructure, which officials said will need significant repairs and maintenance work in the next 10-15 years.
The cost of the work could be several million dollars a year, officials told the audience. The cost of maintaining Public Works infrastructure could be as much as $3 million a year, Public Works Director Dan Marcinko said, adding that the price tag will only grow as time goes on.
“The rain today is getting into the cracks” in roadways and weakening their base, he said.
But expenses have been “going up and up over the past 10 years,” while revenue has not kept pace, Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson said.
While much of the infrastructure in the worst condition is downtown, Snoqualmie Ridge is approaching its first maintenance cycle as well.
“We just don’t have the capacity to grapple with all these problems,” Larson said.
City officials polled residents about how the city should raise the money, including taking on bonds to pay for the work now.
Between the two nights, 28 percent of residents said the city should increase its debt to pay for the work. Another 28 percent said the city should foster more commercial and retail development. Twenty-one percent said the city should raise property taxes.
Police will be looking for distracted drivers when cell phone ban goes into effect
June 9, 2010
Put away that cell phone, don’t even think about texting or calling a friend, and put down any handheld electronics when driving a vehicle.
Starting June 10, law enforcement officers will start enforcing a state ban on a distracted-driving law requiring motorists to hang up their phones — or at least go hands-free.
Greg Tryon, an Eastside Fire & Rescue batallion chief, describes the communication needs of firefighting out in the field that include laptops and smart phones in mobile command posts, fire trucks and aid cars. Emergency agencies are exempt from the state law starting June 10 that bans texting or talking while driving. By Greg Farrar
Driving while texting or talking on a cell phone becomes a primary offense, punishable with a $124 fine. Hands-free devices, such as Bluetooth earpieces, and using a cell phone on speaker are permitted for callers talking and driving. Moreover, drivers younger than 18 cannot use wireless devices at all, except in emergencies.
Local police and the King County Sheriff’s Office say they do not plan increased enforcement, but that they will issue tickets when appropriate.
The Sheriff’s Office will not do emphasis patrols to crack down on cell phones because it lacks the manpower, said Sgt. John Urquhart, the agency’s spokesman.
Snoqualmie might do so at some point, said Snoqualmie Police Officer Jason Weiss, the department’s traffic enforcement officer.
All law enforcement agencies say there will be no grace period once the law goes into effect.
Making strides against cystic fibrosis
June 9, 2010
The fundraising kickoff for Snoqualmie Great Strides starts at 6 p.m. June 14 at Finaghty’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, 7726 Center Blvd., S.E. Suite 100, Snoqualmie.
The event raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which directs money to research of treatments for the chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system.
Visit www.cff.org/great_strides to join a team or to donate. Fundraise or find sponsors before the Snoqualmie Great Strides walk September 25 at Centennial Park.
