Listen to the Story

While teachers and students are in class, behind the scenes, dedicated teams quietly lay the groundwork that keeps our learning spaces safe, warm, and ready for teaching and learning every single day.
This past summer was no exception for our maintenance and facilities crews. While classrooms were empty, staff completed nearly a thousand work orders, deep cleaned 2.2 million square feet of school buildings, and maintained 23.8 million square feet of property districtwide.
"Summer maintenance activity is one of our busiest periods, and this year was no exception," Facilities Director Mike Rushton said. "In addition to completing 921 work orders, our team supported facility moves, capital projects, asset management, and key regulatory requirements."
That work ranged from roofing and flooring updates to pavement repairs, installing two new portables at Expedition Elementary, and renovating the Summit Cafe at the Pierce County Skills Center. Capital dollars set aside from our General Fund make these annual replacement projects possible, ensuring money is spent intentionally.
"It's really important for us to maintain these capital projects to keep our schools going strong, to maintain them, to take care of them, to keep those spaces safe for our students," Director of Construction and Planning Sara Coccia said.
Looking ahead, our district is taking a proactive approach to long-range facility planning. Rather than reacting to overcrowding or emergency repairs, leaders are planning ahead to ensure facilities match student needs well into the future.
"We're flipping the script a little bit," Executive Director of Operations Paul Marquardt said. "It's not, 'Hey, we're growing, we're past capacity, our buildings are in dire straits.' We're thinking ahead, we're planning ahead, we're being responsible with our taxpayers' money, and we're planning out the future making sure that our buildings stay in good condition and are meeting the needs of our students."
"Our buildings, even the ones that are aged, are really well taken care of," Superintendent Brian Lowney added. 
Beyond daily upkeep, our financial funding structures are also shifting. Following state legislation passed in 2023, Pierce County impact fees charged on new developments are transitioning from a general residential model to a bedroom count-based fee structure. While these fees still do not cover the full cost of growth, the update will allow our district to capture some additional funding starting in February 2027.
Maintaining safe, functional schools requires continuous monitoring and deep personal commitment. 
"In my 22 years here in the district, I would have to say that we have the finest crews that we've ever had," Rushton said. "Every one of them is dedicated, every one of them believes in what they're doing and is willing to make as good an impact as they possibly can."

Every great school district relies on a foundation that most people only notice when something goes wrong. Here in Bethel, that foundation is built by a dedicated team of Grounds and Maintenance workers whose daily pride and craftsmanship keep the entire system running smoothly behind the scenes.
The scale of their responsibilities is immense. Bethel’s Grounds and Maintenance team is responsible for maintaining a staggering 23.8 million square feet of property.
Keeping an area that massive in top shape requires relentless discipline, but it is also one of the smartest investments our district makes. By focusing on proactive upkeep and preventive repairs, these workers prevent small issues from turning into catastrophic failures. Every roof patched early or field properly drained saves taxpayers money in costly emergency replacements over the long run.
That hands-on dedication is visible across every campus. Look no further than worker Brad Fawcett, pictured here clearing dense brush at the brand-new Bethel High School. Through his hard work, Brad is helping transform the district’s newest campus into a clean, safe, and beautiful environment where students feel proud to walk in every morning.

From kitchen prep to morning bus runs, the daily effort required to support our students spans millions of square feet and thousands of staff.
In September alone, 422,493 meals were served to students across the district. “A lot of work goes into that,” said Paul Marquardt, Executive Director of Operations. “Twenty-thousand meals on average a day is what we'll be doing this year. And by the way, those are all free for our kids, which is no small feat.”
Providing meals is just one part of the equation. With 12,800 students taking the bus to school, getting students to campus safely each day requires an equally massive logistical push.
“What's exciting about that, is that number is going back up,” Marquardt said. “Last year we had 134 route packages. This year we have 144.”
To keep those routes running smoothly, driver recruitment remains a top priority for the team.
“We're really doing well with driver recruitment,” Marquardt said. “We have 17 subs right now. But we're still stretched thin, so we're working on that.” 

The lessons learned on our middle and high school athletic fields stretch far beyond wins and losses. Student-athletes gain essential life skills, including time management, teamwork, and resilience. Our coaches and staff play a vital role in instilling these values, as demonstrated by two extraordinary leaders recognized for their dedication to our community.
At a recent district track championship meet, community members gathered for a special ceremony to honor Larry Gliege for his incredible 45 years of service to Bethel track and field. Larry coached for years until retiring from teaching, then continued his dedication as the official starter for middle and high school track meets before stepping down this year.
In football news, legendary Coach Eric Kurle was recently inducted into the Washington State Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame class of 2025-26. From building a dominant 73-12 program during his seven seasons as Head Coach at Bethel High School to launching the football program at Graham-Kapowsin High School and leading the Eagles for 17 seasons, Coach Eric Kurle’s impact on student-athletes and the community remains unmatched. Under his leadership, the Eagles made the playoffs every single year after their inaugural season, taking home a state title and a national bowl game win in 2021.
Strong athletic programs rely on both dedicated leaders and strong community support. Our Educational Programs & Operations Levy makes sure our athletic programs remain funded and strong to support all student-athletes, whether they compete for fun or push to make it to the pros. Thank you, voters!

Getting Bethel students to school safely and on time just got a major boost.
With 12,800 students taking the bus to school each day, getting our kids to campus requires an equally massive logistical push. To keep those routes running smoothly, driver recruitment remains a top priority for our transportation team.
“What's exciting about that, is that number is going back up,” said Paul Marquardt, Executive Director of Operations. “Last year we had 134 route packages. This year we have 144.”
To maintain that momentum, the Bethel School District is now an officially certified driver testing site equipped with its own basic skills course. The new setup creates a faster, more sustainable system for recruiting, training, qualifying, and retaining drivers right here in our district.
In the past, aspiring drivers often faced delays caused by limited outside testing appointments, travel, and scheduling conflicts. By keeping training and testing closer to home, qualified trainees move through the onboarding process much faster.
Having an established testing route within our own boundaries gives candidates a known location for skills examinations while giving our transportation team higher control over scheduling and route availability. This streamlined approach ensures more consistent training and evaluation, improved operational continuity, and better readiness for substitute drivers.
“We have 17 subs right now. But we're still stretched thin, so we're working on that,” Marquardt said.

When local voters approved our Educational Programs & Operations Levy back in February, they did more than support local schools. They fulfilled a promise to our students.​ Thank you, voters!
That local support was ​also meant to unlock ​​additional state dollars through Local Effort Assistance. The state offers LEA funding as an equity measure to help bridge the gap between property-rich areas like Bellevue, and districts like ours.
"Bellevue School District has just about the same number of kids as we have,” said Superintendent Brian Lowney. “And their levy dollars provide about $30 million more in local revenue. The reason for that is they have really expensive housing. ​T​he assessed values of our homes and our properties in our district don't come anything close to what they are in Bellevue, and that's how levy money is generated."
But a sudden shift in Olympia has clawed back LEA funding, leaving our district facing a projected $10 million annual shortfall starting in the 2027–28 school year.
"That can't be borne on the backs of Bethel kids​, families​, parents​, and community members," Lowney said. If unaddressed, a $10 million reduction will cause wide-ranging hardships. "The cuts we’d make don't just hit directly to the classroom and teachers, they hit paraeducators, they hit administration, folks that are managing and leading buildings at the district level and at the building level, they hit transportation, they hit food services. I mean, you go across the board, those kinds of hits are so significant that just about everybody in the district would feel them."
This news is coming on the heels of our district passing a balanced budget and completing another year of clean audits from the state.
"We run one of the tightest ships in Pierce County,​" Chief Financial Officer Christine Donnelly said. ​"But even the best local efficiency can’t completely outrun a broken state funding formula, which is why community support matters so much​."
You can find contact information for your representatives in Olympia ​by visiting bethelsd.org/news.

Living in the Pacific Northwest comes with undeniable beauty, but it also brings a unique set of natural hazards. From Mount Rainier looming on the horizon to the quiet threat of earthquakes, windstorms, and winter weather, preparing for emergencies is a reality of life. 
Our district takes safety very seriously, working proactively to protect our students, staff, and school buildings and to ensure every campus is prepared for natural and man-made hazard events.
To keep safety at the forefront, our Emergency Management Team oversees comprehensive risk management efforts. Part of this work involves conducting detailed hazard risk assessment surveys at every single one of our schools. These surveys evaluate local risks, guide long-term mitigation goals, and help build robust safety strategies tailored to our specific community.
While many local entities collaborate on countywide emergency frameworks, our district stands out as the only one in Pierce County to maintain its own dedicated All-Hazard Mitigation Plan for over two decades. This approach allows us to set clear priorities, maintain eligibility for direct federal disaster assistance, and secure resources efficiently should an emergency ever arise.
To build on this foundation, our team is currently reviewing and updating these hazard risk assessment surveys across all our schools.
As part of this cycle, we are also exploring options to align with regional multi-jurisdictional plans in Pierce County to strengthen emergency coordination and shared resources moving forward.
No matter what nature sends our way, our commitment remains unchanged: keeping our schools safe, our community informed, and our students protected every single day.

Students in the Careers in Education program at Graham-Kapowsin and Spanaway Lake high schools got an inside look at administrative leadership recently during a special visit from Superintendent Brian Lowney. Before his arrival, students brainstormed questions covering everything from his daily job duties to his favorite meal.
The class is focused on demystifying the education profession and diving into real-world topics like parent communication, classroom discipline, and how technology is changing the way teachers work. By lifting the curtain, the class helps students determine if a career in public education is their true calling.
Having the Superintendent connect directly with future teachers offered immediate inspiration. "He was candid, open and passionate about his role in leading our district," teacher Jenna Wallace said. "He encouraged each student to come back to Bethel once they graduate and work as paras or teachers."  

Behind every smooth school year is a summer of nonstop work that most people never see. Here in Bethel, our Facilities and Maintenance team spends the quiet months tackling the heavy lifting required to keep our entire district safe, compliant, and ready for students to return.
While campuses are empty, the workload ramps up significantly. In a race against the clock before doors reopen, our team completed 921 work orders this summer while simultaneously steering facility moves, capital projects, asset management, and crucial regulatory demands.
Beyond daily repairs, the team manages roughly 50 ongoing compliance responsibilities. From building and fire safety to environmental health, equipment inspections, energy standards, and long-term asset preservation, these obligations demand constant monitoring and precise documentation. Staying proactive isn't just about upkeep, it’s an essential investment in protecting our facilities and the community that relies on them.
That steady, behind-the-scenes effort is visible on every campus. Take maintenance worker Ryan Green (pictured above). Thanks to his hard work, Ryan is helping ensure our schools and buildings remain clean, safe, and welcoming spaces for students every single morning.

Walking into Rachel Ballas’ fourth grade classroom at Graham Elementary, you immediately notice the sound of harps and acoustic guitars as music from the Middle Ages sets a tone of discovery for students, who are scattered in groups across the classroom working on an ELA assignment. 
Each student has a workbook and a smaller book about medieval castles open. Their pencils are in hand and quiet conversations can be heard around the room as they work in small groups.
“They’re going back into the text,” Ballas said. “They’re finding evidence about castle features that protected the castle inhabitants.” 
Because the Middle Ages are such a foreign concept for students, questions naturally arise, and sometimes they aren’t on topic. 
“How is string made?” one student asked.
A seven-year veteran teacher, Ballas realized these curiosity questions were taking up a lot of class time. So she built a parking lot in her classroom. 
“That sounds like a really good Parking Lot question,” she said to the student.
Each student has Post-It notes at their desk. If they have a question that doesn’t get answered, they write it down and put it in the Parking Lot, a designated space on the wall where a handful of colorful notes are already in place.
“And then, when we have an extra few minutes, I go over and I answer some of the questions,” Ballas said.
Some of the questions in the Parking Lot included, “In the jousting matches, why did the horses wear long leather around them?” and “On page 22, why is one of the guys not wearing armor?”
“It’s been a game changer for us,” Ballas said.
Now back together at their desks, she led a whole class discussion about the evidence the students found in their books.
“What about the towers helps protect the inhabitants?” she asked. Hands go up across the classroom.
Moats led the list and giggles peppered the room as they discussed chamber pots being emptied into the moat, making it a pretty disgusting defense for the castle.
“Did anybody find anything else?”
More hands shoot up. 
“I think they probably had farming stuff because how else would they get their food?” one student said. Ballas questioned him and his response showed the power of teaching students how to cite their sources.
“It says it in the book. I wrote it down.” he said confidently, citing the page and paragraph.
Once they finished citing their evidence, Ballas asked students for their thoughts on what they read. Now teaching students to separate facts from opinions. 
By giving every question a place to land, Ballas is helping her fourth graders learn that curiosity isn't a distraction; it’s the foundation of real learning.

The transition from middle school to high school can be daunting. New classes, higher expectations and unfamiliar routines can lead to freshman quickly falling behind. But here in Bethel, a program is helping ninth graders build the skills and confidence they need to succeed.
Now in its third year districtwide, the Ninth Grade Success program focuses on helping freshmen stay on track academically, recognizing that a strong start to high school can make a significant difference in a student's chances of graduating.
At Spanaway Lake High School, where the program is in its second year, math teacher Whitney Parkin is part of a team working to identify challenges students face and develop better ways to support them.
Using data collected from teachers' gradebooks and the state's annual report card, the team monitors student progress and looks for opportunities to intervene. The results have been encouraging. During the program's first year at Spanaway Lake, the percentage of freshmen on track to graduate increased by nearly 10%.
But the program is about more than improving numbers. It's about understanding what students need to succeed in a new environment.
"As we work through this program, we see that there are skills and areas that sometimes we need to help students be better at, areas that we need to create systems to support students with," Parkin said.
For ninth grader Zaiah, that means developing better study habits, staying focused and taking responsibility for academic success.
"This year I'm trying to focus on all my classes and making good grades, and having lots of fours and threes on my schoolwork," she said. "I'm trying to focus, put effort in my work, and try to lessen the distractions and try to focus on everything I'm trying to do. I don't want to fail. That's one thing I'm trying to not do. I really want to succeed."
Through a partnership with school districts across Washington, Bethel educators are sharing strategies and learning new ways to help freshmen navigate their first year. For Parkin, the goal is to create an environment where students can thrive.
"And it's not about changing the students that we have, it's about making better systems to support the students that we have and meeting them where they are," she said.

Inside a 5th grade classroom at Frederickson Elementary, students gather in small groups, crouched over giant sheets of paper spread across the room. They are tackling a brand new math unit focused on “interpreting fractions as division by writing remainders as fractions.” But rather than writing quietly on small worksheets, these fifth graders are filling every inch of paper with large numbers, division symbols, and mathematical vocabulary.
“Go big! Explore the paper!” teacher Mark Nevatt calls out, spreading his arms wide with a smile. “Huge!”
Nevatt, a 26-year veteran teacher, retired from the profession only to find that he missed teaching. He returned to the classroom, bringing his enthusiasm and energy back to the students.
“I missed this,” Nevatt said. “I can’t believe they pay me to do this. It’s the greatest job in the world.”
Moving from group to group, Nevatt hands out high fives, checks for understanding, and asks questions as students collaborate.
“Give me a thumbs up if you understand what I just said.”
Rather than lecturing from the front, Nevatt sets each group up with one math problem to solve and present to the class.
“This is your piece. You’re going to explain it to the class,” Nevatt tells one group. “You guys are going to teach me!”
That student-driven focus extends to the classroom walls, where Nevatt intentionally makes space to showcase student work.
“I don’t want my printing to dominate,” Nevatt announces. “This is your room!”

Working in a classroom is a tough job. But educators in our district take the phrase “see the student before the behavior” very seriously.
They also lean into another guiding idea: “Be a palm tree.”
“While oak trees are big and strong, when a windstorm comes, they break and fall over; but palm trees flex in the wind,” said Executive Director of Special Services Melissa Munson-Merritt. “The more flexible you can be, the more rain and wind you can withstand.”
That mindset of adaptability, patience, and mutual support underpins our district's approach to professional learning. Our district offers amazing opportunities for all staff to learn and grow, and a big part of that is learning directly from each other.
For elementary schools, six instructional coaches facilitated training for 430 teachers during this August’s Bethel Professional Learning Days. The sessions were built directly around teacher feedback collected in the spring. Teachers focused on the CKLA curriculum to prepare for their first few units. They also participated in “Rotation Nation,” stepping into middle school shoes to rotate through two-hour content sessions focused on math, science, and social studies.
“Both in science and in social studies, we elevated teacher leaders,” said Director of Elementary Teaching & Learning Elissa Dornan. “So, our teachers were not hearing just from us, but they also had practical applications being modeled right for them with the teachers that were teaching the lessons.”
At the middle and high school level, learning was similarly tailored to give staff meaningful choices. High school math teachers engaged in a two-day workshop to align their instruction, while English Language Arts staff met in small grade-level cohorts.
“We actually had teacher leaders in science come and help prepare to facilitate that learning,” said Director of Secondary Teaching & Learning Shawn Simpson. “We're really trying to advocate for teacher leaders to help support us with the learning.”
In Career and Technical Education, training began with a day for educators in their first three years of teaching. A subsequent CTE mini-conference covered high-impact strategies, digital tools, social-emotional learning, and navigating artificial intelligence in the workforce.
“This year, we were proud to have several of our own CTE teachers presenting sessions,” said Director of Career & Technical Education Jeff Johnson. “The teachers reported they loved to learn from their colleagues, and they learned so much from hearing what they're doing in their classrooms.”
The collaborative spirit extended across classified staff and district leadership as well. During Special Services sessions, Student Resource Specialists led training for nearly 100 classified educators who showed up to sharpen their classroom skills. Meanwhile, building administration teams prepared side by side with teacher teams to lead schoolwide behavior systems.
“There was not one building where this behavior work was simply led by an administrator,” said Executive Director of Elementary Schools Kelley Boynton. “You had teacher teams leading the behavior work, saying, ‘Here’s how we’re going to systemize around this.’”That thoughtful design ensures our staff feel equipped and supported in every classroom.
“They're super intentional about the planning that went into how they designed the days,” Superintendent Brian Lowney said about Bethel Professional Learning Days. “I know that they're based on the feedback from last year, and that next year's will be based on the feedback we got from this year.”
For Munson-Merritt, that collaborative investment ultimately comes down to how staff show up for students and each other every day.
"Be patient, be kind, and be human," she said.

Students, staff, veterans, first responders, and community members gathered to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
This year’s ceremony held special significance as the first event hosted at Casey Crate Memorial Plaza at the new Bethel High School. The plaza honors Air Force Staff Sergeant Casey Crate, a Bethel High graduate killed in Iraq in 2005, along with all Bethel alumni who have served in the armed forces.
A joint JROTC color guard from Bethel, Graham-Kapowsin and Spanaway Lake high schools presented the colors and brought dignity and honor to the ceremony.
“As a generation that had not seen the day itself, we make the promise to never forget and to keep the memory alive for those lost on that fateful day,” Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Sandoval said. “Remembering September 11 is not simply about looking backward. It is about understanding our responsibility moving forward.” 
The ceremony honored the victims whose lives were taken, the families who were forever changed, and the countless individuals who answered the call to help. 
“For many of us who served after September 11, the events of that day didn't last for one day. They became years of deployments, missed family events, missed birthdays, holidays, and watching children grow up through photos and videos and phone calls,” Keynote Speaker Major General Tim McGuire, U.S. Army (ret.) said. “Some of us came home changed, and some of us didn't come home at all. But we did this with pride and a fierce sense of purpose to protect our country, our family, and friends, and our fellow Americans.” 
McGuire told the assembled students that sense of purpose and duty wasn’t restricted to those in uniform. “You don't have to be a soldier or airman to serve. You don't have to be a firefighter or a police officer,” he said. “Do the right thing when nobody is watching. Be the person who runs towards a problem rather than away from it. Those choices may seem small, but that's how character is built. And character is what carries people and countries through difficult times.”

Forget tuning into The Pitt for high stakes medical drama. Right here in our district, four Bethel High School seniors are getting a front row seat to the healthcare world. And they’re taking the state by storm!
HOSA is basically the Olympics for future healthcare professionals. And these students recently swept top three spots in Washington state in their respective events.
Seniors Madelynn and Joon competed in “Health Career Display” with a focus on forensic pathology. When it came to research, they went right to the source. During an after-school study session, Joon cold-called the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, who routed her to the Medical Examiner’s Office. Days later, they were collaborating directly with Sierra Plush, Pierce County's Medicolegal Death Investigations Supervisor.
"I feel like forensics usually gets a bad reputation due to it being so taboo, but me and Joon, honestly, we're really interested in forensics and death investigation as a whole to give clarification to grieving families and allow them to mourn in a positive way," Madelynn said. "Even if it's such a morbid thing, I would say it's a really beautiful thing because we're able to bring our community together."
Joon credits HOSA with helping her step out of her shell. "I was always interested in forensics and being a part of the medical field and just helping people out," she said. "When I saw something that gave me an outlet and gave me connections and opportunities to network with people in my local area and compete and show off what I know and what I'm capable of, I thought, 'I really, really want to do this.'"
For Kaydence, HOSA provided a hands-on spark that completely shifted her career goals toward respiratory therapy. "I was really kind of bored with studying books,” she said. “Getting to do the procedures in person and hands-on was definitely so fun for me."
Meanwhile, Marcella took her experience managing the boys basketball team and translated it into a top state finish in life support skills. "Part of the life skill support was stuff similar to what I did in basketball,” she said. “The CPR and the taping. So I had an idea of what I was doing.”
None of these real-world experiences would be possible without the voters of Bethel, who passed the Educational Programs & Operations Levy in February. That community support directly funds district after-school programs like HOSA, alongside athletics, music, and the arts. Thanks to our community, students have the tools and opportunities to chase their biggest dreams.

Across our district, classrooms are moving away from traditional, reactive punishments. Instead, teachers and administrators are working side-by-side to help every student thrive by building real-life skills, teaching them how to navigate conflicts, and creating a sense of belonging in our schools.
The results of this shift speak for themselves: an impressive 70 percent reduction in elementary suspensions districtwide.
A huge part of that success comes down to educators supporting educators.
"At the Behavior Task Force level last year, we started going out to schools to see how it was going in buildings," said teacher and BEA Vice President Traci Overstreet. "So it was teachers checking in on teachers, and we plan on growing that this year.”
That spirit of collaboration has created a momentum that is hard to miss.
"Wow. I'm so inspired," said Jessica Hannigan, a national expert in student behavior systems. "I was getting actually a little emotional just seeing the growth from year one.”
This is the third year Hannigan has been directly involved with our district’s behavior teams.
“They're passionate about it, and they have created amazing systems on their campuses with huge outcomes for students and staff,” she said.
The ultimate goal is to make sure that every student gets exactly what they need, when they need it. That means clearer expectations in hallways, targeted small-group coaching, and specialized lifelines for individual needs.