Acting and Past-President Chuck Snyder opened the meeting by reminding us of several important events that happened on this day years ago, such as the birth of Denton Cooley in 1920, the doctor who installed the first artificial heart.
Announcements:
Remember that August is Membership Month, and President Del has generously offered a presidential pardon (from fines) for anyone who invites a guest to a meetings for August. He encouraged everyone to invite someone we know to a meeting.
There is an upcoming trip to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, West Africa in October 2016 to participate in a Polio Immunization exercise, attend the 11th annual West Africa Project Fair and engage in a hands-on work project. There is limited space and they expect it to fill up fast.
Trip Dates: October 18 – 26, 2016
Travel to: Port Harcourt, Nigeria, West Africa
Per Person Price:$1,629, double occupancy AIRLINE ACCOMODATIONS ARE NOT INCLUDED.
Program includes: Hotel accommodations, transfers, most meals, polio immunization exercise, hands-on community service field work, West Africa Project Fair registration, special Rotary and fellowship events, sightseeing, etc
We are just over one month away from the first District PR Boot Camp on September 10th. The first session is on PR Marketing and strategic planning and is designed to help your club and members in marketing your events, working with other area clubs and promoting your club and Rotary as we get ready to celebrate the final case of Polio and the 100th anniversary of The Rotary Foundation. The club will pay for anyone who is interested in registering. Notify Sandee and she will direct you.
There are two additional sessions on October 15 for our ClubRunner Program and November 5th for Facebook and Social Media that you can register for also.
Sunrise Rotary Club has extended an invitation for us to accompany them and the Tijuana Rotary Club on a weekend trip to Tijuana and support an elementary school from Friday October 28th returning Monday the 31st. It is within the basic Sunrise Rotary standard of incredible food, site visits and potentially wayyy to much alcohol (they love the tequila) and offer it up often. This is a opportunity to spend a great weekend with the Tijuana club members and do a hands on Rotary Project. Contact Sandee if you are interested.
Dominique Zervas encouraged Club members to consider ordering one of the new Rotary monogrammed shirts. She emphasized that they are good looking and will help us bring Rotary to the public’s attention.
Guests of Rotarians: No Guests or Visitors
Presentations:
New Member Talk
Rich Bowers gave the Club a great introduction of himself and his family, his accomplishments and interests. He moved to Bellingham in 2001 with his wife Stephanie when she accepted a position at Western Washington University. Prior to coming to Bellingham, he had been involved with several river restoration and conservation groups and was determined to continue those interests in Bellingham. He soon became involved with the Whatcom Land Trust and is now Executive Director of that group. Rich, Stephanie and their daughter are avid sports persons, who especially enjoy hiking and kayaking. His strong belief in the importance of community service was a major factor in drawing him to membership in our Rotary club.
Programs:
Program Chair, Sandy McIntire,introduced our speaker, fellow Club member and Superintendent of Bellingham Public Schools, Greg Baker. Greg attended Gonzaga University, and did graduate work at Harvard University, and then worked in education in Alaska, Portland and Spokane before coming to Bellingham as Superintendent 6 years ago.
Greg presented an overview of what is happening in the School district, emphasizing that his 6 years here have been busy, faced with challenges and accomplishments. He noted that progress has been possible because of the strong support received from the community and school students, faculty, and staff.
Greg spoke to the goals of the district that are summarized in the Bellingham Promise, the district’s strategy to achieve Great Teaching with Strong Support, through: Student, Family and Community Engagement; Innovation and Flexibility; a One Schoolhouse approach; and Early Childhood Education. Behind all this is the need to stress student safety, stewardship of school funds, and inclusiveness. He then proceeded to illustrate with examples of activities in these areas. Funding for new school buses is sought to replace aging buses with systems that allow safer transport and monitoring of students’ whereabouts. Progress is being made to eliminate sports activity fees, fees that now are keeping some underprivileged kids from participation. Programs to help and support homeless students have been initiated – he noted that there are currently about 450 homeless kids in the Bellingham school system. New school construction of the Happy Valley Elementary school and Options High School, and building renovations such as at Parkview Elementary, give the district safer and more efficient facilities.
Especially interesting is what Greg has done to better understand the students and their needs and to involve other district administrators in the system’s challenges. He initiated a Walking in Their Shoes program in which he periodically spends a day with a particular student, doing what they do in the classroom. As a result of this effort and other efforts, the rate of students who do not graduate from high school in four years has been reduced in five years from about 25% to %17. Each of the 94 students who did not graduate last year was assigned a mentor from among the district administrators, in an effort to deliver more effective and personalized attention to the students.
Greg and the Club members then took time for a Q&A period.
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