Just a little plug for our neighborhood school, Benjamin Rush Elementary.
Our daughter just started Kindergarten here this past fall, and we have been quite pleased with our experience here thus far.
While the facility itself is rather old, it is slated for reconstruction within the next several years (although we're told we're at the bottom of the list for the Lake Washington School District as it's one of the older schools still in good condition).
But it's not the building that sets Ben Rush apart; it's the faculty, staff, students and parents. There is a very active PTA that supports *many* different programs such as the Art Docent program, monthly faculty luncheons, and numerous afterschool classes.
Ben Rush is a Peacebuilders school http://www.peacebuilders.com/, and this is something we are completely supportive of in this day and age. My daughter talks about being a Peacebuilder all the time, and the school nicely integrated this into their recent MLK Day celebration.
The library program is particularly good, and the school librarian does a fabulous job selecting storytime books and exciting the students about reading.
My husband and I both volunteer at the school on a weekly basis, and we have found the student body diverse, respectful and friendly. We know this is in large part due to the faculty and staff's examples as well as the kids' home environments.
We are fortunate to live in such a great neighborhood and to be affiliated with this school.
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