01/23/2025
The Bush School English faculty members are blazing trails as they publish new novels, stories, poetry, and collections!
Grab a bookmark, pull up a comfy reading chair, and immerse yourself in the award-winning masterpieces by these incredible authors and Bush English Department faculty, Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum, Molly Olguín, and Jasminé Smith. We congratulate them on the incredible literary accomplishments they have achieved while balancing their roles as mentors for the next generation. Learn more about each of their publications below!
Click https://www.bush.edu/news-detail?pk=1618209 to learn more.
01/23/2025
to last week's Middle School Music Showcase! Middle School students performed covers and original songs in student-led ensembles which have been practicing during music classes throughout the semester. Each band chose their group name, composed songs, and rehearsed their performances together. The night was full of joy, smiles, and great music! Way to rock, Blazers!
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01/22/2025
The entire Bush community is invited to the 2025 BushTalks panel and reception on Tuesday, February 4 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on The Bush School campus! BushTalks is an annual event since 2016 which brings community leaders from diverse fields to campus. Join us!
This year’s event, BushTalks: Social Impact Investing, will focus on social impact or values driven investing, which is the practice of using private funds to create positive change in society. It involves identifying problems, developing solutions, and scaling up effective approaches.
Panelists Zane ’00 and Alison Behnke, Wes Burns, and Janell Turner will be speaking from a variety of perspectives on values-based investing and philanthropy and how to consider financial planning and philanthropy as a way to make a difference in their communities and beyond. Specific tools for assessing options and measuring impact will be shared.
Learn more and register at https://bushtalks2025.rsvpify.com/?securityToken=rEsZpsmojpQAxVmO8nH2br8RzetW1Omi.
01/22/2025
Upper School students are blazing trails on skis in the backcountry of Whistler, BC, and on mountain bikes in the deserts of Arizona as they participate in Upper School Cascades. Students in the Cascade "Backcountry Skiing: Avalanche Safety and the Psychology of Decision Making" are exploring safe snow travel planning tools, examining where and why avalanches occur, learning to make relevant field observations, and practicing planning and communicating as a backcountry team while students in the Cascade "Sonoran Desert: A Biking Exploration" are exploring and learning about the beautiful Sonoran Desert landscape including plants and animals on a biking adventure.
01/21/2025
Three Upper School students have traveled to Kenya for their Cascade Program partnering with Daraja Academy! Read about their experience here: https://www.bush.edu/page/announcement-detail?pk=1425695.
01/21/2025
Happy Trustee Tuesday! We are kicking off 2025 with a profile on one of the newest Bush Board of Trustee members, Nyasia Sarfo, co-chair of the DEI Committee. Click the link to learn more about Nyasia and her passion for her work: https://www.bush.edu/page/news-detail?pk=1617757.
01/20/2025
In his acceptance speech after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize (1964), Dr. Martin Luther King shared a sentiment that is just as powerful and enduring today as it was some 60 years ago.
“Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time – the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression. Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts…Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace.”
In recognizing this holiday, and Dr. King’s legacy, we encourage students and families to reflect on and work toward fostering tolerance and promoting peace at Bush and in their communities.
01/17/2025
Wondering where to get new Bush gear? Visit The Bush School Spirit Store! With new designs and styles in this year, there is truly something for everyone! The Bush Spirit Store will be holding a pop-up during Winter Blazer Bash on Friday, January 31 in the Schuchart Gym Lobby. Can't wait that long? No problem! Purchase online at https://the-bush-school-spirit-store.myshopify.com/.
01/16/2025
Winter athletes are blazing trails on the courts and the snow as winter athletics continue! Upper and Middle School Nordic Skiing and Basketball teams have been cultivating community with their teams and are playing hard in competition. Go Blazers!
01/15/2025
Upper School students in the Cascade "Taiwan: Language and Culture" have been immersed in amazing learning experiences from participating in tea ceremonies and making Taiwan-style soup dumplings and boba tea to visiting local cultural sites!
Students visited Longshan temple in Taipei and learned about religious practices. Students spent an afternoon at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial where they toured the memorial and discussed the history and journey of Taiwan's democracy and drew connections and contrasts to American politics.
01/15/2025
Upper School students in the Cascade "Designing and Building Small Interactive Gardens at The Bush School" presented their findings on the benefits of having outdoor spaces to learn, play, and socialize in to Bush faculty and staff and shared their designs for how to incorporate these findings around campus.
Through visits to parks, green spaces, and gardens throughout Seattle, students in this Cascade were inspired to bring more interactive gardens to campus and envision what they could build to benefit the Bush community.
01/13/2025
Habari (hello) from Kenya! Upper School students Anna K. ’27, Nyomi B. ’26, and Flora T. ’27 are participating in the Cascade "Daraja and Girls' Education in Kenya" and blogging about their experiences. This Cascade partners with The Daraja Academy whose mission is to create educational opportunities for girls who would not otherwise be able to attend high school. Anna, Nyomi, and Flora will shadow Daraja students in the classroom, take trips into nearby communities, and hear from local leaders.
In their first blog post the group shares, "After two days of travel, our first couple of days were spent adjusting to the time change and learning about the wildlife, culture, and history of Kenya. We visited the National Museum of Nairobi, where we explored Kenya’s fight for independence, and we later visited the Giraffe Center." Read the full blog at
https://www.bush.edu/page/announcement-detail?pk=14256954 and stay tuned for more updates!
School
01/13/2025
Over the semester, we will be taking you through Percy's Bush Transcript from "Buildings and Grounds 101: Construction, Renovation, and Imagination" to "Public Speaking 350: Inviting Innovators to Invite Perspectives" as we celebrate Head of School Percy L. Abram's eleven years as Head of The Bush School.
01/10/2025
🏆The Bush School is proud to share that Experience Magazine 2024–the Centennial edition–has been awarded the 2024 Bronze InspirED School Marketers™ Brilliance Award!🏆
This Trail Blazing issue, which tells the story of 100 years of The Bush School through 100 voices of the Bush community past and present, was praised for its content and design.
From InspirED: “This award is part of the only international competition that honors excellence in marketing and communications for private and independent schools. InspirED School Marketers is a community that offers ‘brilliant ideas and brain food’ for private school administrators globally.
The entries were evaluated by a volunteer panel of 72 marketing experts from across the globe, all of whom are professionals in private schools or businesses that focus on private school marketing. They were assessed on criteria such as originality, persuasiveness, copy/script/dialog, visual elements, ex*****on, and overall appeal.”
Thank you to the hundreds of alums, faculty, staff, families, and students who helped us bring this award-winning magazine to life!
To read more about the magazine and award, visit:
https://www.bush.edu/page/news-detail?pk=1616297
01/10/2025
Winter Blazer Bash is coming! Join us on Friday, January 31 for a day of basketball and Blazer spirit. All K-12 families, faculty and staff members, and Blazers fans are encouraged to wear their blue and white and come enjoy activities, music, free food, and take part in an all-school pep rally! The day will culminate with a full slate of Junior Varsity and Varsity Basketball games in Schuchart Gym.
To view the full schedule click https://bush.myschoolapp.com/podium/push/default.aspx?s=409&i=688942&u=0
01/10/2025
Upper School Cascades are in full swing! Upper School Director Matt Lai shares, "Cascades is The Bush School’s signature Upper School program, providing three-week immersive experiences that allow Upper School students the opportunity to challenge their thinking, ignite their passion for exploration, and deepen the awareness of their connection to the larger community."
Participants in Cascades are engaging in a variety of activities, including Wilderness First Responder certifications, explorations of national and global cultures, internships, climbing, biking, skiing, STEM initiatives, and artistic courses that cover film scoring, kinetic art, interactive installations, mindfulness practices, and podcasting. In the upcoming week, we will be showcasing some of these extraordinary programs as Upper School students blaze trails and cultivate community on and off campus.
01/08/2025
Registration for Celebrate Bush: Party at Paisley Park opens in just one week! Today, Celebrate Bush Chair Joey Burgess shared a message to the Bush community, "When my family and I learned about Celebrate Bush, it immediately resonated with us as a meaningful way to engage with the community and contribute to its future. We believe it’s essential to ensure that an exceptional place like Bush remains accessible to everyone. The funds raised through Celebrate Bush play a crucial role in providing opportunities for all students and uphold our core values of community, equity, and inclusion within the entire student body."
The Bush community including current families, alumni, families of alumni, and faculty and staff are invited to come together for this special evening full of celebration. Be sure to mark your calendar and visit https://www.bush.edu/giving/celebrate-bush to learn more.
01/06/2025
We are thrilled to start the new year off with some exciting news to share. Upper School Director Matt Lai will become Bush’s Assistant Head of School for K-12 Programs beginning Tuesday, July 1.
Since joining The Bush School in 2021, Matt has provided excellent and consistent leadership in the Upper School, quickly earning the trust and respect of Upper School students, faculty, and families, and focusing on the values that make Bush such a unique school and community.
“I’m incredibly honored and excited to take on this new role next school year,” Matt said. “In my role as a parent, interim director, and current director, I’ve had the opportunity to see first-hand just how unique and amazing the Bush K-12 community is. I am thrilled to get to work with our students, staff, faculty, and parents at every level and continue to build an exceptional K-12 experience for all.”
Click below to read the full announcement and join us congratulating Matt: https://bush.myschoolapp.com/podium/push/default.aspx?s=409&i=688823&u=0