Clover Park is full of great students and staff who do the important work of creating promising futures every single day. To highlight their efforts, we are spotlighting one student and one staff member every week. This week, we featured Idlewild fifth grader Reinida B. and Harrison Prep P.E. teacher Ben Bassett.
#PromisingFuturesFriday: Idlewild 5th grader Reinida B.
Renida loves meeting new people and working together. Her favorite subjects are reading and math, and she gets particularly excited about the challenged posed by fractions and decimals.
She said her favorite part about being and Idlewild Falcon is the field trips. She particularly enjoyed going to Junior Achievement’s BizTown last year, where she was selected to play the role as CEO of BECU. “I leaned it takes a lot of dedication to get a job and that you have a lot of things to do to handle that job and everyone else who works for you,” she said.
Reinida’s teacher Kristen Hulscher raved about her leadership in the classroom this year. “She has taken action to ensure that the class is running smoothly and she is a great role model,” Hulscher said. “She is highly principled, always doing the right thing even when no one is looking.”
Renida’s career aspirations include baking and photography.
#CPSDStaffSpotlight: Harrison Prep P.E. teacher Ben Bassett
Ben is a world traveler in his first year teaching at the school. He taught in England, Germany and South Korea before coming to the United States this year.
Harrison Prep is the third International Baccalaureate school Ben has taught at on as many continents, and he is fully committed to the principles of an I.B. education. “I do really believe in the outward look and the interdisciplinary part of the I.B. program,” he said. “It has helped me develop professionally and improve my cultural responsiveness.”
Ben and his wife moved to Washington this year, and he was looking for a position at an I.B. school at the same time Harrison Prep was looking for a new P.E. teacher. He focuses his teaching on helping his students be good people with a strong work ethic. “Our students have a lot of options open to them as long as they’re willing to put in the effort and work toward that,” he said.
Ben’s commitment to the I.B. curriculum and international experience make him an example of the great staff in Clover Park working hard every day to help create promising futures!