Julie Hunter, library media specialist at Wade King Elementary “We lived in Caracas, Venezuela until I was five. My dad was a civil engineer in the Army. In the early 60s there was a lot of unrest in Central and South America, so I wasn’t allowed to speak English outside our home. So, I didn’t…
Mandeep Kaur, paraeducator at Cordata Elementary School “I was 12 when I arrived in the U.S. and I barely knew my ABC’s. I was born and raised in India, but I went to school in Merced County, California. My dad was already here and there were plenty of reasons to come here; my parents wanted…
Humans of BPS is an ongoing series that tells the stories of the people who bring The Bellingham Promise to life. Kandace McGowan, Drama and English Teacher, Sehome High School “I’m from San Jose, California and a first generation college student in my family. I went to Santa Clara University and studied theater and psychology.…
Jennifer Gaer, Volunteer Coordinator “I grew up in upstate New York in a small town, which I couldn’t wait to leave. When I turned 18, I did and I’ve never lived back there since I left for college. I was a first generation college student and I had two older sisters who mentored me and…
Jennifer Lawrence, COVID Coordinator and Teacher on Special Assignment “Right before the big closure announcement, Kristi Dominguez asked me to collaborate with her on the area of child care. That was when the governor made the mandate for child care. It was now our job to navigate during this unique experience. Kristi took on the…
Sue Lampman, Administrative Assistant to the Principal, Lowell Elementary School “I picked up the ukulele about three months ago and I’ve been really playing that quite a bit and doing some lessons. My family’s very musical, so, I spend a lot of time on the phone with them asking about chord progression and that sort…
All of these interviews were recorded in early March before the closures. Sam Carlton, kindergarten teacher at Alderwood Elementary School “Coming to Bellingham through Western, I had all these intentions of being an English professor. But when I did my undergrad at Western I worked at the child development center for three years. And that…
It’s National Volunteer Week, and we are celebrating the more than 3,500 volunteers who serve across our schools each year. Whether chaperoning a field trip or providing weekly classroom support, volunteers bring their hearts into our schools. Take it from Sue Webber, a volunteer at Alderwood Elementary School. We interviewed Sue this winter for our…
Julie van Wijk, principal at Cordata Elementary School “I learned about France in fourth grade, in Social Studies, and I came home and told my mom, “I’m going to be French teacher!” And that’s what I did. I went to the University of Texas at Austin and majored in French language and literature. I originally…
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