Education

Gig Harbor Now staff are proud to provide coverage of Peninsula School District, Tacoma Community College, private schools and home schools, emphasizing the value and experiences of learning here and beyond.

Conservative, progressive values collide in state superintendent race

Oct 16, 2024 | By:

As K-12 schools have become a battleground for culture wars, it’s no surprise that the 2024 race for state Superintendent of Public Instruction, a nonpartisan position, is fraught with political overtones. David Olson, a longtime Peninsula School District board member, hopes to unseat incumbent Chris Reykdal, seeking a third term as head of the state’s

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Peninsula’s cell phone policy a model for nearby school districts

Oct 10, 2024 | By:

Peninsula instituted a ban on cell phones during instructional time last year. School districts around the state are now doing the same.

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Locals share personal stories of fentanyl crisis at town hall meeting

Oct 09, 2024 | By:

One man stepped up to the podium and spoke at length about his history with addiction, incarceration and path to sobriety. A mother spoke about how her child died after being peer-pressured. Another parent said his teenage daughter just celebrated 90 days free of drugs. These were a few of the stories shared during the

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Peninsula High School pool beset with leaks, closed for repairs

Oct 01, 2024 | By:

The Peninsula High School pool is out of commission due to multiple leaks in pipes underground. The Peninsula swim team has been practicing at Gig Harbor High’s pool, and that’s likely to continue for the foreseeable future, with repairs not yet underway, Patrick Gillespie, Peninsula School District’s facilities director, told the school board last week.

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Parents sue Peninsula School District in Evergreen sexual abuse case

Sep 30, 2024 | By:

Parents of students who were victims of alleged sexual abuse by a teacher at Evergreen Elementary School are suing Peninsula School District. Pierce County prosecutors charged Jordan Roy Henderson with 12 counts of first-degree child molestation. Allegations against Henderson in court documents claim he sexually abused female students at the school over a two-year period.

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Peninsula School District gives details on plan to tackle bullying, harassment

Sep 30, 2024 | By:

The district expects to have a review of its harassment and bullying policies and practices, and where changes could be made, by December or January.

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Peninsula School District warns of rise in cyberbullying 

Sep 19, 2024 | By:

Peninsula School District is seeing a rise in online bullying, Superintendent Krestin Bahr reported to families and staff on Tuesday. Bahr, in a statement posted on the district’s website, called the trend “deeply concerning.” “Students have been posting unflattering and sometimes explicit photos of students and staff without their consent on social media sites, namely

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Fish Bowl fans (mostly) OK with new venue, tighter security

Sep 08, 2024 | By:

“I’m sorry you’ll have to walk around,” a woman in a safety vest told several teens Saturday as fans arrived at Mt. Tahoma High School stadium for Fish Bowl 2024. The separation of fans — Gig Harbor Tides’ boosters on one side of the stadium, Peninsula Seahawks’ faithful on the other — was part of

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Prosecutors charge security guard at TCC-Gig Harbor with theft, forgery

Sep 05, 2024 | By:

Pierce County prosecutors charged a security guard at the Gig Harbor campus of Tacoma Community College with theft and forgery, alleging that she deposited $63,000 worth of fraudulent checks into her own bank accounts. The 10 checks drew from an Umpqua Bank account belonging to the Tacoma Community College Foundation, according to documents filed in

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From the first day of school to the last, they hold it all together

Sep 03, 2024 | By:

It’s 9:30 a.m. Sept. 3, at Voyager Elementary School. The 2024-25 school year is less than an hour old. Office secretary Juli Williams has already wrangled the torrent of excited students pouring through the doors, directing kids to their classrooms, answering parents’ questions, helping one bewildered boy figure out who his teacher is this year.

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