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.

Aviation academy set to take flight next year in Peninsula School District

Oct 31, 2024 | By:

Gig Harbor-area students interested in exploring a career in the aviation industry will have that option close to home starting in the 2025-26 school year. Peninsula School District recently announced it will launch an Aviation Academy next year in partnership with the Museum of Flight and Tacoma Narrows Airport. Filling a skills gap The academy,

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Peninsula High teacher balances art and science

Oct 29, 2024 | By:

Peninsula High school science teacher by day, performing artist in her off time, Ashley Ortenzo is one of dozens who will “fling joy” in the Puget Sound Midwinter Revels show in December. Ortenzo has been a science teacher for 24 years and lives in Gig Harbor, but it’s her first year at Peninsula High School.

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In the Margins | Getting curious, not judgmental, about school bus drivers

Oct 24, 2024 | By:

The next training class for potential Peninsula School District bus drivers starts Monday, Oct. 28. Chris Phillips talked to three local people who love driving a bus.

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Peninsula teachers, others blast school board’s new staff expression policy

Oct 22, 2024 | By:

The policy establishes that the district can discipline, or even fire, employees whose off-the-clock comments have an “adverse impact on district operations.”

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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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