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.

Peninsula middle schoolers start new year in like-new buildings

Sep 05, 2023 | By:

Tuesday was a first day of school pretty much like any other: students pouring off big yellow buses. A lot of excitement mixed with the usual first-day jitters. More than a few sleepy faces. Outfits carefully chosen. Backpacks filled with a fresh stash of supplies. The school year ahead a blank slate. But for students

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Altrusa awards $29,000 from Empty Bowls fundraiser to six local groups

Aug 29, 2023 | By:

Altrusa International of Gig Harbor awarded $29,000 raised at the March 4 Empty Bowls event to six groups that provide food to families and children. Over the past eight years, Empty Bowls events provided more than $130,000 to feed families in the Peninsula School District. Organizations benefitting from the 2023 Empty Bowls event include Gig

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Free back to school shopping this weekend at Community Clothing Drive and Giveaway

Aug 24, 2023 | By:

Students return to school in less than two weeks, a relief for many busy parents and some studious kids.   It can also be a cause of stress for some Peninsula School District families. Back to school means back-to-school shopping, an expense not everyone can afford. That’s where Food Backpacks 4 Kids’ fourth annual Community

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Badges will allow parents, district to monitor students on buses

Aug 23, 2023 | By:

Peninsula School District is beta testing a badge scanning system that will enable the transportation staff and parents to monitor the location of students riding buses. Students at Swift Water Elementary will receive their badges on the first day of school. The district will roll out badges to all other schools during the year. Students

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Minerva Fund awards scholarships to nine local women

Aug 16, 2023 | By: Mary Williams

The Minerva Scholarship Fund introduced recipients of the 2023 Minerva Scholarships on Sunday, Aug. 6. Minerva Scholarship Chair Pat Berger presented the awards in front of a proud assembly of family, friends and members of the Minerva and American Association of University Women of Gig Harbor groups. Now in its 32nd year, the fund has

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Gig Harbor library statistics provide a good read on the community

Aug 09, 2023 | By:

The Gig Harbor library on Point Fosdick Drive has the most visitors of the 19 branches in the Pierce County Library System. And those visitors checked out more books, movies, magazines and other materials than were checked out from any other library in 2022 – 31,255 to be exact. That’s according to Mary Getchell, the

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Harbor History Museum’s Shenandoah earns prestigious award; walls come next

Aug 03, 2023 | By:

The Harbor History Museum’s Shenandoah Restoration Project is riding a wave of momentum, hitting two milestones in recent weeks. The project won an Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) earlier this summer. The award is considered the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation of state and

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Meet Peninsula schools’ two new armed safety and security officers

Aug 02, 2023 | By:

Peninsula School District has hired two new armed safety and security officers. Unlike school resource officers, they are employees of the district. SROs are law enforcement officers contracted by the district in coordination with a local police or sheriff’s department, typically with a cost-sharing arrangement. “PSD has not employed any SROs since the pandemic,” said

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Peninsula School District tells students to put away their cell phones

Jul 31, 2023 | By:

Heads up, students. When you get back to school on Sept. 5, plan to tuck that cell phone away, take those air buds out of your ears and stash your headphones. Peninsula School District has enacted a ban on cell phone use at school except during lunch. All social media apps will be blocked on

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Rotary of Gig Harbor seeking potential exchange students

Jul 28, 2023 | By: Cindy Reed

Editor’s note: The Rotary Club of Gig Harbor wrote this article and submitted it for publication. The Rotary Club of Gig Harbor is looking for parents who feel they have raised exceptional young people who are destined for great futures — and for young people looking for ways to leverage their learning experiences by going

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