by George J Elbaum

Kent Mountain View Academy (KMVA) is a grade 3-12 public school in SeaTac, WA, about 30 mi. south of Seattle.  Designated as one of Washington’s Innovative Schools, KMVA is small by intent (less than 350 students) and unusual in several aspects: students attend it by choice rather than by geographical location, many have been home schooled prior to KMVA, and the school maintains a strong focus on family and community.  For example, elementary students in grades 3-6 are grouped in multi-age home rooms where the first and last parts of each day are spent so that siblings start and end each school day together.  There is also special education on a limited scale and these students can be integrated into regular classes as ability allows.  A feeling of community/small family among the staff is clearly evident and surely benefits the educational environment for both regular and special students.

Arrangements for my talk were made by Kathleen Bergin of the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center and teacher Thanh Thu Do of KMVA.

Open letter to Kent Mountain View Academy

In this “open letter” I want to thank the KMVA community, its teachers, students, and parents, for an unexpectedly wonderful & gratifying visit.  I say “unexpectedly” because until the KMVA event I’ve spoken only to middle schools & high schools and thus had some doubts whether 6^th grade students would be old enough to really understand the Holocaust and fully absorb my story, but indeed they were.  My visit was “wonderful & gratifying” because the students made it so!

First, I must thank teacher Thanh Thu Do for her thorough preparation of the students prior to my arrival about the Holocaust and about my history during it – this was evident from their unwavering attention, their enthusiastic response and their questions – and most of all for the enthusiasm & curiosity she instills in her students.  Inspiring teachers produce inspired students!

Next, I thank Debbie Dempsey, KMVA Principal, and Pat Gallagher, Instructional Facilitator, for their guidance and leadership in making KMVA a Washington State Designated Innovative Schools and creating an environment of community for its staff, students and teachers.

Most of all, I thank the students – their enthusiasm and energy in welcoming me with numerous hand-painted posters, home-baked cookies and bunches of flowers, attentively listening to my story, asking thoughtful questions, and volunteering applicable stories from their own lives, all made my visit truly “wonderful & gratifying.”  Some examples are: “Welcome” posters by Danielle, Annelise, Abbie, Selina, Rianna and Tatiana, greetings by Keerthie and Michael’s large “Shalom” in English & Hebrew (and a teddy bear now living with my granddaughter Emily), and Jacob’s story of his inspired response to a neighborhood bully by reading to him aloud from the Bible… and the bully stopped, then returned later and apologized!

My thanks extend to the parents who supported their children by coming to the event, “dressing nicely” as their children requested, and perhaps cleaning up the kitchen after the delicious lemon bars were baked!

In summary, my heartfelt “thank you” to all of you.

PS: In late December I received a package of some 2 dozen Happy Hanukkah greetings & cards made by the students, and the one from “the lemon bar girls” even included the recipe for their lemon bars 🙂  Thank you!