Waking up this Wednesday, in my snug home located very near the epicenter of the U.S. COVID-19 outbreak (Snohomish County/bordering King County), I’m digesting Super Tuesday results (in Washington, our ballots must be deposited or postmarked by March 10th), celebrating our local school board’s decision to select Dr. Gustavo Balderas as our next Superintendent, and excited to learn March is dedicated to “Theater in our Schools” – raising awareness of the impact of theatre education. How to sort the range of thoughts and emotions?

COVID-19 – Affecting restaurant businesses. Local mover and shaker, women’s advocate and Edmonds City Council candidate, Alicia Crank, (linkedin.com/in/aliciacrank) let friends and followers know she’s having lunch today at T & T Restaurant, a favorite Asian eatery which, usually packed for midday dim sum, has been virtually empty.

We join Ms. Crank in encouraging friends to support businesses particularly struck by ignorance amid this crisis. Additionally, we are monitoring local health and national CDC sources for accurate and up-to-date information.

Super Tuesday – Reports from friends in Texas and other areas of the country who stood for hours in lines, discovered inequitable numbers of voting machines or machines that simply weren’t working, had us shaking our heads as we filled out our ballots from the comfort of homes. Washington State, Oregon and Colorado are the only states that conduct their elections completely by mail. That said, many of us debated whether to vote with our hearts – selecting our chosen candidate even if they’d dropped from the race – or wait until March 10th to make our selection.

Edmonds School District chooses Superintendent – While a local superintendent search may seem like a small news item, I was holding my breath to see whether our Edmonds School Board would select Dr. Gustavo Balderas, born in Washington State to migrant working parents during strawberry picking season. For a district with an increasingly diverse student population which is not reflected equally in leadership, this is good news indeed. Most notable, however, is Dr. Balderas’s exceptional qualifications – closing achievement gaps and increasing graduation rates for students in poverty, Latino, and in special programs by significant double-digits.

Theater in our Schools – I can speak personally about the impact of theater on my son’s development; sustaining a brain injury at birth, he has a cognitive disability which impacts learning and language. Participating in theater has been transformative. So much so, we now dedicate his birthday to producing a family musical for which he is the director. This past Saturday, we had 42 people participate in a celebration of Tyler’s accomplishments and his 20th birthday.

“Arts education isn’t something we add on after we’ve achieved other priorities, like raising test scores and getting kids into college. It’s actually critical for achieving those priorities in the first place.” – First Lady, Michelle Obama

Wednesday musings