Chris Carter is a busy guy—which makes sense, really, because he’s the principal of a very busy school. Despite a nasty head cold, and the week-long school break, Chris took the time to meet with me and provide a first-hand glimpse of the happenings at Hamilton International Middle School.
You know, despite how close I live to Hamilton, I honestly didn’t know a thing about the school. My only experience with the school has been watching students cut across my yard to get to the Metro stop, or when buses were idling along 41st, blocking my driveway until the afternoon bell rang. The only time I set foot in the school was to vote, and my impression of the old building was that it was dark and creepy.
I’m not alone in this assessment. Hamilton didn’t always hold the highest of reputations. Parents I’ve heard in years past have talked about how the school was run by a tired administration, and the teachers did very little to suppress any sort of bullying or erratic behavior. And, let’s face it – it’s not easy to manage hormone-ravaged tweens; but the school offered very little redeeming value.
Principal Carter, however, brings new life to Hamilton, as does its International Arts Program, its World Language Program, Spectrum (students one year ahead) and an APP program (students two years ahead). The school also offers an ELL program (English Language Learning), and Special Ed programs that includes services for medically fragile children. What’s more, when students move into the newly-renovated building this fall, they’ll be treated to a light-filled school with state-of-the-art equipment,a new commons area, and a new gymnasium.
About 850 students attend 6th, 7th, and 8th grade at Hamilton, and even with the new Student Assignment Plan, the enrollment shouldn’t change too radically in the near future, though the new building has capacity for up to 1,000 students. The school follows an inclusion model—meaning that the kids are separated into “pods” according to grade. So, even if there are 6th graders in Special Ed or APP, for example, they remain close to the other sixth graders, and so forth.
Principal Carter and his staff, including two assistant principals, run the school in a highly professional manner, and have crafted a mission statement that reflects their vision:
Hamilton International Middle School, a rigorous academic and collaborative learning community, educates students to succeed and contribute in a diverse world.
Within this vision, the following values are incorporated into every aspect of the school:
- Continuous Growth
- Respect
- Diversity
- Integrity
- Teamwork
To provide such a rigorous environment, the school functions within three categories: academic achievement, a close-knit, diverse community, and an interglobal perspective—helping students understand who they are as individuals and how they fit into this ever-shrinking world. Hamilton offers three years of world language in addition to the continuation of an immersion track for students coming in from John Stanford.
Hamilton’s International Arts Program runs under the helm of Lary Barilleau—a Grammy-nominated jazz artist and member of the International Arts Consortium, which helps to bring artists in residence. The program comprises visual arts, orchestra, choir, and band programs that work together to develop cultural themed assemblies such as Afro-Haitian, Chinese Lunar New Year, and South Sea Islander. Since the program is a relatively new and interesting part of Hamilton’s structure, I plan to write a separate feature story about it soon.
The downside to having so many cool programs at once is that there simply isn’t enough time in the day for students to participate in all of the school’s offerings. Not everyone has access to world language AND international arts unless they fill out a PE waiver, which means that students must fulfill at least 90 hours of outside physical activity in a school year through after school athletic programs, Seattle Parks and Recreation, or private instruction.
The after school athletic programs offered at Hamilton include co-ed ultimate frisbee and girls soccer in the fall; boys and girls basketball in the winter; and co-ed track, girl’s volleyball, and boys soccer in the spring. There is also a program called HOST (Hawks Out of School Time), which offers activities ranging anywhere from rock climbing to tutoring. HOST programs are free to all students and are funded by the 2004 Families and Education Levy. Snacks and transportation are provided for those attending activities.
Much to my relief, the staff at Hamilton have developed an anti-bullying and anti-harassment program following the OLWEUS Method, which has been proven to help reduce bullying and social isolation. School-wide assemblies have been conducted to introduce anti-bullying behavior, along with Homeroom Period follow-up discussion about what it means to be bullied and the school’s policies and procedures.
To reinforce anti-bullying, 20 students are recognized every month for pro-social behavior during a “Hawk Pride” ceremony attended by families. Students receive “Hawk Pride” cards which are entered into monthly drawings for prizes. Each semester, there are also academic achievement celebrations for those with perfect attendance and honor roll students.
The students and faculty at Hamilton are looking forward to moving to their newly-renovated building this fall. School officials are planning a soft opening (ribbon-cutting, dignitaries and what not) the week before school starts, followed by a spectacular grand opening in which the community will be invited to attend. I look forward to seeing the new school in all of it’s renovated goodness, and having my children attend Hamilton in the near future.
Plus, I’m happy to report that the hedges I’ve planted have grown to a height where no one can cut across our yard anymore.
Aw, I went to Hamilton not too long ago and I really enjoyed it there. I had the choice of Hamilton or Whitman and I'm REALLY glad I went to Hamilton. EVERYONE was nice, I don't remember ANY kids really getting bullied. White's and Black's and Asian's all got together just fine (a lot better then Whitman apparently, my BF went there and has horrible memories). I had a LOT of friends at this school (which changed drastically when I went to Ballard) and I loved a lot of my teachers. Every school has a couple of bad teachers (or so we thought!) but I connected with my teachers here better then any other school. We did have a major change in administration, but as a student I didn't really notice or care. I didn't feel like I missed out on ANYTHING going to Hamilton. While its for the best they remodeled it, I was always upset when I talked to other friends or their parents and they would rag on Hamilton just because it looked bad. You can't judge a book by its cover!
I too am a neighbor on the Woodlawn side. Super excited for the new hoops to go in and super excited for the construction to be over! As a sahm I get a bit tired of the noise during the day, I much prefer the kid noises!
Yes, Hamilton up to 2000 had a poor reputation. In fact, in 2001, it was with some trepidation that I started my parent involvement before my son even left JSIS for Hamilton.
Was I ever pleasantly surprised! Terry Acena, principal at the time, was totally kid-focused…amazingly, he knew the names of every incoming 6th grader within the first few weeks of school. Katie Cryan-Leary, the assistant principal (and then principal) was phenomenal with the kids and staff. Our PTSA Board and Site Council were very active, and (with minimal help from the SPS District Offices and some active sabotage), we built a dynamite international studies program. Please note, too, that the school's involvement with the Olweus (note correct spelling) Anti-Bullying program was in full swing back then.
My son's time at Hamilton was Fall 2002 – Spring 2005, after which he attended Nathan Hale, maintaining a B+ average, and he is now at WWU and doing well. He often refers to his time at Hamilton (then a very diverse middle school) as equipping him well for getting along with a wide range of people.
I wish Principal Carter and his team well, and I hope Hamilton's new building helps it finally shed its (tired old stereotyped) reputation. But, please know that many, many great things have been happening at Hamilton for at least the past decade!
Thank you, Kat, for your comments about Hamilton from a student’s perspective. I have to respectfully disagree with the notion that Hamilton did not have much to recommend it in the past, especially when the writer admits to not having known anything about the school until very recently. Shame on you! If you had wanted to report on Hamilton’s past, you should have spoken with past students, teachers, and parents, rather than spread ill-informed stereotypes and rumors.
I am a long-time Wallingford-ite and my son attended Hamilton from Fall 2002 – Spring 2005. (Prior to that he attended Latona/JSIS.) During his time at Hamilton I was active in the school PTSA and Site Council, having chaired the latter during his last year. He received a very good education at Hamilton and went on to earn the IB Diploma at Ingraham. He now attends a college that stresses global citizenship. We found the teachers at Hamilton devoted and earnest and the administration committed and responsive. The focus at Hamilton was on serving the educational needs of every student. I have no doubt that the exposure my son had to other cultures and his interactions with students from around the world enabled him to build on the strong educational foundation initiated at Latona. As Kat said, don’t judge a book by its cover. I would add: Read it before writing the report.
Let me just first say thank you to everyone so far, for providing your experiences at Hamilton. It's nice to hear positive comments from parents/former students. Thank you, too, JLR, for making note of my misspelling OLWEUS.
Sorry if I offended anybody, but I have, in fact, talked to former students and parents of former students–not specifically for this article–but over the course of my living in Wallingford for the last 12 years. Those sources, combined with my experience of walking past Hamilton on at least three different occasions, and listening to children yell obscenities out of classroom windows at me and my son during class time, were the basis of my comments about Hamilton's past.