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Meet Principal Julia Bamba!

Hi, Gibson Ek families! Two of my favorite things about being a principal are our students and working with my amazing staff team. Our Gibson Ek staff care so much about our students and work tirelessly every day to bring care, energy, and creativity to the work we do at Gibson Ek. A few fun facts about me: I love reggae music, and I could eat chips and salsa forever. In my sophomore year of college, I left for a year to work construction as a roller operator. I made enough money to pay for the last two years of college, and I bought a 1983 Volvo station wagon! 

Project-Based Model

Gibson Ek High School is a choice school open to any Issaquah School District student looking for a more independent, project-based approach to learning. With no traditional classes or grades, Gibson Ek students learn through self-directed projects, using the design thinking process to guide their work. Projects incorporate reading, writing, science, social studies and math along the way. Certificated teachers guide and assess students as they work independently. As a Big Picture school, we develop students to live lives of their own design, supported by caring mentors and equitable opportunities to achieve their greatest potential. Students graduate from Gibson Ek with the skills, knowledge and qualities necessary to be activists in their world.

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Learning Through Internship

Gibson Ek High School students learn from working professionals whose careers match the students’ interests. Mentors have the opportunity to teach a student about the job, coach soft skills, and make a lifelong impact on a teen. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Gibson Ek students are mentored by adult professionals, either in-person at a workplace or remotely while the student completes a project from home. Well over 100 volunteers mentor our students, from local shop owners to professionals across the country and the world.

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