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Share Your Work with a Teen
Share Your Work with a Teen

Gibson Ek seeks professionals to mentor students and host "interns" Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our daytime, school-year internships allow students to explore careers and build skills as they assist with routine tasks, observe, and work on authentic projects. All fields welcome, but especially needed are in-person opportunities in technology, construction trades, automotive, culinary, and the arts — as well as general small business operations.

Learn more and volunteer

Gibson Ek Graduation class of 2022
Congratulations Class of '22!

Gibson Ek is a choice school open to any ISD student looking for a more independent approach to learning. With no traditional classes or grades, Gibson Ek students learn through self-directed projects and build professional skills through internships. Our '22 graduates head toward exciting futures as they apprentice in lucrative trades, attend highly selective colleges, study abroad, or pursue degrees in the arts, engineering, and computer science, among other diverse goals.

Learn more

Upcoming Events

Select your calendar...

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Administration Building, 5150 220th Ave SE, Issaquah, WA

Your child’s teacher will be teaching the district adopted FLASH (Family Life and Sexual Health) and HIV/AIDS curriculum during this school year. To allow you an opportunity to examine the instructional materials and view the videos that may be used, there will be 2 public viewings of the materials at the Issaquah School District Administration Center.

  • Thursday, October 6, 6:00 PM (presentation lasts about 1.5 hours)
  • Saturday, October 8, 9:00 AM (presentation lasts about 1.5 hours)

At the appointed time, there will be an informal presentation. Curriculum staff will be available to answer your questions. The passage of SB 5395, Comprehensive Sexual Education Bill, did not impact the District’s adopted sexual health curriculum. Our current sexual health curriculum content meets the requirements of the bill.

FLASH Instruction:

Under the Federal Hatch Amendment of 1974, all sexual education instructional materials must be available for parent inspection. Parents have the right to exempt their child from sexual health education instruction at any time. The public viewings provide a centralized opportunity to do so. While it is not required for you to attend the parent preview to exempt your child from sexual education, it is necessary to submit your request in writing to your school principal. This must be done each year. To opt out of FLASH, please email your request to opt out to your student's principal and health teacher. You may opt out of the entire FLASH unit or individual lessons.

HIV/AIDS Instruction: Please note – the process of exempting your child from HIV/AIDS education is treated separately from exempting your child out of sexual education.

In recognition of the significant threat that the HIV/AIDS virus presents to the health of the people of our nation, the Washington state legislature passed the Omnibus AIDS Bill in 1988. This law directs local school districts to provide yearly instruction to students in grades 5-12 about the pathology and prevention of the HIV/AIDS virus. The law requires that parents/guardians must preview the HIV/AIDS curriculum which is found within the FLASH curriculum, before exempting your child. This must be done each year. Click here for the opt out form for HIV/AIDS.

It is not necessary for parents to attend a public review session if they do not intend to exempt their children from HIV/AIDS instruction. Being familiar with the curriculum will enhance your ability to talk with your children about this serious health threat. FLASH curriculum can be previewed through the King County Department of Public Health at https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/locations/family-planning/education.aspx.

Due to copyright laws the detailed FLASH lessons and units cannot be shared electronically. If you are unable to attend one of the above sessions, the curriculum materials will be available to preview in the lobby of the District Administration building during business hours, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM daily from September 19, 2022-October 21, 2022.

Session Location: Issaquah School District Administration Center, 5150 220th AVE SE, Issaquah, WA 98029.

Contact Information:

-
Administration Building, 5150 220th Ave SE, Issaquah, WA

Your child’s teacher will be teaching the district adopted FLASH (Family Life and Sexual Health) and HIV/AIDS curriculum during this school year. To allow you an opportunity to examine the instructional materials and view the videos that may be used, there will be 2 public viewings of the materials at the Issaquah School District Administration Center.

  • Thursday, October 6, 6:00 PM (presentation lasts about 1.5 hours)
  • Saturday, October 8, 9:00 AM (presentation lasts about 1.5 hours)

At the appointed time, there will be an informal presentation. Curriculum staff will be available to answer your questions. The passage of SB 5395, Comprehensive Sexual Education Bill, did not impact the District’s adopted sexual health curriculum. Our current sexual health curriculum content meets the requirements of the bill.

FLASH Instruction:

Under the Federal Hatch Amendment of 1974, all sexual education instructional materials must be available for parent inspection. Parents have the right to exempt their child from sexual health education instruction at any time. The public viewings provide a centralized opportunity to do so. While it is not required for you to attend the parent preview to exempt your child from sexual education, it is necessary to submit your request in writing to your school principal. This must be done each year. To opt out of FLASH, please email your request to opt out to your student's principal and health teacher. You may opt out of the entire FLASH unit or individual lessons.

HIV/AIDS Instruction: Please note – the process of exempting your child from HIV/AIDS education is treated separately from exempting your child out of sexual education.

In recognition of the significant threat that the HIV/AIDS virus presents to the health of the people of our nation, the Washington state legislature passed the Omnibus AIDS Bill in 1988. This law directs local school districts to provide yearly instruction to students in grades 5-12 about the pathology and prevention of the HIV/AIDS virus. The law requires that parents/guardians must preview the HIV/AIDS curriculum which is found within the FLASH curriculum, before exempting your child. This must be done each year. Click here for the opt out form for HIV/AIDS.

It is not necessary for parents to attend a public review session if they do not intend to exempt their children from HIV/AIDS instruction. Being familiar with the curriculum will enhance your ability to talk with your children about this serious health threat. FLASH curriculum can be previewed through the King County Department of Public Health at https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/locations/family-planning/education.aspx.

Due to copyright laws the detailed FLASH lessons and units cannot be shared electronically. If you are unable to attend one of the above sessions, the curriculum materials will be available to preview in the lobby of the District Administration building during business hours, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM daily from September 19, 2022-October 21, 2022.

Session Location: Issaquah School District Administration Center, 5150 220th AVE SE, Issaquah, WA 98029.

Contact Information:

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On Wednesday, October 12 all 10th and 11th grade students in the Issaquah School District are invited to take the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test). Gibson Ek’s 10th and 11th grade students will begin the exam at 8:00 AM on campus. We expect students to finish testing by noon. 

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Room 2105 or Room 3207
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Room 2105 or Room 3207

By the Numbers

175

Students

Our small student body in grades 9-12 reflects a wide diversity of goals, from college to entrepreneurship to careers in a trade or the arts.

500+

Mentors

Hundreds of working professionals have volunteered to mentor our students through on-site internships and remote career-related projects.

20

Competency Areas

With no traditional classes or grades, students learn through self-directed projects, incorporating competencies in reading, writing, science, social studies and math.

8

Innovation Spaces

“Exploration time” allows students to dive hands-on into 3-D printing, visual arts, science, woodworking, music and audio recording, cooking, digital media, gardening, & more.

Image shows the building of Gibson Ek High School

School Highlights & Programs

Gibson Ek students commit to a personal vision through authentic new learning that empowers them to contribute their knowledge and skills to meaningfully influence the school and community.

Principal Julia Bamba

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! 

Lathe

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

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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