Skip To Main Content

Search Panel

Schools Menu

Elementary Schools

Middle Schools

High Schools

Home

Student intern and staff member work on lighting a photograph
Host an Intern

Want to join the hundreds of community partners who volunteer to share their work with a teen? Every Gibson Ek student spends half of each Tuesday and Thursday at a real workplace to explore career interests, develop soft skills, and pursue authentic learning.

Consider signing up on our Internship page.

Gibson Ek High School
Welcome to Gibson Ek High School!

Located in Issaquah, WA, Gibson Ek is a choice high school offering an innovative educational model for students looking for a more personalized, authentic, project-based approach to learning.

Read more about our school

Upcoming Events

Select your calendar...

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

FLASH and HIV/AIDS Curriculum Information Sessions for grade 6-8 and 9-12 

  • 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

On each date at the appointed time, there will be an informal overview presentation on the Comprehensive Sexual Health Education curriculum utilized in middle and high school. Curriculum staff will be available to answer your questions.

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. Current Sexual Health curriculum can be previewed through the King County Department of Public Health curriculum preview and is also on display in the lobby of the Issaquah School District Administrative building during regular office hours from 10/1/2024 until 11/15/2024.

 

HIV/AIDS Instruction for High School Students

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. All 9-12 grade students will receive HIV/AIDS instruction in the course of the school day. 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. The information covered can be found at King County Department of Public Health curriculum preview within high school lessons 9, 11 and 12. This video, produced by the CDC, will also be shown to high school students: HIV and AIDS 101

 

Contact Information:

Dawn Wallace, Wallaced@issaquah.wednet.edu, 425-837-7043, grades 6-8

Lisa Neighbours, neigboursl@issaquah.wednet.edu, 425-837-7046, grades 9-12

 

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

The agenda and meeting details will be posted at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Please note the agenda and materials may be modified up to 24 hours prior to the meeting; after that time, any agenda modifications will be addressed at the meeting.

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

The agenda and meeting details will be posted at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Please note the agenda and materials may be modified up to 24 hours prior to the meeting; after that time, any agenda modifications will be addressed at the meeting.

-
Cougar Ridge Elementary

Happening Now at Gibson Ek

News Panel

Student stands in front of trees
Gibson Ek Student’s Botanical Art Featured on Hatchery Signage

Visitors to the Issaquah salmon hatchery may be amazed to learn that the detailed botanical drawings on the new native plant garden signs were illustrated not by a professional artist, but by a Gibson Ek high school student. 

Rising senior Wren Larson spent the end of ninth grade and part of 10th making 47 drawings of native plants during his internship with Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. The finished signs were just installed this year. 

  • Featured Story
Read More about Gibson Ek Student’s Botanical Art Featured on Hatchery Signage

Social Panel

Announcements Panel

By the Numbers

182

Students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year.

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.

Gibson Ek High School Principal Tonja Reischl

Meet Principal Tonja Reischl!

Hi, Gibson Ek families! I am excited for all of the ways our students will push their creativity and get involved in community initiatives to tackle big challenges. I'm inspired by the many community-builders who are working to make communities healthy, accessible and vibrant – and that list of community-builders includes our students! A few fun facts about me: I love anything outdoors, such as cross country skiing, mountain biking, hiking, paddleboarding, etc. I also enjoy learning about the outdoor ecosystems, including all of the creative ways people are restoring them, solving big problems, and ensuring access and accessibility for everyone.

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

 
Paging