AWSP Blog

The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) announces that high school students Ms. Gianna Patrice Frank and Ms. Mahika Kavya Malladi joined Senator Patty Murray and Senator Maria Cantwell in representing Washington during the 62nd annual USSYP Washington Week, this past March. Gianna Frank of Marysville and Mahika Malladi of Redmond were selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104 national student delegation. Each delegate will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study

Each year, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation awards two high school juniors or seniors from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia with an all-expense-paid, week-long tour of Washington, DC, and a $10,000 scholarship as part of the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). In Washington state, AWSP administers the program in conjunction with AWSL. Please encourage students to apply if they are qualified to submit an application!

The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) announces that high school students Mr. Rishi Hazra and Ms. Claire Anne Michal joined Senator Patty Murray and Senator Maria Cantwell in representing Washington during the 61st annual USSYP Washington Week, held March 4 — 11, 2023. Rishi Hazra of Sammamish and Claire Michal of Marysville were selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104 national student delegation. Each delegate will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study.

In my third year as the principal at Sunnyside Elementary in the Marysville School District, my goals for my students are to have a voice and to feel a sense of belonging and connection to their school. With those goals in mind, I initiated a student council, that would be voted by and would represent our student body, which consists of 480 Kindergarten -5th-grade students.

At AWSL, we are hearing the same feedback from students, teachers, and administrators across the state. There is tension at school. There are tough moments to move through in the classroom, leaving teachers and administrators feeling underprepared and students feeling unseen and frustrated. "Hot moments," a sudden eruption of conflict or tension in the classroom, can bring up an array of big emotions for people. Often, these occur when a student says something politically charged, may exhibit bias(es), or would be considered a microaggression. This moment can bring on feelings of uncertainty for everyone involved. You may not know how to move through it to interrupt harmful comments or behavior without escalating the situation even further. It may be tempting to let it go and not “make a big deal out of it,” however, as students voiced in our Student Voice Groups, not doing anything opens the door to even more harmful behavior. So, what can you do? Read on for five strategies to consider when faced with a Hot Moment in the classroom.