Bush School (Washington)

The Bush School
Experience Education
Address
3400 E Harrison St Madison Valley Seattle, Washington, 98112
Coordinates	Coordinates: 47°37′23″N 122°17′20″W / 47.622996°N 122.288776°W
Information
School type	Private
Established	1924
Founder	Helen Taylor Bush
Head of school	Dr. Percy Abram
Faculty	85
Employees	45
Grades	K to 12
Enrollment	580 K-5: 185 6-8: 160 9-12: 235
Campus size	6 acres (24,000 m^2)
Accreditation	Northwest Association of Accredited Schools
President of the Board of Trustees	Chris Jones
Head of Upper School	Ray Wilson
Head of Middle School	James Franklin
Head of Lower School	Dr. Elaine Aoki
Head of Athletics	Jo Ito
Website	www.bush.edu

The Bush School is the only independent private K-12 school in Seattle, Washington. The Bush School enrolls 630 students.^[1]

History

Founded in 1924 by Helen Taylor Bush in her home on Dorffel Drive E., the school moved to its present location on Lake Washington Boulevard E. in 1930. This land had previously been occupied by Lakeside School, which moved to Haller Lake in the north end of the city.

Helen Bush–Parkside, as it was then known, was coeducational through 6th grade. 7th through 12th grades were girls only. In 1970, the Upper School began accepting boys, and the school changed its name to The Bush School.

During the 2005-06 school year, Bush began a remodel of the Lower School (Grades K-5) campus; the project was called "Build Bush Phase 2." The original Lower School buildings were torn down and grades 1-4 were housed at the Spruce Street School campus for the majority of the 2005-06 year. The 5th grade was located in a portable classroom, for about half the year, then moved up to the Upper School for the second half. Originally, grades 1-4 moved to ICS, but relocated when concerns about the air quality arose. The remodel was officially finished in November 2006. The new campus includes modern brick buildings, a new library, a turf playfield, a new gymnasium, a fitness center, and new K-5 classrooms.

Description

Bush School campus, 2015

The school's mission is "To spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities." ^[2]

Students are given the opportunity to do homestays in various countries, and can apply to do a Senior Project during the last month of their high school career. Students may also play on various sports teams, and take part in school plays and musicals. Bush offers a wide variety of sports, including soccer, track and field, cross country running, cross country skiing, golf, tennis, volleyball, basketball, baseball, and ultimate frisbee.

Notable alumni

• Meg Greenfield,^[3] a political editorial writer and Washington insider
• Dave Dederer (1982) and Chris Ballew (1983), members of the band the Presidents of the United States of America^[4]
• Members of the band Sweet Water, originally known as S.G.M.
• Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She is the first woman and first African American to be president and chief executive officer of the foundation.
• Bonnie McKee

References

1. "Home - The Bush School, the only K-12 independent school in Seattle". bush.edu. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
2. "Mission, Philosophy & History". bush.edu. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
3. "Commencement 1997". washington.edu. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
4. "Future of the Music Industry". Chris Pirillo. Retrieved 10 August 2015.